Cane Sugar Manufacturing
Description
The Cane Sugar Manufacturing industry specializes in transforming raw sugarcane into refined white sugar through a series of precise mechanical and chemical operations. Establishments in this sector typically acquire fresh cane, often directly from neighboring farms, and transport it to centralized processing facilities where juice extraction begins. The industry operates under intense seasonal pressure to harvest and process cane before the leaves naturally decay, necessitating rapid mobilization of equipment and workforce. Following extraction, the resulting sugarcane juice undergoes clarification to remove impurities before being evaporated to concentrate the sugar content. Crucially, the distinction between raw sugar and refined sugar lies in the final stages where crystals are purified and crystallized to meet specific purity standards. Operators range from large multinational conglomerates managing massive processing plants that serve regional and global markets to smaller independent processors focusing on local supply chains. These facilities vary widely in scale, with some handling millions of tons annually while others produce fewer quantities. The sector is deeply integrated into agricultural economics, relying heavily on the volume and quality of local cane crops. Consequently, business strategies often revolve around contract farming agreements and logistical efficiency to minimize delays. Ultimately, the output supports an extensive downstream distribution network supplying food manufacturers, retail chains, and commercial distributors across the United States.
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. |
| 3113 | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises (1) establishments that process agricultural inputs, such as sugarcane, beet, and cacao, to give rise to a new product (sugar or chocolate) and (2) establishments that begin with sugar and chocolate and process these further. |
| 31131 | Sugar Manufacturing 5-digit NAICS industry | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing raw sugar, liquid sugar, and refined sugar from sugarcane, raw cane sugar and sugar beets. |
| 311314 | Cane Sugar Manufacturing 6-digit U.S. detail | The Cane Sugar Manufacturing industry specializes in transforming raw sugarcane into refined white sugar through a series of precise mechanical and chemical operations. Establishments in this sector typically acquire fresh cane, often directly from neighboring farms, and transport it to centralized processing facilities where juice extraction begins. The industry operates under intense seasonal pressure to harvest and process cane before the leaves naturally decay, necessitating rapid mobilization of equipment and workforce. Following extraction, the resulting sugarcane juice undergoes clarification to remove impurities before being evaporated to concentrate the sugar content. Crucially, the distinction between raw sugar and refined sugar lies in the final stages where crystals are purified and crystallized to meet specific purity standards. Operators range from large multinational conglomerates managing massive processing plants that serve regional and global markets to smaller independent processors focusing on local supply chains. These facilities vary widely in scale, with some handling millions of tons annually while others produce fewer quantities. The sector is deeply integrated into agricultural economics, relying heavily on the volume and quality of local cane crops. Consequently, business strategies often revolve around contract farming agreements and logistical efficiency to minimize delays. Ultimately, the output supports an extensive downstream distribution network supplying food manufacturers, retail chains, and commercial distributors across the United States. |
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Classification References
- 01Manufacturing beet sugar--are classified in U.S. Industry 311313, Beet Sugar Manufacturing;
- 02Manufacturing corn sweeteners by wet milling corn--are classified in U.S. Industry 311221, Wet Corn Milling and Starch Manufacturing;
- 03Reducing maple sap to maple syrup or maple sugar--are classified in U.S. Industry 111998, All Other Miscellaneous Crop Farming;
- 04Manufacturing table syrups from corn syrup--are classified in U.S. Industry 311999, All Other Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing; and
- 05Manufacturing synthetic sweeteners (i.e., sweetening agents), such as saccharin and sugar substitutes (i.e., synthetic sweetener blended with other ingredients)--are classified in Subsector 325, Chemical Manufacturing.
Index Items
Blackstrap molasses manufacturing
Brown sugar manufacturing
Cane sugar manufacturing
Cane syrup manufacturing
Confectioner's powdered sugar manufacturing
Granulated cane sugar manufacturing
Invert sugar manufacturing
Liquid sugar manufacturing
Molasses manufacturing
Molasses, blackstrap, manufacturing
Sugar, cane, manufacturing
Sugar, clarified, granulated, and raw, manufacturing
Sugar, confectionery, manufacturing
Sugar, granulated, manufacturing
Sugar, invert, manufacturing
Sugar, raw, manufacturing
Sugar, refined, manufacturing
Sugarcane mills
Sugarcane refining
Syrup, cane, manufacturing
How Item Can Help
The TMS plans optimal routing for large tanker trucks to minimize fuel costs and delivery times while complying with strict temperature regulations for fresh cane sugar.
Item.com Tools
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 311314.
American Sugar Association
The leading trade organization representing the sugar and sweetener industry in the United States.
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
Official government resource providing data and analysis on sugarcane and cane sugar production and trade.
American Sugar Industry Directory
A publicly available directory listing major U.S. sugar refining facilities and manufacturers.
