FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2005, AT 8:30 A.M. EDT 

Chris Savage or Patrick Kent 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-1(05)-06 

CB05-107

Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

June 2005 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in June 

increased $2.9 billion or 1.4 percent to $215.4 billion, 

the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This 

followed a 6.4 percent May increase. Excluding 

transportation, new orders increased 2.6 percent. 

Excluding defense, new orders increased 0.9 percent. 

 

 Computers and electronic products, up four of the last 

five months, had the largest increase, $3.0 billion or 8.6 

percent to $38.2 billion. This was led by 

communications equipment, which increased $1.3 

billion. 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in June, 

down following three consecutive monthly increases, 

decreased $0.2 billion or 0.1 percent to $207.9 billion. 

This followed a 0.2 percent May increase. 

 Machinery, down following two consecutive monthly 

increases, had the largest decrease, $0.2 billion or 0.8 

percent to $26.2 billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

June, up for the second consecutive month, increased 

$14.6 billion or 2.6 percent to $579.4 billion. This was 

at the highest level since the series was first stated on a 

NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 2.1 percent May 

increase. 

 Transportation equipment, up for the second 

consecutive month, had the largest increase, $9.9 billion 

or 3.7 percent to $279.0 billion. This was also at the 

highest level since the series began. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in June, 

down two of the last three months, decreased $0.8 

billion or 0.3 percent to $291.1 billion. This followed a 

0.1 percent May increase. 

 Transportation equipment, down two of the last three 

months, had the largest decrease, $0.6 billion or 0.8 

percent to $71.2 billion. 

Capital Goods 

 Nondefense new orders for capital goods in June 

decreased $1.5 billion or 1.9 percent to $80.3 billion. 

Shipments decreased slightly to $69.3 billion. Unfilled 

orders increased $11.0 billion or 4.2 percent to $275.1 

billion. Inventories decreased $0.5 billion or 0.4 percent 

to $112.9 billion. 

 Defense new orders for capital goods in June increased 

$1.2 billion or 16.9 percent to $8.5 billion. Shipments 

increased $0.1 billion or 1.2 percent to $8.5 billion. 

Unfilled orders decreased slightly to $142.5 billion. 

Inventories decreased $0.3 billion or 1.3 percent to $19.3 

billion. 

Revised May Data 

 Revised seasonally adjusted May figures for all 

manufacturing industries are: new orders, $396.3 billion 

(revised from $394.1 billion); shipments, $391.8 billion 

(revised from $390.8 billion); unfilled orders, $564.8 

billion (revised from $563.7 billion); and total 

inventories, $483.9 billion (revised from $484.6 billion). 

Figures in text, other than year-to-date, are in seasonally adjusted current dollars. Figures on new and unfilled orders 

exclude data for semiconductor manufacturing. For data, call (301) 763-4673 or go to <http://www.census.gov/m3>.

Revised and more detailed estimates, plus nondurable goods data, will be published on August 2, 2005, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. 

The advance report on durable goods for July is scheduled for release on August 24, 2005, at 8:30 a.m. EDT. See back page 

for survey description. 
 2

Table 1. Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments and New Orders

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to Date

Item Percent

Jun May Apr May - Apr - Mar - Jun May Jun Change

2005 2 2005 r 2005 Jun 2 May r Apr 2005 2 2005 r 2004 2005 2004 05/04

DURABLE GOODS

 Total:

 Shipments................................ 207,948 208,098 207,758 -0.1 0.2 1.4 227,515 208,733 215,454 1,244,688 1,171,893 6.2

 New Orders 4

.............................. 215,380 212,509 199,799 1.4 6.4 1.5 230,749 210,999 206,622 1,237,044 1,158,704 6.8

 Excluding transportation:

 Shipments................................ 153,891 153,925 153,373 0.0 0.4 0.8 167,475 152,727 155,883 914,762 836,198 9.4

 New Orders 4.............................. 151,443 147,673 146,419 2.6 0.9 -0.6 162,089 145,777 146,750 891,754 820,639 8.7

 Excluding defense:

 Shipments................................ 198,036 197,900 197,715 0.1 0.1 1.5 216,606 198,904 205,174 1,186,113 1,113,822 6.5

 New Orders 4.............................. 205,617 203,747 191,813 0.9 6.2 2.1 220,702 204,490 195,843 1,184,161 1,095,852 8.1

 Manufacturing with unfilled orders:

 Shipments................................ 143,455 143,654 143,559 -0.1 0.1 1.5 156,503 143,728 146,019 858,023 792,764 8.2

 New Orders 4.............................. 158,047 155,282 142,809 1.8 8.7 1.6 167,392 152,929 144,833 893,463 820,833 8.8

 Primary metals:

 Shipments................................ 14,616 14,678 14,945 -0.4 -1.8 -1.2 15,288 15,205 14,522 92,091 80,036 15.1

 New Orders.............................. 14,346 14,369 14,487 -0.2 -0.8 -3.2 14,787 14,812 14,393 91,038 83,194 9.4

 Fabricated metal products:

 Shipments................................ 24,220 24,164 24,273 0.2 -0.4 2.1 25,508 24,682 24,035 143,249 132,822 7.9

 New Orders.............................. 24,970 24,724 24,555 1.0 0.7 1.8 25,553 25,583 23,804 148,342 139,873 6.1

 Machinery:

 Shipments................................ 26,177 26,393 26,375 -0.8 0.1 2.4 28,957 27,131 27,085 161,192 144,988 11.2

 New Orders.............................. 27,490 26,510 26,813 3.7 -1.1 2.4 29,435 26,725 26,486 166,808 150,650 10.7

 Computers and electronic products:

 Shipments................................ 42,707 42,496 41,837 0.5 1.6 -0.5 48,076 39,111 43,361 246,480 224,332 9.9

 New Orders 4.............................. 38,173 35,137 34,613 8.6 1.5 -5.9 42,713 31,224 35,667 211,883 190,727 11.1

 Computers and related products:

 Shipments................................ 10,720 10,778 10,867 -0.5 -0.8 6.0 12,258 8,789 9,555 59,807 48,086 24.4

 New Orders.............................. 11,241 10,343 10,969 8.7 -5.7 15.2 12,763 8,859 10,083 59,246 48,217 22.9 

 Communications equipment:

 Shipments................................ 7,505 7,270 6,620 3.2 9.8 -9.3 8,504 7,039 7,768 42,496 40,638 4.6

 New Orders.............................. 8,496 7,181 6,737 18.3 6.6 -19.0 8,867 6,554 6,311 46,891 41,397 13.3

 Semiconductors:

 Shipments................................ 7,160 7,217 7,209 -0.8 0.1 1.3 7,655 6,935 7,646 43,084 41,258 4.4

 New Orders 4.............................. (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components: 

 Shipments................................ 9,352 9,347 9,262 0.1 0.9 2.0 10,149 9,380 9,547 55,030 51,726 6.4

 New Orders.............................. 9,579 9,587 9,275 -0.1 3.4 3.7 10,057 9,647 9,005 56,194 53,011 6.0

 Transportation equipment: 

 Shipments................................ 54,057 54,173 54,385 -0.2 -0.4 3.4 60,040 56,006 59,571 329,926 335,695 -1.7

 New Orders.............................. 63,937 64,836 53,380 -1.4 21.5 7.9 68,660 65,222 59,872 345,290 338,065 2.1

 Motor vehicles and parts:

 Shipments................................ 37,469 37,436 37,157 0.1 0.8 3.1 40,998 39,231 41,619 231,305 242,250 -4.5

 New Orders.............................. 37,541 37,581 37,343 -0.1 0.6 4.0 40,827 39,128 41,580 231,087 243,389 -5.1 

 Nondefense aircraft and parts:

 Shipments................................ 6,805 6,571 7,218 3.6 -9.0 7.8 8,106 6,678 7,255 39,370 35,148 12.0

 New Orders.............................. 14,274 18,841 7,058 -24.2 166.9 23.6 15,473 18,754 7,153 57,645 34,178 68.7

 Defense aircraft and parts:

 Shipments................................ 3,509 3,827 3,767 -8.3 1.6 -0.8 4,145 3,462 4,061 21,552 22,423 -3.9

 New Orders.............................. 2,630 2,850 2,598 -7.7 9.7 20.7 3,038 2,193 5,258 16,791 20,700 -18.9

 All other durable goods: 

 Shipments................................ 36,819 36,847 36,681 -0.1 0.5 0.7 39,497 37,218 37,333 216,720 202,294 7.1

 New Orders.............................. 36,885 37,346 36,676 -1.2 1.8 0.9 39,544 37,786 37,395 217,489 203,184 7.0

 Capital goods:3

 Shipments................................ 77,801 77,714 77,298 0.1 0.5 2.1 87,009 75,526 79,103 458,070 419,177 9.3

 New Orders.............................. 88,800 89,106 76,955 -0.3 15.8 1.8 95,868 84,654 79,527 486,895 433,400 12.3

 Nondefense capital goods:

 Shipments................................ 69,304 69,315 69,083 0.0 0.3 2.3 77,952 67,312 70,693 409,417 369,609 10.8

 New Orders.............................. 80,335 81,867 70,497 -1.9 16.1 4.0 87,395 79,369 70,269 442,385 378,425 16.9

 Excluding aircraft:

