24 - Manufacture of basic metals

This Chapter has been extracted from the ONS Explanatory Notes and provides a more detailed explanation of possible activities that could fall within the SIC Codes related to the Chapter.

This division includes the activities of smelting and/or refining ferrous and non-ferrous metals from ore, pig or scrap, using electrometallurgic and other process metallurgic techniques. This division also includes the manufacture of metal alloys and super-alloys by introducing other chemical elements to pure metals. The output of smelting and refining, usually in ingot form, is used in rolling, drawing and extruding operations to make products such as plate, sheet, strip, bars, rods, wire or tubes, pipes and hollow profiles and in molten form to make castings and other basic metal products.

24.1 Manufacture of basic iron and steel and of ferro-alloys

This group includes activities such as direct reduction of iron ore, production of pig iron in molten or solid form, conversion of pig iron into steel, manufacture of ferroalloys and manufacture of steel products.


24.10 Manufacture of basic iron and steel and of ferro-alloys

This class includes:
- operation of blast furnaces, steel converters, rolling and finishing mills
- production of pig iron and spiegeleisen in pigs, blocks or other primary forms
- production of ferro-alloys
- production of ferrous products by direct reduction of iron and other spongy ferrous products; 
- production of iron of exceptional purity by electrolysis or other chemical processes
- remelting of scrap ingots of iron or steel
- production of granular iron and iron powder
- production of steel in ingots or other primary forms
- production of semi-finished products of steel
- manufacture of hot-rolled and cold-rolled flat-rolled products of steel
- manufacture of hot-rolled bars and rods of steel
- manufacture of hot-rolled open sections of steel
- manufacture of sheet piling of steel and welded open sections of steel
- manufacture of railway track materials (unassembled rails) of steel

This class excludes:
- cold drawing of bars, see 24.31

24.2 Manufacture of tubes, pipes, hollow profiles and related fittings, of steel

24.20 Manufacture of tubes, pipes, hollow profiles and related fittings, of steel 

This class includes:
- manufacture of seamless tubes and pipes of circular or non-circular cross section and of blanks of
circular cross section, for further processing, by hot rolling, hot extrusion or by other hot processes, of an intermediate product which can be a bar or a billet obtained by hot rolling or continuous casting
- manufacture of precision and non-precision seamless tubes and pipes from hot rolled or hot extruded
blanks by further processing, by cold-drawing or cold-rolling of tubes and pipes of circular cross section and by cold drawing only for tubes and pipes of non circular cross section and hollow profiles
- manufacture of welded tubes and pipes of an external diameter exceeding 406.4 mm, cold formed from hot rolled flat products and longitudinally or spirally welded
- manufacture of welded tubes and pipes of an external diameter of 406.4 mm or less of circular cross
section by continuous cold or hot forming of hot or cold rolled flat products and longitudinally or spirally welded and of non-circular cross section by hot or cold forming into shape from hot or cold rolled strip longitudinally welded
- manufacture of welded precision tubes and pipes of an external diameter of 406.4 mm or less by hot or cold forming of hot or cold rolled strip and longitudinally welded delivered as welded or further processed, by cold drawing or cold rolling or cold formed into shape for tube and pipe of non-circular cross section 
- manufacture of flat flanges and flanges with forged collars by processing of hot rolled flat products of
steel
- manufacture of butt-welding fittings, such as elbows and reductions, by forging of hot rolled seamless tubes of steel
- threaded and other tube or pipe fittings of steel

This class excludes
- manufacture of seamless tubes and pipes of steel by centrifugally casting, see 24.52


24.3 Manufacture of other products of first processing of steel

This group includes manufacturing other products by cold processing of steel.


24.31 Cold drawing of bars

This class includes:
- manufacture of steel bars and solid sections of steel by cold drawing, grinding or turning

This class excludes:
- drawing of wire, see 24.34

24.32 Cold rolling of narrow strip

This class includes:
- manufacture of coated or uncoated flat rolled steel products in coils or in straight lengths of a width less than 600 mm by cold re-rolling of hot-rolled flat products or of steel rod


24.33 Cold forming or folding 

This class includes:
- manufacture of open sections by progressive cold forming on a roll mill or folding on a press of flat-rolled products of steel
- manufacture of cold-formed or cold-folded, ribbed sheets and sandwich panels.


