2022 NAICS national industry in sector 21 Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
212290 Other Metal Ore Mining
NAICS 212290 is the US industry code for other metal ore mining. It covers establishments primarily engaged in developing the mine site, mining, and/or beneficiating (i.e., preparing) metal ores (except iron and manganiferous ores valued for their iron content, gold ore, silver ore, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc ore).
- Code
- 212290 (2022 NAICS)
- Title
- Other Metal Ore Mining
- Part of
- Metal Ore Mining
- SBA small business limit
- Up to 1,250 employees
- Closest UK SIC
- 07210, 07290 (details)
Changes coming. The NAICS 2027 revision applies to data from 1 January 2027, and SBA proposed new size standards on 20 August 2026. The values on this page are the ones in force today; we update this page when the official files change.
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in developing the mine site, mining, and/or beneficiating (i.e., preparing) metal ores (except iron and manganiferous ores valued for their iron content, gold ore, silver ore, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc ore).
Examples Census gives
- Antimony ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Tantalum ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Columbite ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Tungsten ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Ilmenite ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Uranium-radium-vanadium ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Molybdenum ores mining and/or beneficiating
When to use a different code
Census classifies these close-sounding activities somewhere else. Businesses mainly engaged in:
- Developing the mine site, mining, and/or beneficiating iron and manganiferous ores valued chiefly for their iron content are classified in Industry 212210, Iron Ore Mining.
- Developing the mine site, mining, and/or beneficiating ores valued chiefly for their gold or silver content are classified in Industry 212220, Gold Ore and Silver Ore Mining.
- Developing the mine site, mining, and/or beneficiating ores valued chiefly for their copper, nickel, lead, or zinc content are classified in Industry 212230, Copper, Nickel, Lead, and Zinc Mining.
- Enriching uranium are classified in Industry 325180, Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing.
- Providing support activities (except geophysical surveying and mapping, site preparation, construction, and transportation) for the mining of metallic minerals and ores on a contract or fee basis are classified in U.S. Industry 213114, Support Activities for Metal Mining.
Activities listed under 212290
The Census index assigns these 74 activities to this code. If your business matches one, this is your code.
- Antimony concentrates beneficiating
- Antimony ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Bastnaesite mining and/or beneficiating
- Bauxite mining and/or beneficiating
- Beryl mining and/or beneficiating
- Beryllium concentrates beneficiating
- Beryllium ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Carnotite mining and/or beneficiating
- Cerium concentrates beneficiating
- Cerium ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Chromite mining and/or beneficiating
- Chromium concentrates beneficiating
- Chromium ore mining and/or beneficiating
- Cinnabar mining and/or beneficiating
- Cobalt concentrates beneficiating
- Cobalt ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Columbite mining and/or beneficiating
- Columbium ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Ferberite ores and concentrates mining and/or beneficiating
- Ferroalloy ores (e.g., chromium, columbium, molybdenum, tungsten) mining and/or beneficiating
- Hafnium mining and/or beneficiating
- Huebnerite mining and/or beneficiating
- Ilmenite ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Iridium mining and/or beneficiating
- Leaching of uranium, radium, or vanadium ores
- Manganese concentrates beneficiating
- Manganese ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Manganiferous ores (not valued for iron content) mining and/or beneficiating
- Manganite mining and/or beneficiating
- Mercury (quicksilver) mining and/or beneficiating
- Mercury ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Microlite mining and/or beneficiating
- Molybdenite mining and/or beneficiating
- Molybdenum ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Molybdite mining and/or beneficiating
- Monazite mining and/or beneficiating
- Osmium mining and/or beneficiating
- Palladium mining and/or beneficiating
- Pitchblende mining and/or beneficiating
- Platinum mining and/or beneficiating
- Psilomelane mining and/or beneficiating
- Pyrolusite mining and/or beneficiating
- Quicksilver ores and metal mining and/or beneficiating
- Radium ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Rare earth metal concentrates beneficiating
- Rare earth metal ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Rhodium mining and/or beneficiating
- Rhodochrosite mining and/or beneficiating
- Roscoelite (vanadium hydromica) mining and/or beneficiating
- Ruthenium ore mining and/or beneficiating
- Rutile mining and/or beneficiating
- Scheelite mining and/or beneficiating
- Tantalite mining and/or beneficiating
- Tantalum ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Thallium mining and/or beneficiating
- Thorite mining and/or beneficiating
- Thorium ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Tin metal concentrates beneficiating
- Tin metal ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Titaniferous-magnetite ores, valued chiefly for titanium content, mining and/or beneficiating
- Titanium concentrates beneficiating
- Titanium ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Tungsten concentrates beneficiating
- Tungsten ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Tyuyamunite mining and/or beneficiating
- Uraninite (pitchblende) mining and/or beneficiating
- Uranium ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Uranium-radium-vanadium ore mine site development for own account
- Uranium-radium-vanadium ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Vanadium ores mining and/or beneficiating
- Wolframite mining and/or beneficiating
- Wulfenite mining and/or beneficiating
- Zirconium concentrates beneficiating
- Zirconium ores mining and/or beneficiating
SBA size standard for 212290
To count as a small business for SBA loans and federal contracts under NAICS 212290, your business (including affiliates) must not exceed 1,250 employees. Check your business.
Source: SBA table of size standards, effective March 17, 2023.
Closest UK SIC 2007 codes
There is no official one-to-one link between NAICS and UK SIC. These codes share the same international class (ISIC Rev. 4: 0721, 0729), so treat them as a starting point and check the definition.
Built from Census concordances 2022→2017 NAICS and 2017 NAICS→ISIC Rev. 4.
Similar codes to compare
Data last changed November 14, 2026. How this page is built.