1992 Census of Construction Industries, Definitions of Industries

See also our national statistics from the 1992 Census of Construction Industries.

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES

 The 1992 Census of Construction Industries covers all employer establishments (establishments with payroll) primarily engaged in contract construction or construction on their own account for sale as defined in the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual.

GENERAL BUILDING CONTRACTORS AND OPERATIVE BUILDERS (SIC MAJOR GROUP 15)

 This major group includes general contractors and operative builders primarily engaged in the construction of residential, farm, industrial, commercial, or other buildings. General building contractors who combine a special trade with the contracting are included in this major group.

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING CONSTRUCION (SIC GROUP 152)

 Establishments classified in this group include those General Contractors primarily engaged in the building of single-family houses and residential buildings other than single-family houses.

SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSING CONSTRUCTION (SIC 1521)

 Establishments classified in this industry are engaged primarily in the construction of single-family houses, rowhouses, and townhouses (including new work, additions, alterations, remodeling, and repair).

RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION, N. E. C. (SIC 1522)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the construction of apartments, apartment-type condominiums and cooperatives, hotels, motels, and dormitories (including new work, additions, alterations, remodeling, and repair).

OPERATIVE BUILDERS (SIC 1531)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the construction (including renovation) of single-family houses and other buildings for sale on their own account rather than as contractors. This industry includes speculative builders and condominium developers.

NONRESIDENTIAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION (SIC GROUP 154)

 Establishments classified in this group include those General Contractors primarily engaged in the building of industrial buildings and warehouses as well as other nonresidential buildings.

INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS AND WAREHOUSES (SIC 1541)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the construction of industrial buildings such as aluminum plants, automobile assembly plants, pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, and commercial warehouses (including new work, additions, alterations, remodeling, and repair).

NONRESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, N. E. C. (SIC 1542)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the construction of commercial, institutional, religious, and amusement and recreational buildings (including new work, additions, alterations, remodeling, and repair).

HEAVY CONSTRUCTION, EXCEPT BUILDING (SIC MAJOR GROUP 16)

 This major group includes general contractors primarily engaged in heavy construction other than building, such as highways and streets, bridges, sewers, railroads, irrigation projects, flood control projects and marine construction, and special trade contractors primarily engaged in activities of a type that are clearly specialized to such heavy construction and are not normally performed on buildings or building-related projects. Specialized activities that are covered here include grading for highways and airport runways; guardrail construction; installation of highway signs; trenching; underwater rock removal; and asphalt and concrete construction of roads, highways, streets and public sidewalks. Establishments primarily engaged in specialized activities that may be performed on buildings or on other heavy construction projects are classified in Major Group 17. These included contractors primarily engaged in painting (including bridge painting and traffic lane painting), electrical work (including work on bridges, power lines, and power plants), and carpentry work.

HIGHWAY AND STREET CONSTRUCTION (SIC 1611)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the construction of roads, streets, alleys, public sidewalks, guardrails, parkways, and airports.

HEAVY CONSTRUCTION, EXCEPT HIGHWAY (SIC GROUP 162)

 Establishments classified in this group include those General Contractors primarily engaged in the construction of bridges, tunnels and elevated highways; water, sewer and other utility lines; and other heavy construction.

BRIDGE, TUNNEL, AND ELEVATED HIGHWAY (SIC 1622)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the construction of bridges; viaducts, elevated highways; and highway, pedestrian, and railway tunnels. General contractors primarily engaged in subway construction are classified in Industry 1629, Heavy Construction Contractors, Not elsewhere Classified.

WATER, SEWER, AND UTILITY LINES (SIC 1623)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the construction of pipelines, communication and power lines, and sewer and water mains. It also includes construction of pumping stations, television and radio towers, cable laying and cable television line construction, and telephone lines.

HEAVY CONSTRUCTION, N. E. C. (SIC 1629)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in heavy construction projects, not elsewhere classified, such as chemical complexes, dams and reservoirs, harbor and port facilities, missile facilities, oil refineries, subways, water and sewer treatment plants, power plants, industrial ovens and incinerators, athletic fields, golf courses, and irrigation projects. This industry also includes contractors engaged in earthmoving not connected with buildings and land drainage, leveling and reclamation.

SPECIAL TRADE CONTRACTORS (SIC MAJOR GROUP 17)

 This major group includes special trade contractors who undertake activities of a type that are specialized either to building construction, including work on mobile homes, or to both building and nonbuilding projects. These activities include painting (including bridge painting and traffic lane painting), electrical work (including work on bridges, power lines, and power plants), carpentry work, plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, roofing, and sheet metal work. Special trade contractors primarily engaged in activities that are clearly of a type specialized to heavy construction, such as grading for highways and airport runways; guardrail construction; installation of highway signs, underwater rock removal; and asphalt and concrete construction of roads, highways, streets, and public sidewalks are classified in Major Group 16. Special trade contractors may work on subcontract from the general contractor, performing only part of the work covered by the general contract, or they may work directly for the owner. Special trade contractors for the most part perform their work at the site of construction, although they also may have shops where they perform work incidental to the job site.

