NAICS 326111

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal standard for classifying business establishments to support the collection, analysis, and publication of U.S. economic statistics. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and adopted in 1997 to replace SIC, NAICS is revised about every five years; the current U.S. vintage is 2022.¹
NAICS 326111 (Plastics Bag and Pouch Manufacturing) identifies establishments whose primary activities include converting plastics resins into film/sheet and forming, coating, or laminating those materials into plastics bags and related flexible packages; it sits within Industry Group 32611.²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — NAICS 326111 overview
• NAICS 326112 — Plastics Packaging Film and Sheet (including Laminated)
• PSC 8105 — Bags and Sacks

What this NAICS covers

NAICS 326111 covers establishments whose primary line of business is making plastics bags and pouches, including operations that produce or convert plastics film/sheet and then cut, seal, fold, and otherwise form those materials into finished flexible bags and pouches for consumer, retail, industrial, commercial, and institutional uses.²

Included activities and products typically encompass:

• Manufacturing plastics bags (printed or unprinted) from blown or cast plastics film, whether the film is produced in-house or sourced, when the primary output is finished bags.²
• Converting plastics sheet/film into lay-flat, side-weld, bottom-seal, gusseted, wicketed, perforated, or handle-equipped bags through cutting and heat sealing or similar forming methods.²
• Producing plastics trash and can-liner bags for residential, commercial, and industrial waste-handling applications.²
• Producing retail carryout/merchandise bags (e.g., grocery, shopping, boutique) made of plastics film.²
• Producing garment and dry-cleaning bags, newspaper and door-hanger bags, and produce or bakery bags made of plastics film.²
• Producing specialty plastics mailers and shipping bags (e.g., poly mailers, tamper-evident courier bags) formed from plastics film.²
• Producing reclosable plastics bags and pouches (e.g., zipper-style or press-to-close closures) where the product is a bag/pouch rather than rollstock film.²
• Producing food storage, freezer, and sandwich plastics bags sold as finished consumer packages (bags/pouches) rather than as packaging rollstock.²
• Producing box liners, drum liners, pallet covers, and other liner-style plastics bags and sleeves.²
• Performing in-line printing, surface treatment, or coating steps that are incidental to and integrated with the manufacturing of plastics bags and pouches.²

Illustrative examples (as recognized in NAICS indexing for this industry) include plastics garbage/trash bags, grocery/retail/shopping bags, plastic pouches, dry-cleaning/garment bags, and other plastics bags and liners produced as finished flexible containers rather than as packaging film or sheet stock.²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

• NAICS 326112 — Plastics Packaging Film and Sheet (including Laminated). Establishments primarily making packaging film/sheet (rollstock) belong here; if they convert that film into finished bags or pouches as the primary activity, classification shifts to NAICS 326111.³

• NAICS 326113 — Unlaminated Plastics Film and Sheet (except Packaging). Suppliers making non-packaging film/sheet used in industrial applications; downstream converters that form finished bags/pouches are classified under NAICS 326111.⁴

• NAICS 326160 — Plastics Bottle Manufacturing. Rigid plastics container manufacturing; distinct from flexible bags and pouches in NAICS 326111.⁵

• NAICS 322220 — Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing. Paper-based bags and related coated paper packaging; plastics bags and pouches remain in NAICS 326111.⁶

• NAICS 326199 — All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing. Catch-all for plastics products not elsewhere classified; do not use when the primary product is plastics bags/pouches, which are mapped to NAICS 326111.⁷

• PSC 8105 — Bags and Sacks. Product code typically used to procure finished bags and sacks, including plastic trash bags, merchandise bags, and specialty mailers aligned to NAICS 326111.⁸

• PSC 9330 — Plastics Fabricated Materials. Covers plastic film and sheet materials (rollstock) purchased as inputs; government buys here often align with establishments in NAICS 326112/326113, not NAICS 326111.⁹

• PSC 8135 — Packaging and Packing Bulk Materials. Encompasses bulk packaging supplies (e.g., cushioning, dunnage, wraps); plastic wrap/film and related consumables may be procured under this PSC rather than as finished bags.¹⁰

• PSC 8115 — Boxes and Cartons. Paperboard boxes and cartons; often a substitute or complement to plastic bags in packaging programs, but not aligned to NAICS 326111 manufacturing.¹¹

Frequently asked questions

• Q: How do I distinguish NAICS 326111 from NAICS 326112? A: Classify under NAICS 326111 if your primary output is finished plastic bags or pouches. If your primary output is packaging film or sheet (rollstock) rather than finished bags/pouches, use NAICS 326112. The distinction turns on the establishment’s primary activity.³