 Shipments........................... 66,119 66,406 65,591 -0.4 1.2 1.5 73,919 64,236 67,845 392,171 354,749 10.5

 New Orders......................... 68,912 66,378 66,795 3.8 -0.6 1.7 75,226 63,907 66,784 405,075 364,544 11.1

 Defense capital goods:

 Shipments................................ 8,497 8,399 8,215 1.2 2.2 0.3 9,057 8,214 8,410 48,653 49,568 -1.8

 New Orders.............................. 8,465 7,239 6,458 16.9 12.1 -17.1 8,473 5,285 9,258 44,510 54,975 -19.0

NA Not Available r Revised

1

 Shipments and new orders are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations; unfilled orders and total inventories are as of the end of the period and are not 

adjusted for trading-day or calendar-month variations.

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. Further details on survey design, 

methodology, and data limitations are contained in our most recent annual benchmark publication, Current Industrial Reports: M3-1(02), "Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: 1992-2002."

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 Data on new and unfilled orders are not available for the semiconductor industry. Estimates and percent changes for new orders and unfilled orders exclude semiconductor industry data. 

Inventories for semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products and total durable goods industries, but are not shown separately.
 3

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Item Change

Jun May Apr May -Apr - Mar - Jun May Jun 2005/

2005 2 2005 r 2005 Jun2 May r Apr 2005 2 2005 r 2004 2004

DURABLE GOODS

 Total:

 Unfilled Orders4

........................ 579,410 564,818 553,190 2.6 2.1 -0.1 582,284 571,395 530,485 9.8

 Total Inventories....................... 291,102 291,932 291,727 -0.3 0.1 0.0 289,806 294,945 270,653 7.1

 Excluding transportation:

 Unfilled Orders4

........................ 300,427 295,715 294,750 1.6 0.3 0.1 303,121 300,852 276,834 9.5

 Total Inventories....................... 219,856 220,132 219,963 -0.1 0.1 0.2 218,952 222,472 202,622 8.1

 Excluding defense:

 Unfilled Orders4

........................ 421,708 406,967 393,903 3.6 3.3 0.3 423,132 411,381 367,747 15.1

 Total Inventories....................... 266,071 266,821 266,708 -0.3 0.0 0.0 264,562 269,764 246,248 7.4

 Manufacturing with unfilled orders:

 Unfilled Orders4

........................ 579,410 564,818 553,190 2.6 2.1 -0.1 582,284 571,395 530,485 9.8

 Total Inventories....................... 227,349 228,914 228,775 -0.7 0.1 -0.1 226,488 231,084 211,005 7.3

 Primary metals:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 17,627 17,897 18,206 -1.5 -1.7 -2.5 17,812 18,313 19,160 -7.0

 Total Inventories....................... 23,401 23,646 23,530 -1.0 0.5 0.5 23,208 23,548 18,746 23.8

 Fabricated metal products:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 48,950 48,200 47,640 1.6 1.2 0.6 49,711 49,666 45,072 10.3

 Total Inventories....................... 36,761 36,965 37,220 -0.6 -0.7 0.3 36,739 37,367 32,862 11.8

 Machinery: 

 Unfilled Orders......................... 55,534 54,221 54,104 2.4 0.2 0.8 56,017 55,539 48,544 15.4

 Total Inventories....................... 48,000 48,108 47,714 -0.2 0.8 0.7 47,682 48,519 43,494 9.6

 Computers and electronic products:

 Unfilled Orders4

........................ 148,072 145,446 145,588 1.8 -0.1 0.0 149,373 147,081 136,809 9.2

 Total Inventories....................... 48,698 48,634 48,663 0.1 -0.1 -0.9 48,200 49,294 47,777 0.9

 Computers and related products:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 8,455 7,934 8,369 6.6 -5.2 1.2 8,714 8,209 8,936 -2.5

 Total Inventories....................... 6,660 6,639 6,695 0.3 -0.8 0.6 6,560 6,904 5,996 9.4 

 Communications equipment:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 57,888 56,897 56,986 1.7 -0.2 0.2 58,387 58,024 50,528 15.6

 Total Inventories....................... 10,088 10,172 10,163 -0.8 0.1 -2.9 9,805 10,324 10,377 -5.5

 Semiconductors:

 Unfilled Orders4

........................ (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)

 Total Inventories4...................... (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components: 

 Unfilled Orders......................... 16,123 15,896 15,656 1.4 1.5 0.1 16,016 16,108 14,700 9.0

 Total Inventories....................... 13,370 13,401 13,406 -0.2 0.0 0.7 13,413 13,819 12,681 5.8

 Transportation equipment: 

 Unfilled Orders......................... 278,983 269,103 258,440 3.7 4.1 -0.4 279,163 270,543 253,651 10.1

