311225 Fats and Oils Refining and Blending

Official definition

This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: (1) manufacturing shortening and margarine from purchased fats and oils; (2) refining and/or blending vegetable, oilseed, and tree nut oils from purchased oils; and (3) blending purchased animal fats with purchased vegetable fats.

Source: US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS descriptions.

When to use a different code

Census classifies these close-sounding activities somewhere else. Businesses mainly engaged in:

• Refining and/or blending corn oil made by wet corn milling are classified in U.S. Industry 311221, Wet Corn Milling and Starch Manufacturing.
• Refining and/or blending oilseed and tree nut oils in crushing mills are classified in U.S. Industry 311224, Soybean and Other Oilseed Processing.
• Rendering or refining animal fats and oils are classified in Industry 31161, Animal Slaughtering and Processing.

Source: US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS cross-references.

Activities listed under 311225

The Census index assigns these 26 activities to this code. If your business matches one, this is your code.

• Butter substitutes made from purchased oils
• Canola (rapeseed) oil, cake and meal, made from purchased oils
• Coconut oil made from purchased oils
• Cooking and baking oil sprays made from purchased oils
• Corn oil made from purchased oils
• Cottonseed oil made from purchased oils
• Flaxseed oil made from purchased oils
• Grease, inedible, animal and vegetable, refining and blending purchased oils
• Hydrogenating purchased oil
• Lecithin made from purchased oils
• Linseed oil made from purchased oils
• Margarine-butter blend made from purchased fats and oils
• Margarines (including imitation) made from purchased fats and oils
• Nondairy butter made from purchased oils
• Oil, olive, made from purchased oils
• Oil, vegetable stearin, made from purchased oils
• Olive oil made from purchased oils
• Palm-kernel oil made from purchased oils
• Peanut oil made from purchased oils
• Rapeseed (i.e., canola) oil made from purchased oils
• Safflower oil made from purchased oils
• Shortening made from purchased fats and oils
• Soybean cooking oil made from purchased oils
• Table oil made from purchased oils
• Tree nut oils (e.g., tung, walnut) made from purchased oils
• Vegetable oils made from purchased oils

Source: US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS index file.

SBA size standard for 311225

To count as a small business for SBA loans and federal contracts under NAICS 311225, your business (including affiliates) must not exceed 1,100 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: 1040, 1062), so treat them as a starting point and check the definition.

• 10620Manufacture of starches and starch productsUK SIC

Built from Census concordances 2022→2017 NAICS and 2017 NAICS→ISIC Rev. 4.

Similar codes to compare

• 311221Wet Corn Milling and Starch Manufacturing
• 311224Soybean and Other Oilseed Processing