FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2012, AT 10:00 A.M. EST 

Chris Savage or Adriana Stoica 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (11)-12 

CB12-24 

 Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

December 2011 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in December, up 

two consecutive months, increased $5.3 billion or 1.1 

percent to $466.2 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This followed a 2.2 percent November 

increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 

0.6 percent. 

 Shipments, up seven consecutive months, increased 

$3.4 billion or 0.7 percent to $459.4 billion. This 

followed a 0.2 percent November increase. 

 Unfilled orders, up twenty of the last twenty one 

months, increased $12.7 billion or 1.4 percent to $911.5 

billion. This followed a 1.3 percent November increase. 

The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.00, down 

from 6.13 in November. 

 Inventories, up twenty six of the last twenty seven 

months, increased $0.4 billion or 0.1 percent to $610.1 

billion. This was at the highest level since the series was 

first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 

0.4 percent November increase. The inventories-toshipments ratio was 1.33, down from 1.34 in November. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

December, up five of the last six months, increased $6.3 

billion or 3.0 percent to $214.3 billion, unchanged from 

the previously published increase. This followed a 4.2 

percent November increase. 

 Transportation equipment, up two consecutive months, had the largest increase, $3.0 billion or 5.4 percent to 

$58.3 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

decreased $1.0 billion or 0.4 percent to $251.9 billion. 

 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in 

December, up two of the last three months, increased 

$4.4 billion or 2.2 percent to $207.5 billion, revised from 

the previously published 2.1 percent increase. This 

followed a 0.2 percent November decrease. 

 Primary metals, up seventeen of the last eighteen 

months, had the largest increase, $2.3 billion or 8.7 

percent to $29.2 billion. 

 

 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

two of the last three months, decreased $1.0 billion or 

0.4 percent to $251.9 billion. This followed a 0.6 

percent November increase. Petroleum and coal 

products, also down two of the last three months, drove 

the decrease, down $1.5 billion or 2.1 percent to $71.0 

billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

December, up twenty of the last twenty one months, 

increased $12.7 billion or 1.4 percent to $911.5 billion, 

revised from the previously published 1.5 percent 

increase. This followed a 1.3 percent November 

increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up eleven of the last twelve 

months, had the largest increase, $10.7 billion or 2.1 

percent to $529.7 billion. This followed a 1.6 percent 

November increase. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in 

December, up twenty four consecutive months, 

increased $1.1 billion or 0.3 percent to $370.0 billion, 

unchanged from the previously published increase. This 

was at the highest level since the series was first 

published on a NAICS basis and followed a 0.5 percent 

November increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, also up twenty four 

consecutive months, had the largest increase, $1.8 billion 

or 1.5 percent to $116.4 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

following three consecutive monthly increases, 

decreased $0.7 billion or 0.3 percent to $240.1 billion. 

This followed a 0.3 percent November increase. 

Chemical products, down two consecutive months, 

drove the decrease, down $1.0 billion or 1.3 percent to $72.5 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, December materials and 

supplies increased 0.8 percent in durable goods and 

decreased 0.4 percent in nondurable goods. Work in 

process increased 0.3 percent in durable goods and 0.4 

percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 

0.2 percent in durable goods and 0.5 percent in 

nondurable goods. 

Figures in text are adjusted for seasonality but not for inflation. 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>. The advance report on durable goods for January is scheduled for release on February 28, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. EST and the full report on March 5, 2012, at 

10:00 a.m. EST. See back page for survey description. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups1

[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

Industry Percent

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

 All manufacturing industries.................. 459,391 456,023 454,918 0.7 0.2 0.5 445,534 442,815 460,462 416,217 5,357,731 4,819,844 11.2

 Excluding transportation................... 411,718 408,780 406,462 0.7 0.6 -0.1 396,382 395,994 410,912 368,571 4,795,774 4,281,684 12.0

 Excluding defense.............................. 449,487 446,651 445,847 0.6 0.2 0.6 434,325 433,388 451,644 404,350 5,238,670 4,677,784 12.0

 With unfilled orders............................ 151,901 146,553 146,056 3.6 0.3 0.4 151,002 140,292 146,428 140,032 1,715,708 1,588,369 8.0

 Durable goods industries......................... 207,479 203,104 203,613 2.2 -0.2 1.5 203,431 195,531 208,296 190,512 2,379,549 2,206,324 7.9

 Wood products....................................... 5,329 5,411 5,419 -1.5 -0.1 2.0 4,711 5,122 5,671 4,825 63,783 65,604 -2.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 8,196 8,109 8,111 1.1 0.0 2.2 6,869 7,837 8,569 6,519 94,772 91,879 3.1

 Primary metals....................................... 29,245 26,906 25,569 8.7 5.2 4.0 24,507 24,284 25,503 17,449 288,147 220,613 30.6

 Iron and steel mills............................ 12,344 11,794 11,318 4.7 4.2 3.5 10,337 10,243 11,026 9,021 134,229 113,444 18.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 15,040 13,315 12,507 13.0 6.5 4.6 12,537 12,368 12,753 7,096 133,931 90,694 47.7

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,861 1,797 1,744 3.6 3.0 3.1 1,633 1,673 1,724 1,332 19,987 16,475 21.3

 Fabricated metal products....................... 25,888 25,550 25,221 1.3 1.3 -0.4 23,730 24,574 26,066 22,372 299,701 282,500 6.1

 Machinery............................................. 31,802 30,493 30,284 4.3 0.7 -2.7 32,700 28,270 29,928 30,118 354,349 315,938 12.2

 Farm machinery................................. 2,536 2,583 2,785 -1.8 -7.3 2.4 2,047 1,932 2,652 1,912 30,850 26,408 16.8

 Construction machinery..................... 4,512 4,415 4,275 2.2 3.3 0.1 4,560 4,340 4,523 3,440 47,383 34,214 38.5

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,595 1,580 1,608 0.9 -1.7 -4.3 1,834 1,519 1,622 1,787 19,689 18,486 6.5

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,328 3,325 3,588 0.1 -7.3 0.4 4,143 2,782 3,398 3,855 38,946 33,011 18.0

 Photographic equipment...................... 636 622 635 2.3 -2.0 -0.8 703 661 638 749 7,833 8,206 -4.5

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 2,371 2,379 2,410 -0.3 -1.3 -2.6 2,409 2,188 2,167 2,807 30,624 32,999 -7.2

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,276 2,154 2,054 5.7 4.9 7.2 2,518 2,098 2,142 2,054 23,628 22,327 5.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 5,187 4,091 3,621 26.8 13.0 -21.6 5,162 4,074 3,741 4,754 46,895 40,054 17.1

 Material handling equipment............... 2,725 2,661 2,710 2.4 -1.8 3.2 2,753 2,563 2,671 2,382 30,513 26,045 17.2

 Computers and electronic products2.......... 30,127 30,317 31,264 -0.6 -3.0 1.1 32,479 29,704 33,733 33,179 368,597 364,198 1.2

 Computers........................................ 4,186 4,087 4,661 2.4 -12.3 9.7 4,424 3,666 5,598 4,269 49,983 45,741 9.3

