Industrial and Personal Service Paper Merchant Wholesalers
Description
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of kraft wrapping and other coarse paper, paperboard, converted paper (except stationery and office supplies), and/or related disposable plastics products. Illustrative Examples: Corrugated paper merchant wholesalers Paper and disposable plastics tableware (e.g., utensils, dishes, cups) merchant wholesalers Paper napkins merchant wholesalers Paperboard and disposable plastics boxes and containers merchant wholesalers Plastics bags merchant wholesalers Paper and disposable plastics shipping supplies merchant wholesalers Paper towels merchant wholesalers Paper bags merchant wholesalers Sanitary paper products merchant wholesalers Wrapping paper (except gift wrap) merchant wholesalers Waxed paper merchant wholesalers Plastics foam products, disposable (except packaging, packing), 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. |
| 424 | Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods subsector sell nondurable goods to other businesses. Nondurable goods are items generally with a normal life expectancy of less than three years. Nondurable goods merchant wholesale trade establishments are engaged in wholesaling products, such as paper and paper products, chemicals and chemical products, drugs, textiles and textile products, apparel, footwear, groceries, farm products, petroleum and petroleum products, alcoholic beverages, books, magazines, newspapers, flowers and nursery stock, and tobacco products. The detailed industries within the subsector are organized in the classification structure based on the products sold. Agents and brokers primarily engaged in wholesaling nondurable goods, generally on a commission or fee basis, are classified in Subsector 425, Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers. |
| 4241 | Paper and Paper Product Merchant Wholesalers 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of bulk printing and writing paper; stationery and office supplies; and industrial and personal service paper. |
| 42413 | Industrial and Personal Service Paper Merchant Wholesalers 5-digit NAICS industry | See industry description for 424130. |
| 424130 | Industrial and Personal Service Paper Merchant Wholesalers 6-digit U.S. detail | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of kraft wrapping and other coarse paper, paperboard, converted paper (except stationery and office supplies), and/or related disposable plastics products. Illustrative Examples: Corrugated paper merchant wholesalers Paper and disposable plastics tableware (e.g., utensils, dishes, cups) merchant wholesalers Paper napkins merchant wholesalers Paperboard and disposable plastics boxes and containers merchant wholesalers Plastics bags merchant wholesalers Paper and disposable plastics shipping supplies merchant wholesalers Paper towels merchant wholesalers Paper bags merchant wholesalers Sanitary paper products merchant wholesalers Wrapping paper (except gift wrap) merchant wholesalers Waxed paper merchant wholesalers Plastics foam products, disposable (except packaging, packing), merchant wholesalers |
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Classification References
- 01Merchant wholesale distribution of stationery, office supplies, and/or gift wrap--are classified in Industry 424120, Stationery and Office Supplies Merchant Wholesalers; and
- 02Merchant wholesale distribution of plastics foam packing and packaging materials--are classified in Industry 423840, Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers.
Index Items
Bags, paper and disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Boxes, paperboard and disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Cardboard products merchant wholesalers
Cartons, paper and paperboard, merchant wholesalers
Closures, paper and disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Containers, paper and disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Converted paper (except stationery and office supplies) merchant wholesalers
Corrugated paper merchant wholesalers
Crates, paperboard and disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Cups, paper and disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Diapers, disposable, merchant wholesalers
Dishes, paper and disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Disposable plastics products (e.g., boxes, cups, cutlery, dishes, sanitary food containers) merchant wholesalers
Eating utensils, disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Egg cartons, paper and disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Facial tissue merchant wholesalers
Fiber cans and drums merchant wholesalers
Filter papers merchant wholesalers
Foam plastic trays merchant wholesalers
Gummed tapes (except cellophane) merchant wholesalers
Industrial supplies, disposable plastics, paper, merchant wholesalers
Knives, disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Napkins, paper, merchant wholesalers
Paper (except office supplies, printing paper, stationery, writing paper) merchant wholesalers
Paper bags merchant wholesalers
Paper towels merchant wholesalers
Paperboard and paperboard products (except office supplies) merchant wholesalers
Personal sanitary paper products merchant wholesalers
Plastics bags merchant wholesalers
Plastics foam products, disposable (except packaging, packing), merchant wholesalers
Pressed and molded pulp goods (e.g., egg cartons, shipping supplies) merchant wholesalers
Sacks, paper, merchant wholesalers
Sanitary food containers (e.g., disposable plastics, paper, paperboard) merchant wholesalers
Sanitary paper products merchant wholesalers
Shipping supplies, paper and disposable plastics, merchant wholesalers
Shopping bags, paper and plastics, merchant wholesalers
Tableware, disposable, merchant wholesalers
Tissue paper, toilet and facial, merchant wholesalers
Toilet tissue merchant wholesalers
Waxed paper merchant wholesalers
Wrapping paper (except gift wrap) merchant wholesalers
How Item Can Help
Manages inventory of industrial and personal paper products across multiple locations to reduce waste and prevent stockouts during peak demand periods.
Streamlines order fulfillment by automating routing and allocation, ensuring customers receive bulk paper orders faster while minimizing shipping costs.
Predicts supply chain disruptions by analyzing market trends and supplier performance, allowing proactive adjustments in procurement and inventory levels.
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 424130.
National Federation of Wholesale Distributors
A major trade association representing industrial and personal service paper wholesalers.
US Census Bureau NAICS 424130
An official government page detailing the definition and industry statistics for industrial and personal service paper merchant wholesalers.
Wholesale Directory
A comprehensive directory containing listings of registered industrial and personal service paper merchant wholesalers.
