SBA size standard
1,000 employees
Measured by average number of employees over the last 24 months
SBA table effective March 2023
Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in (1) smelting ores into nonferrous metals and/or (2) the primary refining of nonferrous metals (except aluminum) by electrolytic methods or other processes.
FY2025 federal spending
The Department of the Treasury bought 99% of the $1.5B obligated under 331410 in FY2025.
- Contract awards
- 330
- Contract vehicles (IDVs)
- 13
Top buying agencies
- Department of the Treasury$1.5B
- Department of Defense$17.3M
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration$78.9K
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
NAICS 331410 obligated $1.5 billion in FY2025 across 330 contract awards, and Treasury accounts for $1.47 billion of it. That is close to 99 percent from a single agency. DoD is $17 million, NASA is a rounding error, and nothing else registers. The Treasury spend is the United States Mint buying coinage metal, and it moves on commodity price rather than on program cycles.
What belongs here
Smelting ores into nonferrous metals and primary refining of nonferrous metals other than aluminum, by electrolytic or other processes.
- Rolling, drawing, and extruding purchased nonferrous metal into bar, plate, sheet, strip, or tube is 331491, which is the other half of the Mint's supply chain and obligated $566 million in FY2025.
- Fabricated products made from that metal are 332999.
Competing in this code
13 IDVs across 330 awards and $1.5 billion. This is a commodity supply relationship with a very short list of qualified producers, priced against metal markets and awarded on delivered composition, consistency, and schedule. There is no set-aside strategy that changes the shape of it. If you are not already in nonferrous primary production, the addressable opportunity is downstream in 331491 or in the Mint's equipment, tooling, and facility support requirements, which are competed separately and are far more accessible.
NAICS 331410 FAQ
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 331410?
SBA sets it at 1,000 employees, counted as a 24-month average headcount across your company and every affiliate, not revenue. At or under that number you are small on NAICS 331410 solicitations and eligible for the set-asides in this code.
Which agencies buy under NAICS 331410?
FY2025 obligations: Treasury ($1.5 billion), DoD ($17 million). Treasury is 99 percent of the code, and that spend is the United States Mint purchasing coinage metal.
Why is Treasury the top buyer in NAICS 331410?
Because the United States Mint buys coinage metal, and at $1.47 billion in FY2025 that single requirement is nearly the whole federal market for the code. Purchasing tracks commodity metal prices, not an acquisition program cycle, which makes the spending pattern behave unlike anything else in manufacturing.
Is there a small business path in NAICS 331410?
Not in primary smelting and refining, where 330 awards carried $1.5 billion among a very short list of qualified producers. The accessible adjacent opportunities are downstream rolling and drawing under 331491 and the Mint's separately competed equipment, tooling, and facility support requirements.