 Computer storage devices..................... 767 768 752 -0.1 2.1 -5.2 1,322 628 557 1,101 8,678 7,492 15.8

 Other peripheral equipment................ 940 956 1,024 -1.7 -6.6 4.0 1,499 900 906 1,513 11,216 10,393 7.9

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 2,496 2,338 2,442 6.8 -4.3 -5.1 3,297 2,414 2,151 3,775 31,231 37,838 -17.5

 Defense communications equipment.... 686 517 467 32.7 10.7 -21.2 702 541 452 524 6,235 6,607 -5.6

 Audio and video equipment.................... 259 245 231 5.7 6.1 -0.9 389 364 280 409 3,024 3,099 -2.4

 Electronic components......................... 3,231 3,286 3,254 -1.7 1.0 0.7 3,500 3,228 3,180 3,703 39,732 41,248 -3.7

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,246 1,156 1,147 7.8 0.8 2.1 1,279 1,131 1,087 1,169 14,083 12,955 8.7

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,733 2,673 2,580 2.2 3.6 -6.8 3,050 2,791 2,540 3,105 32,766 36,048 -9.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,278 7,122 7,136 2.2 -0.2 -1.7 8,410 6,875 6,853 8,549 87,857 85,707 2.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,103 10,079 10,180 0.2 -1.0 -0.9 9,875 9,953 10,230 9,879 121,148 115,002 5.3

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 954 979 984 -2.6 -0.5 -1.4 977 981 999 1,048 11,958 11,788 1.4

 Household appliances........................ 1,538 1,508 1,537 2.0 -1.9 1.1 1,478 1,534 1,517 1,485 18,520 18,896 -2.0

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,729 3,690 3,772 1.1 -2.2 -2.2 3,703 3,448 3,594 3,611 44,582 41,579 7.2

 Batteries........................................... 894 908 882 -1.5 2.9 -0.1 885 1,082 1,053 864 10,492 10,084 4.0

 Transportation equipment........................ 47,673 47,243 48,456 0.9 -2.5 5.2 49,152 46,821 49,550 47,646 561,957 538,160 4.4

 Automobiles..................................... 5,707 5,444 5,634 4.8 -3.4 10.4 5,323 5,388 6,184 4,573 63,076 59,205 6.5

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 7,553 7,950 8,152 -5.0 -2.5 12.4 7,625 8,030 9,089 7,822 94,966 82,585 15.0

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,237 2,195 2,084 1.9 5.3 3.3 2,161 2,125 2,148 1,450 22,733 18,324 24.1

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 14,680 14,341 14,371 2.4 -0.2 2.7 12,976 13,957 15,154 12,473 171,297 161,065 6.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 7,800 7,708 8,721 1.2 -11.6 8.3 10,087 7,858 7,655 9,438 88,929 80,141 11.0

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,973 3,791 3,704 4.8 2.3 -2.3 4,865 3,719 3,590 5,262 48,705 58,765 -17.1

 Ships and boats................................. 2,317 2,248 2,229 3.1 0.9 -4.0 2,259 2,181 2,200 2,206 27,433 28,412 -3.4

 Furniture and related products.................. 5,498 5,427 5,436 1.3 -0.2 -1.1 5,347 5,205 5,409 5,176 65,930 61,972 6.4

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,618 13,569 13,673 0.4 -0.8 0.0 14,061 13,761 13,637 13,349 161,165 150,458 7.1

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 251,912 252,919 251,305 -0.4 0.6 -0.3 242,103 247,284 252,166 225,705 2,978,182 2,613,520 14.0

 Food products....................................... 62,701 62,530 62,655 0.3 -0.2 0.2 62,081 64,373 65,509 57,488 734,957 663,690 10.7

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 8,427 8,450 8,559 -0.3 -1.3 2.1 8,378 8,811 9,165 7,815 99,532 85,512 16.4

 Dairy products.................................. 9,171 9,239 9,289 -0.7 -0.5 -1.6 9,014 9,557 9,397 8,393 110,239 98,305 12.1

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 17,684 17,528 17,541 0.9 -0.1 -0.4 17,393 17,731 17,950 16,438 206,993 193,638 6.9

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 12,284 12,449 12,169 -1.3 2.3 -1.8 11,995 12,674 12,159 11,109 145,092 131,998 9.9

 Beverages......................................... 9,813 9,663 9,558 1.6 1.1 -1.4 9,524 9,888 9,548 8,762 113,732 101,114 12.5

 Tobacco............................................ 2,471 2,786 2,611 -11.3 6.7 -3.3 2,471 2,786 2,611 2,347 31,360 30,884 1.5

 Textile mills........................................... 2,501 2,516 2,548 -0.6 -1.3 -1.8 2,188 2,389 2,615 2,236 30,953 29,617 4.5

 Textile products................................... 1,894 1,893 1,866 0.1 1.4 0.1 1,657 1,814 1,893 1,554 22,178 21,557 2.9

 Apparel................................................ 1,440 1,455 1,417 -1.0 2.7 1.1 1,361 1,659 1,603 1,188 16,118 14,781 9.0

 Leather and allied products...................... 308 308 306 0.0 0.7 -0.3 292 293 313 303 3,764 3,739 0.7

 Paper products...................................... 14,279 14,230 14,278 0.3 -0.3 0.4 13,855 13,979 14,457 14,296 172,325 171,831 0.3

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,723 6,712 6,717 0.2 -0.1 -0.1 6,592 6,505 6,816 6,710 80,766 79,833 1.2

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,263 4,243 4,234 0.5 0.2 0.5 4,038 4,150 4,323 4,259 51,632 51,541 0.2

 Printing................................................. 6,857 6,886 6,869 -0.4 0.2 -1.6 6,964 7,119 7,190 7,171 83,653 84,046 -0.5

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 71,037 72,556 71,626 -2.1 1.3 -0.3 68,270 68,963 70,780 59,886 842,626 632,739 33.2

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 66,837 68,246 67,482 -2.1 1.1 -0.3 65,123 65,062 66,220 57,489 793,610 594,172 33.6

 Chemical products..................................... 61,868 61,618 61,197 0.4 0.7 -0.9 58,233 58,334 59,083 56,036 733,135 677,082 8.3

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 5,554 5,777 5,657 -3.9 2.1 2.2 4,375 4,318 4,023 3,779 61,937 48,965 26.5

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 15,416 15,385 14,925 0.2 3.1 -2.5 15,557 15,938 15,052 16,055 185,328 189,417 -2.2

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,722 2,640 2,617 3.1 0.9 1.6 2,195 2,292 2,636 1,962 30,281 29,774 1.7

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 16,743 16,478 16,374 1.6 0.6 0.3 15,207 15,687 16,564 14,438 193,381 182,440 6.0

p

 Preliminary 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.

See note at end of Table 2 relating to survey error and revision.

2 Estimates and percent changes of shipments for the semiconductor industry are no longer shown separately, but are included in computers and electronic products, and all other applicable

 aggregate totals. 

