NAICS 325312

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the governmentwide standard for grouping business establishments so agencies can collect, analyze, and publish statistics on the U.S. economy. Created under the Office of Management and Budget in 1997 to replace SIC, it was developed jointly by the ECPC, Statistics Canada, and Mexico’s INEGI to ensure cross-country comparability. The current edition in use is NAICS 2022. ¹

NAICS 325312 defines U.S. establishments that manufacture phosphatic fertilizer materials, or manufacture phosphatic materials and mix them into fertilizers at the same facility. Establishments that only mix purchased ingredients into phosphatic fertilizers are classified under NAICS 325314. ²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — NAICS 325312 overview
• G2X — NAICS 325311 (Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing)
• G2X — NAICS 325314 (Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing)

What this NAICS covers

• Production of phosphoric acid used as a phosphatic fertilizer input. ²
• Manufacturing of superphosphate and other phosphatic fertilizer materials. ²
• Integrated operations that both manufacture phosphatic materials and mix them into fertilizers at the same establishment. ²
• Manufacture of mixed fertilizers by plants that also produce the fertilizer materials. ²
• Establishment-level fertilizer manufacturing activities within Industry Group 3253 (Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing). ²
• Production of phosphatic fertilizer materials intended for agricultural use (as opposed to pesticide formulations). ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	325311	Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing
NAICS	325314	Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
PSC	8720	Fertilizers
PSC	6810	Chemicals

Inclusions and exclusions (official cross-references)

• In scope: manufacturing phosphatic fertilizer materials; and manufacturing phosphatic materials and mixing them into fertilizers in the same plant. ²
• Not in scope: mixing ingredients made elsewhere into phosphatic fertilizers (classify under NAICS 325314). ²
• Not in scope: mining or beneficiating phosphate rock (classify under NAICS 212392 Phosphate Rock Mining). ³
• Not in scope: formulation of pesticide chemicals (classify under NAICS 325320). ²

Frequently asked questions

• What activities qualify under NAICS 325312? Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing phosphatic fertilizer materials, or manufacturing phosphatic materials and mixing them into fertilizers at the same site, are included. Mixing only from purchased ingredients is excluded and assigned to NAICS 325314. ²

• What products are typical outputs in NAICS 325312? Examples include phosphoric acid, superphosphate, other phosphatic fertilizer materials, and mixed fertilizers when produced by plants that also make the fertilizer materials. ²

• Which PSCs commonly appear on awards aligned to NAICS 325312? Product Service Code 8720 (Fertilizers) is the most specific; general chemical buys may also use 6810 (Chemicals) depending on the line items. ⁵

• Is phosphate rock mining part of NAICS 325312? No. Mining and beneficiating phosphate rock fall under NAICS 212392. ³

• How current is the NAICS vintage applied to this industry? Federal statistical programs are implementing the 2022 NAICS vintage; Census began publishing data on a 2022 basis with the 2022 Economic Census, and agencies continue transitioning through 2027. ⁴

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 325312 overview
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS main page and introduction. ¹
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 2022 definitions for Manufacturing, including 325312. ²
• Acquisition.gov — PSC Manual (covers PSCs such as Fertilizers 8720). ⁵
• SBA — Table of Small Business Size Standards (check current size standards for this NAICS). ⁶

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) — Main site and overview. https://www.census.gov/naics/
2. U.S. Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 — 325312 Phosphatic Fertilizer Manufacturing (definition and cross-references). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=325312&year=2022
3. U.S. Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 — 212392 Phosphate Rock Mining (definition and cross-references). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=212392&year=2022
4. U.S. Census Bureau, Implementation of the 2022 NAICS — Timeline. https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
5. Acquisition.gov, Product and Service Codes (PSC) Manual. https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
6. U.S. Small Business Administration, Table of Small Business Size Standards. https://www.sba.gov/document/support--table-size-standards