24.34 Cold drawing of wire 

This class includes:
- manufacture of drawn steel wire, by cold drawing of steel wire rod

This class excludes:
- drawing of bars and solid sections of steel, see 24.31
- manufacture of derived wire products, see 25.93

24.4 Manufacture of basic precious and other non-ferrous metals

24.41 Precious metals production

This class includes:
- production of basic precious metals:
• production and refining of unwrought or wrought precious metals: gold, silver, platinum etc. from ore and scrap
- production of precious metal alloys
- production of precious metal semi-products
- production of silver rolled onto base metals
- production of gold rolled onto base metals or silver
- production of platinum and platinum group metals rolled onto gold, silver or base metals

This class also includes:
- manufacture of wire of these metals by drawing
- manufacture of precious metal foil laminates

This class excludes:
- casting of non-ferrous metals, see 24.53, 24.54
- manufacture of precious metal jewellery, see 32.12


24.42 Aluminium production

This class includes:
- production of aluminium from alumina
- production of aluminium from electrolytic refining of aluminium waste and scrap
- production of aluminium alloys
- semi-manufacturing of aluminium

This class also includes:
- manufacture of wire of these metals by drawing
- production of aluminium oxide (alumina)
- production of aluminium wrapping foil
- manufacture of aluminium foil laminates made from aluminium foil as primary component

This class excludes:
- casting of non-ferrous metals, see 24.53, 24.54


24.43 Lead, zinc and tin production

This class includes:
- production of lead, zinc and tin from ores
- production of lead, zinc and tin from electrolytic refining of lead, zinc and tin waste and scrap
- production of lead, zinc and tin alloys
- semi-manufacturing of lead, zinc and tin

This class also includes:
- manufacture of wire of these metals by drawing
- production of tin foil

This class excludes:
- casting of non-ferrous metals, see 24.53, 24.54


24.44 Copper production

This class includes:
- production of copper from ores
- production of copper from electrolytic refining of copper waste and scrap
- production of copper alloys
- manufacture of fuse wire or strip
- semi-manufacturing of copper

This class also includes:
- manufacture of wire of these metals by drawing

This class excludes:
- casting of non-ferrous metals, see 24.53, 24.54


24.45 Other non-ferrous metal production 

This class includes:
- production of chrome, manganese, nickel etc. from ores or oxides
- production of chrome, manganese, nickel etc. from electrolytic and aluminothermic refining of chrome, manganese, nickel etc., waste and scrap
- production of alloys of chrome, manganese, nickel etc.
- semi-manufacturing of chrome, manganese, nickel etc.
- production of mattes of nickel

This class also includes:
- manufacture of wire of these metals by drawing

This class excludes:
- casting of non-ferrous metals, see 24.53, 24.54


24.46 Processing of nuclear fuel

This class includes:
- production of uranium metal from pitchblende or other ores
- smelting and refining of uranium

24.5 Casting of metals

This group includes the manufacture of semi-finished products and various castings by a casting process.

This group excludes:
- manufacture of finished cast products such as:
• boilers and radiators, see 25.21
• cast household items, see 25.99


24.51 Casting of iron

This class includes activities of iron foundries.

This class includes:
- casting of semi-finished iron products
- casting of grey iron castings
- casting of spheroidal graphite iron castings
- casting of malleable cast-iron products
- manufacture of tubes, pipes and hollow profiles and of tube or pipe fittings of cast-iron


24.52 Casting of steel

This class includes activities of steel foundries.

This class includes:
- casting of semi-finished steel products
- casting of steel castings
- manufacture of seamless tubes and pipes of steel by centrifugal casting
- manufacture of tube or pipe fittings of cast-steel


24.53 Casting of light metals

This class includes:
- casting of semi-finished products of aluminium, magnesium, titanium, zinc etc.
- casting of light metal castings


24.54 Casting of other non-ferrous metals

This class includes:
- casting of heavy metal castings
- casting of precious metal castings
- die-casting of non-ferrous metal castings

 

For all queries related to this Chapter or any other aspect of SIC Codes, please contact the Office of National Statistics on 01329 444970 or email classifications.helpdesk@ons.gov.uk.