Year to date
 3

Table 2. Value of Manufacturers' New Orders for Industry Groups1

[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

Industry Percent

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

All manufacturing industries2...................... 466,222 460,931 450,932 1.1 2.2 -0.2 466,222 444,953 448,923 422,050 5,359,085 4,778,823 12.1

 Excluding transportation2...................... 407,897 405,590 403,478 0.6 0.5 0.4 393,962 390,775 403,733 371,099 4,752,296 4,245,317 11.9

 Excluding defense2.............................. 458,527 452,457 442,218 1.3 2.3 0.3 453,807 437,452 441,954 405,476 5,236,505 4,637,322 12.9

 With unfilled orders2

............................. 164,551 158,164 149,157 4.0 6.0 -1.1 175,738 149,063 144,435 150,423 1,795,398 1,619,154 10.9

 Durable goods industries2........................ 214,310 208,012 199,627 3.0 4.2 0.1 224,119 197,669 196,757 196,345 2,380,903 2,165,303 10.0

 Primary metals........................................ 29,635 27,892 26,355 6.2 5.8 5.9 25,643 25,323 25,065 19,210 289,815 228,573 26.8

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 12,677 12,619 11,667 0.5 8.2 4.2 11,055 11,065 10,272 10,223 133,088 119,617 11.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 14,990 13,435 12,820 11.6 4.8 6.7 12,808 12,521 12,961 7,630 135,916 92,096 47.6

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,968 1,838 1,868 7.1 -1.6 11.7 1,780 1,737 1,832 1,357 20,811 16,860 23.4

 Fabricated metal products........................ 25,462 25,943 25,867 -1.9 0.3 0.2 22,906 24,610 25,950 22,371 304,612 283,133 7.6

 Machinery............................................. 34,169 32,020 31,638 6.7 1.2 0.8 34,069 28,985 31,590 32,405 378,729 333,934 13.4

 Construction machinery....................... 4,478 4,383 4,771 2.2 -8.1 3.2 4,617 4,382 5,039 3,851 49,858 36,073 38.2

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 2,238 1,151 1,379 94.4 -16.5 -28.7 2,069 1,184 1,551 1,672 23,894 20,553 16.3

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,272 3,188 2,813 2.6 13.3 -12.5 3,776 2,566 2,983 4,275 38,283 36,104 6.0

 Photographic equipment...................... 564 645 623 -12.6 3.5 -1.1 526 665 592 469 7,787 7,864 -1.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 2,659 2,760 2,604 -3.7 6.0 50.7 2,475 1,966 2,254 3,282 33,238 36,481 -8.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,343 2,199 2,153 6.5 2.1 6.8 2,544 2,105 2,255 2,178 25,007 22,480 11.2

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 5,848 5,547 5,271 5.4 5.2 -0.5 6,227 5,593 5,295 5,987 56,760 43,984 29.0

 Material handling equipment.................. 2,903 2,609 2,663 11.3 -2.0 -1.0 3,025 2,424 2,474 2,694 31,540 27,227 15.8

 Computers and electronic products2......... 23,465 23,336 24,921 0.6 -6.4 1.3 28,966 21,934 24,749 31,913 289,905 295,622 -1.9

 Computers........................................ 4,115 4,214 4,632 -2.3 -9.0 6.1 4,353 3,793 5,569 4,227 49,773 45,851 8.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 2,595 2,504 2,774 3.6 -9.7 2.7 3,690 2,105 2,760 4,611 31,044 37,672 -17.6

 Defense communications equipment...... 322 338 369 -4.7 -8.4 -7.8 445 258 305 821 4,977 6,793 -26.7

 Electronic components......................... 3,229 3,312 3,413 -2.5 -3.0 2.1 3,419 3,167 3,270 3,739 39,939 42,085 -5.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,269 1,375 1,349 -7.7 1.9 2.4 1,182 1,472 1,241 963 14,981 12,486 20.0

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,422 2,279 2,601 6.3 -12.4 -2.4 3,739 2,225 2,423 5,039 32,137 37,561 -14.4

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,061 6,879 7,293 2.6 -5.7 -0.4 8,369 6,489 6,855 8,986 88,680 86,926 2.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,579 10,682 10,663 -1.0 0.2 -0.3 9,868 10,430 10,683 10,112 125,237 119,623 4.7

 Electric lighting equipment................... 937 951 993 -1.5 -4.2 -1.6 907 915 994 997 11,899 11,839 0.5

 Household appliances.......................... 1,698 1,561 1,539 8.8 1.4 1.3 1,462 1,613 1,510 1,538 18,664 19,056 -2.1

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,897 4,126 3,914 -5.6 5.4 4.1 3,551 3,930 3,749 3,795 46,420 43,902 5.7

 Transportation equipment........................ 58,325 55,341 47,454 5.4 16.6 -4.5 72,260 54,178 45,190 50,951 606,789 533,506 13.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 14,726 14,477 14,201 1.7 1.9 1.3 13,529 14,275 15,122 13,049 171,771 160,961 6.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 19,506 16,400 8,717 18.9 88.1 -13.9 31,359 16,238 5,296 10,382 132,904 86,478 53.7

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 3,864 4,147 3,823 -6.8 8.5 14.8 5,901 3,802 3,262 6,482 51,598 59,799 -13.7

 Ships and boats.................................. 1,562 1,464 1,779 6.7 -17.7 -41.2 1,520 1,396 1,393 2,026 26,718 22,417 19.2

 Furniture and related products................. 5,560 5,582 5,417 -0.4 3.0 -0.5 4,794 5,362 5,544 4,680 66,035 62,439 5.8

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 251,912 252,919 251,305 -0.4 0.6 -0.3 242,103 247,284 252,166 225,705 2,978,182 2,613,520 14.0

p

 Preliminary 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

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

Note: 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/>.

Year to date
 4 

Table 3. Value of Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders for Industry Groups1

[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

Industry Change

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. Dec.

2011p 2011r 2011 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

All manufacturing industries2...................... 911,494 898,844 887,233 1.4 1.3 0.4 909,148 884,412 875,641 829,458 9.6

 Excluding transportation2...................... 381,799 379,801 376,288 0.5 0.9 1.1 375,056 373,428 372,014 340,198 10.2

 Excluding defense2............................. 743,166 728,307 715,798 2.0 1.7 0.5 742,225 718,695 707,998 666,054 11.4

 Durable goods industries2

........................ 911,494 898,844 887,233 1.4 1.3 0.4 909,148 884,412 875,641 829,458 9.6

 Primary metals........................................ 34,291 33,901 32,915 1.2 3.0 2.4 33,329 32,193 31,154 31,661 5.3

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 19,309 18,976 18,151 1.8 4.5 2.0 18,381 17,663 16,841 19,522 -5.8

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 11,248 11,298 11,178 -0.4 1.1 2.9 11,245 10,974 10,821 9,260 21.4

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 3,734 3,627 3,586 3.0 1.1 3.6 3,703 3,556 3,492 2,879 28.6

 Fabricated metal products......................... 65,921 66,347 65,954 -0.6 0.6 1.0 64,199 65,023 64,987 59,288 8.3

