NAICS 424410

Overview

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the production-oriented taxonomy used by U.S. federal statistical programs to classify business establishments. It was developed jointly with Statistics Canada and Mexico’s INEGI and, under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), was adopted in 1997 as the standard for federal industry classification. The system is periodically revised; the current vintage is 2022. ¹

NAICS 424410 — General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers — covers merchant wholesalers primarily engaged in wholesaling a wide range of grocery items rather than a single specialty line. As part of Sector 42 (Wholesale Trade), it is used across Census economic programs and other federal statistical series that tabulate industry activity on the 2022 NAICS basis. ²

See also on G2X:

• G2X — NAICS 424410 overview
• G2X — NAICS 424490 — Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers
• G2X — NAICS 424420 — Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers

What this NAICS covers

• Merchant wholesaling of a general line of grocery products sold without transformation. ⁶
• Broad assortments spanning multiple grocery categories rather than a specialized line. ³
• Wholesale operations organized around warehouses or offices; sales and services incidental to the sale of merchandise. ⁶
• Typical ancillary wholesale services (e.g., sorting, packaging, labeling) that do not change the product. ⁶
• Placement within Sector 42 (Wholesale Trade) for federal statistical tabulations based on the 2022 NAICS vintage. ²
• Excludes specialized wholesalers classified elsewhere, such as 424420 (packaged frozen foods), 424430 (dairy), 424470 (meat), and 424480 (fresh fruit and vegetables). ³
• Wholesale trade sells to other businesses (retailers, institutions, producers) as an intermediate distribution step. ⁹

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
NAICS	424420	Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers
NAICS	424490	Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers
PSC	8910	Dairy Foods and Eggs
PSC	8960	Beverages, Nonalcoholic

NAICS descriptors and groupings per Census Wholesale Trade program pages. ³
PSC descriptors per GSA Product and Service Code Manual (April 2025). ⁵

SBA size standard and acquisition note

For NAICS 424410, SBA’s small business size standard is 250 employees. SBA also notes that Wholesale Trade NAICS codes are not used to classify federal acquisitions for supplies; offerors under supply acquisitions using wholesale/retail NAICS may qualify as nonmanufacturers if they have 500 or fewer employees and meet 13 CFR 121.406. ⁴

Federal market context

Within Wholesale Trade, “Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers” (NAICS 4244 industry group, which includes 424410) reported $1,262.9 billion in sales for 2022, up 12.8% from 2021, according to the Annual Wholesale Trade Survey. ⁸

Frequently asked questions

• What does “general line” mean in NAICS 424410?
  It denotes merchant wholesalers handling a wide range of grocery items instead of specializing in a single category. Related specialized lines are classified in their respective NAICS (e.g., 424420, 424430). ³

• Are alcoholic beverages covered by 424410?
  Alcoholic beverage wholesaling is classified separately under 424810 (Beer and Ale) and 424820 (Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage). These are not part of General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers. ³

• What is the SBA small business size standard for 424410?
  The size standard is 250 employees. For supply acquisitions, wholesale/retail firms may rely on the nonmanufacturer rule if they have 500 or fewer employees and satisfy 13 CFR 121.406. ⁴

• Which PSCs commonly appear on grocery/food supply buys aligned with NAICS 424410?
  Common PSCs in the Subsistence group include 8910 (Dairy Foods and Eggs) and 8960 (Beverages, Nonalcoholic). Agencies may select additional 89xx PSCs based on the specific product mix. ⁵

Useful resources

• Census NAICS 2022 code detail for NAICS 424410: Official industry definition, illustrative examples, and cross-references. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=424410&year=2022&details=424410
• NAICS Reference Files and Tools (Census): Manual, structure files, and downloadable reference materials. https://www.census.gov/naics/reference-files-tools.html
• NAICS 2022 to 2017 Concordance: Map 2022 NAICS codes to 2017 for longitudinal analyses. https://www.census.gov/naics/concordances/2022-to-2017-naics-concordance.html
• Sector 42 (Wholesale Trade) overview via NAICS search. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=42&year=2022
• Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS): Sales, inventories, purchases, and e-commerce for wholesale trade. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/awts.html
• Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey (MWTS): Monthly indicators for wholesale sales and inventories. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/mwts.html
• Economic Census — Wholesale Trade sector: Establishments, shipments, payroll, and product lines. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/about/wholesale-trade.html
• County Business Patterns (CBP): Establishment counts, employment, and payroll by NAICS and geography. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp.html
• SBA Size Standards — table and guidance. https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-guide/size-standards
• eCFR — 13 CFR 121.406 (Nonmanufacturer Rule). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-121.406
• GSA Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual. https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
• PSC Selection Tool. https://psctool.us/

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) — Overview and background. https://www.census.gov/naics/
2. U.S. Census Bureau. NAICS 2022 — Sector 42 (Wholesale Trade) search/structure. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=42&year=2022
3. U.S. Census Bureau. NAICS 2022 — 424410 General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers (code detail, examples, cross-references). https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=424410&year=2022&details=424410
4. U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA Table of Small Business Size Standards by NAICS. https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-guide/size-standards
5. U.S. General Services Administration. Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual. https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
6. U.S. Census Bureau. NAICS 2022 — Sector 42 (Wholesale Trade) definition and scope. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=42&year=2022&details=42
7. U.S. Census Bureau. Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS) — 2022 tables and data. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2022/econ/awts/annual-wholesale-trade.html
8. U.S. Census Bureau. Economic Census — Wholesale Trade sector overview. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/about/wholesale-trade.html