• Q: If we buy film and only cut/seal it into bags, are we still NAICS 326111? A: Yes. Establishments that convert purchased plastic film or sheet into finished bags or pouches (cutting, sealing, forming, printing as incidental steps) are classified in NAICS 326111, regardless of whether the film is produced in-house or sourced externally.²

• Q: Are paper bags classified in NAICS 326111? A: No. Paper-based bags and related coated/treated paper packaging belong in NAICS 322220, not NAICS 326111.⁶

• Q: Are rigid plastic containers/bottles included in NAICS 326111? A: No. Plastics bottles and other rigid plastic containers are classified in NAICS 326160. NAICS 326111 covers flexible plastic bags and pouches.⁵

• Q: Which PSC is typically used when agencies procure finished plastic bags? A: PSC 8105 (Bags and Sacks) is commonly used for finished bags, including trash bags, merchandise bags, and specialty mailers aligned with NAICS 326111.⁸

Useful resources

• Census Bureau — NAICS 2022 Manual and search portal for structure, definitions, and cross-references; use it to validate scope for NAICS 326111 and adjacent industries. https://www.census.gov/naics/¹
• Census Bureau — NAICS 2022 industry page for NAICS 326111 (Plastics Bag and Pouch Manufacturing): official definition, illustrative examples, and cross-references. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=326111&year=2022&details=326111²
• Census Bureau — NAICS 2022 industry page for NAICS 326112 (Plastics Packaging Film and Sheet, including Laminated): use to differentiate rollstock manufacturing from bag/pouch production. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=326112&year=2022&details=326112³
• Census Bureau — NAICS 2022 industry page for NAICS 326113 (Unlaminated Plastics Film and Sheet, except Packaging): classification for non-packaging film/sheet producers. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=326113&year=2022&details=326113⁴
• Census Bureau — NAICS 2022 industry page for NAICS 326160 (Plastics Bottle Manufacturing): reference for rigid containers distinct from flexible bags/pouches. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=326160&year=2022&details=326160⁵
• Census Bureau — NAICS 2022 industry page for NAICS 322220 (Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing): paper-based alternatives for proper classification boundaries. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=322220&year=2022&details=322220⁶
• Census Bureau — NAICS 2022 industry page for NAICS 326199 (All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing): catch-all reference when outputs are plastics products not elsewhere classified. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=326199&year=2022&details=326199⁷
• PSC Tool — PSC 8105 (Bags and Sacks): product service code commonly paired with NAICS 326111 when buying finished plastic bags. https://psctool.us/search?psc=8105⁸
• PSC Tool — PSC 9330 (Plastics Fabricated Materials): film/sheet rollstock purchases often linked to NAICS 326112/326113. https://psctool.us/search?psc=9330⁹
• PSC Tool — PSC 8135 (Packaging and Packing Bulk Materials): bulk packaging consumables distinct from finished bags/pouches. https://psctool.us/search?psc=8135¹⁰
• PSC Tool — PSC 8115 (Boxes and Cartons): paperboard containers frequently substituted for or complementing plastic bags. https://psctool.us/search?psc=8115¹¹

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS main portal and 2022 manual. https://www.census.gov/naics/
2. U.S. Census Bureau — Plastics Bag and Pouch Manufacturing (NAICS 2022 definition page). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=326111&year=2022&details=326111
3. U.S. Census Bureau — Plastics Packaging Film and Sheet (including Laminated) (NAICS 2022 definition page). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=326112&year=2022&details=326112
4. U.S. Census Bureau — Unlaminated Plastics Film and Sheet (except Packaging) (NAICS 2022 definition page). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=326113&year=2022&details=326113
5. U.S. Census Bureau — Plastics Bottle Manufacturing (NAICS 2022 definition page). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=326160&year=2022&details=326160
6. U.S. Census Bureau — Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing (NAICS 2022 definition page). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=322220&year=2022&details=322220
7. U.S. Census Bureau — All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (NAICS 2022 definition page). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=326199&year=2022&details=326199
8. PSC Tool — Bags and Sacks. https://psctool.us/search?psc=8105
9. PSC Tool — Plastics Fabricated Materials. https://psctool.us/search?psc=9330
10. PSC Tool — Packaging and Packing Bulk Materials. https://psctool.us/search?psc=8135
11. PSC Tool — Boxes and Cartons. https://psctool.us/search?psc=8115