NAICS 331492

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the federal standard for classifying business establishments to support statistical collection, analysis, and publication about the U.S. economy. Developed under the Office of Management and Budget, it replaced SIC in 1997 and is jointly maintained with Canada and Mexico for cross-country comparability. NAICS is revised every five years, with the current vintage being 2022. ¹
NAICS 331492 covers establishments primarily engaged in alloying purchased nonferrous metals and/or recovering nonferrous metals from scrap and producing primary forms (e.g., bars, billets, blooms, cakes, ingots, slabs, slugs, wire) using smelting or refining processes. Activities specific to aluminum and copper are classified elsewhere. ²

What this NAICS covers

• Alloying purchased nonferrous metals (except copper and aluminum). ²
• Recovering nonferrous metals from scrap using smelting or refining. ²
• Producing primary forms such as bars, billets, blooms, cakes, ingots, slabs, slugs, and wire. ²
• Secondary refining operations for nonferrous metals to create primary forms. ²
• Facilities focused on both recovery from scrap and alloying of purchased nonferrous metals. ²
• Integrated operations where recovered nonferrous metals are refined into saleable primary forms. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Key distinctions and exclusions

• Secondary aluminum recovery and alloying are classified in NAICS 331314; secondary copper work is in NAICS 331423. ²
• Sorting or breaking up scrap metal without smelting/refining is out of scope; facilities that only sort commingled recyclables (paper, plastics, metals) are classified in NAICS 562920. ²
• Establishments recovering nonferrous metals from scrap and then rolling/drawing/extruding shapes in the same facility are classified in NAICS 331491. ²

Frequently asked questions

• What business activities qualify for NAICS 331492?
  Establishments that alloy purchased nonferrous metals and/or recover nonferrous metals from scrap and then produce primary forms (bars, billets, blooms, cakes, ingots, slabs, slugs, wire) via smelting or refining fall under NAICS 331492. Aluminum- and copper-specific activities are classified elsewhere. ²
• How does NAICS 331492 differ from primary nonferrous smelting?
  NAICS 331492 covers recovery from scrap and alloying purchased nonferrous metals. Primary smelting and primary refining from ore are classified in NAICS 331419, which covers upstream production directly from mined materials. ²
• Are facilities that only sort recyclable metals included in 331492?
  No. Sorting or separating recyclables without smelting or refining is classified as Materials Recovery Facilities under NAICS 562920. NAICS 331492 requires metallurgical processing to produce primary forms. ²
• When will Census data fully reflect 2022 NAICS for this industry?
  The Census Bureau began publishing on the 2022 NAICS basis with 2022 Economic Census products and plans to transition remaining programs to 2022 NAICS by the end of calendar year 2027. ³

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 331492 overview: https://app.g2xchange.com/naics/331492
• U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 331492 industry definition and cross-references (2022). ²
• U.S. Census Bureau — Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline and scope). ³
• U.S. Census Bureau — Economic Census: Industry tables by NAICS (2022). ⁴
• U.S. Census Bureau — About industry classification and NAICS history. ¹

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — About Industry (NAICS history, OMB, five-year updates, and 2022 vintage). https://www.census.gov/topics/employment/industry-occupation/about/industry.html
2. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS 331492 (2022 NAICS industry definition and cross-references). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=331492&year=2022&details=331492
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 (access to 2022 NAICS sector tables). https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/tables/industry.html