 Machinery.............................................. 121,015 118,648 117,121 2.0 1.3 1.2 118,658 117,289 116,574 94,278 25.9

 Construction machinery....................... 10,554 10,588 10,620 -0.3 -0.3 4.9 10,423 10,366 10,324 7,948 31.1

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 13,114 12,471 12,900 5.2 -3.3 -1.7 12,891 12,656 12,991 8,686 48.4

 Industrial machinery............................ 13,638 13,694 13,831 -0.4 -1.0 -5.3 13,225 13,592 13,808 13,888 -4.8

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,934 2,006 1,983 -3.6 1.2 -0.6 1,833 2,010 2,006 1,879 -2.4

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 20,628 20,340 19,959 1.4 1.9 1.0 19,694 19,628 19,850 17,080 15.3

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,777 5,710 5,665 1.2 0.8 1.8 5,647 5,621 5,614 4,268 32.3

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 24,350 23,689 22,233 2.8 6.5 8.0 24,550 23,485 21,966 14,685 67.2

 Material handling equipment.................. 8,681 8,503 8,555 2.1 -0.6 -0.5 8,590 8,318 8,457 7,563 13.6

 Computers and electronic products2......... 123,698 124,541 124,819 -0.7 -0.2 0.6 123,515 122,980 124,117 123,871 -0.3

 Computers......................................... 3,444 3,515 3,388 -2.0 3.7 -0.8 3,444 3,515 3,388 3,654 -5.7

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 22,954 22,855 22,689 0.4 0.7 1.5 23,057 22,664 22,973 23,244 -0.8

 Defense communications equipment...... 5,167 5,531 5,710 -6.6 -3.1 -1.7 5,089 5,346 5,629 6,347 -19.8

 Electronic components.......................... 11,797 11,799 11,773 0.0 0.2 1.4 11,638 11,719 11,780 11,431 1.8

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 9,470 9,447 9,228 0.2 2.4 2.2 9,423 9,520 9,179 8,525 10.5

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 43,228 43,539 43,933 -0.7 -0.9 0.0 43,401 42,712 43,278 44,030 -1.4

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 27,638 27,855 28,098 -0.8 -0.9 0.6 27,463 27,504 27,890 26,640 3.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 28,266 27,790 27,187 1.7 2.2 1.8 27,341 27,348 26,871 23,252 17.6

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,031 1,048 1,076 -1.6 -2.6 0.8 958 1,028 1,094 1,017 -5.8

 Household appliances.......................... 1,038 878 825 18.2 6.4 0.2 848 864 785 704 20.5

 Electrical equipment............................. 15,270 15,102 14,666 1.1 3.0 1.0 14,875 15,027 14,545 13,037 14.1

 Transportation equipment........................ 529,695 519,043 510,945 2.1 1.6 -0.2 534,092 510,984 503,627 489,260 9.2

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 13,922 13,876 13,740 0.3 1.0 -1.2 14,270 13,717 13,399 13,796 3.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 376,132 364,426 355,734 3.2 2.4 0.0 381,391 360,119 351,739 337,416 13.0

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 55,565 55,674 55,318 -0.2 0.6 0.2 54,998 53,962 53,879 52,105 5.6

 Ships and boats.................................. 17,215 17,970 18,754 -4.2 -4.2 -2.3 16,221 16,960 17,745 16,936 -4.2

 Furniture and related products................. 6,929 6,867 6,712 0.9 2.3 -0.3 6,335 6,888 6,731 6,230 1.7

p Preliminary 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

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

See note at end of Table 2 relating to survey error and revision.
 5

Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups1

[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

Industry Change

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. Dec.

2011p 2011r 2011 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

 All manufacturing industries..................... 610,078 609,632 607,016 0.1 0.4 0.9 592,509 609,246 609,936 542,456 9.2

 Excluding transportation...................... 493,634 494,952 493,669 -0.3 0.3 1.0 480,325 494,435 496,254 445,760 7.8

 Excluding defense............................. 584,705 583,610 581,323 0.2 0.4 0.9 567,400 583,269 584,213 517,722 9.6

 With unfilled orders............................. 303,162 302,239 300,434 0.3 0.6 0.3 294,450 302,852 300,868 265,441 10.9

 Durable goods industries........................ 369,977 368,843 366,881 0.3 0.5 0.4 359,277 369,485 367,228 325,238 10.5

 Wood products........................................ 8,797 8,818 8,635 -0.2 2.1 1.6 8,710 8,840 8,719 8,316 4.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 11,263 11,170 11,102 0.8 0.6 0.6 11,010 10,861 10,843 10,115 8.8

 Primary metals......................................... 34,347 34,373 34,342 -0.1 0.1 0.0 33,445 34,038 34,231 30,070 11.2

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 21,442 21,440 21,403 0.0 0.2 -0.1 20,680 21,196 21,371 18,069 14.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,853 10,840 10,854 0.1 -0.1 -0.1 10,737 10,737 10,781 10,179 5.5

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 2,052 2,093 2,085 -2.0 0.4 1.9 2,028 2,105 2,079 1,822 11.3

 Fabricated metal products......................... 46,244 46,365 46,260 -0.3 0.2 0.7 45,322 45,905 45,943 41,297 9.7

 Machinery.............................................. 60,587 60,341 59,813 0.4 0.9 0.3 58,743 60,928 59,695 51,788 13.4

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,611 3,536 3,399 2.1 4.0 0.2 3,577 3,396 3,071 2,871 24.6

 Construction machinery........................ 6,078 5,940 5,669 2.3 4.8 -0.5 5,927 5,960 5,658 4,774 24.2

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 7,702 7,540 7,358 2.1 2.5 0.0 7,333 7,493 7,270 6,037 21.5

 Industrial machinery............................ 7,334 6,952 6,901 5.5 0.7 -0.6 7,104 7,043 6,896 6,159 15.3

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,520 1,605 1,676 -5.3 -4.2 2.1 1,448 1,694 1,690 1,448 0.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,907 3,967 4,075 -1.5 -2.7 -0.7 3,559 3,925 4,051 3,659 -2.7

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,102 5,111 5,077 -0.2 0.7 1.4 4,934 5,185 5,167 4,013 23.0

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 7,210 7,470 7,544 -3.5 -1.0 1.5 6,943 7,841 7,831 6,152 12.9

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,578 3,638 3,672 -1.6 -0.9 -0.5 3,517 3,722 3,700 3,276 7.4

 Computers and electronic products2......... 47,284 47,908 48,124 -1.3 -0.4 0.0 46,156 48,662 48,555 44,801 3.0

 Computers......................................... 3,137 3,236 3,258 -3.1 -0.7 1.8 3,017 3,419 3,243 2,595 16.3

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,348 1,339 1,383 0.7 -3.2 -0.9 1,241 1,400 1,443 1,174 5.7

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,490 1,519 1,501 -1.9 1.2 0.9 1,377 1,580 1,513 1,295 6.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 6,943 7,118 7,199 -2.5 -1.1 -0.9 6,888 7,421 7,296 6,780 1.6

 Defense communications equipment...... 2,010 2,366 2,499 -15.0 -5.3 1.1 2,010 2,366 2,499 2,578 -22.0

