Kaolin, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining
Description
This U.S. industry comprises (1) establishments primarily engaged in developing the mine site and/or mining clay (e.g., china clay, paper clay and slip clay) or ceramic and refractory minerals and (2) establishments primarily engaged in beneficiating (i.e., preparing) clay or ceramic and refractory minerals. Illustrative Examples: Bentonite mining and/or beneficiating Fuller's earth mining and/or beneficiating Common clay mining and/or beneficiating Kaolin mining and/or beneficiating Feldspar mining and/or beneficiating Ball clay mining and/or beneficiating Fire clay mining and/or beneficiating Shale (except oil shale) mining and/or beneficiating
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction sector comprises establishments that extract naturally occurring mineral solids, such as coal and ores; liquid minerals, such as crude petroleum; and gases, such as natural gas. The term "mining" is used in the broad sense to include quarrying, well operations, beneficiating (e.g., crushing, screening, washing, and flotation), and other preparation customarily performed at the mine site, or as a part of mining activity. The Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction sector distinguishes two basic activities: mine operation and mining support activities. Mine operation includes establishments operating mines, quarries, or oil and gas wells on their own account or for others on a contract or fee basis. Mining support activities include establishments that perform exploration (except geophysical surveying and mapping) on a contract or fee basis and/or other mining services on a contract or fee basis (except mine site preparation, construction, and transportation activities). Establishments in the Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction sector are grouped and classified according to the natural resource mined or to be mined. Industries include establishments that develop and/or operate the mine site, extract the natural resources, beneficiate (i.e., prepare) the mineral mined, or provide mining support activities. Beneficiation is the process whereby the extracted material is reduced to particles that can be separated into mineral and waste, the former suitable for further processing or direct use. The operations that take place in beneficiation are primarily mechanical, such as grinding, washing, magnetic separation, and centrifugal separation. In contrast, manufacturing operations primarily use chemical and electrochemical processes, such as electrolysis and distillation. However, some treatments, such as heat treatments, take place in both the beneficiation and the manufacturing (i.e., smelting/refining) stages. The range of preparation activities varies by mineral and the purity of any given ore deposit. While some minerals, such as petroleum and natural gas, require little or no preparation, others are washed and screened, while yet others, such as gold and silver, can be transformed into bullion before leaving the mine site. Mining, beneficiating, and manufacturing activities often occur in a single location. Separate receipts will be collected for these activities whenever possible. When receipts cannot be broken out between mining and manufacturing, establishments that mine or quarry nonmetallic minerals, and then beneficiate the nonmetallic minerals into more finished manufactured products are classified based on the primary activity of the establishment. A mine that manufactures a small amount of finished products will be classified in Sector 21, Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction. An establishment that mines whose primary output is a more finished manufactured product will be classified in Sector 31-33, Manufacturing. |
| 212 | Mining (except Oil and Gas) 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Mining (except Oil and Gas) subsector primarily engage in mining, mine site development, and beneficiating (i.e., preparing) metallic minerals and nonmetallic minerals, including coal. The term "mining" is used in the broad sense to include ore extraction, quarrying, and beneficiating (e.g., crushing, screening, washing, sizing, concentrating, and flotation), customarily done at the mine site. Beneficiation is the process whereby the extracted material is reduced to particles which can be separated into mineral and waste, the former suitable for further processing or direct use. The operations that take place in beneficiation are primarily mechanical, such as grinding, washing, magnetic separation, centrifugal separation, and so on. In contrast, manufacturing operations primarily use chemical and electrochemical processes, such as electrolysis, distillation, and so on. However, some treatments, such as heat treatments, take place in both stages: the beneficiation and the manufacturing (i.e., smelting/refining) stages. The range of preparation activities varies by mineral and the purity of any given ore deposit. While some minerals, such as petroleum and natural gas, require little or no preparation, others are washed and screened, while yet others, such as gold and silver, can be transformed into bullion before leaving the mine site. Establishments in the Mining (except Oil and Gas) subsector include those that have complete responsibility for operating mines and quarries (except oil and gas wells) and those that operate mines and quarries (except oil and gas wells) for others on a contract or fee basis. Establishments primarily engaged in providing support services, on a contract or fee basis (except geophysical surveying and mapping, mine site preparation, construction, and transportation activities), required for the mining and quarrying of minerals are classified in Subsector 213, Support Activities for Mining. |
