SBA size standard
700 employees
Measured by average number of employees over the last 24 months
SBA table effective March 2023
Official definition
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing general purpose machinery (except ventilating, heating, air-conditioning, and commercial refrigeration equipment; metalworking machinery; engines, turbines, and power transmission equipment; pumps and compressors; material handling equipment; power-driven handtools; welding and soldering equipment; packaging machinery; industrial process furnaces and ovens; fluid power cylinders and actuators; and fluid power pumps and motors).
FY2025 federal spending
The Department of Defense bought 94% of the $290.4M obligated under 333998 in FY2025.
- Contract awards
- 7,932
- Contract vehicles (IDVs)
- 178
Top buying agencies
- Department of Defense$272.3M
- Department of Homeland Security$10.2M
- General Services Administration$2.5M
- Department of Health and Human Services$2.3M
- Department of Veterans Affairs$1.3M
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
NAICS 333998 obligated $290 million in FY2025 across 7,932 contract awards, 94 percent of it DoD. DHS follows at $10 million, GSA at $3 million. What makes this code worth a careful look is the split: the retired 2017 code 333999, which carried the identical industry title before the 2022 renumbering, still received $396 million in FY2025. More federal money flowed to the legacy code than to the current one.
What belongs here
General purpose machinery outside every named category: not ventilating, heating, air conditioning or commercial refrigeration equipment, not metalworking machinery, not engines, turbines, or power transmission equipment, not pumps and compressors, not material handling equipment, not power-driven hand tools, not welding and soldering equipment, and not packaging machinery.
- Commercial and service industry machinery is 333310.
- Power transmission components are 333613.
- Fabricated metal products that are not machinery are 332999.
Competing in this code
178 IDVs against 7,932 awards at an average near $37,000 is small-order sustainment volume. The reconciliation problem is the real story. A vendor whose SAM registration and vehicle listings carry only 333998 will not appear in searches run by offices still working from 333999, and that is where the majority of FY2025 dollars landed. Check both codes in every market analysis, and confirm which one each of your existing vehicles actually lists before assuming you are covered.
NAICS 333998 FAQ
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 333998?
SBA sets it at 700 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 333998 solicitations and eligible for the set-asides in this code.
Which agencies buy general purpose machinery under NAICS 333998?
FY2025 obligations: DoD ($272 million), DHS ($10 million), GSA ($3 million), HHS ($2 million), VA ($1 million). DoD at 94 percent across small recurring orders, and the same buying offices also obligate under the retired 333999.
Why does more money flow to 333999 than to 333998?
Because the 2022 renumbering changed the code but not the industry, and federal contract writing systems keep the legacy code on existing vehicles, options, and modifications. FY2025 shows $396 million under 333999 against $290 million under 333998. Both refer to the same industry, and both need to be in your market analysis.
How do I make sure buyers find me under both codes?
Register 333998 as your current NAICS in SAM, verify which code each of your existing contract vehicles lists, and set opportunity alerts on both. A vendor listed only under the 2022 code will not surface for a contracting officer working from a vehicle document that still says 333999.