Definition
Petrochemical Manufacturing (NAICS 32511)

Under this topic you will find the North American Industry Classification System definition of the Petrochemical Manufacturing (NAICS 32511) industry. You can use this definition to properly identify the segment of the industry you wish to study further in other sections of Canadian Industry Statistics.

Change NAICS Level…3251 > Basic Chemical ManufacturingIn this section of CIS there is no data available at lower levels of detail.
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Definition of the Industry

This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in converting feedstocks derived from petroleum, or from petroleum and natural gas liquids, into petrochemicals. Some important processes used in petrochemical manufacturing include steam cracking and steam reforming. For the purpose of defining this industry, petrochemicals consist of acyclic (aliphatic) hydrocarbons and cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Example Activities:

• Acyclic hydrocarbons (except acetylene), made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Aromatic cyclic hydrocarbons, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Benzene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Butadiene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Butane, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Butylene (butene), made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Cumene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Ethane, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Ethylbenzene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Ethylene (ethene), made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Heptane, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Heptene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Hexane, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Isobutene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Isoprene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Naphthalene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Nonene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Olefins (alkenes), made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Paraffins (alkanes), made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Pentane, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Pentene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Petrochemicals, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Propylene (propene), made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Styrene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Toluene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids
• Xylene, made from refined petroleum or natural gas liquids

Exclusions

Establishments primarily engaged in:

• refining crude petroleum into petrochemicals (32411, Petroleum Refineries)
• manufacturing acetylene (32512, Industrial Gas Manufacturing)
• converting petrochemicals into other basic chemicals (32519, Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing)
• manufacturing plastics resins and synthetic rubber (32521, Resin and Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing)