Industrial Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
Description
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of specialized machinery, equipment, and related parts generally used in manufacturing, oil well, and warehousing activities. Illustrative Examples: Fluid power transmission equipment merchant wholesalers Metalworking machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers Food processing machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers Oil well machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers Material handling machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 42 | Wholesale Trade 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Wholesale Trade sector comprises establishments engaged in wholesaling merchandise, generally without transformation, and rendering services incidental to the sale of merchandise. The merchandise described in this sector includes the outputs of agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and certain information industries, such as publishing. The wholesaling process is an intermediate step in the distribution of merchandise. Wholesalers are organized to sell or arrange the purchase or sale of (a) goods for resale (i.e., goods sold to other wholesalers or retailers), (b) capital or durable nonconsumer goods, and (c) raw and intermediate materials and supplies used in production. Wholesalers sell merchandise to other businesses and normally operate from a warehouse or office. These warehouses and offices are characterized by having little or no display of merchandise. In addition, neither the design nor the location of the premises is intended to solicit walk-in traffic. Wholesalers do not normally use advertising directed to the general public. Customers are generally reached initially via telephone, in-person marketing, or by specialized advertising that may include Internet and other electronic means. Follow-up orders are either vendor-initiated or client-initiated, generally based on previous sales, and typically exhibit strong ties between sellers and buyers. In fact, transactions are often conducted between wholesalers and clients that have long-standing business relationships. This sector comprises two main types of wholesalers: merchant wholesalers that sell goods on their own account and agents and brokers that arrange sales and purchases for others generally for a commission or fee. (1) Establishments that sell goods on their own account are known as wholesale merchants, distributors, jobbers, drop shippers, and import/export merchants. Also included as wholesale merchants are sales offices and sales branches (but not retail stores) maintained by manufacturing, refining, or mining enterprises apart from their plants or mines for the purpose of marketing their products, and group purchasing organizations primarily purchasing and selling goods on their own account. Merchant wholesale establishments typically maintain their own warehouse, where they receive and handle goods for their customers. Goods are generally sold without transformation, but may include integral functions, such as sorting, packaging, labeling, and other marketing services. (2) Establishments arranging for the purchase or sale of goods owned by others or purchasing goods, generally on a commission basis are known as business-to-business electronic markets, agents and brokers, commission merchants, import/export agents and brokers, auction companies, group purchasing organizations (acting as agents), and manufacturers' representatives. These establishments operate from offices and generally do not own or handle the goods they sell. Some wholesale establishments may be connected with a single manufacturer and promote and sell the particular manufacturer's products to a wide range of other wholesalers or retailers. Other wholesalers may be connected to a retail chain, or limited number of retail chains, and only provide a variety of products needed by that particular retail operation(s). These wholesalers may obtain the products from a wide range of manufacturers. Still other wholesalers may not take title to the goods, but act as agents and brokers for a commission. Although, in general, wholesaling normally denotes sales in large volumes, durable nonconsumer goods may be sold in single units. Sales of capital or durable nonconsumer goods used in the production of goods and services, such as farm machinery, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and industrial machinery, are always included in wholesale trade. |
| 423 | Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods subsector sell capital or durable goods to other businesses. Merchant wholesalers generally take title to the goods that they sell; in other words, they buy and sell goods on their own account. Durable goods are new or used items generally with a normal life expectancy of three years or more. Durable goods merchant wholesale trade establishments are engaged in wholesaling products, such as motor vehicles, furniture, construction materials, machinery and equipment (including household-type appliances), metals and minerals (except petroleum), sporting goods, toys and hobby goods, recyclable materials, and parts. Agents and brokers primarily engaged in wholesaling durable goods, generally on a commission or fee basis, are classified in Subsector 425, Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers. |
| 4238 | Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of construction, mining, farm, garden, industrial, service establishment, and transportation machinery, equipment, and supplies. |
| 42383 | Industrial Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers 5-digit NAICS industry | See industry description for 423830. |
| 423830 | Industrial Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers 6-digit U.S. detail | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of specialized machinery, equipment, and related parts generally used in manufacturing, oil well, and warehousing activities. Illustrative Examples: Fluid power transmission equipment merchant wholesalers Metalworking machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers Food processing machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers Oil well machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers Material handling machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers |
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Classification References
- 01Merchant wholesale distribution of specialized machinery, equipment, and related parts generally used in construction, mining (except oil well), and logging activities--are classified in Industry 423810, Construction and Mining (except Oil Well) Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers; and
- 02Merchant wholesale distribution of supplies used in machinery and equipment generally used in manufacturing, oil well, and warehousing activities--are classified in Industry 423840, Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers.