 Audio and video equipment.................. 531 517 512 2.7 1.0 -1.5 507 564 579 482 5.2

 Electronic components.......................... 7,209 7,079 7,111 1.8 -0.5 -0.9 7,023 7,197 7,241 6,832 2.8

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,373 3,324 3,294 1.5 0.9 1.8 3,278 3,294 3,383 3,003 9.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,659 2,821 2,739 -5.7 3.0 3.4 2,555 2,779 2,735 2,610 -2.1

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 12,563 12,670 12,727 -0.8 -0.4 -0.9 12,212 12,890 12,730 11,761 3.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,347 15,430 15,459 -0.5 -0.2 0.5 14,724 15,382 15,456 14,412 2.2

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,797 1,794 1,796 0.2 -0.1 0.5 1,714 1,786 1,787 1,595 7.5

 Household appliances.......................... 2,074 2,106 2,123 -1.5 -0.8 0.0 1,860 2,066 2,173 2,039 -8.8

 Electrical equipment............................. 4,882 4,857 4,813 0.5 0.9 1.2 4,862 4,976 4,856 4,863 0.0

 Batteries............................................ 1,060 1,059 1,060 0.1 -0.1 1.4 975 1,014 1,061 966 0.9

 Transportation equipment......................... 116,444 114,680 113,347 1.5 1.2 0.5 112,184 114,811 113,682 96,696 16.0

 Automobiles....................................... 3,382 3,314 3,384 2.1 -2.1 1.0 3,133 3,357 3,354 2,640 18.7

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 3,287 3,228 3,344 1.8 -3.5 2.1 2,778 3,360 3,444 2,193 26.7

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,382 1,423 1,447 -2.9 -1.7 -1.7 1,311 1,470 1,497 1,362 -3.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 18,572 18,462 18,330 0.6 0.7 0.9 18,222 18,435 18,237 16,597 9.8

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 64,364 62,924 61,837 2.3 1.8 1.0 61,747 62,838 62,016 49,696 24.2

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 14,668 14,823 14,302 -1.0 3.6 -1.8 14,448 14,800 14,376 13,744 5.1

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,503 3,459 3,575 1.3 -3.2 4.8 3,495 3,455 3,558 3,202 9.2

 Furniture and related products................. 6,721 6,709 6,719 0.2 -0.1 -1.0 6,534 6,741 6,696 6,487 0.7

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 22,943 23,049 23,080 -0.5 -0.1 1.0 22,449 23,317 23,408 21,256 5.6

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 240,101 240,789 240,135 -0.3 0.3 1.6 233,232 239,761 242,708 217,218 7.4

 Food products........................................ 44,797 44,717 44,819 0.2 -0.2 0.5 44,716 46,705 47,739 43,756 2.2

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,318 5,204 5,185 2.2 0.4 2.0 5,418 5,301 5,520 6,300 -14.0

 Dairy products.................................... 6,093 6,083 6,065 0.2 0.3 -0.1 5,588 5,835 6,056 4,943 13.0

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 8,401 8,387 8,469 0.2 -1.0 0.7 8,407 8,796 8,780 8,630 -2.6

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 16,706 16,690 16,613 0.1 0.5 0.5 16,677 16,998 17,203 16,136 3.4

 Beverages......................................... 13,303 13,257 13,166 0.3 0.7 0.5 13,156 13,478 13,717 12,479 5.4

 Tobacco............................................ 3,403 3,433 3,447 -0.9 -0.4 0.8 3,521 3,520 3,486 3,657 -3.7

 Textile mills............................................ 3,627 3,623 3,639 0.1 -0.4 -0.2 3,585 3,592 3,625 3,225 11.2

 Textile products...................................... 3,132 3,097 3,053 1.1 1.4 -0.1 3,006 3,032 3,048 2,735 9.9

 Apparel................................................. 2,719 2,734 2,733 -0.5 0.0 4.0 2,591 2,645 2,795 2,199 17.8

 Leather and allied products...................... 918 908 903 1.1 0.6 -0.1 882 905 898 801 10.1

 Paper products....................................... 13,775 13,886 14,008 -0.8 -0.9 -0.3 13,774 13,926 13,962 13,679 0.7

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 5,895 5,958 6,025 -1.1 -1.1 -0.4 5,955 5,977 5,983 5,927 0.5

 Paperboard containers......................... 3,969 3,998 4,037 -0.7 -1.0 0.2 3,974 3,971 3,990 3,796 4.7

 Printing.................................................. 5,308 5,396 5,459 -1.6 -1.2 -0.3 5,052 5,459 5,630 5,252 -3.8

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 55,969 55,546 54,085 0.8 2.7 6.7 52,196 53,147 53,529 43,109 21.1

 Petroleum refineries............................. 52,112 51,721 50,335 0.8 2.8 6.9 48,482 49,423 49,813 40,131 20.8

 Chemical products..................................... 72,515 73,468 73,986 -1.3 -0.7 0.2 70,701 72,898 73,609 67,210 5.2

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 4,189 4,051 4,063 3.4 -0.3 -0.3 4,232 3,792 3,797 3,459 22.3

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 24,899 25,153 25,050 -1.0 0.4 0.5 23,871 25,080 25,128 24,607 -3.0

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,050 3,066 3,056 -0.5 0.3 0.1 2,876 2,940 2,933 2,911 -1.2

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 20,635 20,724 20,837 -0.4 -0.5 -0.1 20,052 20,454 20,670 19,116 4.9

p Preliminary 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 Estimates of inventories for the semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products and all other applicable agregates totals, but are not shown separately. 

See note at end of Table 2 relating to survey error and revision.
 6 

Table 5. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments, New Orders, Unfilled Orders, and Total Inventories for 

 Topical Series1, 2

[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 Year to date Percent

Industry Change6

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries................... 459,391 456,023 454,918 0.7 0.2 0.5 445,534 442,815 460,462 416,217 5,357,731 4,819,844 11.2

 Construction materials and supplies...... 37,835 37,594 37,566 0.6 0.1 1.1 32,985 35,758 39,254 31,718 444,562 427,691 3.9

 Information technology......................... 24,701 23,944 24,563 3.2 -2.5 -0.6 28,466 23,412 24,712 28,538 293,958 292,005 0.7

 Computers and related products........... 5,893 5,811 6,437 1.4 -9.7 6.8 7,245 5,194 7,061 6,883 69,877 63,626 9.8

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 30,177 29,930 30,241 0.8 -1.0 6.6 28,085 29,500 32,575 26,318 352,072 321,179 9.6

 Capital goods...................................... 79,293 76,710 78,255 3.4 -2.0 -0.5 86,187 73,809 77,156 82,653 914,713 867,486 5.4

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 71,701 69,745 71,288 2.8 -2.2 0.3 77,976 66,738 70,419 73,488 822,549 753,673 9.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 67,150 65,156 65,746 3.1 -0.9 -0.9 71,517 61,901 65,627 67,225 770,300 705,828 9.1

