Table 2. Durable Goods Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders and Total Inventories 1

[Estimates are shown in millions of dollars and are based on data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Item Change

Apr Mar Feb Mar - Feb - Jan - Apr Mar Apr 2024/

2024 2 2024 r 2024 Apr 2 Mar r Feb 2024 2 2024 r 2023 2023

DURABLE GOODS

 Total:

 Unfilled Orders4......................... 1,401,036 1,397,961 1,393,319 0.2 0.3 0.2 1,402,993 1,405,345 1,300,741 7.9

 Total Inventories....................... 528,478 527,920 528,154 0.1 0.0 0.3 531,557 528,340 524,688 1.3

 Excluding transportation:

 Unfilled Orders4......................... 494,327 494,416 494,869 0.0 -0.1 -0.1 500,289 498,603 504,532 -0.8

 Total Inventories....................... 357,553 357,609 357,961 0.0 -0.1 0.1 359,901 358,537 360,066 0.0

 Excluding defense:

 Unfilled Orders4........................... 1,165,671 1,161,824 1,154,924 0.3 0.6 0.4 1,166,011 1,166,757 1,056,184 10.4

 Total Inventories....................... 497,660 497,325 497,661 0.1 -0.1 0.3 500,629 497,726 495,306 1.1

 Manufacturing with unfilled orders:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 1,401,036 1,397,961 1,393,319 0.2 0.3 0.2 1,402,993 1,405,345 1,300,741 7.9

 Total Inventories....................... 428,367 427,586 426,970 0.2 0.1 0.2 431,051 427,867 424,394 1.6

 Primary metals:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 38,940 38,684 38,569 0.7 0.3 -0.2 39,820 39,801 38,598 3.2

 Total Inventories....................... 45,629 45,659 45,668 -0.1 0.0 0.6 46,015 45,719 47,134 -2.4

 Fabricated metal products:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 129,125 129,216 129,390 -0.1 -0.1 -0.1 130,518 129,587 130,578 0.0

 Total Inventories....................... 64,616 64,599 64,623 0.0 0.0 0.1 65,181 64,821 65,143 0.1

 Machinery: 

 Unfilled Orders......................... 134,605 134,889 135,277 -0.2 -0.3 -0.1 136,341 135,941 141,887 -3.9

 Total Inventories....................... 94,802 94,783 95,069 0.0 -0.3 -0.1 95,201 95,671 94,322 0.9

 Computers and electronic products4:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 135,263 135,182 135,132 0.1 0.0 -0.1 136,309 136,311 135,762 0.4

 Total Inventories....................... 55,124 55,292 55,343 -0.3 -0.1 0.1 55,353 54,534 55,327 0.0

 Computers and related products:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 1,289 1,312 1,314 -1.8 -0.2 2.8 1,289 1,312 1,309 -1.5

 Total Inventories....................... 3,500 3,512 3,496 -0.3 0.5 -0.5 3,438 3,335 3,616 -4.9

 

 Communications equipment:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 17,399 17,477 17,630 -0.4 -0.9 -0.9 17,549 17,774 17,606 -0.3

 Total Inventories....................... 4,995 4,995 4,983 0.0 0.2 0.0 5,044 4,918 5,129 -1.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components: 

 Unfilled Orders......................... 43,742 43,775 43,861 -0.1 -0.2 0.1 44,233 44,105 43,928 0.7

 Total Inventories....................... 26,029 25,947 26,043 0.3 -0.4 0.1 26,347 26,060 26,488 -0.5

 Transportation equipment: 

 Unfilled Orders......................... 906,709 903,545 898,450 0.4 0.6 0.3 902,704 906,742 796,209 13.4

 Total Inventories....................... 170,925 170,311 170,193 0.4 0.1 0.8 171,656 169,803 164,622 4.3

 Motor vehicles and parts:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 34,837 34,788 34,611 0.1 0.5 -0.3 35,602 35,948 36,036 -1.2