Index Items
Actuators, fluid power, merchant wholesalers
Air compressors (except air-conditioning, refrigeration) merchant wholesalers
Bakery machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Balancing machines (except automotive) merchant wholesalers
Beverage bottling machinery merchant wholesalers
Beverage processing machinery merchant wholesalers
Blanks, tips, and inserts merchant wholesalers
Blowers, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Bottling machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Broaches (i.e., a machine tool accessory) merchant wholesalers
Burners, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Cement making machinery merchant wholesalers
Chainsaws merchant wholesalers
Chemical industries machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Coil winding machines, spring, merchant wholesalers
Commercial fishing equipment and supplies (except boats, ships) merchant wholesalers
Compactors, trash, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Compressors (except air-conditioning, refrigeration) merchant wholesalers
Condensing units (except air-conditioning, refrigeration) merchant wholesalers
Conveying equipment (except farm) merchant wholesalers
Cranes, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Crushing, pulverizing, and screening machinery, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Cryogenic cooling devices merchant wholesalers
Dies, metalworking, merchant wholesalers
Diesel engines and parts, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Distillery machinery merchant wholesalers
Dyeing machinery, textile, merchant wholesalers
Elevators merchant wholesalers
Engines, internal combustion (except aircraft, automotive), merchant wholesalers
Engraving machinery merchant wholesalers
Environmental controlling instruments and equipment merchant wholesalers
Escalators merchant wholesalers
Fans, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Fluid meters, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Fluid power transmission equipment merchant wholesalers
Food processing machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Forklift trucks (except log) merchant wholesalers
Foundry machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Furnaces, industrial process, merchant wholesalers
Gas detecting equipment and supplies (except household-type) merchant wholesalers
General purpose industrial machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Handtools, machinists' precision, merchant wholesalers
Heat exchange equipment, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Hoists (except automotive) merchant wholesalers
Hydraulic power transmission equipment merchant wholesalers
Hydraulic pumps and parts merchant wholesalers
Industrial machinery and equipment (except electrical) merchant wholesalers
Industrial robotics equipment merchant wholesalers
Industrial robots merchant wholesalers
Industrial trucks, tractors, or trailers merchant wholesalers
Instruments (except electrical) (e.g., controlling, indicating, recording) merchant wholesalers
Internal combustion engines (except aircraft, nondiesel automotive, nondiesel truck) merchant wholesalers
Jigs merchant wholesalers
Kilns, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Ladders merchant wholesalers
Lift trucks, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Machine tools and accessories merchant wholesalers
Machinists' precision measuring tools merchant wholesalers
Manufacturing machinery and equipment, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Material handling machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Measuring and testing equipment (except electric measuring and automotive) merchant wholesalers
Metalworking machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Metalworking tools (drills, taps, dies, grinding wheels) merchant wholesalers
Meters (except electrical, parking) merchant wholesalers
Mining machinery and equipment, petroleum, merchant wholesalers
Oil field equipment merchant wholesalers
Oil well machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Oil well supply houses merchant wholesalers
Ovens, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Packing machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Pallets and skids merchant wholesalers
Paper and pulp industries manufacturing machinery merchant wholesalers
Patterns (except shoe), industrial, merchant wholesalers
Petroleum production machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Pipeline machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Pistons, hydraulic and pneumatic, merchant wholesalers
Plastics industries machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers
Pneumatic pumps and parts merchant wholesalers
Pollution control equipment (except air) merchant wholesalers
Poultry processing machinery merchant wholesalers
Power plant machinery (except electrical) merchant wholesalers
Printing trade machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers
Pulverizing machinery and equipment, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Pumps and pumping equipment, industrial-type, merchant wholesalers
Recapping machinery, tire, merchant wholesalers
Refinery machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Rolling mill machinery merchant wholesalers
Sawmill machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers
Saws, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Screening machinery and equipment, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Sewing machines, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Shelving, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Shoe manufacturing and repairing machinery merchant wholesalers
Skids merchant wholesalers
Smelting machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Special purpose industrial machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Spray painting equipment, industrial-type, merchant wholesalers
Stackers, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Tanks, pressure, merchant wholesalers
Testing and measuring equipment, electrical (except automotive), merchant wholesalers
Textile machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Threading tools merchant wholesalers
Tire recapping machinery merchant wholesalers
Tools, machinists' precision, merchant wholesalers
Tractors, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Trailers, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Trucks, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Turbines (except transportation) merchant wholesalers
Twist drills merchant wholesalers
Vacuum pumps merchant wholesalers
Valves, hydraulic and pneumatic, merchant wholesalers
Water treatment equipment, industrial, merchant wholesalers
Welding machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers
Winches merchant wholesalers
Woodworking machinery merchant wholesalers
How Item Can Help
Streamlines warehouse operations for high-value, low-volume industrial equipment by optimizing storage allocation and enabling rapid pick-and-pack of specialized machinery.
Centralizes orders from diverse B2B buyers to automate routing and reduce fulfillment lead times for complex orders requiring multiple parts or custom configurations.
Predicts demand fluctuations and identifies supply chain disruptions to allow proactive inventory management of critical components like motors or hydraulic systems.
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 423830.
American National Standards Institute
A non-profit organization that develops voluntary consensus standards for the machinery and equipment industry.
U.S. Census Bureau Industry Statistics
Official government data page providing detailed statistics and industry definitions for the specific NAICS code 423830.
Wholesale Machinery Network
An industry directory and trade platform connecting buyers and sellers of industrial machinery and equipment wholesalers.
