NAICS 311211 Quarterly Industry Report
Flour Milling
Comprehensive industry research for valuation professionals, business owners, buyers, and lenders
NAICS Code: 311211Sector: 31Updated: Q1 2026
About This Report
This Fair Market Value industry report for NAICS 311211 provides valuation-focused intelligence for professionals assessing flour milling businesses and facilities. Additional data is drawn from Bureau of Labor Statistics[8], U.S. Census Bureau[9].. Data is sourced from USDA NASS[7] flour milling products reports, USDA ERS[6] wheat use analysis, and SBA size standards[10] to support business appraisals, acquisition due diligence, lending decisions, and investment analysis for flour milling enterprises.
Industry Snapshot
Key metrics for the flour milling industry.
Industry Definition & Overview
Flour Milling (NAICS 311211) encompasses establishments primarily engaged in milling flour or meal from grains (except rice) or vegetables, and milling flour and preparing flour mixes or doughs. Operations include wheat flour mills producing bread flour, all-purpose flour, cake flour, and whole wheat flour, as well as specialty mills processing corn, oats, rye, and other grains into flour and meal products. The U.S. Census Bureau[5] classifies flour milling separately from rice milling (NAICS 311212), wet corn milling (NAICS 311221), and breakfast cereal manufacturing (NAICS 311230), recognizing the distinct dry grain milling process.
The U.S. flour milling industry processes billions of bushels of wheat annually into flour products serving commercial bakeries, food manufacturers, foodservice distributors, and retail grocery channels. The USDA Economic Research Service[6] tracks wheat use, flour production, and per-capita consumption data that define industry demand patterns. Industry structure is concentrated among a few large milling companies with multiple facilities, supplemented by regional and specialty mills serving niche markets for organic, whole grain, artisan, and identity-preserved flour products.
Business valuations for flour milling operations center on daily grinding capacity (measured in hundredweights or bushels per day), milling equipment condition, grain procurement and storage infrastructure, customer contract portfolios with bakeries and food manufacturers, and geographic positioning relative to wheat supply regions and end-use markets. Appraisers evaluate flour extraction rates, energy cost per hundredweight, byproduct revenue from mill feed and wheat germ, and the margin management capabilities that define profitability in commodity flour markets. The USDA NASS[7] Flour Milling Products report provides production volume and capacity use data used in industry benchmarking.
What's Included in This Industry
- Sector-specific valuation multiples and financial benchmarks for flour milling operations
- Revenue and profitability analysis across bread flour, all-purpose flour, specialty flour, flour mixes, and byproduct revenue segments
- SBA size standard classification and lending threshold data for NAICS 311211
- Comparable transaction data from recent flour mill acquisitions, facility purchases, and milling company sales
- Market analysis covering wheat flour production volumes, per-capita consumption trends, and specialty flour growth segments
- Workforce and labor cost benchmarking for mill superintendents, head millers, quality control technicians, and grain elevator staff
- Industry risk assessment including wheat price volatility, customer concentration, food safety compliance, and overcapacity risks
- Regulatory compliance overview covering FDA food safety requirements, FSMA preventive controls, and grain dust explosion prevention
- Capital expenditure profiles for roller mills, sifters, purifiers, pneumatic systems, grain storage, and flour packaging equipment
- Production metrics including daily grinding capacity, flour extraction rates, energy per hundredweight, and capacity use benchmarks
NAICS Classification Hierarchy
| Level | Description | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Subsector | Food Manufacturing | 311 |
| Industry Group | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 3112 |
| NAICS Industry | Flour Milling and Malt Manufacturing | 31121 |
| National Industry | Flour Milling | 311211 |
Related NAICS Codes
| Code | Description | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| 311812 | Commercial Bakeries | Commercial bakery operations that purchase flour as their primary ingredient from milling operations for bread, roll, and baked goods production |
| 311824 | Dry Pasta, Dough, and Flour Mixes Manufacturing from Purchased Flour | Dry pasta, dough, and flour mix manufacturing operations purchasing flour and semolina from mills for processed food product production |
| 424510 | Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers | Grain and field bean merchant wholesalers supplying wheat, corn, and other grains to flour milling operations for processing into flour products |
| 311221 | Wet Corn Milling and Starch Manufacturing | Wet corn milling operations processing corn through a distinct milling process that parallels dry flour milling in grain procurement and ingredient markets |
| 311119 | Other Animal Food Manufacturing | Animal food manufacturing operations purchasing mill feed, wheat middlings, and other flour milling byproducts as ingredients for livestock feed rations |
| 493130 | Farm Product Warehousing and Storage | Farm product warehousing including grain elevators storing wheat and other grains that supply flour milling facilities with raw material inventory |
Geographic Concentration
Top states by share of national establishments.
