Analysis
NAICS 212323 is the 2022 national industry for kaolin, clay, and ceramic and refractory minerals mining, part of 21232 (Sand, Gravel, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining and Quarrying). Census lists 43 example activities under it in the official index.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include andalusite mining and/or beneficiating, aplite mining and/or beneficiating, ball clay mining and/or beneficiating and bentonite mining and/or beneficiating, among 43 in all.
Census lists 4 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 327110, 327120, 327992 and 211120. 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, shaping, molding, glazing, and firing pottery, ceramics, and plumbing fixtures are classified in 327110 (Pottery, Ceramics, and Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing) 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 (1) establishments primarily engaged in developing the mine site and/or mining clay (e.g., china clay, paper clay and slip clay) or ceramic and refractory minerals and (2) establishments primarily engaged in beneficiating (i.e., preparing) clay or ceramic and refractory minerals.
Illustrative Examples:
Bentonite mining and/or beneficiating Fuller's earth mining and/or beneficiating Common clay mining and/or beneficiating Kaolin mining and/or beneficiating Feldspar mining and/or beneficiating Ball clay mining and/or beneficiating Fire clay mining and/or beneficiating Shale (except oil shale) mining and/or beneficiating
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Shaping, molding, glazing, and firing pottery, ceramics, and plumbing fixtures | 327110 Pottery, Ceramics, and Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing |
| Shaping, molding, baking, burning, or hardening clay and nonclay refractories, and structural clay products | 327120 Clay Building Material and Refractories Manufacturing |
| Calcining, dead burning, or otherwise processing (i.e., beyond basic preparation) clay or ceramic and refractory minerals | 327992 Ground or Treated Mineral and Earth Manufacturing |
| Oil shale mining and/or beneficiating | 211120 Crude Petroleum Extraction |
Index entries (43)
- Andalusite mining and/or beneficiating
- Aplite mining and/or beneficiating
- Ball clay mining and/or beneficiating
- Bentonite mining and/or beneficiating
- Bleaching clay mining and/or beneficiating
- Brucite mining and/or beneficiating
- Burley mining and/or beneficiating
- China clay mining and/or beneficiating
- Clay bleaching
- Clay mining and/or beneficiating
- Clay, ball, mining and/or beneficiating
- Clay, ceramic and refractory minerals, mining and/or beneficiating
- Clay, fire, mining and/or beneficiating
- Clay, natural, mining and/or beneficiating
- Common clay mining and/or beneficiating
- Common shale mining and/or beneficiating
- Cornwall stone mining and/or beneficiating
- Cyanite mining and/or beneficiating
- Diaspore mining and/or beneficiating
- Dumortierite mining and/or beneficiating
- Earth, fuller's (e.g., all natural bleaching clays), mining and/or beneficiating
- Feldspar mining and/or beneficiating
- Fire clay mining and/or beneficiating
- Flint clay mining and/or beneficiating
- Fuller's earth mining and/or beneficiating
- Kaolin mining and/or beneficiating
- Kyanite mining and/or beneficiating
- Laterite mining and/or beneficiating
- Magnesite mining and/or beneficiating
- Nepheline syenite mining and/or beneficiating
- Olivine, non-gem, mining and/or beneficiating
- Paper clay mining and/or beneficiating
- Pegmatite, feldspar, mining and/or beneficiating
- Pinite mining and/or beneficiating
- Plastic fire clay mining and/or beneficiating
- Refractory minerals mining and/or beneficiating
- Rubber clay mining and/or beneficiating
- Shale (except oil shale) mining and/or beneficiating
- Sillimanite mining and/or beneficiating
- Slip clay mining and/or beneficiating