Workers' Comp Rate for Hardware Store - Wholesale or Retail in Alabama (Class Code 8010)
Last verified: 2026-07-13
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Related Class Codes in Alabama
8017
Retail Store NOC
8006
Grocery Store - Retail
8018
Wholesale Store NOC
8033
Meat, Fish or Poultry Dealer - Retail
8044
Furniture Store - Wholesale or Retail & Drivers
About Class Code 8010: Scope, Inclusions, and Common Misclassifications
NCCI Class Code 8010 - officially phrased "Store - Hardware" - is the workers' compensation classification for hardware stores whose principal merchandise is tools, fasteners, locks, hinges, plumbing and electrical fittings, paint and related hardware goods. NCCI's national wording applies 8010 to wholesale or retail hardware stores, although individual state manuals can narrow that scope. It is the code buyers usually mean when they search for "workers comp code 8010" or a hardware-store workers' comp rate.
As of July 13, 2026, this site's modeled 8010 base-rate table averages $2.78 per $100 of payroll across 51 jurisdictions, ranging from about $2.03 in Indiana to about $3.77 in New York before carrier loss-cost multipliers, payroll, and experience modification. Those are filing-based benchmarks for comparing hardware-store exposure by state, not binding quotes.
What's Included Under Class Code 8010
The classification follows the store's principal merchandise, not the employee's title. A hardware dealer selling fasteners, locks, hinges, hand and portable power tools, plumbing fittings, electrical supplies, paint, and similar goods can fit 8010 whether customers are homeowners, contractors, or other businesses. North Carolina's NCCI-based manual illustrates the rule with a wholesale hardware store assigned to 8010 and treats the hardware operation as the location's governing classification when it carries the most payroll.
Ordinary store operations generally travel with the basic hardware-store classification: counter and sales staff, cashiers, shelf stocking, receiving, and handling the merchandise sold by the store. Driver, repair, locksmith, glass, appliance, or outside-installation treatment can vary by state. Wisconsin, for example, publishes 8010 as "Store - Hardware - Retail & Drivers" and lists several state-specific inclusions, while its wholesale hardware wording points to 8018. The governing state manual therefore controls even when the same four-digit code appears on a national comparison page.
8010 vs 8017, 8018, and 8058
Use 8010 when hardware is the principal merchandise and the state's manual recognizes the hardware-store class. Use 8017 Retail Store NOC when the operation is general retail that is not more specifically described. Use 8018 Wholesale Store NOC when the state routes wholesale hardware or a broader business-to-business distribution operation to its wholesale NOC class. A store should not select the lowest-looking rate before checking what it mainly sells and whether sales are retail or wholesale.
A building-material dealer is a different exposure. Store employees at a new-materials dealer or lumberyard may belong in 8058 Building Materials Dealer - Store Employees, with yard, warehouse, lumber-handling, forklift, and delivery payroll assigned to 8232 Building Material Yard & Drivers. Manufacturing, construction-site installation, and a separate repair business also need their own review rather than being folded into the hardware-store code merely because the employer sells the installed or repaired item.
What Is the Workers' Comp Rate in Ohio for Code 8010?
Ohio is a monopolistic state, so an Ohio hardware store buys workers' compensation through the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation rather than a private carrier. Ohio BWC states that it assigns a unique rate to each classification and adjusts rates annually. This site's July 13, 2026 comparison model shows an illustrative Ohio 8010 benchmark of about $2.65 per $100 of payroll, but the binding rate is the current BWC rate assigned to the employer's manual classification and experience.
For a rough comparison, $500,000 of hardware-store payroll at the modeled $2.65 benchmark produces $13,250 before experience modification and other BWC rating adjustments: ($500,000 / $100) x $2.65. That example is not a quote. Confirm that BWC assigned 8010 to the actual operation and use the rate on the employer's current BWC policy record for budgeting.
Audit Records for Hardware Stores
Keep gross receipts by merchandise category, retail-versus-wholesale sales reports, vendor and inventory summaries, job descriptions, payroll by location, delivery logs, and work orders for any locksmith, glass, appliance, repair, or installation service. Those records show that hardware is the principal merchandise and let an auditor separate store work from building-material yard, manufacturing, installation, or other operations when the state manual requires it.
For multi-state dealers, document the classification decision separately in each state. National NCCI wording describes 8010 as wholesale or retail hardware, while state manuals can route wholesale, drivers, repair, or specialty departments differently. The rate table on this page is a comparison benchmark; final premium still changes after the state-filed basis, carrier or state-fund adjustments, payroll, experience modification, minimum premium, and any audit reclassification.
Sources
- North Carolina Rate Bureau / NCCI Item B-1412 - Store Hardware classification (Code 8010 applies to wholesale or retail stores) (retrieved 2026-07-13)
- North Carolina Rate Bureau Basic Manual Rule 1 - assignment by principal merchandise and wholesale hardware store 8010 example (retrieved 2026-07-13)
- Wisconsin Compensation Rating Bureau Class Code Lookup - 8010 Store Hardware Retail & Drivers (state-specific scope and current rating values) (retrieved 2026-07-13)
- Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation - Manual Classification instructions (BWC assigns a unique annually adjusted rate to each classification) (retrieved 2026-07-13)
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