 Defense capital goods4....................... 7,592 6,965 6,967 9.0 0.0 -8.2 8,211 7,071 6,737 9,165 92,164 113,813 -19.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 198,528 200,070 198,833 -0.8 0.6 0.4 194,975 199,309 202,232 181,027 2,348,811 2,039,554 15.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 25,891 25,999 26,396 -0.4 -1.5 5.7 25,541 26,003 27,811 24,554 308,417 284,920 8.2

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 172,637 174,071 172,437 -0.8 0.9 -0.4 169,434 173,306 174,421 156,473 2,040,394 1,754,634 16.3

 All manufacturing industries5.................. 466,222 460,931 450,932 1.1 2.2 -0.2 466,222 444,953 448,923 422,050 5,359,085 4,778,823 12.1

 Construction materials and supplies...... 37,759 38,046 37,745 -0.8 0.8 3.6 32,634 35,456 38,931 32,369 448,095 431,251 3.9

 Information technology......................... 23,953 23,805 25,466 0.6 -6.5 0.2 29,136 22,322 25,448 31,561 295,515 296,143 -0.2

 Computers and related products........... 5,822 5,938 6,408 -2.0 -7.3 4.3 7,174 5,321 7,032 6,841 69,667 63,736 9.3

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 30,223 30,066 30,071 0.5 0.0 5.9 28,638 29,818 32,543 26,894 352,546 321,075 9.8

 Capital goods...................................... 89,527 85,583 79,255 4.6 8.0 -5.4 107,228 81,016 74,956 87,915 981,831 885,497 10.9

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 84,322 79,514 72,748 6.0 9.3 -3.5 98,256 75,738 70,079 75,309 886,532 774,373 14.5

 Excluding aircraft............................. 68,893 66,793 67,812 3.1 -1.5 -0.9 72,131 62,654 68,176 69,633 794,362 722,301 10.0

 Defense capital goods4....................... 5,205 6,069 6,507 -14.2 -6.7 -22.2 8,972 5,278 4,877 12,606 95,299 111,124 -14.2

 Consumer goods.................................. 198,715 200,362 198,964 -0.8 0.7 0.5 194,851 199,669 202,403 180,966 2,348,985 2,040,187 15.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 26,078 26,291 26,527 -0.8 -0.9 6.4 25,417 26,363 27,982 24,493 308,591 285,553 8.1

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 172,637 174,071 172,437 -0.8 0.9 -0.4 169,434 173,306 174,421 156,473 2,040,394 1,754,634 16.3

 All manufacturing industries5

.................. 911,494 898,844 887,233 1.4 1.3 0.4 909,148 884,412 875,641 829,458 (X) (X) 9.6

 Construction materials and supplies...... 57,687 57,763 57,311 -0.1 0.8 0.3 55,965 56,316 56,618 52,432 (X) (X) 6.7

 Information technology......................... 124,762 125,510 125,649 -0.6 -0.1 0.7 124,370 123,700 124,790 122,813 (X) (X) 1.3

 Computers and related products........... 3,444 3,515 3,388 -2.0 3.7 -0.8 3,444 3,515 3,388 3,654 (X) (X) -5.7

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 13,922 13,876 13,740 0.3 1.0 -1.2 14,270 13,717 13,399 13,796 (X) (X) 3.4

 Capital goods...................................... 693,907 683,673 674,800 1.5 1.3 0.1 695,330 674,289 667,082 628,212 (X) (X) 10.7

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 545,064 532,443 522,674 2.4 1.9 0.3 547,523 527,243 518,243 483,540 (X) (X) 13.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 213,043 211,300 209,663 0.8 0.8 1.0 210,156 209,542 208,789 186,094 (X) (X) 12.9

 Defense capital goods4....................... 148,843 151,230 152,126 -1.6 -0.6 -0.3 147,807 147,046 148,839 144,672 (X) (X) 2.2

 Consumer goods.................................. 5,134 4,947 4,655 3.8 6.3 2.9 4,784 4,908 4,548 4,610 (X) (X) 3.8

 Consumer durable goods..................... 5,134 4,947 4,655 3.8 6.3 2.9 4,784 4,908 4,548 4,610 (X) (X) 3.8

 All manufacturing industries................... 610,078 609,632 607,016 0.1 0.4 0.9 592,509 609,246 609,936 542,456 (X) (X) 9.2

 Construction materials and supplies...... 58,127 57,976 57,767 0.3 0.4 0.6 56,477 57,231 57,447 52,455 (X) (X) 7.7

 Information technology......................... 41,481 42,499 42,815 -2.4 -0.7 0.2 40,212 43,325 43,060 39,083 (X) (X) 2.9

 Computers and related products........... 5,975 6,094 6,142 -2.0 -0.8 1.0 5,635 6,399 6,199 5,064 (X) (X) 11.3

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 26,623 26,427 26,505 0.7 -0.3 0.9 25,444 26,622 26,532 22,792 (X) (X) 11.6

 Capital goods...................................... 190,466 190,118 188,338 0.2 0.9 0.6 184,591 191,621 188,770 163,260 (X) (X) 13.1

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 170,403 169,518 168,096 0.5 0.8 0.5 164,572 171,043 168,572 143,611 (X) (X) 14.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 115,185 115,451 114,979 -0.2 0.4 0.3 111,744 117,130 115,403 101,906 (X) (X) 9.7

 Defense capital goods4

....................... 20,063 20,600 20,242 -2.6 1.8 1.0 20,019 20,578 20,198 19,649 (X) (X) 1.9

 Consumer goods.................................. 184,240 183,917 182,688 0.2 0.7 2.2 177,981 184,157 186,130 166,389 (X) (X) 7.0

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,516 27,396 27,607 0.4 -0.8 0.5 26,316 27,766 27,922 24,792 (X) (X) 6.1

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 156,724 156,521 155,081 0.1 0.9 2.5 151,665 156,391 158,208 141,597 (X) (X) 7.1

X Not Applicable p Preliminary 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

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories.

3

 Nondefense capital goods industries include: 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.

4 Defense capital goods industries include: small arms and ordnance; communications equipment; aircraft; missiles, space vehicles, and parts; ships and boats;

and search and navigation equipment.

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 

6

 Based on year-to-date for shipments and new orders, but on same month prior year for unfilled orders and inventories.

See note at end of Table 2 relating to survey error and revision.

NEW ORDERS 

UNFILLED ORDERS 

TOTAL INVENTORIES 
 7

Table 6. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories, by Stage of Fabrication, by Industry Group1 

[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

Industry Change

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. Dec.

