Analysis
NAICS 32221 is the 2022 NAICS industry for paperboard container manufacturing, part of 3222 (Converted Paper Product Manufacturing). Census lists 40 example activities under it in the official index.
By establishments it ranks 1st of the 4 codes at this level within Converted Paper Product Manufacturing, with 55.9% of them.
County Business Patterns counts 1,906 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 157,227 people at an average annual payroll of $70,226 per employee (52nd percentile of national industries). 8% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which points to larger operations.
Census lists 5 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 3261, 32213, 32229 and 32212. 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.
Across its national industries Census lists 40 index entries; typical ones are boxes, corrugated and solid fiber, made from purchased…, boxes, folding (except corrugated), made from purchased… and bobbins, fiber, made from purchased paperboard.
Its goods appear in 15 statistical lines of the US tariff schedule, mostly under headings 4819 (cartons, boxes, cases, bags and other packing containers…), 4823 (other paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding and webs of…) and 4822 (bobbins, spools, cops and similar supports of paper pulp…). That link is how import data is matched to domestic producers, for example in trade-remedy cases.
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in converting paperboard into containers without manufacturing paperboard. These establishments use corrugating, cutting, and shaping machinery to form paperboard into containers. Products made by these establishments include boxes, corrugated sheets, pads, pallets, paper dishes, and fiber drums and reels.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing similar items of plastics materials | 3261 Plastics Product Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing paperboard and converting paperboard into containers | 32213 Paperboard Mills |
| Manufacturing egg cartons, food trays, and other food containers from molded pulp | 32229 Other Converted Paper Product Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing paper and converting paper into containers | 32212 Paper Mills |
| Manufacturing paper bags without manufacturing paper | 32222 Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing |
Index entries (40)
- Boxes, corrugated and solid fiber, made from purchased paper or paperboard
- Boxes, folding (except corrugated), made from purchased paperboard
- Bobbins, fiber, made from purchased paperboard