U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

FORM M-3(SD)

(03-18-2024)

MANUFACTURERS’ SHIPMENTS, INVENTORIES, AND ORDERS

OMB No. 0607-0008: Approval Expires 03/31/2027

Accounting Period

(SHADE ONLY ONE CIRCLE)

Net Shipments,

Manufactured in U.S.

New Orders (Net of

Cancellations) [If applicable]

Total Inventories, Warehoused

in U.S. (Current Cost or Market)

Order Backlog (Unfilled Orders)

[If applicable]

Materials and Supplies

Work-In-Process

Finished-Goods

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Cal. Mo.

4 Week

5 Week End. date

Cal. Mo.

4 Week

5 Week

Other

End. date 1

Description:

See instructions on reverse side CENSUS USE RP MC # F FP AI

PLEASE COMPLETE FORM

BY THE 10TH BUSINESS

DAY OF THE MONTH

TO START REPORTING VIA THE

INTERNET, use the User ID and

Original Password imprinted

below.

Go to econhelp.census.gov/m3

to report your data or

FAX FORM to 1-800-845-8238

U.S. Census Bureau

4600 Silver Hill Road, EID/M3

Washington, DC 20233-6900

https://econhelp.census.gov/m3

$Bil. $Mil. $Thou. $Bil. $Mil. $Thou.

Other

REMARKS: Title Date

Signature of authorized person

CERTIFICATION This form is substantially accurate and has been prepared in accordance with the instructions.

S

N

U

I

M

W

F

P

Description of reporting items 

(Definitions of terms are provided on 

the back of the form)

CFN Industry User ID: Original Password:

CHANGE IN OPERATIONAL STATUS

Ceased operations

Enter date in "Remarks"

Sold to another company

Enter name and date in "Remarks"

Acquired another

manufacturing operation

Enter name and date in

"Remarks"

Census

contact

Your

company

contact

Area Code Number

Area Code Number Ext

30024012

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$Bil. $Mil. $Thou.

Cal. Mo.

4 Week

5 Week End. date

Other

NOTICE - Title 13 United States Code (U.S.C.), Sections 131, 182, and 193, authorizes the Census Bureau to conduct this collection and to request your voluntary assistance. The U.S. Census Bureau is required by Section 

9 of the same law to keep your information confidential and can use your responses only to produce statistics. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify your 

business, organization, or institution. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. 

This collection has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The eight-digit OMB approval number is 0607-0008 and appears at the upper right of this page. Without this approval we could not 

conduct this survey. We estimate this survey will take an average of 20 minutes to complete. More information about this estimate and an address where you may write with comments is on the back of this form.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THIS FORM 

GENERAL INFORMATION

A summary of the instructions for completing this form is provided below. A comprehensive instruction manual is

available on census.gov/m3. Clarification of instructions or definitions may be obtained by calling the Census contact on

the front of the form or by writing to: U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC 20233-6900.

Purpose for this survey – This form is designed to collect shipments, inventories, and orders data from domestic

manufacturing companies for use in the preparation of industry estimates for 92 industry categories encompassing all

manufacturing activities. These estimates are widely used as indicators of our Nation’s current economic condition and

of changes in the business cycle. They also provide important components for estimates of the gross domestic product

(GDP) and related series.

An activity to be reported – A REPORTING UNIT is generally a division, subsidiary, or other operating unit as

defined by your company for financial or managerial purposes. Reporting units within the same industry category, as

defined in the Instruction Manual, may be combined for reporting purposes. Thus, a reporting unit could also be a

complete company if the company operates predominantly in a single industry category. The Census Bureau may

request that very large units with diverse activities be subdivided along industry lines for reporting purposes.

For the purposes of this survey, each reporting unit is to be reported as though a separate entity. Shipments (or sales)

should include transfers to other segments of your company, as well as the value of shipments to unaffiliated

customers. Orders, where applicable, should include orders from other segments of your firm. Finally, the reported

figures should be limited to domestic operations (the 50 States and the District of Columbia). Please note that while the

activities of foreign subsidiaries should be excluded, export shipments to and orders from foreign

subsidiaries should be included.

Survey deadlines – The first press release for this survey is based on receipts through approximately the 18th of the

month following the accounting period, therefore please return your report form before this time.

Use of estimates – If actual figures are not available, reasonable estimates may be used for reporting. Please indicate

in the “Remarks” section if figures are estimates.

Comparability with previous reports – Please indicate in the “Remarks” section if there have been any changes in

organization (acquisitions or shipments) or accounting methods that affect comparability with previous reports. If there is

a sale or purchase, indicate new company’s name, address, phone number, and a company contact.

REPORTING DEFINITIONS

Ⴠ ACCOUNTING PERIOD – It is important that the data reported represent the manufacturing activities of the

month specified. Shade the one box that best describes the accounting period and its ending date for which

you are reporting your firm’s manufacturing activity. If you indicate “Other”, please provide the dates

covered and describe in the “Remarks” section.

Ⴠ SHIPMENTS – Report net shipments (sales) made during the accounting period for your domestic

manufacturing operations (do not report year-to-date). Include shipments of products to other companies,

individuals, U.S. Government agencies and foreign customers, as well as shipments and transfers to other

divisions or subsidiaries of your company. Shipments should be net, after discounts and allowances,

exclusive of nonmanufacturing activities.

Ⴠ NEW ORDERS – Report net new orders received during the accounting period, less cancellations. Include (1)

the value of orders received and filled during the accounting period; (2) orders received for future

deliveries; and (3) the net value of changes to existing contracts. Do not include orders requiring further

negotiations, authorization, or funding before the order is final.

Ⴠ ORDER BACKLOG – Include orders, as defined above, that have not yet passed through the sales account.

Ⴠ TOTAL INVENTORIES – Report total inventories, warehoused in the U.S., regardless of where manufactured,

at current cost or market value, as of the end of the accounting period. If your inventories are subject to

LIFO valuation, report the value prior to the adjustment for the LIFO reserve. The reported figure

should include all inventories in the 50 States and the District of Columbia to which you hold title. Note:

Unlike GAAP, do not deduct progress billing from the reported inventory line items, i.e. inventories should be

reported gross not net of progress billings.

The figure for total inventories should equal the sum of the data reported in the following three

categories to the extent permitted by your records:

Ⴠ MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES – Report materials and supplies inventories as of the end of the

accounting period.

Ⴠ WORK-IN-PROCESS – Report work-in-process inventories as of the end of the accounting period.

Ⴠ FINISHED GOODS – Report finished goods inventories as of the end of the accounting period.

30024020

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We estimate this survey will take an average of 20 minutes to complete, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching

existing data sources, gathering, and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. You

may e-mail comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for

reducing this burden, to: eid.m3.qs@census.gov. Be sure to use “EID Survey Comments 0607-0008” as the subject.