Analysis
NAICS 339940 is the 2022 national industry for office supplies (except paper) manufacturing, part of 33994 (Office Supplies (except Paper) Manufacturing). Census lists 55 example activities under it in the official index.
County Business Patterns counts 368 US establishments in this code in 2023, employing 9,961 people at an average annual payroll of $53,427 per employee (22nd percentile of national industries). 45% of the establishments have fewer than five employees, which is close to the national mix.
Between 2018 and 2023 the number of establishments fell 15% and employment fell 14%. 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.
Census lists 6 related activities that belong elsewhere, most often in 325998, 326299, 322 and 323111. 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.
Its index entries, the activities Census uses to assign businesses to this code, include artist's paint manufacturing, artist's supplies (except paper) manufacturing, ball point pens manufacturing and blackboards, framed, manufacturing, among 55 in all.
Its goods appear in 37 statistical lines of the US tariff schedule, mostly under headings 9608 (ball point pens; felt tipped and other porous-tipped pens…), 9612 (typewriter or similar ribbons, inked or otherwise prepared…) and 4809 (carbon paper, self-copy paper and other copying or transfer…). 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 manufacturing office supplies. Examples of products made by these establishments are pens, pencils, felt tip markers, crayons, chalk, pencil sharpeners, staplers, modeling clay, hand operated stamps, stamp pads, stencils, carbon paper, and inked ribbons.
Source: US Census Bureau, NAICS 2022 Manual.
Not this code if…
| The business mainly does | Use instead |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing writing and drawing inks | 325998 All Other Miscellaneous Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing rubber erasers | 326299 All Other Rubber Product Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing paper office supplies | 322 Paper Manufacturing |
| Printing manifold business forms and manufacturing blankbooks, looseleaf binders, and looseleaf devices | 323111 Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) |
| Manufacturing drafting tables and boards | 337127 Institutional Furniture Manufacturing |
| Manufacturing inkjet and toner cartridges | 3259 Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing |
Index entries (55)
- Artist's paint manufacturing
- Artist's supplies (except paper) manufacturing
- Ball point pens manufacturing
- Blackboards, framed, manufacturing
- Branding irons (i.e., marking irons) manufacturing
- Brushes, artists', manufacturing
- Canvas board, artist's, manufacturing
- Canvas, artist's, prepared on frames, manufacturing
- Carbon paper manufacturing
- Chalk (e.g., artist's, blackboard, carpenter's, marking, tailor's), manufacturing
- Chalkboards, framed, manufacturing
- Clay, modeling, manufacturing
- Crayons manufacturing
- Date stamps, hand operated, manufacturing
- Drafting materials (except instruments and tables) manufacturing
- Easels, artists', manufacturing
- Embossing stamps manufacturing
- Felt tip markers manufacturing
- Fountain pens manufacturing
- Frames for artist's canvases (i.e., stretchers) manufacturing
- Hand operated stamps (e.g., canceling, postmark, shoe, textile marking) manufacturing
- Holepunchers, hand operated, manufacturing
- Inked ribbons manufacturing
- Label making equipment, handheld, manufacturing
- List finders and roledex address files manufacturing
- Marker boards (i.e., whiteboards) manufacturing
- Marking devices manufacturing
- Mechanical pencil refills manufacturing
- Mechanical pencils manufacturing
- Metal hand stamps manufacturing
- Modeling clay manufacturing
- Nibs (i.e., pen points) manufacturing
- Paints, artist's, manufacturing
- Palettes, artist's, manufacturing
- Paper cutters, office-type, manufacturing
- Paper, carbon, manufacturing
- Paper, stencil, manufacturing
- Pen refills and cartridges manufacturing
- Pencil leads manufacturing
- Pencil sharpeners manufacturing