Description of Industries and Summary of Findings

INDUSTRY 3211, FLAT GLASS

This industry is made up of establishments primarily engaged in
manufacturing flat glass. This industry also produces laminated glass, but
establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing laminated glass from
purchased flat glass are classified in industry 3231. Products of this
industry also are collected in the Current Industrial Report (CIR) MQ-32A,
Flat Glass. For information regarding the CIR, see Contacts for Data Users
at the end of the Census of Manufactures section.

The 1992 definition of this industry is the same as that used in the 1987
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. The SIC number and title
also are the same.

In the 1992 Census of Manufactures, Industry 3211, Flat Glass, had
employment of 11.9 thousand. The employment figure was 18 percent below the
14.6 thousand reported in 1987. Compared with 1991, employment decreased 10
percent. The 1991 data are based on the Census Bureau's annual survey of
manufactures (ASM), which is a sample survey conducted each year between
censuses.

The leading States in employment in 1992 were Tennessee, Pennsylvania,
California, and Michigan, accounting for approximately 57 percent of the
industry's employment. This represents a shift from 1987 when Tennessee,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan were the leading States.

The total value of shipments for establishments classified in this industry
was $2.1 billion.

The products primary to industry 3211, no matter in what industry they were
produced, appear in file MC92F6A and aggregate to $2.0 billion. For further
explanation of specialization and coverage ratios, see file MC92F5B and the
appendixes.

The total cost of materials, services, and fuels and energy used by
establishments classified in the flat glass industry amounted to $770.5
million. Data on specific materials consumed appear in file MC92F7.

No establishments in this industry were excluded from the mail portion of
the census. However, for a small number of establishments, reports were not
received at the time the data were tabulated. For these establishments data
were obtained from administrative records of other agencies or developed
from industry averages. These establishments accounted for less than 1
percent of the total value of shipments.