Short answer
The SIC code for a car wash is 7542, Carwashes: washing, waxing and polishing motor vehicles, or providing self-service wash facilities. The NAICS 2022 equivalent is 811192, Car Washes, which also covers automotive detail shops, mobile car and truck washes and self-service washes. A gas station whose fuel sales outweigh its wash uses 457110 or 457120. On Schedule C, the IRS code is 811190.
- Car washes are SIC 7542 and NAICS 811192, a clean one-to-one match.
- Detailing shops and mobile car and truck washes are 811192 too; window tinting and rustproofing aren't.
- On Schedule C, use the IRS code 811190, which groups car washes with oil change shops.
- 811192 had 19,807 establishments and 172,644 employees in 2023.
- SBA size standard for 811192: $9.0 million in average annual receipts.
On this page
This page is for car wash owners and operators who need a code for a lender, insurer, franchisor, vendor form, SAM.gov or a tax return, and for companies that sell equipment, chemicals, software or services to car washes. It covers both code systems, the edge cases, the Census count and the size standard.
The car wash codes
| System | Code | Official title | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIC 1987 | 7542 | Carwashes | "Establishments primarily engaged in washing, waxing, and polishing motor vehicles, or in furnishing facilities for the self-service washing of motor vehicles" |
| NAICS 2022 | 811192 | Car Washes | Cleaning, washing and waxing passenger cars, trucks, vans and trailers |
| IRS Schedule C | 811190 | Other automotive repair & maintenance (including oil change & lubrication shops & car washes) | The code for line B of a sole proprietor's return |
The SIC manual's index for 7542 lists bus washing, truck washing, automotive laundries, and detailing (cleaning and polishing) new cars for dealers. The NAICS index for 811192 lists automotive detail shops and detailers, mobile car and truck washes, self-service car washes and truck and bus washes. In the Census concordance, 7542 maps to 811192 alone, and 811192 draws only on 7542.
How to choose: the edge cases
| If your business mainly... | NAICS 2022 | SIC 1987 |
|---|---|---|
| Runs a tunnel, in-bay automatic or self-service wash | 811192 | 7542 |
| Details cars at a shop or at customers' locations | 811192 | 7542 |
| Washes fleets of trucks and buses | 811192 | 7542 |
| Sells fuel, with a wash as a secondary service | 457110 (with a convenience store) or 457120 | 5541 |
| Tints windows | 811122 Automotive Glass Replacement Shops | 7549 |
| Rustproofs and undercoats | 811198 All Other Automotive Repair and Maintenance | 7549 |
| Changes oil and lubricates | 811191 Automotive Oil Change and Lubrication Shops | 7549 |
| Repairs paint and body damage | 811121 Automotive Body, Paint, and Interior Repair | 7532 |
| Pressure washes buildings, decks and driveways | 561790 Other Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 7349 |
| Sells car wash equipment and chemicals to operators | 423850 Service Establishment Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers | 5087 |
| Makes car washing machinery | 333310 Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 3589 |
Some sites file detailers under SIC 7549, but the SIC manual doesn't: 7549, Automotive Services Except Repair and Carwashes, covers towing, window tinting and lubrication, and its own title excludes car washes. Detailing is cleaning and polishing, which both manuals place with car washes.
A gas station with a wash bay is classified by whichever brings in more revenue. A wash run as its own business at a separate site is an 811192 establishment even if a fuel retailer owns it.
How many car washes there are
County Business Patterns counted 19,807 car wash establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 172,644 people with an annual payroll of $5.07 billion. That's about $29,400 of payroll per employee, which suggests many part-time jobs.
| Employees | Establishments | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 | 10,352 | 52.3% |
| 5 to 9 | 3,665 | 18.5% |
| 10 to 19 | 3,727 | 18.8% |
| 20 to 49 | 1,697 | 8.6% |
| 50 to 99 | 322 | 1.6% |
| 100 to 249 | 30 | 0.2% |
| 250 to 499 | 10 | 0.1% |
More establishments have 10 to 19 employees than 5 to 9, which is unusual for a small-business industry and likely reflects staffed tunnel washes. Census doesn't publish the count for the largest size classes, so the bands sum to four fewer than the total.
The top states are California (2,231), Texas (1,858), Florida (1,668), New York (964) and Illinois (783). CBP counts locations, so a chain with 500 sites counts 500 times, and it leaves out owner-operated mobile detailers with no employees. CBP 2023 uses NAICS 2017; 811192 didn't change in 2022.
