Small Arms, Ordnance, and Ordnance Accessories Manufacturing
Description
Establishments within this sector specialize in the design, production, and assembly of military hardware essential for combat operations, ranging from portable rifles and machine guns to larger artillery pieces and specialized ammunition. These facilities serve armed forces, law enforcement agencies, and private security contractors by creating durable weaponry capable of withstanding extreme field conditions. Typical business activities involve complex precision machining, material fabrication, quality control testing, and the integration of modern electronic components into firearm systems. Operators are often highly specialized manufacturers holding strict federal licenses, though some function as contract producers for defense contractors or as research and development firms developing next-generation tactical gear. The scale of operations varies significantly, from small, family-owned firms focusing on niche accessory production to large industrial complexes with advanced automation. This industry plays a critical role in national security and public safety, driving significant investment in high-precision engineering and adhering to rigorous regulatory standards. Unlike the broader fabrication of metal products, these businesses focus exclusively on small-arms technology and ordnance support, requiring unique expertise in ballistics and materials science that distinguishes them from other industrial categories. Their output directly impacts readiness levels and operational capabilities across various global theaters of conflict and domestic security missions.
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 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). |
| 332 | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing subsector transform metal into intermediate or end products, other than machinery, computers and electronics, and metal furniture, or treat metals and metal formed products fabricated elsewhere. Important fabricated metal processes are forging, stamping, bending, forming, and machining, used to shape individual pieces of metal; and other processes, such as welding and assembling, used to join separate parts together. Establishments in this subsector may use one of these processes or a combination of these processes. The NAICS structure for this subsector distinguishes the forging and stamping processes in a single industry. The remaining industries in the subsector group establishments based on similar combinations of processes used to make products. The manufacturing performed in the Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing subsector begins with manufactured metal shapes. The establishments in this subsector further fabricate the purchased metal shapes into a product. For instance, the Spring and Wire Product Manufacturing industry starts with wire and fabricates such items. Within the Manufacturing sector there are other establishments that make the same products made by this subsector; only these establishments begin production further back in the production process. These establishments have a more integrated operation. For instance, one establishment may manufacture steel, draw it into wire, and make wire products in the same establishment. Such operations are classified in the Primary Metal Manufacturing subsector. |
| 3329 | Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing fabricated metal products (except forgings and stampings, cutlery and handtools, architectural and structural metals, boilers, tanks, shipping containers, hardware, spring and wire products, machine shop products, turned products, screws, and nuts and bolts). |
| 33299 | All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing 5-digit NAICS industry | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing fabricated metal products (except forgings and stampings, cutlery and handtools, architectural and structural metal products, boilers, tanks, shipping containers, hardware, spring and wire products, machine shop products, turned products, screws, nuts and bolts, and metal valves). Illustrative Examples: Ammunition manufacturing Ball and roller bearing manufacturing Enameled iron and metal sanitary ware manufacturing Fabricated pipe and pipe fittings made from purchased metal pipe Foil containers (except bags) manufacturing Industrial pattern manufacturing Metal safes manufacturing Portable metal ladders manufacturing Small arms and other ordnance manufacturing Steel wool manufacturing |
| 332994 | Small Arms, Ordnance, and Ordnance Accessories Manufacturing 6-digit U.S. detail | Establishments within this sector specialize in the design, production, and assembly of military hardware essential for combat operations, ranging from portable rifles and machine guns to larger artillery pieces and specialized ammunition. These facilities serve armed forces, law enforcement agencies, and private security contractors by creating durable weaponry capable of withstanding extreme field conditions. Typical business activities involve complex precision machining, material fabrication, quality control testing, and the integration of modern electronic components into firearm systems. Operators are often highly specialized manufacturers holding strict federal licenses, though some function as contract producers for defense contractors or as research and development firms developing next-generation tactical gear. The scale of operations varies significantly, from small, family-owned firms focusing on niche accessory production to large industrial complexes with advanced automation. This industry plays a critical role in national security and public safety, driving significant investment in high-precision engineering and adhering to rigorous regulatory standards. Unlike the broader fabrication of metal products, these businesses focus exclusively on small-arms technology and ordnance support, requiring unique expertise in ballistics and materials science that distinguishes them from other industrial categories. Their output directly impacts readiness levels and operational capabilities across various global theaters of conflict and domestic security missions. |
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Classification References
- 01Manufacturing military tanks--are classified in U.S. Industry 336992, Military Armored Vehicle, Tank, and Tank Component Manufacturing; and
- 02Manufacturing guided missiles--are classified in U.S. Industry 336414, Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing.
Index Items
Aircraft artillery manufacturing
Ammunition carts manufacturing
Antiaircraft artillery manufacturing
Antisubmarine projectors manufacturing
Antitank rocket launchers manufacturing
Barrels, gun, manufacturing
BB guns manufacturing
Belts, machine gun, manufacturing
Bofors guns manufacturing
Cannons manufacturing
Carbines manufacturing
Catapult guns manufacturing
Clips, gun, manufacturing
Cylinders and clips, gun, manufacturing
Dart guns manufacturing
Depth charge projectors manufacturing
Field artillery manufacturing
Firearms, small, manufacturing
Flame throwers manufacturing
Generators, smoke, manufacturing
Grenade launchers manufacturing
Gun barrels manufacturing
Gun cleaning kits manufacturing
Gun magazines manufacturing
Gun turrets manufacturing
Guns manufacturing
Guns, BB and pellet, manufacturing
Howitzers manufacturing
Links, ammunition, manufacturing
Livens projectors (i.e., ordnance) manufacturing
Machine gun belts manufacturing
Machine guns manufacturing
Mortars manufacturing
Naval artillery manufacturing
Oerlikon guns manufacturing
Pellet guns manufacturing
Pistols manufacturing
Projectors (e.g., antisub, depth charge release, grenade, livens, rocket), ordnance, manufacturing
Pyrotechnic pistols and projectors manufacturing
Recoil mechanisms, gun, manufacturing
Recoilless rifles manufacturing
Revolvers manufacturing
Rifles (except toy) manufacturing
Rifles, BB and pellet, manufacturing
Rifles, pneumatic, manufacturing
Rifles, recoilless, manufacturing
Rocket launchers manufacturing
Shotguns manufacturing
Small arms manufacturing
Smoke generators manufacturing
Submachine guns manufacturing
Tampion guns manufacturing
Tank artillery manufacturing
Torpedo tubes manufacturing
Tranquilizer guns, manufacturing
Turrets, gun, manufacturing
Item.com Tools
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 332994.
Small Arms Manufacturer Alliance
A non-partisan organization that focuses on the promotion of responsible gun culture and safety education for the firearms industry.
Small Arms Manufacturer
A website providing news, articles, and a forum for gun owners and the firearms manufacturing industry.
U.S. Small Arms Industry Association
An organization dedicated to promoting the safety and security of firearms and supporting small arms manufacturers in the United States.
