NAICS 424820

Overview

NAICS 424820 comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of wine and distilled alcoholic beverages, including wine, brandy, whiskey, vodka, rum, liqueurs, and other spirits. These wholesalers purchase and take title to goods, warehouse and break bulk, and resell to licensed retailers, foodservice, and institutional accounts; they may import products but do not manufacture beverages or conduct consumer retail operations. The industry classification excludes beer and ale merchant wholesalers, which fall under NAICS 424810, as well as wholesale trade agents and brokers that arrange sales without taking title, classified under NAICS 425120. Agencies and contractors use NAICS 424820 to scope market research, apply SBA size standards, and organize procurement for wholesale distribution of wine and spirits within legal, licensed channels. Core activities include distribution logistics, order fulfillment, and compliance consistent with alcoholic beverage wholesale operations. ¹

What this NAICS covers

NAICS 424820 covers establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of wine and distilled alcoholic beverages. The scope includes wholesalers handling wine and spirits such as brandy, gin, liqueurs, rum, vodka, whiskey, and other distilled products; it excludes beer and ale wholesalers classified in NAICS 424810 and wholesale trade agents and brokers that arrange sales without taking title, which are classified in NAICS 425120. The focus is on firms that purchase and resell alcoholic beverages at the wholesale level as their primary business activity under NAICS 424820. ¹

• Merchant wholesale distribution of wine, including table wines, sparkling wines, and fortified wines (e.g., sherry, port). ¹
• Merchant wholesale distribution of distilled alcoholic beverages, including brandy, gin, liqueurs, rum, vodka, whiskey, and other spirits. ¹
• Liquor merchant wholesalers whose core activity is bulk purchasing and wholesale resale of wine and distilled spirits. ¹
• Establishments listed in NAICS illustrative examples and index entries such as “Wine merchant wholesalers,” “Distilled spirits merchant wholesalers,” and “Liquor merchant wholesalers.” ¹

Boundary notes for market scoping under NAICS 424820: beer and ale specialists are classified in NAICS 424810, and entities that only broker transactions without taking title are in NAICS 425120. ¹

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Use the following adjacent NAICS and commonly paired PSC product codes when scoping requirements or conducting market research related to 424820. ¹

• 424810 — Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers: boundary code for malt beverage distribution at wholesale; beer/ale is excluded from wine and spirits wholesalers. ²
• 425120 — Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers: applies when entities arrange sales without taking title to alcoholic beverages (brokers), rather than acting as merchant wholesalers. ³
• 312130 — Wineries: upstream manufacturing of wine (production, bottling); use when the requirement is for winery operations, not wholesale distribution. ⁴
• 312140 — Distilleries: upstream manufacturing of distilled spirits; use when procuring spirits production or related manufacturing services rather than wholesale distribution. ⁵

Commonly paired PSC product codes (what the Government buys):

• 8965 — Beverages, Alcoholic: product PSC for wine and distilled spirits commodities; aligns with alcoholic beverage purchases supplied by wine/spirits wholesalers. ⁶
• 8960 — Beverages, Nonalcoholic: boundary PSC for soft drinks, water, mixers, etc.; not alcoholic beverages and outside the scope of NAICS 424820. ⁷

Frequently asked questions

• Q: What types of businesses are classified under NAICS 424820?
  A: Establishments primarily engaged in merchant wholesale distribution of wine and distilled spirits. They purchase and take title, warehouse and break bulk, and resell to licensed retailers, foodservice, and institutions. They do not manufacture beverages or conduct consumer retail as their primary activity. ¹

• Q: Are beer and ale wholesalers included in NAICS 424820?
  A: No. Beer and ale merchant wholesalers are classified under NAICS 424810. NAICS 424820 specifically covers wine and distilled alcoholic beverages, not malt beverages. ¹

• Q: Do wholesale trade agents and brokers fall under NAICS 424820?
  A: No. Entities that arrange sales without taking title to the goods are classified under NAICS 425120, not as merchant wholesalers in NAICS 424820. ¹

• Q: Can importers of wine and spirits be classified in NAICS 424820?
  A: Yes, if their primary activity is merchant wholesale distribution and they take title to the imported products. Importing can be part of wholesale operations; manufacturing or consumer retail as the primary activity would place the firm in different industries. ¹

• Q: Does NAICS 424820 cover direct-to-consumer alcohol sales?
  A: NAICS 424820 is a wholesale industry. If an establishment’s primary activity is consumer retail, it would not be classified here. Not specified by official sources ¹.

Useful resources

• U.S. Census Bureau NAICS 2022 detail for NAICS 424820 — official industry definition, cross-references, and illustrative examples. ¹
• SBA Size Standards — determine the current small business size threshold associated with NAICS 424820 using SBA’s size standards table and tool. ⁸
• SAM.gov Contract Opportunities — prefiltered search for active opportunities tagged with NAICS 424820 to monitor solicitations and awards. ⁹
• PSC resources (official manual) — reference PSC definitions commonly paired with this NAICS, including PSC 8965 (Beverages, Alcoholic) and boundary PSC 8960 (Beverages, Nonalcoholic). ¹⁰
• PSC code lookup (psctool.us) — direct code details for PSC 8965 to confirm product alignment for wine and distilled spirits. ⁶
• SBA Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) — query registered small businesses under NAICS 424820 for market research and teaming. ¹¹
• TTB alcohol permits and compliance — federal guidance on basic permits and trade practices relevant to wholesale distribution of wine and spirits. ¹²
• Census Business Builder (Small Business Edition) — preloaded with NAICS 424820 for market, demographic, and competitor insights to inform capture planning. ¹³

References

1. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=424820&year=2022&details=424820
2. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=424810&year=2022&details=424810
3. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=425120&year=2022&details=425120
4. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=312130&year=2022&details=312130
5. https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=312140&year=2022&details=312140
6. https://psctool.us/psc/8965
7. https://psctool.us/psc/8960
8. https://www.sba.gov/size-standards
9. https://sam.gov/search/?index=opp&naics=424820
10. https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
11. https://web.sba.gov/pro-net/search/dsp_dsbs.cfm?NAICS=424820
12. https://www.ttb.gov/alcohol/permits
13. https://cbb.census.gov/sbe/?industry=424820