Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
Description
Rendering and meat byproduct processing involves transforming animal waste, leftover carcasses, and trimmings into valuable commercial products such as tallow, lard, meal, and gelatin. This essential food manufacturing sector operates primarily near livestock slaughterhouses and meat processing plants to capture materials that would otherwise go to landfill. Operators include both small independent contractors serving local feed mills and large industrial facilities integrated with major meatpacking companies. Their activities range from heating and melting fat to grinding and extruding protein into dense powder or liquid extracts. The industry handles raw materials like ribs, heads, feet, and offal, applying heat and pressure to separate fats from bones and organs. Finished goods feed animals, support pharmaceutical production, manufacture soap, or create industrial lubricants. Production facilities are often situated in colder regions where fat remains solid or have specialized insulated buildings to maintain temperature control. While some operations focus exclusively on fat rendering, others process entire carcasses into composite products. The scope extends globally, relying heavily on consistent supply chains from upstream slaughterhouses to transport finished byproducts to downstream manufacturers for further utilization in agriculture and industry.
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Manufacturing 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Manufacturing sector comprises establishments engaged in the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components into new products. The assembling of component parts of manufactured products is considered manufacturing, except in cases where the activity is appropriately classified in Sector 23, Construction. Establishments in the Manufacturing sector are often described as plants, factories, or mills and characteristically use power-driven machines and material handling equipment. However, establishments that transform materials or substances into new products by hand or in the worker's home and those engaged in selling to the general public products made on the same premises from which they are sold, such as bakeries, candy stores, and custom tailors, may also be included in this sector. Manufacturing establishments may process materials or may contract with other establishments to process their materials for them. Both types of establishments are included in manufacturing. Selected industries in the Manufacturing sector are comprised solely of establishments that process materials for other establishments on a contract or fee basis. Beyond these dedicated contract manufacturing industries, establishments that process materials for other establishments are generally classified in the Manufacturing industry of the processed materials. The materials, substances, or components transformed by manufacturing establishments are raw materials that are products of agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, or quarrying as well as products of other manufacturing establishments. The materials used may be purchased directly from producers, obtained through customary trade channels, or secured without recourse to the market by transferring the product from one establishment to another, under the same ownership. The new product of a manufacturing establishment may be finished in the sense that it is ready for utilization or consumption, or it may be semi-finished to become an input for an establishment engaged in further manufacturing. For example, the product of the alumina refinery is the input used in the primary production of aluminum; primary aluminum is the input to an aluminum wire drawing plant; and aluminum wire is the input for a fabricated wire product manufacturing establishment. The subsectors in the Manufacturing sector generally reflect distinct production processes related to material inputs, production equipment, and employee skills. In the machinery area, where assembling is a key activity, parts and accessories for manufactured products are classified in the industry of the finished manufactured item when they are made for separate sale. For example, an attachment for a piece of metalworking machinery would be classified with metalworking machinery. However, component inputs from other manufacturing establishments are classified based on the production function of the component manufacturer. For example, electronic components are classified in Subsector 334, Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing, and stampings are classified in Subsector 332, Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing. Manufacturing establishments often perform one or more activities that are classified outside the Manufacturing sector of NAICS. For instance, almost all manufacturing has some captive research and development or administrative operations, such as accounting, payroll, or management. These captive services are treated the same as captive manufacturing activities. When the services are provided by separate establishments, they are classified in the NAICS sector where such services are primary, not in manufacturing. The boundaries of manufacturing and the other sectors of the classification system can be somewhat blurry. The establishments in the Manufacturing sector are engaged in the transformation of materials into new products. Their output is a new product. However, the definition of what constitutes a new product can be somewhat subjective. As clarification, the following activities are considered manufacturing in NAICS: <table width=100%><tr><td width=10%> </td><td><dl><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Milk bottling and pasteurizing;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Water bottling and processing;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Fresh fish packaging (oyster<br/> shucking, fish filleting);</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Apparel jobbing (assigning<br/> materials to contract<br/> factories or shops for<br/> fabrication or other contract<br/> operations) as well as<br/> contracting on materials<br/> owned by others;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Printing and related activities;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Ready-mix concrete production;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Leather converting;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Grinding lenses to<br/> prescription;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Wood preserving;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Lapidary work for the trade;</dt></dl></td><td width=10%> </td><td><dl><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Electroplating, plating, metal<br/> heat treating, and<br/> polishing for the trade;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Fabricating signs and<br/> advertising displays;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Rebuilding or remanufacturing<br/> machinery (i.e., automotive<br/> parts);</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Making manufactured homes<br/> (i.e., mobile homes) or<br/> prefabricated buildings,<br/> whether or not assembling/<br/> erecting at the customers'<br/> site;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Ship repair and renovation;</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Machine shops; and</dt><dt style='padding-left: 10px; text-indent: -10px;'>Tire retreading.