NAICS 812331 Quarterly Industry Report
Linen Supply
Comprehensive industry research for valuation professionals, business owners, buyers, and lenders
NAICS Code: 812331Sector: Other Services (except Public Administration) (81)Updated: Q1 2026
About This Report
This industry profile for Linen Supply (NAICS 812331) draws on data from the U.S. Census Bureau[6], Bureau of Labor Statistics[10], and SBA size standards database[7]. Published by Fair Market Value and updated quarterly, it provides valuation professionals, textile services analysts, and linen supply industry investors with current market data. All quantitative claims are sourced to publicly verifiable databases.
Industry Snapshot
Key metrics for the linen supply industry.
NAICS Sector
81
Other Services (except Public Administration)
Industry Definition & Overview
Linen Supply (NAICS 812331) encompasses establishments primarily engaged in supplying, on a rental or contract basis, laundered items such as table and bed linens, towels, uniforms, gowns, and related textile products per the U.S. Census Bureau[5]. Activities include hotel and restaurant linen rental and laundering, healthcare facility linen and gown supply, uniform rental programs for food service and hospitality workers, towel and mat rental for commercial restrooms, and scheduled pickup, laundering, and delivery of rental textile products. The linen supply industry operates on a route-based delivery model where service trucks follow weekly or biweekly schedules collecting soiled textiles and delivering clean replacements to customer locations. Major national operators including Cintas, Alsco, and UniFirst compete with regional linen supply companies for hospitality, healthcare, and food service accounts. Hotels and restaurants represent the largest customer segments, with linen rental offering these businesses an alternative to owning and laundering their own bed sheets, tablecloths, napkins, and kitchen towels. Healthcare facilities depend on linen supply companies for infection-controlled processing of patient gowns, bed linens, and surgical drapes that meet hygiene standards. Per Census Bureau[6] data, roughly 940 establishments operate in the industry generating nearly $5 billion in annual revenue with approximately 56,000 employees. Based on the SBA Table of Size Standards[7], the size standard is $40 million in average annual receipts. OSHA[8] laundry machinery standards under 29 CFR 1910.264 govern equipment safety, while bloodborne pathogen standards apply to handling of contaminated healthcare linens. EPA[9] wastewater discharge regulations affect laundry plant effluent management.
What's Included in This Industry
- Hotel bed linen and towel rental and laundering
- Restaurant tablecloth and napkin supply
- Healthcare facility linen and gown supply
- Uniform rental for food service and hospitality workers
- Commercial restroom towel and mat rental
- Dust control mop and mat supply programs
- Surgical drape and medical textile supply
- Scheduled pickup and delivery service routes
- Linen inventory management for hospitality accounts
- Special event linen rental services
NAICS Classification Hierarchy
| Level | Description | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 81 |
| Subsector | Personal and Laundry Services | 812 |
| Industry Group | Drycleaning and Laundry Services | 8123 |
| NAICS Industry | Linen and Uniform Supply | 81233 |
| National Industry | Linen Supply | 812331 |
Related NAICS Codes
| Code | Description | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| 812332 | Industrial Launderers | Industrial Launderers provides work uniform and protective apparel rental to manufacturing and industrial customers, sharing the route-based delivery model and commercial laundry processing capability with linen supply operations while serving different end-market customer segments |
| 812320 | Drycleaning and Laundry Services (except Coin-Operated) | Drycleaning and Laundry Services provides retail garment cleaning that shares chemical and equipment supplier relationships with commercial linen supply operations, with both industries processing textiles through professional washing and finishing equipment |
| 812310 | Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners | Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners serves consumer self-service laundry needs using the same commercial equipment manufacturers that supply linen supply processing plants, with both industries purchasing from common washer and dryer equipment suppliers |
| 721110 | Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels | Hotels and Motels represents the largest hospitality customer segment for linen supply companies, with hotels outsourcing bed linen, towel, and bathroom amenity textile management to linen supply providers rather than operating on-premises laundry facilities |
| 333310 | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing produces the industrial washers, dryers, flatwork ironers, and folding equipment that linen supply plants install for high-volume textile processing operations handling thousands of pounds daily |
| 325611 | Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing | Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing produces the commercial laundry detergents, bleaching agents, and fabric treatments that linen supply plants consume in bulk quantities, with chemical suppliers providing automated dispensing systems calibrated for commercial textile processing |
Geographic Concentration
Top states by share of national establishments.
| # | State | % Est. | Total Est. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 13.5% | 112 |
| 2 | New York | 9.3% | 77 |
| 3 | Florida | 6.6% | 55 |
| 4 | New Jersey | 5.5% | 46 |
| 5 | Texas | 5.4% | 45 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 4.1% | 34 |
| 7 | Ohio | 3.7% | 31 |
| 8 | Michigan | 3.4% | 28 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 3.0% | 25 |
| 10 | Illinois | 2.9% | 24 |
% Of Establishments
0%
13%
Source: County Business Patterns, U.S. Census Bureau[3]
SBA Lending Summary
104
Total SBA Loans
$69.6M
Total Loan Volume
$669K
Average Loan Size
14 yrs
Average Loan Term
9.75%
Average Interest Rate
1,440
Jobs Supported
Source: SBA 7(a) Program Data, U.S. Small Business Administration — FY 2025[4]
Key Insight: Per the SBA Table of Size Standards[7], Linen Supply (NAICS 812331) has a size standard of $40 million in average annual receipts for federal contracting purposes. SBA lending programs[11] support laundry plant equipment, delivery fleet vehicles, and textile inventory for qualifying linen supply businesses. Eligible businesses can access SBA 7(a) loans[12] for working capital, equipment, and acquisition financing, while 504 loans[13] support major fixed-asset purchases including real estate and heavy machinery.
Top SBA Lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Avg Loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bank of Hope | 8 | $28.0M | $3.5M |
| 2 | Zions Bank, A Division of | 16 | $18.3M | $1.1M |
| 3 | Newtek Bank, National Association | 32 | $9.7M | $303K |
| 4 | Rockland Trust Company | 8 | $7.7M | $965K |
| 5 | Lendistry SBLC, LLC | 8 | $1.9M | $243K |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this industry.
What is the NAICS code for linen supply?
NAICS 812331 covers linen supply establishments providing textile rental and laundering services for hotels, restaurants, healthcare facilities, and other commercial customers per the U.S. Census Bureau[5].
What is the SBA size standard?
Per the SBA size standard[7], the threshold is $40 million in average annual receipts for federal small business contracting eligibility and SBA lending products for linen supply businesses.
How large is the linen supply industry?
Per Census Bureau[6] economic data, roughly 940 linen supply establishments operate in the United States employing approximately 56,000 workers and generating nearly $5 billion in annual revenue through textile rental and laundering services.
What are the largest linen supply companies?
Cintas, Alsco, and UniFirst rank among the largest national linen and uniform supply companies per Census Bureau[6] industry concentration data, with regional operators competing for local hospitality and healthcare accounts through service quality and delivery reliability.
What industries use linen supply services?
Hotels, restaurants, healthcare facilities, food processing plants, and commercial offices represent the primary customer segments for linen supply companies, with hospitality and healthcare generating the largest demand volumes for bed linens, towels, tablecloths, gowns, and medical textiles.
What safety standards apply to healthcare linen processing?
OSHA[8] bloodborne pathogen standards apply to workers handling contaminated healthcare linens, requiring personal protective equipment, exposure control plans, and proper handling procedures for soiled patient gowns, bed linens, and surgical textiles.
How does the route-based delivery model work?
Linen supply companies operate scheduled delivery routes where service trucks collect soiled textiles and deliver clean replacements to customer locations on weekly or biweekly cycles per SBA[14] service industry descriptions, with route density and delivery efficiency driving operating margins.
What environmental regulations affect linen supply plants?
EPA[9] wastewater discharge regulations govern laundry plant effluent containing detergents, bleaching agents, and soil from processed textiles, with commercial laundry operations required to meet local pretreatment standards before discharging wastewater to municipal sewer systems.
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]Census Bureau data.census.gov
- [7]SBA Table of Size Standards sba.gov
- [8]OSHA osha.gov
- [9]EPA epa.gov
- [10]Bureau of Labor Statistics bls.gov
- [11]SBA lending programs sba.gov
- [12]SBA 7(a) loans sba.gov
- [13]504 loans sba.gov
- [14]SBA sba.gov
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