NAICS 332311

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. It was developed under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), adopted in 1997 to replace the SIC system, and created jointly by the Economic Classification Policy Committee (ECPC), Statistics Canada, and Mexico’s national statistics agency (INEGI) to enable comparability across North America. The current vintage is 2022. ¹

NAICS 332311 covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing prefabricated metal buildings, panels, and sections. Federal statistical programs use this industry definition for tabulating Economic Census and related datasets; construction performed on site is classified in NAICS Sector 23, not in manufacturing. ²

What this NAICS covers

• Prefabricated metal building manufacturing (factory-produced). ³
• Manufacturing metal building panels for walls and roofs. ³
• Fabrication of metal building sections and modules. ³
• Assembling metal building components prior to shipment. ³
• Producing metal components integral to prefabricated building systems. ³
• Manufacturing metal sections for later on-site installation by others. ³

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Boundaries and cross-references (official)

• Constructing (erecting) buildings on site is classified in Sector 23 Construction, not NAICS 332311. ²
• Prefabricated wood buildings fall under NAICS 321992 (wood products), not NAICS 332311. ⁴
• Metal windows and doors are classified in NAICS 332321, not NAICS 332311. ²
• Related exclusions include power boilers and heat exchangers (NAICS 33241), metal tanks heavy gauge (NAICS 33242), metal plate cooling towers (NAICS 33341), and ship/boat building (NAICS 33661). ²

2022 NAICS context and data availability

The Census Bureau began disseminating data on the 2022 NAICS basis with the 2022 Economic Census First Look (January 2024) and expects remaining programs to transition by the end of 2027. This timing governs when official statistics keyed to NAICS 332311 appear in federal datasets. ⁵

Frequently asked questions

• What activities are included under NAICS 332311?

  Establishments that manufacture prefabricated metal buildings, panels, and sections are included. This is a U.S. national industry within fabricated metal products, distinct from on-site construction work. ³

• How does NAICS 332311 differ from NAICS 332312?

  NAICS 332311 covers manufacturing of prefabricated metal buildings and components, while NAICS 332312 focuses on fabricating structural metal products (e.g., joists, rebar). Prefabricating metal buildings is explicitly assigned to NAICS 332311. ²

• Are prefabricated wood buildings included in NAICS 332311?

  No. Prefabricated wood buildings are classified in NAICS 321992 within the wood product manufacturing subsector, not under fabricated metals. ⁴

• Does on-site installation of prefabricated buildings fall in NAICS 332311?

  No. On-site construction activities are assigned to Sector 23 Construction. NAICS 332311 covers the manufacturing of metal buildings and components prior to delivery. ²

• Has the definition of NAICS 332311 changed in 2022?

  Not specified by official sources ⁵.

Useful resources

• G2X — NAICS 332311 overview
• Census: NAICS Codes & Understanding Industry Classification Systems (2022 guidance). ¹
• Census: 2022 NAICS Descriptions (official industry definitions). ³
• Census: 2022 NAICS Manufacturing sector data (Economic Census). ⁶
• Census: Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (adoption timeline and changes). ⁵

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau — Economic Census: NAICS Codes & Understanding Industry Classification Systems (2022 Guidance) https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/year/2022/guidance/understanding-naics.html
2. U.S. Census Bureau — NAICS Manufacturing (Sector 31–33) archive page with industry and cross-references (includes 332311 definition and exclusions) https://www.census.gov/naics/resources/archives/sect31-33.html
3. U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 NAICS Descriptions (official industry descriptions for 2022–2023) https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/technical-documentation/reference/naics-descriptions.html
4. U.S. Census Bureau — LEHD Snapshot Documentation: Selected Codebook Value Labels (shows NAICS 321992 title) https://lehd.ces.census.gov/data/lehd-snapshot-doc/latest/appendices/value_labels.html
5. U.S. Census Bureau — The Census Bureau’s Implementation of the 2022 NAICS (timeline and overview) https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/naics/2022/implementation-timeline.html
6. U.S. Census Bureau — 2022 Economic Census Data: Manufacturing Sector 31–33 https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2022/econ/economic-census/naics-sector-31-33.html