</dt></dl></td><td width=10%> </td></tr></table> Conversely, there are activities that are sometimes considered manufacturing, but which for NAICS are classified in another sector (i.e., not classified as manufacturing). They include: 1. Logging, classified in Sector 11, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, is considered a harvesting operation; 2. Beneficiating ores and other minerals, classified in Sector 21, Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction, is considered part of the activity of mining; 3. Constructing structures, assembling prefabricated buildings, and fabricating at the construction site by contractors are classified in Sector 23, Construction; 4. Breaking bulk and reselling in smaller lots, including packaging, repackaging, or bottling products, such as liquors or chemicals; assembling and selling computers on a custom basis; sorting and reselling scrap; mixing and selling paints to customer order; and cutting metals to customer order for resale are classified in Sector 42, Wholesale Trade, or Sector 44-45, Retail Trade; and 5. Publishing and the combined activity of publishing and printing, classified in Sector 51, Information, transform information into a product for which the value to the consumer lies in the information content, not in the format in which it is distributed (i.e., the book or software compact disc). |
| 311 | Food Manufacturing 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Food Manufacturing subsector transform livestock and agricultural products into products for intermediate or final consumption. The industry groups are distinguished by the raw materials (generally of animal or vegetable origin) processed into food products. The food products manufactured in these establishments are typically sold to wholesalers or retailers for distribution to consumers, but establishments primarily engaged in retailing bakery and candy products made on the premises not for immediate consumption are included. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing beverages are classified in Subsector 312, Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing. |
| 3116 | Animal Slaughtering and Processing 4-digit industry group | Industries in the Food Manufacturing subsector transform livestock and agricultural products into products for intermediate or final consumption. The industry groups are distinguished by the raw materials (generally of animal or vegetable origin) processed into food products. The food products manufactured in these establishments are typically sold to wholesalers or retailers for distribution to consumers, but establishments primarily engaged in retailing bakery and candy products made on the premises not for immediate consumption are included. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing beverages are classified in Subsector 312, Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing. |
| 31161 | Animal Slaughtering and Processing 5-digit NAICS industry | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: (1) slaughtering animals; (2) preparing processed meats and meat byproducts; and (3) rendering and/or refining animal fat, bones, and meat scraps. This industry includes establishments primarily engaged in assembly cutting and packing of meats (i.e., boxed meats) from purchased carcasses. |
| 311613 | Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing 6-digit U.S. detail | Rendering and meat byproduct processing involves transforming animal waste, leftover carcasses, and trimmings into valuable commercial products such as tallow, lard, meal, and gelatin. This essential food manufacturing sector operates primarily near livestock slaughterhouses and meat processing plants to capture materials that would otherwise go to landfill. Operators include both small independent contractors serving local feed mills and large industrial facilities integrated with major meatpacking companies. Their activities range from heating and melting fat to grinding and extruding protein into dense powder or liquid extracts. The industry handles raw materials like ribs, heads, feet, and offal, applying heat and pressure to separate fats from bones and organs. Finished goods feed animals, support pharmaceutical production, manufacture soap, or create industrial lubricants. Production facilities are often situated in colder regions where fat remains solid or have specialized insulated buildings to maintain temperature control. While some operations focus exclusively on fat rendering, others process entire carcasses into composite products. The scope extends globally, relying heavily on consistent supply chains from upstream slaughterhouses to transport finished byproducts to downstream manufacturers for further utilization in agriculture and industry. |
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Classification References
- 01Blending purchased animal fats with vegetable fats--are classified in U.S. Industry 311225, Fats and Oils Refining and Blending; and
- 02Manufacturing meat-based animal feeds from purchased carcasses--are classified in Industry 31111, Animal Food Manufacturing.
Index Items
Animal fats rendering
Animal oil rendering
Bones, fat, rendering
Fats, animal, rendering
Grease rendering
Lard made from purchased fat
Meat and bone meal and tankage, produced in rendering plant
Neatsfoot oil rendering
Oil, animal, rendering
Rendering animals (carrion) for feed
Rendering fats
Rendering plants
Stearin, animal, rendering
Tallow produced in rendering plant
How Item Can Help
Warehousing software optimizes cold chain management for perishable byproducts, ensuring precise temperature tracking and efficient inventory rotation to minimize spoilage. It also automates pick-and-pack routines for high-volume rendering outputs to reduce manual errors.
Order management software streamlines complex routing for custom meat product requests by consolidating client orders into streamlined fulfillment workflows. It provides real-time visibility into shipment statuses to quickly resolve delivery delays for time-sensitive perishable goods.
Transportation management software coordinates refrigerated logistics routes to ensure consistent temperature control during transit across varying distances. It optimizes fuel efficiency and reduces shipping costs by planning the most efficient paths for heavy rendering loads.
Item.com Tools
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 311613.
National Meat Industry Association
Major trade association providing standards and market research for the meat and poultry industry.
United States Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline
Official government resource offering free food safety information and regulatory guidance for meat processors.
National Association of Meat Equipment Dealers
Industry organization specializing in commercial meat processing equipment and technology solutions.
