SIC 2254 Knit Underwear and Nightwear Mills

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SIC 2254

This category covers those establishments primarily engaged in knitting underwear and nightwear from yarn or in manufacturing underwear and nightwear from knit fabrics produced in the same establishment. Companies primarily engaged in manufacturing underwear and nightwear from purchased knit fabrics are classified in the Major Industry Group 23 (apparel and other finished products made from fabrics and similar materials). Those establishments that produce knitted robes are classified in SIC 2253: Knit Outerwear Mills.

NAICS CODE(S)

315192

Underwear and Nightwear Knitting Mills

Products manufactured by companies in this classification include underwear briefs and knitted underwear drawers, night gowns, negligees, knit pajamas, ladies' and girls' panties, undershirts, T-shirts used as undershirts (both V-neck and regular neck), slips, and union suits or long (winter) underwear.

Roughly 37 establishments were engaged in the production of underwear and nightwear in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That year, those establishments shipped $878 million worth of products, up from $591 million in 2000. Total employees in 2002 numbered 3,855, a slight decrease from 2000, with an annual payroll of $93 million.

Almost all products in this category are made on circular knitting machines. Most men's and boys' underwear is made from 100 percent cotton or cotton-polyester blends. Until recently, most women's and girls' underwear was produced from nylon, with silk used as somewhat of a luxury item. By the 1990s the trend in women's underwear was to use cotton. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, some companies began modeling women's lines after men's cotton briefs. Such products were successful.

According to the Census Bureau's 2002 Current Industrial Report on Apparel, underwear and nightwear accounted for a large portion of all women's and men's apparel production. There were 305 million units of men's underwear and nightwear produced and 891 million units of women's; however, the value of the underwear—$661.4 million for men's and $2.7 billion for women's—was far below that of all other apparel.

The early 1990's saw a healthy growth in underwear and nightwear exports. This trend was expected to continue, in part because trade restrictions were reduced by the 1994 passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Beginning in the early 2000s, the entrance of China into the World...