Retail
Class Code 8010: Store—Hardware — Workers' Comp Insurance
Covers retail hardware stores selling tools, building supplies, and home-improvement items, including sales floor and stockroom staff who handle heavier merchandise than a typical apparel or specialty shop. It sits in the middle of the retail risk spectrum given the tools and equipment involved.
- Risk level:
- moderate
What code 8010 covers
Class 8010 applies to hardware stores selling tools, fasteners, paint, and general home-improvement merchandise directly to consumers, covering sales floor associates, cashiers, and stockroom staff who receive and shelve merchandise. Hardware stores tend to carry heavier and bulkier items than apparel or grocery retail, and staff may demonstrate or cut certain products such as keys, paint, or lumber, which adds some equipment exposure to the classification. Larger home-improvement warehouse-format stores with significant lumber yards or building-material operations may need portions of the business evaluated under the building-material dealer classifications instead. This code is distinct from stores that primarily sell to contractors or operate a dedicated yard for bulk materials.
Included operations
- Sales floor and register operations
- Key cutting, paint mixing, and similar in-store services
- Stocking and receiving of tools and hardware merchandise
- Customer assistance with product selection
Assigned elsewhere
- Lumber yards and building material dealers with yard operations — see code 8232
- Building material dealer store-only employees — see code 8058
- General home-improvement warehouse stores with a large outdoor yard, evaluated based on the specific operation
- Contractors' machinery or equipment dealers — see code 8107
Businesses that typically carry 8010
- Independent hardware stores
- Home-improvement retail locations
- Paint and hardware specialty stores
- Independent, owner-operated retail locations
- Regional and multi-location retail chains
- Strip-mall and shopping-center storefronts
- Franchise retail locations
Common misclassifications
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What drives the cost of code 8010
- Total annual payroll for employees assigned to this classification
- Experience modification factor based on claims history
- State-specific base rates and loss costs filed for this class code
- Claims frequency and severity trends for the business
- Safety programs, training, and workplace controls in place
- Payroll mix across multiple classifications at the same location
What underwriters look for
- Square footage, sales volume, and number of locations
- Whether the business has its own delivery drivers or uses third-party carriers
- Stocking, lifting, and equipment use such as forklifts, box cutters, or ladders
- Prior claims history and current experience modification factor
State differences
This entry uses standard NCCI class code phraseology, which applies in most NCCI-governed states. Pennsylvania (PCRB), Delaware (DCRB), California (WCIRB), New Jersey (NJCRIB), Michigan, New York (NYCIRB), and Massachusetts maintain their own classification manuals, and code numbers or phraseology can differ there. Our agency confirms the correct classification for your state before quoting.
Where code 8010 fits
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Class code 8010 questions
Does this code cover key cutting and paint mixing services?
Yes, typical in-store services like these are included as part of normal hardware store operations.
What if the store also has an outdoor lumber yard?
A significant yard operation is often evaluated under the building material dealer classification rather than the plain hardware store code.
Is this the same code used by large home-improvement chains?
Large-format stores are reviewed based on their specific operations, which may include multiple classifications depending on yard and delivery operations.
Does 8010 cover employees who deliver hardware to customers?
Store-operated delivery is generally contemplated, though larger delivery operations may warrant a closer look.
Last reviewed · Reviewed by Provident Financial Group licensed agents