Analysis
NAICS 332420 is the 2022 national industry for metal tank (heavy gauge) manufacturing, part of 33242 (Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing). Census lists 32 example activities under it in the official index.
County Business Patterns counts 678 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 32,394 people at an average annual payroll of $70,505 per employee (53rd percentile of national industries). 17% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which points to larger operations.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include absorbers, gas, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing, accumulators, industrial pressure vessels, heavy gauge…, acetylene cylinders, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing and air receiver tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing, among 32 in all.
Its goods appear in 10 statistical lines of the US tariff schedule, mostly under headings 7311 (), 7309 () and 7611 (). That link is how import data is matched to domestic producers, for example in trade-remedy cases.
Census lists 3 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 332410, 33243 and 238120. 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, manufacturing power boilers are classified in 332410 (Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing) instead.
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in cutting, forming, and joining heavy gauge metal to manufacture tanks, vessels, and other containers.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing power boilers | 332410 Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing light gauge metal containers | 33243 Metal Can, Box, and Other Metal Container (Light Gauge) Manufacturing |
| Installing heavy gauge metal tanks without manufacturing | 238120 Structural Steel and Precast Concrete Contractors |
Index entries (32)
- Absorbers, gas, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Accumulators, industrial pressure vessels, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Acetylene cylinders, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Air receiver tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Annealing vats, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Autoclaves, industrial-type, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Bulk storage tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Caissons, underwater work, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Columns, fractionating, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Cryogenic tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Cylinders, pressure, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Digesters, industrial-type, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Farm storage tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Fermentation tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Gas storage tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Kettles, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders manufacturing
- Liquid oxygen tanks manufacturing
- Nuclear waste casks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Oil storage tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Petroleum storage tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Pots (e.g., annealing, melting, smelting), heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Retorts, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Septic tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Smelting pots and retorts manufacturing
- Stills, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Storage tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Vacuum tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Vats, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Vessels, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing
- Water tanks, heavy gauge metal, manufacturing