 Total Inventories....................... 71,246 71,800 71,764 -0.8 0.1 -0.6 70,854 72,473 68,031 4.1

 Motor vehicles and parts:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 14,693 14,621 14,476 0.5 1.0 1.3 14,447 14,618 14,759 -2.1

 Total Inventories....................... 22,793 22,848 22,839 -0.2 0.0 0.5 22,635 23,031 21,395 5.8 

 Nondefense Aircraft and parts:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 135,918 128,449 116,179 5.8 10.6 -0.1 135,413 128,046 104,101 30.1

 Total Inventories....................... 23,189 23,859 23,747 -2.8 0.5 -2.6 22,813 24,282 23,158 -1.5

 Defense Aircraft and parts: 

 Unfilled Orders......................... 47,225 48,104 49,081 -1.8 -2.0 -2.3 47,912 49,019 59,047 -18.9

 Total Inventories....................... 12,875 12,843 12,733 0.2 0.9 0.0 13,050 12,801 11,763 10.9

 All other durable goods: 

 Unfilled Orders......................... 14,121 14,055 13,556 0.5 3.7 0.0 14,192 14,145 12,549 13.1

 Total Inventories....................... 49,626 49,378 49,430 0.5 -0.1 0.5 49,710 49,925 47,062 5.6

 Capital goods:3

 Unfilled Orders......................... 417,548 406,549 395,157 2.7 2.9 -0.1 419,740 410,881 372,020 12.8

 Total Inventories....................... 132,154 132,872 132,417 -0.5 0.3 -0.5 131,225 134,282 126,215 4.0

 Nondefense capital goods:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 275,060 264,029 251,477 4.2 5.0 0.6 276,006 266,563 228,363 20.9

 Total Inventories....................... 112,890 113,353 112,916 -0.4 0.4 -0.5 111,854 114,689 106,384 5.1

 Excluding aircraft: 

 Unfilled Orders.................... 161,762 158,969 158,997 1.8 0.0 0.8 163,213 161,906 149,079 9.5

 Total Inventories.................. 96,317 96,315 96,110 0.0 0.2 0.2 95,624 97,505 89,852 6.4

 Defense capital goods:

 Unfilled Orders......................... 142,488 142,520 143,680 0.0 -0.8 -1.2 143,734 144,318 143,657 0.1

 Total Inventories....................... 19,264 19,519 19,501 -1.3 0.1 -0.5 19,371 19,593 19,831 -2.3

See footnotes at end of Table 1 
NOTICE

Revised historical data for Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders will be issued on

August 19, 2005. These revisions reflect:

• benchmarking the shipments and inventory data to the 2002 Economic Census and 2003

Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM) data;

• adjusting new orders and order backlog to be consistent with the benchmarked shipments

and inventory data;

• correcting monthly data for late receipts, reclassifications of reported data, and revisions to

previously reported data; and

• updating the seasonal adjustment factors for all series.

For revised historical data go to http://www.census.gov/m3/hist/naicshist.htm. An accompanying

press release will include the revised 2005 January through June data. Please call Chris Savage on

(301)763-4832 with questions.

Survey Description 

This report is compiled from results of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3)

survey. This survey provides statistics on manufacturers' value of shipments, new orders (net of cancellations), end-of-month

order backlog (unfilled orders), and end-of-month total inventory (at current cost or market value). The M3 includes

approximately 4,000 reporting units. Units may be divisions of diversified large companies, large homogenous companies, or

single-unit manufacturers in 89 industry categories. Due to the small monthly sample, these 89 categories have been combined

into 59 publication levels. The survey methodology assumes that the month-to-month changes of the total operations of those

companies in the monthly survey effectively represent the month-to-month movements of all establishments that make up the

category. The current coverage levels in the survey show that reported data in the monthly survey represent approximately 60

percent of the shipments estimates at the total manufacturing level. Data published represent manufacturing in a calendar month. 

The data collection is based on a voluntary survey authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code.

The data presented in this release are based on data obtained from a panel of 4,000 reporting units and provide an indication of

the activity within the manufacturing sector. The results differ from what would be obtained from a complete enumeration of all

manufacturing companies. In addition, a different panel of 4,000 companies would yield different results. The M3 panel is

comprised of companies with $500 million or more in shipments and a limited number of smaller companies. From a statistical

perspective, the panel is not a probability sample; therefore, the sampling errors that are normally provided with sample surveys

cannot be measured. Nonsampling errors are attributable to many sources. The use of company or divisional reports to estimate

the monthly change for establishments is one source of nonsampling error. The use of primarily large companies to represent the

month-to-month movement of all companies is another potential source.

Additional survey documentation can be found on our web site: http://www.census.gov/m3/.