NAICS 331314

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the framework U.S. statistical agencies use to classify business establishments for collecting, analyzing, and publishing data on the U.S. economy. Developed with Canada and Mexico under the Office of Management and Budget, NAICS is reviewed every five years; the current vintage is 2022. ²

NAICS 331314 covers establishments primarily engaged in recovering aluminum and aluminum alloys from scrap or dross and producing billet or ingot (except by rolling), and/or manufacturing alloys, powder, paste, or flake from purchased aluminum. Agencies and data products use this code to distinguish secondary smelting and alloying activities from primary production and downstream rolling or extruding operations. ¹

What this NAICS covers

• Recovery of aluminum and aluminum alloys from scrap or dross via secondary smelting, producing billet or ingot (not by rolling). ¹
• Alloying operations that manufacture aluminum-based alloys from purchased aluminum. ¹
• Production of aluminum powder, paste, or flake from purchased aluminum. ¹
• Integrated secondary smelting lines that convert sorted aluminum scrap streams to remelt ingot for further processing by others. ¹
• Operations primarily organized around refining recovered aluminum chemistry to specified alloy compositions. ¹
• Preparation of secondary aluminum in primary forms (e.g., ingots/billets) ready for downstream fabrication industries. ¹

Related NAICS and PSC codes

PSC categories for metal bars, sheets, and nonferrous forms commonly associated with aluminum materials are defined in the official Product and Service Code Manual. ⁵

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	331315	Aluminum Sheet, Plate, and Foil Manufacturing
NAICS	331316	Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing
PSC	9515	Plate, Sheet, Strip, Foil, and Leaf
PSC	9530	Bars and Rods, Nonferrous Base Metal

Official cross-references and exclusions

• Making aluminum and/or aluminum alloys from alumina is classified in 331312 (Primary Aluminum Production). ¹
• Refining alumina is classified in 331311. ¹
• Flat rolling sheet, plate, and foil from purchased or recovered aluminum is classified in 331315. ¹
• Extruding rod, bar, pipe, tube, or other extruded aluminum products from purchased or recovered aluminum is classified in 331316. ¹
• Rolling/drawing other aluminum shapes is classified in 331319. ¹
• Sorting commingled recyclables without smelting or refining is classified in 562920 (Materials Recovery Facilities). ¹

Frequently asked questions

• What activities are included in NAICS 331314?
  — Establishments recover aluminum from scrap or dross to make billets/ingots (except by rolling) and/or manufacture aluminum alloys, powders, pastes, or flakes from purchased aluminum. These are secondary smelters and alloyers rather than primary producers. ¹

• How does 331314 differ from 331315 and 331316?
  — Code 331314 covers secondary smelting/alloying and primary forms from scrap or purchased aluminum. Rolling sheet/plate/foil is 331315; extruding aluminum products is 331316. These downstream forming activities are excluded from 331314. ¹

• Are materials recovery facilities included in 331314?
  — No. Facilities that only sort commingled recyclables (e.g., used beverage cans and other materials) without smelting or refining are classified in 562920, not 331314. ¹

• What is the current NAICS vintage and revision cycle relevant to 331314?
  — The current NAICS vintage is 2022. NAICS is reviewed and revised every five years under OMB’s Economic Classification Policy Committee, with agency adoption of 2022 NAICS continuing through 2027 for most programs. ²

• Where can official 2022 industry statistics for 331314 be found?
  — The 2022 Economic Census releases industry tables on a flow basis; manufacturing sector tables provide NAICS-level data, including for 331314, via the Economic Census by Industry portal. ⁴

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 331314 overview
• U.S. Census Bureau: NAICS 331314 industry definition and cross-references. ¹
• U.S. Census Bureau: Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (revision cycle and adoption timeline). ²
• U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Census by Industry (access to tables by NAICS). ⁴
• U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Census guidance — NAICS Codes & Understanding Industry Classification Systems. ³

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 2022: Code 331314, Secondary Smelting and Alloying of Aluminum (definition and cross-references), https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=331314&year=2022&details=331314
2. U.S. Census Bureau — The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS, https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
3. U.S. Census Bureau — Economic Census: NAICS Codes & Understanding Industry Classification Systems, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/year/2022/technical-documentation/code-lists/understanding-naics-redirect.html
4. U.S. Census Bureau — Economic Census by Industry, https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/tables/industry.html
5. General Services Administration — Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual (April 2025), https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf