SIC 2449 Wood Containers, Not Elsewhere Classified

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 2449

This industry classification includes companies that primarily make wood containers, not elsewhere classified, such as cooperage, wirebound boxes and crates, and other veneer and plywood containers. Companies that primarily make tobacco hogshead stock are in SIC 2421: Sawmills and Planing Mills, General, and those making cooperage stock are in SIC 2429: Special Product Sawmills, Not Elsewhere Classified.

NAICS CODE(S)

321920

Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing

This classification covers makers of nearly any wooden container that is not either a pallet or a nailed or lock corner box. Many containers in this classification are made from staves, heads, and hoops—a group of products called cooperage. Containers made in this way include barrels, storage vats, and buckets. Tight cooperage refers to containers used to store liquids, such as wine casks, beer barrels, or hot tubs. Containers built to hold solid materials are called slack cooperage. Cooperage is usually built in one facility from pieces constructed elsewhere.

The wood used for staves varies depending on the material to be shipped or stored. For instance, high quality white oak is used for aging bourbon, while seafood is often shipped in smaller kegs made of southern yellow pine. Hoops can be made from steel, wire, or wood.

Wirebound boxes are another part of this industry classification. About 60 percent of wirebound boxes are used for agricultural clients, such as fruit and vegetable growers. The military and private industries also use wirebound boxes. Unlike coopered container producers, wirebound box makers often process their own lumber or veneer. The technology for making wirebound boxes is relatively simple: box parts move down a conveyor belt, wire is stapled to the box, then a fastening machine binds the wire ends together.

The top industry leaders in overall sales were large corporations that integrated wood container production into their own operations to create economies of scale. Con-way Inc. of San Mateo, California, formerly CNF Transportation Inc., which used wood containers in its trucking operations, led the industry with $4.2 billion in 2005 sales. Brown-Forman Corp. of Louisville, Kentucky, which used wood containers to age and transport its distilled liquors, came in second in the industry with sales of more than $2.4 billion for its fiscal year ended April 30, 2005. The third place company in the industry...