NAICS Code 326 — Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing

Subsector in the official 2022 North American Industry Classification System (U.S. Census Bureau). It contains 2 direct sub-codes.

Code	326
Title	Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing
Level	Subsector (3-digit)
Edition	NAICS 2022 edition

Official definition (2022 NAICS)

Industries in the Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing subsector make goods by processing plastics materials and raw rubber. The core technology employed by establishments in this subsector is that of plastics or rubber product production. Plastics and rubber are combined in the same subsector because plastics are increasingly being used as a substitute for rubber; however, the subsector is generally restricted to the production of products made of just one material, either solely plastics or rubber.

Many manufacturing activities use plastics or rubber, for example the manufacture of footwear or furniture. Typically, the production process of these products involves more than one material. In these cases, technologies that allow disparate materials to be formed and combined are of central importance in describing the manufacturing activity. In NAICS, such activities (footwear and furniture manufacturing) are not classified in the Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing subsector because the core technologies for these activities are diverse and involve multiple materials.

Within the Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing subsector, a distinction is made between plastics and rubber products at the industry group level, although it is not a rigid distinction, as can be seen from the definition of Industry 32622, Rubber and Plastics Hoses and Belting Manufacturing. In the case of hoses and belting, plastics are used as a substitute for rubber, and the distinction in materials is not useful as a basis for establishment classification.

In keeping with the core technology focus of plastics, lamination of plastics film to plastics film as well as the production of bags from plastics only is classified in this subsector. Lamination and bag production involving plastics and materials other than plastics are classified in Subsector 322, Paper Manufacturing.

Where 326 sits in the hierarchy

Level	Code	Title
Sector	31-33	Manufacturing
Subsector	326	Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing

Codes under 326

Code	Title
3261	Plastics Product Manufacturing
3262	Rubber Product Manufacturing

Related Subsector codes

• 311 — Food Manufacturing
• 312 — Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
• 313 — Textile Mills
• 314 — Textile Product Mills
• 315 — Apparel Manufacturing
• 316 — Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing
• 321 — Wood Product Manufacturing
• 322 — Paper Manufacturing
• 323 — Printing and Related Support Activities
• 324 — Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
• 325 — Chemical Manufacturing
• 327 — Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing

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.