Workers' Comp Rate for Carpentry NOC in Missouri (Class Code 5403)

What's Included Under Class Code 5403

NCCI Scopes language assigns 5403 to general carpentry not otherwise classified. Included operations are broad: carpentry on commercial structures, construction of residential dwellings more than three stories in height and the repair or remodeling of those structures, mixed-use building carpentry, scaffolding erection by the carpentry crew, and all types of siding installation. The code also contemplates carpentry on building raising or moving operations, the wrecking of wooden buildings or structures, construction of wooden bridges and decks, set-up of wood silos, tanks, gazebos, pergolas, and trellises, set-up of wood or plastic playground equipment, and carpentry repair work involving termite control.

Like the residential carpentry codes, 5403 is duties-driven rather than title-driven. An employee is assigned to 5403 based on the carpentry operations actually performed during the policy year, not on a job title. Helpers, cleanup labor, and miscellaneous job-site workers attached to a 5403 carpentry operation are normally included with the carpentry payroll rather than split to a separate code.

5403 vs 5645, 5651, and 5437

The key boundary is between 5403 and the residential code 5645 (Carpentry — Detached One or Two-Family Dwellings). 5645 covers carpentry on standalone single- and two-family homes up to three stories, performed under the all-operations-to-completion rule. The moment a project is commercial, a residential building exceeds three stories, or a multi-family structure has attached units, the carpentry moves out of 5645. In NCCI states that have adopted the intermediate code 5651 (Carpentry — Dwellings — Three Stories or Less), attached townhouses and three-or-less-story multi-family residential carpentry rate to 5651; in states that have not adopted 5651, that work falls to 5403. New York (NYCIRB) and several independent-bureau states do not use 5651 at all and assign attached townhouse carpentry directly to 5403.

5437 (Carpentry — Installation of Cabinet Work or Interior Trim) applies only to specialty contractors who perform interior trim and cabinet installation as a standalone job and who are not responsible for the complete construction project. A 5403 contractor running a full commercial or high-rise residential build does not split its trim payroll to 5437. The most common audit dispute in the carpentry family is whether a residential project is detached (5645), attached / three-or-less stories (5651), or commercial / over-three-stories (5403) — auditors look at the architectural plans, the recorded plat, and the building permit's structural classification rather than marketing labels.

Independent-bureau states matter for 5403. California (WCIRB), Pennsylvania (PCRB), Delaware (DCRB), New Jersey (NJCRIB), Michigan (CAOM), and North Carolina (NCRB) operate independent rating bureaus and may use different carpentry phraseology, code numbers, or boundary tests than NCCI's 5403. California in particular is fully independent of NCCI and does not use the 5403 number — a California carpentry contractor should check WCIRB's classification search rather than rely on a national 5403 comparison.

Audit Records for 5403 Carpentry

The audit file that protects a 5403 assignment documents the type and height of the structures worked on during the policy year. Keep contracts, building permits, and architectural plans that show commercial use or building height, payroll detail separating carpentry crews from genuinely separate trade work such as plumbing NOC 5183, masonry NOC 5022, plastering NOC 5480, or concrete flatwork class code 5221, and project records that establish whether the company was responsible for a complete project or only a standalone specialty scope. Auditors decide 5403 versus 5645/5651/5437 from what the crew actually built, not from the contractor's general license category.

Attempting to split carpentry payroll across multiple carpentry classes on a single project is a frequent source of audit reversals — bureaus generally consolidate the work into the governing carpentry code for the project. Track payroll by project so each job can be tied to the correct carpentry classification.

For quote shoppers, the rate table on this page is a benchmark, not a binding quote. The filed base-rate estimate still changes after payroll, carrier loss-cost multiplier, experience modification, schedule credits, minimum premium, and any reclassification to 5645, 5651, 5437, or a state-specific carpentry code.