SBA size standards
| Code | Size standard |
|---|---|
| 811192 Car Washes | $9.0 million average annual receipts |
| 457110 Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores | $36.5 million |
| 811191 Automotive Oil Change and Lubrication Shops | $11.0 million |
| 423850 Service Establishment Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers | 125 employees |
| 333310 Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 1,000 employees |
From 13 CFR 121.201, effective March 17, 2023 and unchanged in the eCFR as of 28 October 2026. Receipts are averaged over your latest five complete fiscal years. Federal fleet-washing contracts are where this comes up most: a $9.0 million standard is low enough that a regional chain can outgrow it.
Where the code is used
- Tax returns. Schedule C line B takes 811190 from the IRS chart. 811192 isn't on it.
- Lenders. They compare you with businesses in the same code, so a fuel retailer's code would put a stand-alone express wash in the wrong peer group.
- Insurance. Underwriters treat a tunnel wash, a hand detail shop and a mobile operation differently, so describe the format alongside the code.
Finding car wash companies
EDGAR's SIC list has no 7542, so the largest US public operator files under 7500, Automotive Repair, Services and Parking:
| Company | SEC SIC | Headquarters | Revenue | Fiscal year ended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mister Car Wash | 7500 | Tucson, AZ | $1.05 billion | Dec. 31, 2025 |
That's one company against 19,807 establishments; almost every car wash operator is private. For names, use local business license records where they're public, franchise disclosure documents (the FTC's Franchise Rule requires Item 20 to list current franchisees with each outlet's address and phone number), and EDGAR's SIC 7500 list for the few public ones. Bebop can search by description, for example express tunnel car wash operators in Texas with three to fifteen locations, and explain why each fits.
Worked example
Illustrative example. The business and figures are invented.
Shine Lane (shinelane.example) runs two express tunnels and a detail shop. Last year: wash memberships and single washes $3.6 million, detailing $0.7 million, and a small convenience counter $0.2 million, $4.5 million in total.
Washing and detailing are both 811192, so 96% of revenue sits in one code: 811192 for lenders and SAM.gov, SIC 7542 for any form that asks for SIC, and 811190 on a Schedule C if the owner files one.
Its five-year receipts were $2.1 million, $2.8 million, $3.4 million, $3.9 million and $4.5 million: $16.7 million in total, an average of $3.3 million, well under $9.0 million. If it opens three more tunnels at a similar $1.8 million each, annual revenue would reach about $9.9 million, and within a few years its five-year average would pass the $9.0 million standard for federal fleet-washing set-asides.
Next step: if you sell to car washes or other auto service businesses, see how to sell to small businesses for how owner-run operators buy.
Sources
- SIC Manual, 7542 Carwashes, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, accessed 30 October 2026
- North American Industry Classification System, 2022: 811192 Car Washes, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- NAICS concordances (1987 SIC to 2002 NAICS through 2017 to 2022 NAICS), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- County Business Patterns: 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- 13 CFR 121.201, What size standards has SBA identified by NAICS codes?, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, accessed 30 October 2026
- Instructions for Schedule C (Form 1040) (2025), Principal Business or Professional Activity Codes, Internal Revenue Service, accessed 30 October 2026
- Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code list, US Securities and Exchange Commission, accessed 30 October 2026
- Mister Car Wash, Inc. Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 27 February 2026
- 16 CFR 436.5(t), Item 20: Outlets and Franchisee Information, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
What is the SIC code for a car wash?
7542, Carwashes. It covers establishments primarily engaged in washing, waxing and polishing motor vehicles, or providing facilities for self-service washing, and the SIC manual includes truck and bus washing and detailing new cars for dealers. It sits in Major Group 75, Automotive Repair, Services, and Parking. The NAICS 2022 equivalent is 811192, Car Washes.
What is the NAICS code for a car wash?
811192, Car Washes. It covers establishments primarily engaged in cleaning, washing and waxing passenger cars, trucks, vans and trailers, including automotive detail shops, mobile car and truck washes and self-service car washes. It maps one to one to SIC 7542. On a Schedule C tax return, though, the IRS code to enter is 811190.
What is the NAICS code for auto detailing?
811192, Car Washes. The Census Bureau's NAICS index lists automotive detail shops, car detailers and automotive detailing services (cleaning and polishing) under 811192, and the SIC manual lists detailing under 7542. Window tinting (811122), rustproofing and undercoating (811198) and paint and body repair (811121) have their own codes, so a shop that mostly does those uses those codes instead.
What NAICS code does a gas station with a car wash use?
It depends on which earns more. If fuel and store sales bring in more than the wash, use 457110, Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores, or 457120 without a store. If the wash is the main business, use 811192. A wash run as a separate business at its own site is classified as a car wash even if a fuel retailer owns it.
What is the SBA size standard for a car wash?
$9.0 million in average annual receipts for NAICS 811192, under SBA's table effective March 17, 2023. Receipts are averaged over your latest five complete fiscal years and include affiliates. The standard matters mostly for federal fleet-washing contracts. A gas station with a wash that's coded 457110 has a $36.5 million standard instead.