| # | State | % Est. | Total Est. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 8.6% | 29 |
| 2 | Texas | 8.3% | 28 |
| 3 | Kansas | 5.3% | 18 |
| 4 | Indiana | 5.0% | 17 |
| 5 | North Carolina | 5.0% | 17 |
| 6 | Minnesota | 4.4% | 15 |
| 7 | Illinois | 4.4% | 15 |
| 8 | New York | 4.1% | 14 |
| 9 | Missouri | 4.1% | 14 |
| 10 | Ohio | 4.1% | 14 |
% Of Establishments
0%
9%
Source: County Business Patterns, U.S. Census Bureau[3]
SBA Lending Summary
16
Total SBA Loans
$2.2M
Total Loan Volume
$136K
Average Loan Size
10 yrs
Average Loan Term
11.24%
Average Interest Rate
32
Jobs Supported
Source: SBA 7(a) Program Data, U.S. Small Business Administration — FY 2025[4]
Key Insight: The SBA[11] classifies Flour Milling (NAICS 311211) with a size standard of 1,250 employees. Regional and specialty flour mills within this threshold qualify for SBA-backed lending[12] and government contracting preferences, supporting facility modernization and capacity expansion investments. Eligible businesses can access SBA 7(a) loans[13] for working capital, equipment, and acquisition financing, while 504 loans[14] support major fixed-asset purchases including real estate and heavy machinery.
Top SBA Lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Avg Loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LAF CU | 8 | $2.0M | $252K |
| 2 | U.S. Bank, National Association | 8 | $164K | $21K |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this industry.
What is the NAICS code for flour milling?
Flour Milling is classified under NAICS code 311211, covering establishments milling flour or meal from grains or vegetables per the U.S. Census Bureau[5] industry classification system.
What is the SBA size standard for flour milling?
The SBA[11] sets the size standard for NAICS 311211 at 1,250 employees, qualifying eligible flour mills for small business government contracting preferences and SBA lending programs.
How are flour mills valued?
Valuations focus on daily grinding capacity, equipment condition, grain storage infrastructure, customer contract portfolios, geographic positioning, and margin management capabilities per USDA NASS[7] flour milling production data.
What products do flour mills produce?
Products include bread flour, all-purpose flour, cake flour, whole wheat flour, semolina, flour mixes, prepared doughs, and byproducts including wheat germ, bran, and mill feed per USDA NASS[7] flour milling products survey categories.
What drives flour milling demand?
Demand is driven by commercial bakery production, food manufacturing ingredient needs, foodservice requirements, and retail flour sales, with per-capita flour consumption tracked by the USDA ERS[6] food availability data system.
What risks affect flour milling operations?
Major risks include wheat price volatility affecting raw material costs, customer concentration among large bakery and food manufacturing clients, food safety recall exposure, grain dust explosion hazards, and industry overcapacity pressuring margins.
How concentrated is the U.S. flour milling industry?
A few large milling companies operate the majority of domestic capacity, while regional and specialty mills serve niche markets for organic, artisan, and identity-preserved flour products per USDA NASS[7] milling capacity data.
What food safety standards apply to flour mills?
Mills must comply with FDA[15] Food Safety Modernization Act preventive controls, good manufacturing practice requirements, grain dust explosion prevention standards, and state food processing facility licensing and inspection programs.
Sources & References
Government datasets and editorial sources used in this report.
- [1]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages bls.gov
- [2]U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Census census.gov
- [3]U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns census.gov
- [4]U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA 7(a) Loan Program Data data.sba.gov
- [5]U.S. Census Bureau census.gov
- [6]USDA Economic Research Service ers.usda.gov
- [7]USDA NASS nass.usda.gov
- [8]Bureau of Labor Statistics bls.gov
- [9]U.S. Census Bureau census.gov
- [10]SBA size standards sba.gov
- [11]SBA sba.gov
- [12]SBA-backed lending sba.gov
- [13]SBA 7(a) loans sba.gov
- [14]504 loans sba.gov
- [15]FDA fda.gov
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