SIC 3299 Nonmetallic Mineral Products, Not Elsewhere Classified

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 3299

This category is comprised of firms that manufacture goods made from plaster of Paris, papier-m?ch?, sand lime, and other miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral products. Examples of industry output include synthetic stones, clay and plaster plaques, architectural plaster work, plaster of Paris sculptures, miniature gypsum images, plaster of Paris flower boxes, and gypsum urns.

NAICS CODE(S)

327420

Gypsum and Gypsum Product Manufacturing

327999

All Other Miscellaneous Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing

Markets for miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral products are extremely fragmented. The largest single industry product category is statuary and art goods, which accounted for nearly 20 percent of industry output during the early 2000s. The largest consumer of this industry's offerings is the nonferrous wire-drawing industry, which uses tubing made from quartz to produce electrical wire. Other major consumers include fabricated rubber product manufacturers and motor and generator makers, who also use quartz tubing. About 10 percent of production is exported.

The industry is relatively low-tech and manufactures many commodity-like products. The average amount of value contributed per production worker is about 65 percent lower than the U.S. manufacturing average. Likewise, capital investment per employee represents roughly 70 percent of the national manufacturing average. As a result, many producers of nonmetallic mineral products are highly susceptible to competition from low-cost foreign producers.

U.S. sales of miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral products topped $400 million in the early 1980s. During the mid-1980s, however, shipment growth slowed compared to the 1960s and 1970s. Although domestic demand for products such as electrical wiring and art supplies increased, foreign competition reduced profit opportunities in many sectors. Revenues increased at a moderate 5 percent annually between 1982 and 1990, slightly lagging behind inflation. A U.S. recession in the late 1980s and early 1990s further stalled expansion, and annual sales hovered around $650 to $700 million. General economic improvement in the mid-1990s, as well as a boost in new commercial and residential construction, led to increased demand for electrical wire, which helped the industry resume average growth to more than $1.6 billion in shipments in 1997. Prices rose again the following year. The value of shipments fluctuated...