NAICS Code 2123 — Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying

Industry Group in the official 2022 North American Industry Classification System (U.S. Census Bureau). It contains 3 direct sub-codes.

Code	2123
Title	Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying
Level	Industry Group (4-digit)
Edition	NAICS 2022 edition

Official definition (2022 NAICS)

This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in developing mine sites, or in mining or quarrying nonmetallic minerals (except fuels). Also included are certain well and brine operations, and preparation plants primarily engaged in beneficiating (e.g., crushing, grinding, washing, and concentrating) nonmetallic minerals.

Beneficiation is the process whereby the extracted material is reduced to particles which can be separated into mineral and waste, the former suitable for further processing or direct use. The operations that take place in beneficiation are primarily mechanical, such as grinding, washing, magnetic separation, and centrifugal separation. In contrast, manufacturing operations primarily use chemical and electrochemical processes, such as electrolysis and distillation. However, some treatments, such as heat treatments, take place in both the beneficiation and the manufacturing (i.e., smelting/refining) stages. The range of preparation activities varies by mineral and the purity of any given ore deposit. While some minerals, such as petroleum and natural gas, require little or no preparation, others are washed and screened, while yet others, such as gold and silver, can be transformed into bullion before leaving the mine site.

Where 2123 sits in the hierarchy

Level	Code	Title
Sector	21	Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
Subsector	212	Mining (except Oil and Gas)
Industry Group	2123	Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying

Codes under 2123

Code	Title
21231	Stone Mining and Quarrying
21232	Sand, Gravel, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining and Quarrying
21239	Other Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying

Related Industry Group codes

• 2121 — Coal Mining
• 2122 — Metal Ore Mining

Data: official 2022 NAICS structure, descriptions and Census concordances, U.S. Census Bureau — U.S. government works in the public domain (17 U.S.C. §105). Suggested reference, not an official determination.