NAICS 325311

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal standard for classifying business establishments to support the collection, analysis, and publication of statistics on the U.S. economy. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget and adopted in 1997 to replace SIC, NAICS was created jointly by the U.S. Economic Classification Policy Committee, Statistics Canada, and Mexico’s INEGI; the current vintage is 2022. ¹

NAICS 325311 covers establishments primarily engaged in producing nitrogenous fertilizer materials and mixing them into fertilizers, as well as manufacturing fertilizers from sewage or animal waste; mixing-only operations using ingredients made elsewhere fall under NAICS 325314. Within subsector 3253 (Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing), this code defines producers of nitrogen‑based fertilizer materials and integrated manufacturers/blenders. ²

What this NAICS covers

• Production of nitrogenous fertilizer materials and incorporation of these materials into finished fertilizers. ²
• Manufacturing fertilizers derived from sewage or animal waste (organic nitrogen sources). ²
• Integrated operations that both manufacture nitrogenous materials and blend them with other ingredients. ²
• Manufacturing urea as a nitrogenous fertilizer material classified in this industry. ²
• Examples of nitrogenous fertilizer materials used in commerce (e.g., urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, sodium nitrate). ⁵
• Excludes phosphatic fertilizer manufacturing, which is classified in NAICS 325312. ²
• Excludes mixing-only facilities using purchased ingredients, which are classified in NAICS 325314. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	325312	Phosphatic Fertilizer Manufacturing. 2
NAICS	325314	Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing. 2
PSC	8720	Fertilizers (includes natural and synthetic fertilizers; peat moss; animal manures). 4
PSC	6810	Chemicals (individual, nonmedicinal chemical elements/compounds). 4

Inclusions and exclusions (classification boundaries)

• Included: Manufacturing nitrogenous fertilizer materials and mixing them into fertilizers within the same establishment. ²
• Included: Producing fertilizers from sewage or animal waste under NAICS 325311. ²
• Excluded: Mixing ingredients made elsewhere into nitrogenous fertilizers only—classified in NAICS 325314. ²
• Excluded: Phosphatic fertilizer manufacturing—classified in NAICS 325312. ²
• Excluded: Manufacturing compost (product manufacturing), which is classified to fertilizer manufacturing (NAICS 32531). ³

Frequently asked questions

• What activities fall under NAICS 325311?
  NAICS 325311 includes manufacturing nitrogenous fertilizer materials and integrating them into fertilizers, as well as manufacturing fertilizers from sewage or animal waste. Mixing-only operations using purchased ingredients are not included here. ²

• How is this code used in federal contract searches?
  Agencies categorize opportunities by NAICS, and buyers/offerors can filter opportunities using relevant codes such as NAICS 325311. SAM.gov provides NAICS-based filtering in its contract opportunity search. ⁶

• What are examples of products associated with this industry?
  Examples of nitrogenous fertilizer materials include urea, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate. Urea manufacturing is classified in NAICS 325311. Trade classifications list fertilizers under Chapter 31 headings. ⁵

• How are compost and organic waste‑based fertilizers treated?
  Manufacturing compost products is classified to fertilizer manufacturing within NAICS 32531, while NAICS 325311 includes fertilizers made from sewage or animal waste. ³

• Which PSCs typically align to purchases under this NAICS?
  PSC 8720 (Fertilizers) is most specific for fertilizer products; depending on item specifics, PSC 6810 (Chemicals) may apply to individual chemical compounds. Select the PSC that best matches the item being procured. ⁴

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 325311
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS main page and introduction. ¹
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 325311, 325312, 325314 definitions and cross‑references. ²
• Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual (April 2025). ⁴
• U.S. Census Bureau — Schedule B, Chapter 31 (Fertilizers). ⁵

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) main page and introduction: https://www.census.gov/naics
2. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS subsector 31–33 overview and 2022 industry definitions (incl. 325311, 325312, 325314): https://www.census.gov/naics/resources/archives/sect31-33.html
3. U.S. Census Bureau — Waste management and remediation services cross‑references (notes compost manufacturing to NAICS 32531): https://www.census.gov/naics/resources/archives/sect56.html
4. Acquisition.gov — Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual (April 2025): https://login.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf
5. U.S. Census Bureau — Schedule B Book, Chapter 31 (Fertilizers): https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/schedules/b/2021/c31.html
6. SAM.gov — Find Contract Opportunities (NAICS categories/filtering): https://alpha2.sam.gov/find-contract-opportunities