| 2123 | Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in developing mine sites, or in mining or quarrying nonmetallic minerals (except fuels). Also included are certain well and brine operations, and preparation plants primarily engaged in beneficiating (e.g., crushing, grinding, washing, and concentrating) nonmetallic minerals. Beneficiation is the process whereby the extracted material is reduced to particles which can be separated into mineral and waste, the former suitable for further processing or direct use. The operations that take place in beneficiation are primarily mechanical, such as grinding, washing, magnetic separation, and centrifugal separation. In contrast, manufacturing operations primarily use chemical and electrochemical processes, such as electrolysis and distillation. However, some treatments, such as heat treatments, take place in both the beneficiation and the manufacturing (i.e., smelting/refining) stages. The range of preparation activities varies by mineral and the purity of any given ore deposit. While some minerals, such as petroleum and natural gas, require little or no preparation, others are washed and screened, while yet others, such as gold and silver, can be transformed into bullion before leaving the mine site. |
| 21232 | Sand, Gravel, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining and Quarrying 5-digit NAICS industry | This industry comprises (1) establishments primarily engaged in developing the mine site and/or mining, quarrying, dredging for sand and gravel, or mining clay (e.g., china clay, paper clay and slip clay) or ceramic and refractory minerals and (2) preparation plants primarily engaged in beneficiating (e.g., washing, screening, and grinding) sand and gravel, clay, and ceramic and refractory minerals. |
| 212323 | Kaolin, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining 6-digit U.S. detail | This U.S. industry comprises (1) establishments primarily engaged in developing the mine site and/or mining clay (e.g., china clay, paper clay and slip clay) or ceramic and refractory minerals and (2) establishments primarily engaged in beneficiating (i.e., preparing) clay or ceramic and refractory minerals. Illustrative Examples: Bentonite mining and/or beneficiating Fuller's earth mining and/or beneficiating Common clay mining and/or beneficiating Kaolin mining and/or beneficiating Feldspar mining and/or beneficiating Ball clay mining and/or beneficiating Fire clay mining and/or beneficiating Shale (except oil shale) mining and/or beneficiating |
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Classification References
- 01Shaping, molding, glazing, and firing pottery, ceramics, and plumbing fixtures--are classified in Industry 327110, Pottery, Ceramics, and Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing;
- 02Shaping, molding, baking, burning, or hardening clay and nonclay refractories, and structural clay products--are classified in Industry 327120, Clay Building Material and Refractories Manufacturing;
- 03Calcining, dead burning, or otherwise processing (i.e., beyond basic preparation) clay or ceramic and refractory minerals--are classified in U.S. Industry 327992, Ground or Treated Mineral and Earth Manufacturing; and
- 04Oil shale mining and/or beneficiating--are classified in Industry 211120, Crude Petroleum Extraction.
Index Items
Andalusite mining and/or beneficiating
Aplite mining and/or beneficiating
Ball clay mining and/or beneficiating
Bentonite mining and/or beneficiating
Bleaching clay mining and/or beneficiating
Brucite mining and/or beneficiating
Burley mining and/or beneficiating
China clay mining and/or beneficiating
Clay bleaching
Clay mining and/or beneficiating
Clay, ball, mining and/or beneficiating
Clay, ceramic and refractory minerals, mining and/or beneficiating
Clay, fire, mining and/or beneficiating
Clay, natural, mining and/or beneficiating
Common clay mining and/or beneficiating
Common shale mining and/or beneficiating
Cornwall stone mining and/or beneficiating
Cyanite mining and/or beneficiating
Diaspore mining and/or beneficiating
Dumortierite mining and/or beneficiating
Earth, fuller's (e.g., all natural bleaching clays), mining and/or beneficiating
Feldspar mining and/or beneficiating
Fire clay mining and/or beneficiating
Flint clay mining and/or beneficiating
Fuller's earth mining and/or beneficiating
Kaolin mining and/or beneficiating
Kyanite mining and/or beneficiating
Laterite mining and/or beneficiating
Magnesite mining and/or beneficiating
Nepheline syenite mining and/or beneficiating
Olivine, non-gem, mining and/or beneficiating
Paper clay mining and/or beneficiating
Pegmatite, feldspar, mining and/or beneficiating
Pinite mining and/or beneficiating
Plastic fire clay mining and/or beneficiating
Refractory minerals mining and/or beneficiating
Rubber clay mining and/or beneficiating
Shale (except oil shale) mining and/or beneficiating
Sillimanite mining and/or beneficiating
Slip clay mining and/or beneficiating
Stoneware clay mining and/or beneficiating
Syenite, nepheline, mining and/or beneficiating
Topaz, non-gem, mining and/or beneficiating
How Item Can Help
The Warehouse Management System optimizes the storage and tracking of heavy, bulk commodities like kaolin and clay by providing real-time inventory visibility across multiple mining sites.
The Order Management System streamlines complex B2B supply chains by automatically allocating large batch orders to the nearest extraction site while coordinating with trucking carriers.
Transportation Management System reduces costs and delays by planning optimal freight routes for oversized loads of refractory minerals across remote infrastructure networks.
Item.com Tools
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 212323.
Clay Minerals Association
A trade association representing the global clay minerals industry.
Bureau of Land Management Mining Data
Government agency providing access to non-fuel mineral resource estimates for federal land.
American Mineral Resource Database
Database managed by the USGS containing records for kaolin, clay, and refractory mineral deposits.
