Analysis
NAICS 212114 is the 2022 national industry for surface coal mining, part of 21211 (Coal Mining). Census lists 17 example activities under it in the official index.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include bituminous coal, lignite, or anthracite beneficiating…, bituminous coal, lignite, or anthracite surface mine site…, bituminous coal, lignite, or anthracite surface mining… and brown coal mining and/or beneficiating, among 17 in all.
Census lists 4 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 212115, 213113, 324199 and 331110. Businesses that do several things are classified by their primary activity, the one that generates the most value, so check those boundaries before settling on this code.
For example, underground mining and/or development of underground bituminous and anthracite coal mines are classified in 212115 (Underground Coal Mining) instead.
County Business Patterns publishes no national count for it, either because the code is out of the survey's scope or because the figures are suppressed to protect individual businesses.
Official definition
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: (1) surface mining of bituminous coal, lignite, and anthracite coal; (2) developing bituminous coal, lignite, and anthracite coal surface mine sites; (3) surface mining and beneficiating (e.g., cleaning, washing, screening, and sizing) of bituminous coal, lignite, and anthracite coal; or (4) beneficiating (e.g., cleaning, washing, screening, and sizing), but not mining, bituminous coal, lignite, and anthracite coal.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Underground mining and/or development of underground bituminous and anthracite coal mines | 212115 Underground Coal Mining |
| Providing support activities (except geophysical surveying and mapping, site preparation, construction, and transportation) for the mining of coal on a contract or fee basis | 213113 Support Activities for Coal Mining |
| Manufacturing coke oven products in coke oven establishments | 324199 All Other Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing coal products in steel mills | 331110 Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing |
Index entries (17)
- Bituminous coal, lignite, or anthracite beneficiating (e.g., cleaning, crushing, screening, washing, sizing)
- Bituminous coal, lignite, or anthracite surface mine site development for own account
- Bituminous coal, lignite, or anthracite surface mining and/or beneficiating
- Brown coal mining and/or beneficiating
- Coal beneficiating plants (e.g., cleaning, crushing, screening, washing)
- Coal stripping (except on a contract, fee, or other basis)
- Coal, bituminous, lignite, or anthracite, surface mining and/or beneficiating
- Coal, brown, mining and/or beneficiating
- Culm bank recovery, bituminous coal, lignite, or anthracite (except on a contract basis)
- Hard coal (i.e., anthracite) surface mining and/or beneficiating
- Lignite surface mining and/or beneficiating
- Preparation plants, coal
- Semianthracite surface mining and/or beneficiating
- Semibituminous coal surface mining and/or beneficiating
- Strip mining, bituminous coal, lignite, or anthracite, on own account
- Subbituminous coal surface mining and/or beneficiating
- Tipple operation, bituminous coal mining and/or beneficiating