2011p 2011r 2011 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 200,234 199,673 199,560 0.3 0.1 1.4 198,187 198,143 199,556 183,867 7.8

 Durable goods industries........................ 118,433 117,512 117,064 0.8 0.4 0.2 117,842 117,650 117,284 108,600 8.5

 Wood products................................... 3,311 3,311 3,219 0.0 2.9 1.9 3,486 3,501 3,369 3,239 7.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,478 4,434 4,441 1.0 -0.2 0.4 4,443 4,405 4,430 3,911 13.6

 Primary metals.................................... 13,861 13,812 13,903 0.4 -0.7 -0.3 13,941 13,867 14,081 12,803 8.9

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,317 16,472 16,448 -0.9 0.1 0.6 16,430 16,295 16,295 15,271 7.6

 Machinery.......................................... 22,788 22,578 22,331 0.9 1.1 -0.7 22,206 22,682 22,408 19,398 14.5

 Computers and electronic products...... 18,500 18,237 18,161 1.4 0.4 0.2 18,431 18,456 18,373 17,101 7.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 6,561 6,576 6,583 -0.2 -0.1 0.6 6,402 6,517 6,509 6,169 3.8

 Transportation equipment.................. 22,075 21,577 21,400 2.3 0.8 0.8 22,062 21,406 21,253 20,731 6.4

 Furniture and related products............ 3,297 3,246 3,279 1.6 -1.0 -1.1 3,262 3,236 3,247 3,148 3.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,245 7,269 7,299 -0.3 -0.4 0.1 7,179 7,285 7,319 6,829 5.1

 Nondurable goods industries................. 81,801 82,161 82,496 -0.4 -0.4 3.3 80,345 80,493 82,272 75,267 6.7

 Food products................................... 14,370 14,450 14,552 -0.6 -0.7 0.4 14,563 14,807 15,139 15,697 -7.2

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,334 4,344 4,350 -0.2 -0.1 -0.8 4,489 4,392 4,411 4,509 -0.4

 Textiles.............................................. 1,306 1,299 1,307 0.5 -0.6 -0.7 1,284 1,269 1,287 1,176 9.2

 Textile products.................................. 1,479 1,456 1,425 1.6 2.2 -0.1 1,433 1,431 1,433 1,250 14.6

 Apparel............................................. 959 965 946 -0.6 2.0 2.9 949 936 947 725 30.9

 Leather and allied products................ 300 298 298 0.7 0.0 0.3 292 297 300 283 3.2

 Paper products................................... 6,705 6,681 6,735 0.4 -0.8 0.2 6,781 6,718 6,728 6,609 2.6

 Printing ............................................ 2,541 2,603 2,625 -2.4 -0.8 0.0 2,484 2,629 2,669 2,599 -4.4

 Petroleum and coal products............... 18,078 18,182 17,929 -0.6 1.4 15.6 16,962 16,699 17,505 13,690 23.9

 Chemical products............................. 23,126 23,166 23,478 -0.2 -1.3 0.6 22,654 22,769 23,155 20,983 8.0

 Plastics and rubber products............... 8,603 8,717 8,851 -1.3 -1.5 0.5 8,454 8,546 8,698 7,746 9.1

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 191,192 190,537 188,913 0.3 0.9 1.1 185,106 191,935 190,685 166,692 11.0

 Durable goods industries........................ 144,627 144,156 142,740 0.3 1.0 0.8 139,522 144,734 143,071 123,511 13.0

 Wood products................................... 1,541 1,556 1,555 -1.0 0.1 3.8 1,514 1,555 1,568 1,478 2.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,261 1,246 1,209 1.2 3.1 1.3 1,194 1,184 1,165 1,123 6.3

 Primary metals.................................... 10,139 10,155 10,023 -0.2 1.3 0.7 9,396 10,004 9,892 8,333 12.8

 Fabricated metal products.................. 13,317 13,176 12,913 1.1 2.0 1.3 12,948 13,270 12,988 11,095 16.7

 Machinery.......................................... 15,409 15,361 15,213 0.3 1.0 2.0 14,683 15,787 15,436 13,566 8.2

 Computers and electronic products...... 17,362 17,808 18,252 -2.5 -2.4 0.0 16,774 18,036 18,358 17,079 -1.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 3,811 3,786 3,738 0.7 1.3 1.0 3,609 3,753 3,701 3,232 11.7

 Transportation equipment.................. 77,376 76,621 75,446 1.0 1.6 0.7 75,158 76,665 75,524 63,482 18.4

 Furniture and related products............ 1,055 1,076 1,060 -2.0 1.5 -1.9 1,044 1,073 1,050 982 6.3

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,356 3,371 3,331 -0.4 1.2 -1.2 3,202 3,407 3,389 3,141 1.9

 Nondurable goods industries................. 46,565 46,381 46,173 0.4 0.5 2.0 45,584 47,201 47,614 43,181 5.6

 Food products................................... 3,466 3,508 3,463 -1.2 1.3 -0.7 4,041 4,458 4,425 4,054 -0.3

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 5,644 5,647 5,617 -0.1 0.5 2.0 6,008 6,037 6,017 5,819 3.2

 Textiles.............................................. 848 848 844 0.0 0.5 1.2 815 850 844 708 15.1

 Textile products.................................. 475 465 469 2.2 -0.9 0.4 447 458 464 431 3.7

 Apparel............................................. 356 352 356 1.1 -1.1 0.8 325 341 354 315 3.2

 Leather and allied products................ 111 110 106 0.9 3.8 3.9 111 110 104 80 38.8

 Paper products................................... 1,218 1,274 1,297 -4.4 -1.8 1.7 1,208 1,267 1,272 1,187 1.8

 Printing ............................................ 1,132 1,160 1,212 -2.4 -4.3 -0.9 1,004 1,191 1,312 1,112 -9.7

 Petroleum and coal products............... 16,881 16,441 16,055 2.7 2.4 2.9 15,688 15,777 15,981 13,127 19.5

 Chemical products............................. 14,443 14,576 14,784 -0.9 -1.4 2.5 14,005 14,721 14,897 14,343 -2.4

 Plastics and rubber products............... 1,991 2,000 1,970 -0.5 1.5 0.1 1,932 1,991 1,944 2,005 -3.6

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 218,652 219,422 218,543 -0.4 0.4 0.3 209,216 219,168 219,695 191,897 9.0

 Durable goods industries........................ 106,917 107,175 107,077 -0.2 0.1 0.3 101,913 107,101 106,873 93,127 9.4

 Wood products................................... 3,945 3,951 3,861 -0.2 2.3 0.5 3,710 3,784 3,782 3,599 3.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,524 5,490 5,452 0.6 0.7 0.7 5,373 5,272 5,248 5,081 5.7

 Primary metals.................................... 10,347 10,406 10,416 -0.6 -0.1 -0.2 10,108 10,167 10,258 8,934 13.1

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,610 16,717 16,899 -0.6 -1.1 0.3 15,944 16,340 16,660 14,931 6.8

 Machinery.......................................... 22,390 22,402 22,269 -0.1 0.6 0.3 21,854 22,459 21,851 18,824 16.1

 Computers and electronic products...... 11,422 11,863 11,711 -3.7 1.3 -0.5 10,951 12,170 11,824 10,621 3.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 4,975 5,068 5,138 -1.8 -1.4 -0.2 4,713 5,112 5,246 5,011 -5.9

 Transportation equipment.................. 16,993 16,482 16,501 3.1 -0.1 -0.3 14,964 16,740 16,905 12,483 19.9

 Furniture and related products............ 2,369 2,387 2,380 -0.8 0.3 -0.4 2,228 2,432 2,399 2,357 -5.5

