Analysis
NAICS 321920 is the 2022 national industry for wood container and pallet manufacturing, part of 32192 (Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing). Census lists 62 example activities under it in the official index.
County Business Patterns counts 2,793 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 60,890 people at an average annual payroll of $49,890 per employee (17th percentile of national industries). 30% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include ammunition boxes, wood, manufacturing, barrel heading and staves manufacturing, barrels, wood, coopered, manufacturing and baskets, wood (e.g., round stave, veneer), manufacturing, among 62 in all.
Its goods appear in 18 statistical lines of the US tariff schedule, mostly under headings 4416 (), 4415 (packing cases, boxes, crates, drums and similar packings…) and 4420 (wood marquetry and inlaid wood; caskets and cases for…). That link is how import data is matched to domestic producers, for example in trade-remedy cases.
For example, manufacturing wood burial caskets are classified in 339995 (Burial Casket Manufacturing) instead.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments grew 4% and employment rose 7%. The 2018 count used NAICS 2017, so part of a large move can come from codes being redefined rather than from businesses opening or closing.
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing wood pallets, wood box shook, wood boxes, other wood containers, and wood parts for pallets and containers.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing wood burial caskets | 339995 Burial Casket Manufacturing |
Index entries (62)
- Ammunition boxes, wood, manufacturing
- Barrel heading and staves manufacturing
- Barrels, wood, coopered, manufacturing
- Baskets, wood (e.g., round stave, veneer), manufacturing
- Berry crates, wood, wirebound, manufacturing
- Berry cups, veneer and splint, manufacturing
- Box cleats, wood, manufacturing
- Box shook manufacturing
- Boxes, cigar, wood or part wood, manufacturing
- Boxes, jewelry, wood or part wood, manufacturing
- Boxes, wood, manufacturing
- Boxes, wood, plain or fabric covered, nailed or lock corner, manufacturing
- Buckets, wood, coopered, manufacturing
- Cases, shipping, wood, wirebound, manufacturing
- Cases, wood packing, nailed or lock corner, manufacturing
- Cases, wood shipping, nailed or lock corner, manufacturing
- Casks, wood, coopered, manufacturing
- Chests for tools, wood, manufacturing
- Chicken coops (i.e., crates), wood, wirebound for shipping poultry, manufacturing
- Cigar boxes, wood and part wood, manufacturing
- Containers, wood, manufacturing
- Cooperage manufacturing
- Cooperage stock (e.g., heading, hoops, staves) manufacturing
- Cooperage stock mills
- Coopered tubs manufacturing
- Crates (e.g., berry, butter, fruit, vegetable) made of wood, wirebound, manufacturing
- Drums, plywood, manufacturing
- Drums, shipping, wood, wirebound, manufacturing
- Egg cases, wood, manufacturing
- Firkins and kits, wood, coopered, manufacturing
- Flats, wood, greenhouse, manufacturing
- Fruit baskets, veneer and splint, manufacturing
- Fruit crates, wood, wirebound, manufacturing
- Heading, barrel (i.e., cooperage stock), wood, manufacturing
- Hogsheads, coopered wood, manufacturing
- Hoops, sawed or split wood for tight or slack cooperage, manufacturing
- Hot tubs, coopered, manufacturing
- Kegs, wood, coopered, manufacturing
- Packing cases, wood, nailed or lock corner, manufacturing
- Packing crates, wood, manufacturing