 Total Inventories....................... 53,947 54,064 54,957 -0.2 -1.6 1.0 54,253 53,728 53,906 0.6

 

 Nondefense Aircraft and parts:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 661,860 657,856 650,760 0.6 1.1 0.8 655,911 657,873 539,295 21.6

 Total Inventories....................... 82,723 82,173 81,348 0.7 1.0 0.6 83,049 81,988 77,804 6.7

 Defense Aircraft and parts: 

 Unfilled Orders......................... 69,759 70,738 71,586 -1.4 -1.2 -0.2 70,410 71,525 72,026 -2.2

 Total Inventories....................... 14,114 14,061 14,019 0.4 0.3 -0.3 14,156 14,024 14,116 0.3

 All other durable goods: 

 Unfilled Orders......................... 12,652 12,670 12,640 -0.1 0.2 -0.1 13,068 12,858 13,779 -5.2

 Total Inventories....................... 71,353 71,329 71,215 0.0 0.2 0.0 71,804 71,732 71,652 0.2

 Capital goods3:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 1,058,455 1,055,771 1,051,311 0.3 0.4 0.3 1,056,411 1,058,974 956,004 10.5

 Total Inventories....................... 256,846 255,953 255,172 0.3 0.3 0.3 257,582 255,621 249,946 3.1

 Nondefense capital goods:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 855,676 852,157 845,413 0.4 0.8 0.5 852,229 853,453 742,269 14.8

 Total Inventories....................... 231,388 230,711 230,013 0.3 0.3 0.2 232,056 230,323 225,769 2.8

 Excluding aircraft: 

 Unfilled Orders.................... 266,918 267,299 267,612 -0.1 -0.1 -0.2 269,519 268,990 275,842 -2.3

 Total Inventories................... 163,005 162,799 162,847 0.1 0.0 -0.1 163,525 162,632 161,828 1.0

 Defense capital goods:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 202,779 203,614 205,898 -0.4 -1.1 -0.7 204,182 205,521 213,735 -4.5

 Total Inventories....................... 25,458 25,242 25,159 0.9 0.3 1.4 25,526 25,298 24,177 5.6

r Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment. 

1 Estimates of shipments and new orders are for the duration of the period, while estimates of unfilled orders and total inventories are for the end of the period. Not seasonally adjusted estimates of shipments 

and new orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal 

variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 

2

 Based on advance sample. Estimates of manufacturers' shipments, inventories, and orders are subject to survey error and revision. One major component of survey error is nonsampling error, which includes 

errors of coverage, response and nonreporting. Since the survey panel is not a probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data 

limitations, see http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3. 

3

 The Capital Goods Industries include Nondefense : small arms and ordnance; farm machinery and equipment; construction machinery; mining, oil, and gas field machinery; industrial machinery; vending, 

laundry, and other machinery; photographic equipment; metalworking machinery; turbines and generators; other power transmission equipment; pumps and compressors; material handling equipment; all 

other machinery; electronic computers; computer storage devices; other computer peripheral equipment; communications equipment; search and navigation equipment; electromedical, measuring, and 

control instruments; electrical equipment; other electrical equipment, appliances, and components; heavy duty trucks; aircraft; railroad rolling stock; ships and boats; office and institutional furniture; and 

medical equipment and supplies. Defense Capital Goods include : small arms and ordnance, communications equipment, aircraft; missiles, space vehicles, and parts, ships and boats, and search and navigation 

equipment. 

4

 Estimates and percent changes of shipments and inventories for the semiconductor industry are included in computers and electronic products, and all other applicable aggregate totals. Estimates and 

percent changes for new orders and unfilled orders exclude semiconductor industry data. 

The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure avoidance protection of the confidential source data (Project No. P-6000307, Disclosure Review Board (DRB) 

approval number: CBDRB-FY24-0254). 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, April Advance Report, May 24, 2024. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.