423520 Coal and Other Mineral and Ore Merchant Wholesalers

Official definition

This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of coal, coke, metal ores, and/or nonmetallic minerals (except precious and semiprecious stones and minerals used in construction, such as sand and gravel).

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:

• Merchant wholesale distribution of nonmetallic minerals used in construction, such as sand and gravel are classified in Industry 423320, Brick, Stone, and Related Construction Material Merchant Wholesalers.
• Merchant wholesale distribution of industrial sand are classified in Industry 423840, Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers.
• Merchant wholesale distribution of crude petroleum are classified in Industry Group 4247, Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers.
• Merchant wholesale distribution of precious and semiprecious stones and metals are classified in Industry 423940, Jewelry, Watch, Precious Stone, and Precious Metal Merchant Wholesalers.
• Quarrying, dredging, and/or beneficiating construction sand and gravel are classified in U.S. Industry 212321, Construction Sand and Gravel Mining.

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

Activities listed under 423520

The Census index assigns these 16 activities to this code. If your business matches one, this is your code.

• Bauxite merchant wholesalers
• Coal dust merchant wholesalers
• Coal merchant wholesalers
• Coke merchant wholesalers
• Concentrates, metallic, merchant wholesalers
• Fuel, coal and coke, merchant wholesalers
• Fuller's earth merchant wholesalers
• Magnesium ores merchant wholesalers
• Metal ores merchant wholesalers
• Metallic concentrates merchant wholesalers
• Minerals (except construction materials, petroleum) merchant wholesalers
• Nonmetallic minerals (except precious and semiprecious stones and minerals used in construction, such as sand and gravel)
• Nonmetallic ores merchant wholesalers
• Ore concentrates merchant wholesalers
• Ores (e.g., gold, iron, lead, silver, zinc) merchant wholesalers
• Precious metal ores merchant wholesalers

Source: US Census Bureau, 2022 NAICS index file.

SBA size standard for 423520

To count as a small business for SBA loans and federal contracts under NAICS 423520, your business (including affiliates) must not exceed 200 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: 4661, 4662), so treat them as a starting point and check the definition.

• 46610Wholesale of agricultural machinery, equipment and suppliesUK SIC
• 46620Wholesale of machine toolsUK SIC

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

Similar codes to compare

• 423510Metal Service Centers and Other Metal Merchant Wholesalers