NAICS 331491

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the framework federal statistical programs use to categorize business establishments for consistent collection and publication of economic data. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with Canada and Mexico, NAICS replaced the SIC system in 1997; the current classification vintage is 2022. ¹
NAICS 331491 covers establishments primarily engaged in rolling, drawing, or extruding shapes from purchased nonferrous metals other than copper and aluminum, as well as integrated mills that recover nonferrous metals from scrap and then roll, draw, or extrude shapes. Federal agencies use this code to tabulate and report manufacturing activity in primary metal processing outside copper and aluminum. ²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — NAICS 331491
• G2X — NAICS 331421
• G2X — NAICS 331492

What this NAICS covers

• Rolling nonferrous bar, plate, sheet, strip, and tube from purchased metals (excluding copper and aluminum). ²
• Drawing nonferrous shapes and profiles from purchased metals other than copper and aluminum. ²
• Extruding nonferrous shapes (e.g., rod, tube, profiles) from purchased metals other than copper and aluminum. ²
• Operating integrated mills that recover nonferrous metals from scrap and then roll, draw, and/or extrude shapes. ²
• Drawing nonferrous wire (other than copper or aluminum) from purchased rod or recovered metal. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Inclusions and exclusions (official cross-references)

• Excludes copper rolling/drawing/extruding, which is classified in NAICS 331421. ²
• Excludes aluminum rolling/drawing/extruding, which is covered in NAICS 33131. ²
• Excludes primary smelting/refining of nonferrous metals (except copper and aluminum), classified in NAICS 331419. ²
• Insulating purchased nonferrous wire is classified in NAICS 335929, not in NAICS 331491. ²

Small business size standard (SBA)

• Under SBA’s Table of Small Business Size Standards, NAICS 331491 has a small business size standard of 900 employees (effective March 17, 2023). ⁴

Frequently asked questions

• What does NAICS 331491 include?
  Establishments that roll, draw, or extrude shapes (bar, plate, sheet, strip, tube) from purchased nonferrous metals other than copper and aluminum, plus integrated mills that recover nonferrous metals from scrap and then roll/draw/extrude those shapes. ²

• Which activities belong elsewhere, not in NAICS 331491?
  Copper rolling/drawing/extruding is NAICS 331421; aluminum rolling/drawing/extruding is NAICS 33131; primary smelting/refining (except copper and aluminum) is NAICS 331419; insulating purchased nonferrous wire is NAICS 335929. ²

• Is wire drawing covered in NAICS 331491?
  Yes. Drawing nonferrous wire other than copper or aluminum is classified in NAICS 331491, while insulating purchased wire is classified in NAICS 335929. ²

• What is the small business size standard for NAICS 331491?
  SBA’s current size standard is 900 employees for this industry, effective March 17, 2023, per the official SBA Table of Small Business Size Standards. ⁴

• When did Census programs begin using the 2022 NAICS vintage?
  The Census Bureau began disseminating data on a 2022 NAICS basis with the 2022 Economic Census First Look in January 2024 and plans full program adoption by the end of 2027, with some exceptions noted in the timeline. ¹

Useful resources

• Census: Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (overview and timeline). ¹
• Census: NAICS 331491 industry definition and cross-references. ²
• SBA: Table of Small Business Size Standards (effective March 17, 2023). ⁴
• Census: Economic Census — Data tables. ⁵

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS: https://www.census.gov/naics/NAICS-2022-Implementation.html
2. U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 NAICS Code 331491 (definition, examples, and cross-references): https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=331491&year=2022&details=331491
4. U.S. Small Business Administration — Table of Small Business Size Standards: https://www.sba.gov/document/support-table-size-standards
5. U.S. Census Bureau — Economic Census: Data Tables: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/tables.html