PLUMBING, HEATING, AND AIR-CONDITIONING (SIC 1711)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in plumbing, heating, or air-conditioning work or any combination of these types of work. Sheet metal work performed by plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors in conjunction with the installation of plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning equipment is included here, but roofing and sheet metal work contractors are classified in Industry 1761, Roofing, Siding, and Sheet Metal Work Special Trade Contractors.

PAINTING AND PAPER HANGING (SIC 1721)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in interior and exterior painting (except roofs), and paper hanging.

ELECTRICAL WORK (SIC 1731)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in electrical work at the construction site. This industry also includes establishments engaged in the installation of telecommunication equipment, sound equipment, burglar alarms, fire alarms, and telephones.

MASONRY, STONE WORK, TILE SETTING, AND PLASTERING (SIC GROUP 174)

 Establishments classified in this group include those Special Trade Contractors primarily engaged in masonry, stone setting and other stone work, plastering, drywall, acoustical and other insulation work, terrazzo, tile, marble and mosaic work.

MASONRY, STONE SETTING, AND OTHER STONE WORK (SIC 1741)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in masonry work, stone setting, and other stonework. This industry also includes bricklaying contractors, cement block laying contractors, chimney construction contractors, exterior marble work contractors, and tuck pointing contractors.

PLASTERING, DRYWALL, AND INSULATION (SIC 1742)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in applying plaster, plain or ornamental; the installation of lathing or other appurtenances to receive plaster; drywall, acoustical, and building insulation work.

TERRAZZO, TILE, MARBLE, AND MOSAIC WORK (SIC 1743)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in setting and installing ceramic tile, marble, and mosaic, and in mixing marble particles and cement to make terrazzo at the site of construction.

CARPENTRY AND FLOOR WORK (SIC GROUP 175)

 Establishments classified in this group include those Special Trade Contractors primarily engaged in carpentry work, floor laying and other floor work.

CARPENTRY WORK (SIC 1751)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in carpentry and framing work and installation involving post frame construction of prefabricated windows and doors (except revolving doors). Ship joinery contractors are also included in this industry. Establishments primarily engaged in building custom cabinets for individuals in a ship are classified in retail trade, industry 5712.

FLOOR LAYING AND OTHER FLOOR WORK, N. E. C. (SIC 1752)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the installation and or removal of floor coverings such as carpeting, asphalt tile, linoleum and resilient flooring. This industry also includes contractors engaged in laying, scraping, finishing or refinishing of parquet and other hardwood flooring.

ROOFING, SIDING, AND SHEET METAL WORK (SIC 1761)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the installation of roofing (including roof spraying, painting, or coating), siding and sheet metal work. Sheet metal work performed by plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors in conjunction with the installation of plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning equipment are classified in Industry 1733, Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Special Trade Contractors.

CONCRETE WORK (SIC 1771)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in concrete work including portland cement and asphalt; surfacing concrete floors; constructing culverts and curbs; pouring concrete foundations; constructing with gunite and stucco; and constructing private driveways and walks of all materials.

WATER WELL DRILLING (SIC 1781)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in water well drilling and servicing water wells.

MISCELLANEOUS SPECIAL TRADE CONTRACTORS (SIC GROUP 179)

 Establishments classified in this group include those Special Trade Contractors primarily engaged in structural steel erection; glass and glazing work; excavation work; wrecking and demolition work; installation or erection of building equipment, not elsewhere classified; and other special trade contractors.

STRUCTURAL STEEL ERECTION (SIC 1791)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the erection of structural steel; the placement of concrete reinforcement and structural iron work; the installation of curtain wall and precast concrete; and the erection of metal storage tanks.

GLASS AND GLAZING WORK (SIC 1793)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in glass and glazing work in connection with, but not limited to, building construction.

EXCAVATION WORK (SIC 1794)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in excavation work and digging foundations for buildings and in subdividing and preparing land owned by others for future building erection. Contractors primarily engaged in concrete work are classified in Industry 1771, Concrete Work Special Trade Contractors. Contractors primarily engaged in trenching or in earth moving and land clearing not related to building construction are classified in Industry 1629, Heavy Construction Contractors, Not Elsewhere Classified.

WRECKING AND DEMOLITION WORK (SIC 1795)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the wrecking and demolition of buildings and other structures, with or without the sale of material derived from demolishing operations.

INSTALLATING BUILDING EQUIPMENT, N. E. C. (SIC 1796)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in the installation or erection of building equipment, not elsewhere classified, such as elevators, escalators, pneumatic tube systems, and dust collection equipment. This industry also includes contractors primarily engaged in the installation or dismantling of machinery or other industrial equipment.

SPECIAL TRADE CONTRACTORS, N. E. C. (SIC 1799)

 Establishments classified in this industry are primarily engaged in construction work that could not be classified in another specific industry. This industry includes establishments engaged in construction of swimming pools and fences; erection and installation of ornamental metal work; house moving; shoring work; waterproofing, dampproofing, fireproofing; sandblasting and steam cleaning of building exteriors; asbestos and lead paint removal; and modular furniture attachment.

Go to national statistics about construction industries.
Go to a description of the census of construction industries.
back Revised 11/21/96