 Miscellaneous products........................ 12,342 12,409 12,450 -0.5 -0.3 2.1 12,068 12,625 12,700 11,286 6.9

 Nondurable goods industries................. 111,735 112,247 111,466 -0.5 0.7 0.3 107,303 112,067 112,822 98,770 8.6

 Food products................................... 26,961 26,759 26,804 0.8 -0.2 0.7 26,112 27,440 28,175 24,005 8.8

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 6,728 6,699 6,646 0.4 0.8 0.2 6,180 6,569 6,775 5,808 6.4

 Textiles.............................................. 1,473 1,476 1,488 -0.2 -0.8 -0.7 1,486 1,473 1,494 1,341 10.8

 Textile products.................................. 1,178 1,176 1,159 0.2 1.5 -0.3 1,126 1,143 1,151 1,054 6.8

 Apparel............................................. 1,404 1,417 1,431 -0.9 -1.0 5.6 1,317 1,368 1,494 1,159 13.6

 Leather and allied products................ 507 500 499 1.4 0.2 -1.2 479 498 494 438 9.4

 Paper products................................... 5,852 5,931 5,976 -1.3 -0.8 -1.3 5,785 5,941 5,962 5,883 -1.7

 Printing ............................................ 1,635 1,633 1,622 0.1 0.7 -0.3 1,564 1,639 1,649 1,541 1.5

 Petroleum and coal products............... 21,010 20,923 20,101 0.4 4.1 2.6 19,546 20,671 20,043 16,292 20.0

 Chemical products............................. 34,946 35,726 35,724 -2.2 0.0 -0.8 34,042 35,408 35,557 31,884 6.8

 Plastics and rubber products............... 10,041 10,007 10,016 0.3 -0.1 -0.6 9,666 9,917 10,028 9,365 3.2

p Preliminary 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.

See note at end of Table 2 relating to survey error and revisions.
 8

Table 7. Ratios of Manufacturers' Inventories to Shipments and Unfilled Orders 

 to Shipments, by Industry Group3

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.] 

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Dec Nov Oct Sep Dec Nov Oct Sep

2011p 2011r 2011 2011 2011p 2011r 2011 2011

All manufacturing industries2............................ 1.33 1.34 1.33 1.33 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

.................................. 1.78 1.82 1.80 1.82 6.00 6.13 6.07 6.08

 Wood products.............................................. 1.65 1.63 1.59 1.60 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.37 1.38 1.37 1.39 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.17 1.28 1.34 1.40 1.17 1.26 1.29 1.31

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.79 1.81 1.83 1.82 2.62 2.68 2.69 2.66

 Machinery..................................................... 1.91 1.98 1.98 1.91 4.22 4.35 4.36 4.16

 Computers and electronic products2

................ 1.57 1.58 1.54 1.56 5.66 5.88 5.76 5.69

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.52 1.53 1.52 1.50 3.07 3.03 2.92 2.84

 Transportation equipment.............................. 2.44 2.43 2.34 2.45 16.46 16.40 15.68 16.16

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.22 1.24 1.24 1.23 1.47 1.46 1.43 1.41

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.68 1.70 1.69 1.67 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 0.95 0.95 0.96 0.94 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.71 0.72 0.72 0.71 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.36 1.34 1.37 1.33 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.45 1.44 1.43 1.41 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.65 1.64 1.64 1.64 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 1.89 1.88 1.93 1.87 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.98 2.95 2.95 2.94 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 0.96 0.98 0.98 0.99 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing......................................................... 0.77 0.78 0.79 0.78 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.79 0.77 0.76 0.71 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.17 1.19 1.21 1.20 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.23 1.26 1.27 1.28 (X) (X) (X) (X)

X Not Applicable p

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

1

 Excludes the following industries with no unfilled orders: Wood products; nonmetallic mineral products; 

medical equipment and supplies; office supplies; other miscellaneous manufacturing; cutlery and handtools;

farm and garden machinery; computer storage and peripheral devices; audio and video equipment; manufacturing

and reproducing magnetic and optical media; batteries; automobiles; light trucks and utility vehicles; heavy duty

trucks; and miscellaneous furniture.

2 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing.

Dec2 Dec2 Dec2 Dec2

Industry 2010- 2010- 2010- 2010-

Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov

2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011

 

All manufacturing industries.................. (X) 0.2 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.1 (X) 0.1

Durable goods industries....................... 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.7 -0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Primary metals.................................... 0.5 0.9 1.1 2.1 0.5 0.9 0.1 0.6

 Fabricated metal products.................... 0.1 0.3 -0.5 0.7 -0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3

 Machinery.......................................... 0.3 0.9 0.7 2.3 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.2

 Computers and electronic products..... 0.4 0.5 -0.6 0.9 -0.4 0.2 -0.4 0.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. -0.5 0.7 0.1 1.1 0.2 0.5 -0.2 0.4

 Transportation equipment.................... -0.1 0.6 -0.1 1.2 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 1.1 (X) 0.7 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.4 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.2 (X) 0.1

Nondurable goods industries................... (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Food products................................... (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Textile products.................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Leather and allied products.................... (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Paper products.................................... (X) 0.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Petroleum and coal products................. (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

 Chemical products................................ (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Plastics and rubber products................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

 The current month revisions are the difference between the advance percent change and the percent change as shown in this

 publication.

2

 The twelve month revisions are the differences between the month-to-month percent changes of the preliminary and

final estimates. The monthly averages are the simple averages of the absolute values of the differences for the months specified. 

The advance to final percent change revisions for the durable goods industries are shown in the advance report for the month.

3

 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.

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes3

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.] 

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
9 

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), end-of-month total inventory 

(at current cost or market value), and inventories by stage of fabrication (materials and supplies, work-inprocess, and finished goods). The M3 includes approximately 4,300 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 65 

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 4,300 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 4,300 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. Any corrections will be published in the full report. 

Corrections received after the full report will be released in the next month’s advance report. Any 

revisions made later than two months will be reflected in the annual benchmark publication. 

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

Benchmark Notice 

Revised historical data for Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders will be issued on May 18, 

2012. These revisions reflect: 

 benchmarking the shipments and inventories data to the 2010 Annual Survey of Manufactures 

(ASM) data, as well as revised ASM benchmarks for prior years; 

 incorporating the unfilled orders to shipments ratios obtained from the 2009/2010 Manufacturers’ 

Unfilled Orders Survey by applying these ratios to the respective ASM shipments data, as well as 

incorporating revised unfilled orders to shipments ratios for prior years; 

 adjusting the new orders data to be consistent with the benchmarked shipments and unfilled orders 

data; 

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

previously reported data; 

 incorporating the monthly data corrections when producing estimates for industry groups for which 

we identified companies to be tabbed separately from the link-relative estimation procedure; 

 implementing a new SAS® benchmarking program, which is based on the same benchmarking 

methodology as the previous ASCII Fortran program; and 

 updating the seasonally adjusted data, based on the results of benchmarking and the recent annual 

review of the seasonal adjustment models. 

An accompanying press release will include the revised 2012 January through March data. Please call Chris 

Savage on (301) 763-4834 with any questions.