NAICS 325110

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal statistical standard used to classify U.S. business establishments for the collection, analysis, and publication of economic data. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget with Canada and Mexico, NAICS replaced SIC in 1997; the current structure in use is the 2022 vintage. ¹

NAICS 325110 — Petrochemical Manufacturing — covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing acyclic (aliphatic) hydrocarbons (for example, ethylene, propylene, and butylenes) from refined petroleum or liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks and/or manufacturing cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (for example, benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, and cumene) from refined petroleum or liquid hydrocarbons. This industry definition is used by the Census Bureau for statistical classification and reporting. ²

What this NAICS covers

• Manufacture of acyclic (aliphatic) hydrocarbons such as ethylene, propylene, and butylenes from refined petroleum or liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks. ²
• Manufacture of cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, and cumene from refined petroleum or liquid hydrocarbons. ²
• Petrochemical production from refined petroleum or liquid hydrocarbons (as opposed to crude-oil refining operations). ²
• Production of ethane and butane gases when made from refined petroleum or liquid hydrocarbons. ²
• Establishments whose primary outputs are petrochemical intermediates (acyclic and cyclic aromatics) derived from refined petroleum-based or other liquid hydrocarbon inputs. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	324110	Petroleum Refineries
NAICS	325120	Industrial Gas Manufacturing
NAICS	325199	All Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing

Key exclusions and industry boundaries

• Petrochemicals produced by refining crude petroleum are classified in NAICS 324110, not in NAICS 325110. ²
• Acetylene manufacturing falls under NAICS 325120. ²
• Basic organic chemicals (except petrochemicals) are classified in NAICS 325199. ²
• Recovering liquid hydrocarbons from oil and gas field gases is classified in NAICS 211130. ²

Frequently asked questions

• What does NAICS 325110 include?
  It includes establishments manufacturing acyclic hydrocarbons (e.g., ethylene, propylene, butylenes) and cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, cumene) from refined petroleum or other liquid hydrocarbons. These products define petrochemical manufacturing for federal statistical purposes. ²

• How is NAICS 325110 different from NAICS 324110?
  NAICS 325110 covers petrochemicals made from refined petroleum or liquid hydrocarbons, whereas NAICS 324110 covers refining crude petroleum into finished products. Petrochemicals produced as part of crude-oil refining are classified in 324110. ²

• Are ethane and butane covered by NAICS 325110?
  Yes. When ethane and butane gases are produced from refined petroleum or liquid hydrocarbons, they are classified in 325110, rather than in industrial gas manufacturing. This boundary is indicated by cross-references associated with NAICS 325120. ²

• How does NAICS 325110 relate to oil and gas field operations?
  Recovering liquid hydrocarbons from oil and gas field gases is not in 325110; it falls under oil and gas extraction activities (e.g., NAICS 211130). Petrochemical manufacturing begins with refined petroleum or other liquid hydrocarbon feedstocks. ³

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 325110
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS main page and 2022 NAICS Search. ¹
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 325110 Petrochemical Manufacturing (official 2022 description and cross-references). ²
• U.S. Census Bureau — Sector 21 boundary notes (Oil and Gas Extraction). ³
• U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 NAICS descriptions reference files. ⁴

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) — Introduction and 2022 NAICS Search. https://www.census.gov/naics/
2. U.S. Census Bureau. 2022 NAICS — Sector 31–33 (includes 325110 Petrochemical Manufacturing). https://www.census.gov/naics/resources/archives/sect31-33.html
3. U.S. Census Bureau. 2022 NAICS — Sector 21 boundary notes (Oil and Gas Extraction). https://www.census.gov/naics/resources/archives/sect21.html
4. U.S. Census Bureau. Industry Reference Files — 2022 NAICS Descriptions. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/esp/guidance/necstree.html