NAICS 331420

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the framework federal statistical agencies use to categorize business establishments for collection, analysis, and publication of U.S. economic data. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget with Canada and Mexico, NAICS replaced SIC in 1997 and is revised every five years; the current vintage is 2022. ¹
NAICS 331420 covers the copper production-and-processing segment focused on alloying purchased copper, recovering copper and copper alloys from scrap, and rolling, drawing, or extruding copper shapes (e.g., bar, plate, sheet, strip, tube, wire). It is an industry group that encompasses U.S. industries 331421, 331422, and 331423. ²

See also on G2X:

• NAICS 331420
• NAICS 331421
• NAICS 331422

What this NAICS covers

• Recovery of copper or copper alloys from scrap with subsequent rolling, drawing, or extruding of shapes such as bar, plate, sheet, strip, tube, or wire. ²
• Alloying purchased copper (e.g., brass, bronze) as part of copper production and processing. ²
• Rolling, drawing, or extruding copper shapes from purchased copper in non-integrated facilities. ²
• Integrated operations that recover copper from scrap and roll, draw, or extrude shapes in the same establishment. ²
• Drawing copper communication and energy wire and cable from purchased copper or in integrated secondary smelting/wire drawing plants (covered at U.S. industry 331422 within this group). ²
• Secondary smelting, refining, and alloying of copper to produce primary forms (e.g., ingot, wire bar, cake, slab) (covered at U.S. industry 331423). ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	331411	Primary Smelting and Refining of Copper. 2
NAICS	331491	Nonferrous Metal (except Copper and Aluminum) Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding. 2
PSC	9530	Bars and Rods, Nonferrous Base Metal. 5
PSC	9535	Plate, Sheet, Strip, and Foil, Nonferrous Base Metal. 5

U.S. industries under NAICS 331420

• 331421 Copper Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding: rolling, drawing, and/or extruding copper shapes from purchased copper and/or recovering copper from scrap and producing shapes; excludes bare/insulated copper communication or energy wire. ²
• 331422 Copper Wire (except Mechanical) Drawing: drawing (and sometimes insulating) copper communication and energy wire and cable from purchased copper or in integrated secondary smelting/wire drawing plants. ²
• 331423 Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying of Copper: recovering copper and copper alloys from scrap and/or alloying purchased copper to make primary forms (ingot, wire bar, cake, slab). ²

Key exclusions and cross-references

• Primary smelting/refining of copper and making primary copper combined with rolling/drawing/extruding are classified in 331411, not 331420. ²
• Die-casting purchased copper is classified in 331522. ²
• Insulating purchased copper wire is classified in 335929. ²
• Rolling/drawing/extruding nonferrous metals other than copper and aluminum is classified in 331491. ²

Data and 2022 vintage notes

• The 2022 NAICS vintage is being adopted across Census economic programs on a rolling basis through year-end 2027, with select exceptions transitioning later. ³
• 2022 Economic Census tables by industry (including manufacturing industries within 331420) are accessible via the Economic Census “by Industry” portal. ⁴

Frequently asked questions

• How is NAICS used, and what does the 2022 vintage mean for this industry group?
  NAICS organizes establishments by production process for statistical purposes, and revisions occur every five years. The 2022 vintage is the current standard that Census programs are implementing on a published schedule to maintain comparability and update definitions. ³

• What distinguishes 331420 from 331411?
  331420 covers alloying purchased copper, recovering copper from scrap, and rolling/drawing/extruding copper shapes; 331411 covers primary smelting and refining of copper (and integrated mills that make primary copper and then roll/draw/extrude). ²

• Does 331420 include insulated copper wire and cable manufacturing?
  Drawing copper communication and energy wire/cable falls under 331422, and insulating purchased copper wire is classified in 335929. These activities are outside 331421. ²

• Where can official 2022 Economic Census data for industries in 331420 be found?
  Census publishes 2022 Economic Census data by industry on data.census.gov via the Economic Census “by Industry” page, with downloadable tables and FTP files for manufacturing sectors. ⁴

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 331420
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS Codes & Understanding Industry Classification Systems. ¹
• U.S. Census Bureau — Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline and adoption). ³
• U.S. Census Bureau — Economic Census by Industry (tables and FTP files). ⁴
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 2022 code detail for 331420 (definitions and cross-references). ²

References

1. 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
2. U.S. Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Search — 331420 Copper Rolling, Drawing, Extruding, and Alloying. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=331420&year=2022&details=331420
3. U.S. Census Bureau, Implementation of the 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
4. U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Census by Industry. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/tables/industry.html
5. U.S. General Services Administration, Product and Service Codes (PSC) Manual. https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual