FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2005, AT 10:00 A.M. EST 

Chris Savage or Patrick Kent 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (05)-09 

CB05-162 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

September 2005

Summary

 New orders for manufactured goods in September 

decreased $6.8 billion or 1.7 percent to $390.0 billion, 

the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 

2.9 percent increase in August. 

 Shipments, down following four consecutive monthly increases, decreased $2.0 billion or 0.5 percent to $393.0 

billion. This followed a 2.1 percent increase in August. 

 Unfilled orders, up five consecutive months, increased 

$4.2 billion or 0.7 percent to $594.1 billion. This was at 

the highest level since the series was first stated on a 

NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.6 percent August 

increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 

4.19, up from 4.12 in August. 

 Inventories, down two consecutive months, decreased 

$0.4 billion or 0.1 percent to $462.7 billion. This 

followed a 0.2 percent August decrease. The 

inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.18, up from 1.17 in 

August. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

September, down two of the last three months, decreased 

$5.1 billion or 2.4 percent to $206.5 billion, revised from 

the previously published 2.1 percent decrease. This 

followed a 3.9 percent August increase. 

 Transportation equipment, down three of the last four 

months, had the largest decrease, $3.4 billion or 5.5 

percent to $59.0 billion. 

 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

decreased $1.7 billion or 0.9 percent to $183.5 billion. 

 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in 

September, down two of the last three months, decreased 

$0.3 billion or 0.1 percent to $209.6 billion, revised from 

the previously published 0.1 percent increase. This 

followed a 2.4 percent August increase. 

 Computers and electronic products, down three of the 

last four months, had the largest decrease, $0.8 billion or 

2.1 percent to $37.0 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods 

decreased $1.7 billion or 0.9 percent to $183.5 billion. 

This was led by chemical products, which decreased 

$2.1 billion or 4.5 percent to $44.9 billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

September, up five consecutive months, increased $4.2 

billion or 0.7 percent to $594.1 billion, unchanged from 

the previously published 0.7 percent increase. This was 

at the highest level since the series began and followed a 

1.6 percent August increase. 

 

 Computers and electronic products, up five 

consecutive months, had the largest increase, $1.0 billion 

or 0.8 percent to $117.4 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in 

September, down three of the last four months, 

decreased $0.2 billion or 0.1 percent to $281.8 billion, 

unchanged from the previously published 0.1 percent 

decrease. This followed a 0.3 percent August decrease. 

 Primary metals, down four consecutive months, had 

the largest decrease, $0.2 billion or 0.9 percent to $24.0 

billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

two consecutive months, decreased $0.2 billion or 0.1 

percent to $180.9 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, September materials and 

supplies increased 0.2 percent in durable goods and 

decreased 0.4 percent in nondurable goods. Work in 

process increased 0.3 percent in durable goods and 0.9

percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 

0.8 percent in durable goods and 0.2 percent in 

nondurable goods. 

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>. 

The advance report on durable goods for October is scheduled for release on November 29, 2005, at 8:30 a.m. EST and the full report on December 6, 2005, at 10:00 a.m. EST. See back page for survey description. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. 2005/

2005p 2005r 2005 Sept. Aug. July 2005p 2005r 2005 2004 2005p 2004 2004

 All manufacturing industries .................. 393,028 395,009 386,858 -0.5 2.1 0.1 414,703 407,157 355,183 388,674 3,477,116 3,244,117 7.2

 Excluding transportation ................... 334,738 336,173 329,965 -0.4 1.9 0.2 350,923 346,071 314,531 326,963 2,963,307 2,727,124 8.7

 Excluding defense .............................. 383,551 385,508 377,754 -0.5 2.1 0.2 404,383 398,002 346,827 378,858 3,394,479 3,162,002 7.4

 With unfilled orders ........................... 141,843 143,159 138,969 -0.9 3.0 -1.0 152,309 145,308 123,300 143,891 1,261,925 1,173,117 7.6

 Durable goods industries ........................209,555 209,844 205,013 -0.1 2.4 -0.7 226,088 214,678 177,644 214,061 1,855,525 1,752,084 5.9

 Wood products................................. ...... 8,996 8,826 8,888 1.9 -0.7 -1.6 9,684 9,564 9,036 9,818 81,584 81,378 0.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 9,183 9,097 8,953 0.9 1.6 -0.7 9,718 10,068 8,982 8,646 80,989 73,643 10.0

 Primary metals............................ .......... 15,800 15,470 14,956 2.1 3.4 -1.6 16,174 15,992 13,670 15,594 141,840 128,676 10.2

 Iron and steel mills............................ 6,875 6,663 6,385 3.2 4.4 -3.5 7,010 6,883 5,866 7,484 63,751 59,524 7.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,232 7,145 6,919 1.2 3.3 -0.3 7,406 7,355 6,342 6,506 62,982 55,806 12.9

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,693 1,662 1,652 1.9 0.6 0.7 1,758 1,754 1,462 1,604 15,107 13,346 13.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 24,115 23,988 23,455 0.5 2.3 -1.8 25,318 25,500 22,178 24,454 215,916 203,431 6.1

 Machinery............................................. 26,667 26,381 25,752 1.1 2.4 -0.3 27,820 26,085 24,155 26,117 235,838 214,675 9.9

 Farm machinery................................. 1,521 1,644 1,773 -7.5 -7.3 1.8 1,483 1,656 1,734 1,686 16,365 15,172 7.9

 Construction machinery..................... 2,968 2,893 2,663 2.6 8.6 -3.7 2,857 2,789 2,452 2,343 24,776 20,001 23.9

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery........................ 964 977 942 -1.3 3.7 -2.0 1,006 964 894 894 8,575 6,669 28.6

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,379 2,273 2,375 4.7 -4.3 9.3 2,509 1,935 2,428 2,956 21,673 24,163 -10.3

 Photographic equipment...................... 689 669 652 3.0 2.6 0.6 734 653 625 682 5,735 5,865 -2.2

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,098 3,008 2,919 3.0 3.0 2.4 3,410 3,136 2,832 3,115 26,721 25,599 4.4

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,915 3,044 2,954 -4.2 3.0 1.7 3,579 3,212 2,703 2,942 26,190 21,231 23.4

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,853 3,798 3,580 1.4 6.1 -8.4 3,898 3,890 3,197 4,046 33,596 30,934 8.6

 Material handling equipment............... 1,981 1,943 1,837 2.0 5.8 -1.4 2,052 1,926 1,694 1,553 16,259 12,722 27.8

 Computers and electronic products ......... 36,959 37,751 36,621 -2.1 3.1 -0.4 42,092 36,308 32,046 38,756 325,669 293,999 10.8

 Computers........................................ 5,938 6,445 6,240 -7.9 3.3 2.7 6,511 6,063 6,339 5,501 54,552 38,689 41.0

 Computer storage devices................... 802 761 664 5.4 14.6 -19.0 1,290 611 406 1,280 7,120 6,599 7.9

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,181 1,211 1,191 -2.5 1.7 -0.4 1,553 1,107 916 1,554 10,964 11,315 -3.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 5,482 5,420 5,289 1.1 2.5 -2.3 6,214 5,075 4,331 5,555 45,821 43,675 4.9

 Defense communications equipment... 415 449 397 -7.6 13.1 -8.1 443 456 370 425 3,969 3,544 12.0

 Audio and video equipment.................. 766 770 718 -0.5 7.2 -7.9 804 751 599 810 6,494 5,948 9.2

 Semiconductors ................................. 7,227 7,467 7,258 -3.2 2.9 6.6 7,908 7,485 6,365 7,442 63,339 59,791 5.9

 Electronic components....................... 5,170 5,063 4,787 2.1 5.8 -3.2 5,464 5,080 4,176 4,546 43,636 36,570 19.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 898 1,002 930 -10.4 7.7 -2.3 1,022 1,002 827 1,042 8,441 7,668 10.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,656 2,716 2,708 -2.2 0.3 1.3 2,794 2,604 2,552 2,687 23,193 21,074 10.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 5,883 5,902 5,859 -0.3 0.7 -4.1 7,508 5,537 4,641 7,289 53,166 53,898 -1.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,681 9,796 9,545 -1.2 2.6 1.0 10,804 10,051 8,735 10,029 85,022 79,574 6.8

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,028 1,026 1,023 0.2 0.3 1.0 1,144 1,039 856 1,171 9,148 9,022 1.4

 Household appliances........................ 2,181 2,188 2,182 -0.3 0.3 0.4 2,399 2,326 1,994 2,296 19,059 18,137 5.1

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,134 3,161 3,042 -0.9 3.9 1.6 3,582 3,209 2,827 3,107 27,374 24,558 11.5

 Batteries........................................... 580 591 582 -1.9 1.5 -1.5 697 579 473 689 4,929 4,708 4.7

 Transportation equipment...................... 58,290 58,836 56,893 -0.9 3.4 -0.6 63,780 61,086 40,652 61,711 513,809 516,993 -0.6

 Automobiles..................................... 7,378 7,318 7,454 0.8 -1.8 3.3 8,085 8,062 4,566 8,113 65,131 67,403 -3.4

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 14,538 13,473 13,143 7.9 2.5 -2.0 16,591 14,137 7,433 15,075 119,133 125,666 -5.2

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,816 1,784 1,676 1.8 6.4 -2.8 1,913 1,819 1,576 1,691 15,943 13,598 17.2

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 19,701 19,927 19,093 -1.1 4.4 1.0 20,775 21,444 13,778 20,259 174,340 177,561 -1.8

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 5,452 7,002 6,596 -22.1 6.2 -3.0 5,852 6,479 5,437 6,814 56,743 51,369 10.5

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,779 3,824 3,354 -1.2 14.0 -8.1 4,270 3,656 3,032 3,987 32,706 34,265 -4.5

 Ships and boats................................. 2,162 2,081 2,229 3.9 -6.6 -2.7 2,241 2,104 1,867 2,125 20,523 18,165 13.0

 Furniture and related products................. 7,409 7,266 7,451 2.0 -2.5 0.4 7,622 7,771 7,207 7,010 66,016 60,567 9.0

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 12,455 12,433 12,499 0.2 -0.5 -0.8 13,076 12,253 10,983 11,926 108,842 99,148 9.8

 Nondurable goods industries................... 183,473 185,165 181,845 -0.9 1.8 1.0 188,615 192,479 177,539 174,613 1,621,591 1,492,033 8.7

 Food products....................................... 44,492 44,590 44,535 -0.2 0.1 -0.8 45,746 45,438 42,567 44,704 397,192 376,067 5.6

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 3,133 3,100 3,072 1.1 0.9 0.3 3,152 3,196 2,942 3,378 27,199 32,034 -15.1

 Dairy products.................................. 6,711 6,833 6,842 -1.8 -0.1 2.1 6,863 6,908 6,575 6,549 60,560 58,904 2.8

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 14,832 15,010 15,065 -1.2 -0.4 -2.9 14,852 15,496 14,922 14,954 136,192 116,469 16.9

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 9,223 9,827 9,251 -6.1 6.2 -2.2 9,347 10,353 9,496 9,307 82,993 82,559 0.5

 Beverages......................................... 5,978 5,960 6,020 0.3 -1.0 1.7 6,102 6,486 6,265 6,016 52,953 52,986 -0.1

 Tobacco............................................ 3,245 3,867 3,231 -16.1 19.7 -8.8 3,245 3,867 3,231 3,291 30,040 29,573 1.6

 Textile mills........................................... 3,217 3,299 3,322 -2.5 -0.7 -3.5 3,413 3,441 3,112 3,902 30,791 32,970 -6.6

 Textile products................................... 2,945 2,871 2,829 2.6 1.5 0.4 3,077 3,037 2,865 2,806 25,800 25,172 2.5

 Apparel................................................ 3,372 3,385 3,418 -0.4 -1.0 -2.8 3,604 3,677 3,465 3,722 30,486 30,768 -0.9

 Leather and allied products..................... 474 469 455 1.1 3.1 -3.2 483 519 431 491 4,248 4,272 -0.6

 Paper products...................................... 13,068 13,351 13,534 -2.1 -1.4 -4.6 13,297 13,881 13,296 13,758 124,817 119,863 4.1

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 5,761 5,847 5,860 -1.5 -0.2 0.1 5,764 6,104 5,815 5,903 53,331 52,305 2.0

 Paperboard containers........................ 3,686 3,692 3,736 -0.2 -1.2 -3.2 3,751 3,947 3,650 3,942 34,391 33,955 1.3

 Printing................................................. 7,314 7,329 7,338 -0.2 -0.1 -1.5 7,729 7,468 6,864 8,116 65,980 67,780 -2.7

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 37,042 35,814 34,084 3.4 5.1 6.2 38,702 39,126 35,278 27,072 294,058 222,765 32.0

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 34,394 33,258 31,624 3.4 5.2 7.1 35,592 36,101 32,499 24,263 270,672 201,840 34.1

 Chemical products.................................. 44,947 47,076 46,248 -4.5 1.8 3.3 45,437 47,499 44,011 44,242 411,196 386,333 6.4

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 2,572 2,525 2,247 1.9 12.4 21.7 1,859 2,013 1,781 1,320 19,718 16,569 19.0

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 10,683 12,197 11,389 -12.4 7.1 4.7 11,183 12,154 10,567 12,046 101,849 108,054 -5.7

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,592 2,541 2,562 2.0 -0.8 -2.9 2,642 2,712 2,614 2,550 23,624 23,009 2.7

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 17,379 17,154 16,831 1.3 1.9 -0.3 17,780 18,040 16,154 16,493 154,030 143,484 7.3

p Preliminary r

 Revised NA Not available.

1

 Shipments are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations.

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

Year to date
 3

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. 2005/

2005p 2005r 2005 Sept. Aug. July 2005p 2005r 2005 2004 2005p 2004 2004

All manufacturing industries 2................... 389,954 396,767 385,553 -1.7 2.9 -2.5 406,842 405,114 351,601 380,391 3,455,167 3,212,979 7.5

 Excluding transportation 2

................... 330,985 334,364 323,855 -1.0 3.2 -1.1 344,332 341,409 308,103 321,018 2,920,165 2,691,611 8.5

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 381,823 388,543 377,014 -1.7 3.1 -2.2 399,049 399,259 346,061 371,126 3,386,405 3,132,130 8.1

 With unfilled orders 2.......................... 145,996 152,384 144,922 -4.2 5.1 -7.2 152,356 150,750 126,083 143,050 1,303,315 1,201,770 8.4

 Durable goods industries 2..................... 206,481 211,602 203,708 -2.4 3.9 -5.4 218,227 212,635 174,062 205,778 1,833,576 1,720,946 6.5

 Primary metals............................ ............ 16,740 16,637 14,932 0.6 11.4 0.4 16,817 16,874 13,693 15,011 142,077 132,873 6.9

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 7,292 7,681 6,365 -5.1 20.7 1.1 7,258 7,865 5,911 7,070 63,063 62,105 1.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,714 7,397 6,878 4.3 7.5 -0.9 7,785 7,399 6,284 6,334 63,890 57,097 11.9

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,734 1,559 1,689 11.2 -7.7 3.5 1,774 1,610 1,498 1,607 15,124 13,671 10.6

 Fabricated metal products...................... 24,665 24,934 23,501 -1.1 6.1 -4.3 25,287 25,934 22,205 23,522 220,647 209,066 5.5

 Machinery............................................. 27,252 27,179 26,162 0.3 3.9 -7.2 27,611 26,475 23,837 25,903 241,334 219,505 9.9

 Construction machinery....................... 2,834 3,396 2,745 -16.5 23.7 -17.7 2,414 3,238 2,182 2,341 26,152 21,277 22.9

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 1,154 1,114 1,063 3.6 4.8 -0.7 1,214 1,064 967 876 9,486 6,977 36.0

 Industrial machinery............................ 2,554 2,127 2,369 20.1 -10.2 0.7 2,559 1,577 2,633 3,314 21,185 25,792 -17.9

 Photographic equipment...................... 906 683 641 32.7 6.6 -11.3 938 661 646 674 6,097 5,906 3.2

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,297 3,603 2,900 -8.5 24.2 -2.6 3,479 3,661 2,811 2,968 27,756 25,911 7.1

 Metalworking machinery....................... 3,017 3,101 3,080 -2.7 0.7 -0.9 3,526 3,077 2,810 2,877 27,517 21,853 25.9

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 3,804 3,432 3,668 10.8 -6.4 -25.1 3,377 3,806 3,114 3,271 33,340 30,157 10.6

 Material handling equipment............... 1,968 1,966 1,598 0.1 23.0 -15.4 2,379 1,758 1,170 1,950 17,219 13,357 28.9

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 30,721 31,963 29,994 -3.9 6.6 -6.5 34,943 29,154 25,434 34,315 269,137 240,922 11.7

 Computers........................................ 6,180 6,788 5,863 -9.0 15.8 -8.9 6,753 6,406 5,962 6,058 54,378 38,637 40.7

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 5,376 5,697 5,624 -5.6 1.3 -2.7 6,226 4,545 4,476 5,555 47,698 42,514 12.2

 Defense communications equipment... 529 619 591 -14.5 4.7 -32.0 672 355 474 2,199 4,735 5,246 -9.7

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components....................... 5,163 5,208 4,716 -0.9 10.4 -2.4 5,354 5,502 4,047 4,362 43,859 38,098 15.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 1,084 1,106 1,025 -2.0 7.9 10.8 1,167 1,048 913 1,167 8,969 8,096 10.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,811 2,997 2,827 -6.2 6.0 -16.6 2,962 2,446 1,990 2,991 24,048 22,732 5.8

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 6,288 6,261 6,195 0.4 1.1 -4.4 7,581 5,846 5,127 7,714 55,898 56,509 -1.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,108 10,377 9,644 -2.6 7.6 -1.2 11,023 10,549 9,076 10,036 87,424 81,390 7.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,092 965 986 13.2 -2.1 -17.1 1,160 949 834 1,209 9,353 9,460 -1.1

 Household appliances.......................... 2,126 2,384 2,233 -10.8 6.8 4.8 2,335 2,573 2,096 2,231 19,326 18,283 5.7

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,402 3,459 3,281 -1.6 5.4 5.3 3,760 3,452 3,136 3,138 28,984 25,148 15.3

 Transportation equipment........................ 58,969 62,403 61,698 -5.5 1.1 -9.1 62,510 63,705 43,498 59,373 535,002 521,368 2.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 20,385 19,984 19,435 2.0 2.8 2.8 21,101 21,361 14,549 20,241 175,050 178,877 -2.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 7,278 12,514 11,878 -41.8 5.4 -21.4 7,397 12,475 9,774 6,454 88,873 57,367 54.9

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 2,888 2,993 2,643 -3.5 13.2 -4.6 2,805 2,039 1,733 2,127 23,325 27,198 -14.2

 Ships and boats................................. 1,842 1,710 2,105 7.7 -18.8 10.8 1,765 1,548 1,349 1,397 16,290 16,083 1.3

 Furniture and related products................. 7,516 7,810 7,262 -3.8 7.5 -2.0 7,682 8,116 7,143 6,987 66,844 61,452 8.8

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 183,473 185,165 181,845 -0.9 1.8 1.0 188,615 192,479 177,539 174,613 1,621,591 1,492,033 8.7

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

 New orders are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations.

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. Further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations are contained in our most recent annual benchmark publication,

Current Industrial Reports: M3-3(04), "Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: 1992-2004."

Year to date
 4 

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. Sept.

2005p 2005r 2005 Sept. Aug. July 2005p 2005r 2005 2004 05/04

All manufacturing industries 1................... 594,131 589,978 580,753 0.7 1.6 1.0 584,956 584,909 579,467 530,214 10.3

 Excluding transportation 1................... 299,804 296,330 290,672 1.2 1.9 0.4 295,150 293,833 291,010 271,164 8.8

 Excluding defense 1............................. 449,921 444,422 433,920 1.2 2.4 1.5 444,722 442,148 433,406 380,747 16.8

 Durable goods industries 1..................... 594,131 589,978 580,753 0.7 1.6 1.0 584,956 584,909 579,467 530,214 10.3

 Primary metals........................................ 21,058 20,118 18,951 4.7 6.2 -0.1 20,723 20,080 19,198 21,629 -4.2

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 11,076 10,659 9,641 3.9 10.6 -0.2 11,017 10,769 9,787 12,954 -15.0

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,071 6,589 6,337 7.3 4.0 -0.6 6,881 6,502 6,458 5,952 15.6

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,911 2,870 2,973 1.4 -3.5 1.3 2,825 2,809 2,953 2,723 3.7

 Fabricated metal products...................... 46,849 46,299 45,353 1.2 2.1 0.1 46,541 46,572 46,138 41,296 12.7

 Machinery............................................. 82,188 81,603 80,805 0.7 1.0 0.5 80,096 80,305 79,915 72,962 9.8

 Construction machinery....................... 7,123 7,257 6,754 -1.8 7.4 1.2 6,421 6,864 6,415 3,960 62.1

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 2,505 2,315 2,178 8.2 6.3 5.9 2,467 2,259 2,159 1,404 75.7

 Industrial machinery............................ 8,834 8,659 8,805 2.0 -1.7 -0.1 8,611 8,561 8,919 9,088 -5.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,196 979 965 22.2 1.5 -1.1 1,188 984 976 796 49.2

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 6,010 5,811 5,216 3.4 11.4 -0.4 5,931 5,862 5,337 4,623 28.3

 Metalworking machinery....................... 7,881 7,779 7,722 1.3 0.7 1.7 7,594 7,647 7,782 5,990 26.8

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 30,959 31,008 31,374 -0.2 -1.2 0.3 30,335 30,856 30,940 31,751 -4.5

 Material handling equipment............... 6,834 6,847 6,824 -0.2 0.3 -3.4 6,810 6,483 6,651 5,475 24.4

 Computers and electronic products 1...... 117,384 116,395 114,716 0.8 1.5 0.6 115,558 114,799 114,468 106,327 8.7

 Computers......................................... 6,243 6,001 5,658 4.0 6.1 -6.2 6,243 6,001 5,658 6,230 0.2

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 31,364 31,470 31,193 -0.3 0.9 1.1 30,753 30,741 31,271 29,545 4.1

 Defense communications equipment... 7,338 7,224 7,054 1.6 2.4 2.8 7,115 6,886 6,987 3,755 89.5

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 12,915 12,922 12,777 -0.1 1.1 -0.6 12,997 13,107 12,685 13,618 -4.6

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 4,335 4,149 4,045 4.5 2.6 2.4 4,262 4,117 4,071 3,710 14.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 34,867 34,712 34,431 0.4 0.8 0.3 34,137 33,969 34,127 32,583 4.8

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 20,322 19,917 19,558 2.0 1.8 1.7 20,051 19,978 19,669 16,886 18.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 17,947 17,520 16,939 2.4 3.4 0.6 17,813 17,594 17,096 15,767 13.0

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,930 1,866 1,927 3.4 -3.2 -1.9 1,917 1,901 1,991 1,712 12.0

 Household appliances.......................... 850 905 709 -6.1 27.6 7.8 852 916 669 777 9.7

 Electrical equipment............................ 10,798 10,530 10,232 2.5 2.9 2.4 10,723 10,545 10,302 9,164 17.0

 Transportation equipment........................ 294,327 293,648 290,081 0.2 1.2 1.7 289,806 291,076 288,457 259,050 11.9

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 16,420 15,736 15,679 4.3 0.4 2.2 15,980 15,654 15,737 15,632 2.2

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 155,790 153,964 148,452 1.2 3.7 3.7 154,716 153,171 147,175 115,397 34.1

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 47,066 47,957 48,788 -1.9 -1.7 -1.4 46,016 47,481 49,098 56,796 -19.0

 Ships and boats................................. 15,496 15,816 16,187 -2.0 -2.3 -0.8 14,626 15,102 15,658 16,293 -10.2

 Furniture and related products................. 7,814 7,707 7,163 1.4 7.6 -2.6 7,855 7,795 7,450 7,151 9.8

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

 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 Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. Sept.

2005p 2005r 2005 Sept. Aug. July 2005p 2005r 2005 2004 05/04

 All manufacturing industries .................. 462,747 463,115 464,221 -0.1 -0.2 0.6 462,826 466,715 467,004 441,048 4.9

 Excluding transportation ...................... 396,885 397,392 397,956 -0.1 -0.1 0.5 396,683 400,165 399,902 377,754 5.0

 Excluding defense ............................. 443,586 444,255 445,084 -0.2 -0.2 0.6 443,563 447,682 447,706 422,649 4.9

 With unfilled orders ............................. 218,610 218,034 219,143 0.3 -0.5 0.9 217,762 219,966 220,882 206,713 5.3

 Durable goods industries ........................ 281,836 282,007 282,815 -0.1 -0.3 0.8 280,810 284,780 284,968 267,162 5.1

 Wood products................................. ...... 10,550 10,603 10,619 -0.5 -0.2 -0.4 10,480 10,438 10,416 10,118 3.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 10,315 10,351 10,388 -0.3 -0.4 1.2 10,119 10,358 10,498 9,556 5.9

 Primary metals............................ ............ 23,951 24,160 24,387 -0.9 -0.9 -0.9 23,736 24,139 24,455 21,069 12.7

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 13,509 13,813 14,143 -2.2 -2.3 -1.7 13,500 13,870 14,212 11,918 13.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 8,404 8,323 8,204 1.0 1.5 0.4 8,287 8,291 8,204 7,452 11.2

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,038 2,024 2,040 0.7 -0.8 -0.1 1,949 1,978 2,039 1,699 14.7

 Fabricated metal products...................... 36,543 36,736 37,040 -0.5 -0.8 -0.4 36,217 36,856 37,324 34,600 4.7

 Machinery............................................. 47,668 47,560 47,334 0.2 0.5 1.7 47,338 47,923 47,358 43,207 9.6

 Farm machinery................................. 2,461 2,442 2,497 0.8 -2.2 -0.8 2,318 2,329 2,434 2,096 10.6

 Construction machinery........................ 4,087 4,020 3,958 1.7 1.6 -0.3 4,009 3,951 3,908 3,526 13.7

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................. 2,728 2,693 2,717 1.3 -0.9 4.7 2,704 2,748 2,755 2,238 20.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 6,439 6,540 6,606 -1.5 -1.0 1.1 6,353 6,635 6,592 6,259 1.5

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,437 1,388 1,366 3.5 1.6 -0.2 1,482 1,382 1,381 1,287 15.2

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,018 4,044 4,027 -0.6 0.4 0.6 3,970 4,079 4,031 3,821 3.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,540 4,525 4,523 0.3 0.0 3.8 4,599 4,690 4,608 4,296 7.1

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 6,029 5,958 5,825 1.2 2.3 5.0 6,034 6,102 5,873 5,094 18.5

 Material handling equipment............... 2,760 2,723 2,779 1.4 -2.0 2.9 2,741 2,721 2,736 2,256 21.5

 Computers and electronic products ......... 44,811 44,781 44,840 0.1 -0.1 1.7 44,734 45,956 45,483 44,767 -0.1

 Computers......................................... 2,074 1,986 1,903 4.4 4.4 -3.9 2,177 2,110 1,881 2,134 2.0

 Computer storage devices................... 1,551 1,565 1,543 -0.9 1.4 5.0 1,447 1,694 1,590 1,183 22.3

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,848 1,859 1,844 -0.6 0.8 0.8 1,805 1,964 1,882 1,823 -1.0

 Nondefense communications

 equipment..................................... 8,687 8,963 8,946 -3.1 0.2 1.3 8,629 9,165 9,017 9,444 -8.6

 Defense communications equipment... 1,017 988 1,005 2.9 -1.7 4.0 1,017 988 1,005 1,159 -12.3

 Audio and video equipment.................. 1,143 1,125 1,095 1.6 2.7 -2.3 1,248 1,194 1,132 1,175 6.2

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 6,711 6,459 6,657 3.9 -3.0 3.0 6,726 6,498 6,805 6,384 5.4

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,701 2,682 2,675 0.7 0.3 8.1 2,692 2,706 2,709 2,520 6.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,466 2,525 2,558 -2.3 -1.3 0.0 2,452 2,588 2,602 2,879 -14.8

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 9,743 9,696 9,706 0.5 -0.1 1.0 9,620 9,872 9,754 9,377 2.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 12,812 12,680 12,684 1.0 0.0 0.0 12,520 12,666 12,731 12,097 3.5

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,512 1,516 1,509 -0.3 0.5 -0.7 1,489 1,561 1,554 1,488 0.1

 Household appliances.......................... 2,256 2,232 2,195 1.1 1.7 1.0 2,159 2,192 2,219 2,017 7.0

 Electrical equipment............................ 4,409 4,275 4,283 3.1 -0.2 -0.4 4,277 4,243 4,241 3,973 7.7

 Batteries............................................ 619 613 609 1.0 0.7 0.2 657 649 628 672 -2.2

 Transportation equipment...................... 65,862 65,723 66,265 0.2 -0.8 1.2 66,143 66,550 67,102 63,294 4.5

 Automobiles....................................... 1,920 2,314 2,203 -17.0 5.0 -1.9 2,007 2,436 2,329 2,346 -14.5

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 3,198 3,180 3,030 0.6 5.0 0.2 3,320 3,362 3,115 2,888 15.0

 Heavy duty trucks .............................. 1,271 1,290 1,306 -1.5 -1.2 -1.0 1,300 1,319 1,299 1,186 9.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 17,629 17,696 17,811 -0.4 -0.6 -0.7 17,571 17,613 17,987 17,411 0.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 22,229 21,843 22,329 1.8 -2.2 3.2 22,272 22,215 22,591 21,655 2.8

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 11,529 11,299 11,571 2.0 -2.4 1.9 11,601 11,390 11,680 10,450 11.0

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,771 2,723 2,611 1.8 4.3 -0.9 2,767 2,696 2,604 2,590 6.8

 Furniture and related products................. 8,784 8,708 8,686 0.9 0.3 -0.3 8,813 8,817 8,903 8,491 3.8

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 20,540 20,705 20,572 -0.8 0.6 1.4 20,710 21,077 20,698 19,963 3.7

 Nondurable goods industries................... 180,911 181,108 181,406 -0.1 -0.2 0.2 182,016 181,935 182,036 173,886 4.7

 Food products........................................ 32,745 32,733 32,736 0.0 0.0 -0.4 33,284 32,839 32,150 32,597 2.1

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 3,360 3,298 3,263 1.9 1.1 3.3 3,266 3,023 3,038 3,074 6.2

 Dairy products.................................... 4,127 4,112 4,128 0.4 -0.4 1.1 4,105 4,176 4,297 4,062 1.1

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 6,109 6,121 6,098 -0.2 0.4 -3.3 6,187 6,099 6,053 6,232 -0.7

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 14,667 14,815 14,892 -1.0 -0.5 1.5 14,993 14,480 14,329 15,239 -1.6

 Beverages......................................... 10,009 10,104 10,120 -0.9 -0.2 2.4 10,263 9,894 9,852 10,289 -0.3

 Tobacco............................................ 4,658 4,711 4,772 -1.1 -1.3 -0.5 4,730 4,586 4,477 4,950 -4.4

 Textile mills........................................... 4,224 4,214 4,142 0.2 1.7 -1.6 4,182 4,243 4,213 4,497 -7.0

 Textile products...................................... 3,646 3,680 3,670 -0.9 0.3 -0.6 3,653 3,713 3,698 3,659 -0.2

 Apparel................................................. 6,237 6,196 6,123 0.7 1.2 0.1 6,438 6,382 6,380 5,944 8.3

 Leather and allied products..................... 888 871 868 2.0 0.3 0.1 894 881 889 804 11.2

 Paper products....................................... 14,143 14,254 14,432 -0.8 -1.2 0.0 14,081 14,222 14,410 13,738 2.5

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,157 6,208 6,345 -0.8 -2.2 0.9 6,090 6,185 6,320 5,860 3.9

 Paperboard containers........................ 3,947 4,011 4,071 -1.6 -1.5 -0.2 3,968 4,004 4,066 3,949 0.5

 Printing.................................................. 6,597 6,566 6,640 0.5 -1.1 -0.2 6,960 6,936 6,942 6,930 0.4

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 24,454 24,361 24,138 0.4 0.9 5.5 25,215 24,919 24,988 20,343 23.9

 Petroleum refineries............................. 22,044 21,979 21,737 0.3 1.1 5.7 22,840 22,457 22,457 18,265 25.0

 Chemical products.................................. 53,987 53,746 54,214 0.4 -0.9 -1.4 53,439 54,029 54,628 52,360 2.1

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,509 2,465 2,473 1.8 -0.3 0.4 2,220 2,112 2,191 1,962 13.1

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 18,020 18,004 18,120 0.1 -0.6 -1.9 18,064 18,536 18,470 19,721 -8.4

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 2,834 2,864 2,881 -1.0 -0.6 0.3 2,766 2,873 2,926 2,619 5.6

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 19,323 19,672 19,551 -1.8 0.6 -0.3 18,877 19,291 19,409 17,775 6.2

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1 Inventories for semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products and total durable goods industries, 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 Series 1

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted2

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date Percent

Industry Change6

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. 2005/

2005p 2005r 2005 Sept. Aug. July 2005p 2005r 2005 2004 2005p 2004 2004

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 393,028 395,009 386,858 -0.5 2.1 0.1 414,703 407,157 355,183 388,674 3,477,116 3,244,117 7.2

 Construction materials and supplies...... 42,189 41,470 40,829 1.7 1.6 -1.7 45,086 44,979 40,259 42,738 375,472 355,199 5.7

 Information technology......................... 28,009 28,720 27,944 -2.5 2.8 -1.4 32,436 27,294 24,715 30,216 248,941 226,652 9.8

 Computers and related products .......... 7,921 8,417 8,095 -5.9 4.0 0.0 9,354 7,781 7,661 8,335 72,636 56,603 28.3

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 43,433 42,502 41,366 2.2 2.7 0.3 47,364 45,462 27,353 45,138 374,547 384,228 -2.5

 Capital goods...................................... 72,605 74,368 71,659 -2.4 3.8 -1.8 79,594 72,620 64,831 74,710 647,575 591,733 9.4

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 64,545 66,437 64,085 -2.8 3.7 -1.2 70,950 64,870 57,780 66,360 577,684 520,374 11.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 61,524 61,924 60,550 -0.6 2.3 -1.0 67,896 60,795 55,227 63,071 547,495 495,176 10.6

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,060 7,931 7,574 1.6 4.7 -6.3 8,644 7,750 7,051 8,350 69,891 71,359 -2.1

 Consumer goods.................................. 155,684 155,943 152,760 -0.2 2.1 0.7 162,953 162,431 140,124 148,646 1,355,757 1,261,728 7.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 39,803 38,742 38,592 2.7 0.4 -0.7 43,417 40,213 27,726 40,653 343,765 339,487 1.3

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 115,881 117,201 114,168 -1.1 2.7 1.2 119,536 122,218 112,398 107,993 1,011,992 922,241 9.7

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 389,954 396,767 385,553 -1.7 2.9 -2.5 406,842 405,114 351,601 380,391 3,455,167 3,212,979 7.5

 Construction materials and supplies...... 42,911 42,626 40,770 0.7 4.6 -2.8 45,276 45,637 40,183 41,591 379,404 359,306 5.6

 Information technology......................... 29,372 30,416 28,481 -3.4 6.8 -7.2 33,598 27,309 24,570 33,396 256,207 232,521 10.2

 Computers and related products .......... 8,163 8,760 7,718 -6.8 13.5 -8.7 9,596 8,124 7,284 8,892 72,462 56,551 28.1

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 44,117 42,559 41,708 3.7 2.0 1.1 47,690 45,379 28,124 45,120 375,257 385,544 -2.7

 Capital goods...................................... 74,361 80,621 78,044 -7.8 3.3 -8.6 79,103 75,976 67,374 76,124 681,613 608,446 12.0

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 67,505 73,722 70,886 -8.4 4.0 -7.6 72,715 71,078 62,793 67,856 623,291 536,600 16.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 63,087 64,054 61,679 -1.5 3.9 -3.9 68,236 61,335 55,601 64,793 559,538 505,079 10.8

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 6,856 6,899 7,158 -0.6 -3.6 -17.8 6,388 4,898 4,581 8,268 58,322 71,846 -18.8

 Consumer goods.................................. 155,507 156,445 152,792 -0.6 2.4 0.9 162,623 162,839 140,388 148,821 1,355,374 1,262,574 7.4

 Consumer durable goods..................... 39,626 39,244 38,624 1.0 1.6 0.0 43,087 40,621 27,990 40,828 343,382 340,333 0.9

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 115,881 117,201 114,168 -1.1 2.7 1.2 119,536 122,218 112,398 107,993 1,011,992 922,241 9.7

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 594,131 589,978 580,753 0.7 1.6 1.0 584,956 584,909 579,467 530,214 (X) (X) 10.3

 Construction materials and supplies...... 38,267 37,545 36,389 1.9 3.2 -0.2 38,032 37,842 37,184 33,707 (X) (X) 12.8

 Information technology......................... 110,034 108,671 106,975 1.3 1.6 0.5 108,070 106,908 106,893 97,619 (X) (X) 10.7

 Computers and related products .......... 6,243 6,001 5,658 4.0 6.1 -6.2 6,243 6,001 5,658 6,230 (X) (X) 0.2

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 16,420 15,736 15,679 4.3 0.4 2.2 15,980 15,654 15,737 15,632 (X) (X) 2.2

 Capital goods...................................... 440,237 438,481 432,228 0.4 1.4 1.5 432,482 432,973 429,617 384,241 (X) (X) 12.6

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................307,615 304,655 297,370 1.0 2.4 2.3 303,571 301,806 295,598 248,856 (X) (X) 22.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 172,127 170,564 168,434 0.9 1.3 0.7 168,994 168,654 168,114 155,061 (X) (X) 9.0

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 132,622 133,826 134,858 -0.9 -0.8 -0.3 128,911 131,167 134,019 135,385 (X) (X) -4.8

 Consumer goods.................................. 13,791 13,968 13,466 -1.3 3.7 0.2 13,674 14,004 13,596 13,289 (X) (X) 2.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 13,791 13,968 13,466 -1.3 3.7 0.2 13,674 14,004 13,596 13,289 (X) (X) 2.9 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 462,747 463,115 464,221 -0.1 -0.2 0.6 462,826 466,715 467,004 441,048 (X) (X) 4.9

 Construction materials and supplies...... 53,210 53,589 53,829 -0.7 -0.4 0.1 52,587 53,739 54,153 50,152 (X) (X) 4.9

 Information technology......................... 37,043 37,193 37,095 -0.4 0.3 1.2 36,881 38,069 37,415 37,336 (X) (X) -1.2

 Computers and related products .......... 5,473 5,410 5,290 1.2 2.3 0.2 5,429 5,768 5,353 5,140 (X) (X) 5.6

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 24,018 24,480 24,350 -1.9 0.5 -0.7 24,198 24,730 24,730 23,831 (X) (X) 1.5

 Capital goods...................................... 128,044 127,137 126,830 0.7 0.2 1.8 127,486 128,895 127,590 120,740 (X) (X) 5.6

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................112,700 112,078 111,569 0.6 0.5 1.7 112,112 113,754 112,277 105,606 (X) (X) 6.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 94,527 94,322 93,937 0.2 0.4 1.5 93,857 95,685 94,440 88,267 (X) (X) 6.3

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 15,344 15,059 15,261 1.9 -1.3 2.0 15,374 15,141 15,313 15,134 (X) (X) 1.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 140,071 140,716 140,338 -0.5 0.3 0.7 142,248 142,354 140,980 137,372 (X) (X) 3.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 30,802 31,361 30,983 -1.8 1.2 0.3 31,135 31,991 31,394 30,594 (X) (X) 1.8

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 109,269 109,355 109,355 -0.1 0.0 0.8 111,113 110,363 109,586 106,778 (X) (X) 4.1

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable.

1

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories.

2

 Shipments and new orders are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations.

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 Group

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July- June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. Sept.

2005p 2005r 2005 Sept. Aug. July 2005p 2005r 2005 2004 05/04

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 157,233 157,319 156,995 -0.1 0.2 -0.2 157,094 157,317 157,716 150,165 4.6

 Durable goods industries........................ 95,589 95,405 95,506 0.2 -0.1 -0.4 95,657 95,850 96,203 91,140 5.0

 Wood products................................... 4,257 4,207 4,194 1.2 0.3 -0.3 4,411 4,164 4,050 4,040 9.2

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 3,636 3,674 3,641 -1.0 0.9 -1.3 3,659 3,709 3,671 3,599 1.7

 Primary metals.................................... 9,256 9,306 9,307 -0.5 0.0 -1.5 9,339 9,360 9,360 8,218 13.6

 Fabricated metal products.................. 13,390 13,549 13,858 -1.2 -2.2 -0.7 13,384 13,650 13,943 12,686 5.5

 Machinery.......................................... 16,612 16,479 16,470 0.8 0.1 0.0 16,504 16,589 16,612 14,991 10.1

 Computers and electronic products ...... 15,594 15,355 15,029 1.6 2.2 -0.2 15,541 15,449 15,068 15,579 -0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,194 5,083 5,090 2.2 -0.1 -0.2 5,098 5,049 5,066 4,730 7.8

 Transportation equipment.................. 16,560 16,642 16,750 -0.5 -0.6 -0.6 16,589 16,661 17,119 16,438 0.9

 Furniture and related products............ 3,860 3,835 3,915 0.7 -2.0 0.3 3,867 3,852 3,975 3,933 -1.7

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,230 7,275 7,252 -0.6 0.3 0.6 7,265 7,367 7,339 6,926 4.9

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 61,644 61,914 61,489 -0.4 0.7 0.0 61,437 61,467 61,513 59,025 4.1

 Food products................................... 10,661 10,624 10,643 0.3 -0.2 1.4 10,411 10,279 10,424 10,211 2.0

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,989 5,014 4,994 -0.5 0.4 0.7 4,979 4,844 4,777 5,253 -5.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,331 1,324 1,285 0.5 3.0 -2.1 1,321 1,323 1,298 1,314 0.5

 Textile products.................................. 1,391 1,400 1,405 -0.6 -0.4 -1.0 1,410 1,418 1,432 1,344 4.9

 Apparel............................................. 1,343 1,335 1,344 0.6 -0.7 1.4 1,344 1,325 1,351 1,369 -1.8

 Leather and allied products................... 262 252 248 4.0 1.6 3.3 263 256 256 258 1.9

 Paper products................................... 6,163 6,223 6,270 -1.0 -0.7 -0.4 6,208 6,184 6,242 6,290 -1.3

 Printing ............................................ 2,890 2,925 2,974 -1.2 -1.6 -2.5 3,017 2,981 3,058 3,084 -2.2

 Petroleum and coal products............... 7,763 7,927 7,394 -2.1 7.2 6.7 7,869 8,063 7,634 6,232 26.3

 Chemical products............................. 17,292 17,423 17,510 -0.8 -0.5 -2.2 17,135 17,372 17,581 16,828 1.8

 Plastics and rubber products............... 7,559 7,467 7,422 1.2 0.6 -1.7 7,480 7,422 7,460 6,842 9.3

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 127,151 126,584 127,396 0.4 -0.6 1.1 127,862 128,065 128,303 123,013 3.9

 Durable goods industries ........................ 99,048 98,740 99,581 0.3 -0.8 1.7 99,300 100,059 100,360 94,464 5.1

 Wood products................................... 1,801 1,871 1,876 -3.7 -0.3 -1.2 1,803 1,870 1,870 1,931 -6.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,180 1,166 1,168 1.2 -0.2 -0.1 1,151 1,170 1,188 1,150 0.1

 Primary metals.................................... 7,421 7,458 7,544 -0.5 -1.1 -1.6 7,344 7,466 7,591 6,669 10.1

 Fabricated metal products.................. 10,697 10,532 10,439 1.6 0.9 0.5 10,683 10,591 10,521 9,652 10.7

 Machinery.......................................... 14,230 14,386 14,353 -1.1 0.2 2.0 14,289 14,773 14,472 13,608 5.0

 Computers and electronic products ...... 19,214 19,435 19,776 -1.1 -1.7 3.4 19,331 20,109 20,199 19,583 -1.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 2,687 2,675 2,673 0.4 0.1 1.0 2,620 2,692 2,691 2,584 1.4

 Transportation equipment.................. 37,044 36,332 36,952 2.0 -1.7 2.3 37,293 36,457 36,974 34,814 7.1

 Furniture and related products............ 1,536 1,540 1,521 -0.3 1.2 -2.0 1,539 1,547 1,544 1,445 6.5

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,238 3,345 3,279 -3.2 2.0 -0.7 3,247 3,384 3,310 3,028 7.2

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 28,103 27,844 27,815 0.9 0.1 -0.9 28,562 28,006 27,943 28,549 0.0

 Food products................................... 2,688 2,748 2,621 -2.2 4.8 -6.2 2,671 2,547 2,416 2,649 0.8

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,006 4,068 4,209 -1.5 -3.3 1.0 4,219 3,794 3,850 4,284 -1.5

 Textiles.............................................. 1,163 1,174 1,148 -0.9 2.3 0.3 1,166 1,181 1,162 1,243 -6.2

 Textile products.................................. 553 553 561 0.0 -1.4 -0.5 555 560 570 569 -2.5

 Apparel............................................. 1,064 1,043 1,016 2.0 2.7 2.6 1,073 1,062 1,040 1,071 0.2

 Leather and allied products................... 116 122 121 -4.9 0.8 -4.0 114 122 120 115 -0.9

 Paper products................................... 1,398 1,386 1,374 0.9 0.9 0.2 1,400 1,411 1,393 1,328 5.4

 Printing ............................................ 1,829 1,769 1,815 3.4 -2.5 2.1 1,968 1,963 1,996 1,929 2.0

 Petroleum and coal products............... 2,976 2,865 2,746 3.9 4.3 3.7 3,048 2,930 2,924 2,958 3.0

 Chemical products............................. 10,193 9,982 10,068 2.1 -0.9 -2.7 10,278 10,335 10,355 10,382 -1.0

 Plastics and rubber products............... 2,117 2,134 2,136 -0.8 -0.1 -0.3 2,070 2,101 2,117 2,021 2.4

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 178,363 179,212 179,830 -0.5 -0.3 1.0 177,870 181,333 180,985 167,870 6.0

 Durable goods industries ........................ 87,199 87,862 87,728 -0.8 0.2 1.2 85,853 88,871 88,405 81,558 5.3

 Wood products................................... 4,492 4,525 4,549 -0.7 -0.5 -0.1 4,266 4,404 4,496 4,147 2.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,499 5,511 5,579 -0.2 -1.2 3.2 5,309 5,479 5,639 4,807 10.4

 Primary metals.................................... 7,274 7,396 7,536 -1.6 -1.9 0.7 7,053 7,313 7,504 6,182 14.1

 Fabricated metal products.................. 12,456 12,655 12,743 -1.6 -0.7 -0.9 12,150 12,615 12,860 12,262 -0.9

 Machinery.......................................... 16,826 16,695 16,511 0.8 1.1 3.2 16,545 16,561 16,274 14,608 13.3

 Computers and electronic products ...... 10,003 9,991 10,035 0.1 -0.4 1.2 9,862 10,398 10,216 9,605 2.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 4,931 4,922 4,921 0.2 0.0 -0.3 4,802 4,925 4,974 4,783 0.4

 Transportation equipment.................. 12,258 12,749 12,563 -3.9 1.5 0.6 12,261 13,432 13,009 12,042 1.8

 Furniture and related products............ 3,388 3,333 3,250 1.7 2.6 -0.3 3,407 3,418 3,384 3,113 9.4

 Miscellaneous products........................ 10,072 10,085 10,041 -0.1 0.4 2.7 10,198 10,326 10,049 10,009 1.9

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 91,164 91,350 92,102 -0.2 -0.8 0.7 92,017 92,462 92,580 86,312 6.6

 Food products................................... 19,396 19,361 19,472 0.2 -0.6 -0.5 20,202 20,013 19,310 19,737 2.4

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 5,672 5,733 5,689 -1.1 0.8 2.5 5,795 5,842 5,702 5,702 1.6

 Textiles.............................................. 1,730 1,716 1,709 0.8 0.4 -2.6 1,695 1,739 1,753 1,940 -12.6

 Textile products.................................. 1,702 1,727 1,704 -1.4 1.3 -0.4 1,688 1,735 1,696 1,746 -3.3

 Apparel............................................. 3,830 3,818 3,763 0.3 1.5 -1.1 4,021 3,995 3,989 3,504 14.8

 Leather and allied products................... 510 497 499 2.6 -0.4 -0.4 517 503 513 431 20.0

 Paper products................................... 6,582 6,645 6,788 -0.9 -2.1 0.3 6,473 6,627 6,775 6,120 5.8

 Printing ............................................ 1,878 1,872 1,851 0.3 1.1 1.3 1,975 1,992 1,888 1,917 3.0

 Petroleum and coal products............... 13,715 13,569 13,998 1.1 -3.1 5.3 14,298 13,926 14,430 11,153 28.2

 Chemical products............................. 26,502 26,341 26,636 0.6 -1.1 -0.4 26,026 26,322 26,692 25,150 3.5

 Plastics and rubber products............... 9,647 10,071 9,993 -4.2 0.8 0.7 9,327 9,768 9,832 8,912 4.7

p

 Preliminary r Revised

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 Group

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Sep Aug Jul Jun Sep Aug Jul Jun

2005p 2005r 2005 2005 2005p 2005r 2005 2005

 All manufacturing industries2

...... 1.18 1.17 1.20 1.19 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

................... 1.34 1.34 1.38 1.36 4.19 4.12 4.18 4.09

 Wood products................................ 1.17 1.20 1.19 1.18 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products........... 1.12 1.14 1.16 1.14 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals................................. 1.52 1.56 1.63 1.62 1.33 1.30 1.27 1.25

 Fabricated metal products............... 1.52 1.53 1.58 1.56 2.00 1.99 2.00 1.96

 Machinery....................................... 1.79 1.80 1.84 1.80 3.38 3.41 3.48 3.45

 Computers and electronic products 2

.. 1.21 1.19 1.22 1.20 4.44 4.31 4.38 4.29

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 1.32 1.29 1.33 1.34 1.97 1.90 1.89 1.90

 Transportation equipment................. 1.13 1.12 1.16 1.14 8.52 8.10 8.38 8.17

 Furniture and related products........... 1.19 1.20 1.17 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.08 1.11

 Miscellaneous products.................... 1.65 1.67 1.65 1.61 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries.............. 0.99 0.98 1.00 1.01 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products................................... 0.74 0.73 0.74 0.73 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products......... 1.59 1.51 1.61 1.55 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................... 1.31 1.28 1.25 1.22 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................... 1.24 1.28 1.30 1.31 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel.......................................... 1.85 1.83 1.79 1.74 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............... 1.87 1.86 1.91 1.84 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products................................ 1.08 1.07 1.07 1.02 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing.......................................... 0.90 0.90 0.90 0.89 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............ 0.66 0.68 0.71 0.71 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products............................. 1.20 1.14 1.17 1.23 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products.............. 1.11 1.15 1.16 1.16 (X) (X) (X) (X)

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable

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.

Sep2 Sep2 Sep2 Sep2

Industry 2004- 2004- 2004- 2004-

Sep1 Aug Sep1 Aug Sep1 Aug Sep1 Aug

2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005

 All manufacturing industries.......... (X) 0.4 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.1 (X) 0.1

Durable goods industries...................... -0.2 0.4 -0.3 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Primary metals.................................... 0.0 0.5 0.1 1.3 0.1 0.6 -0.2 0.4

 Fabricated metal products................... -0.3 0.5 0.1 0.6 0.2 0.3 -0.1 0.3

 Machinery.......................................... -0.7 0.7 -0.7 1.4 -0.1 0.4 0.1 0.2

 Computers and electronic products ..... 0.0 0.6 -0.3 1.4 -0.1 0.2 0.4 0.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. -0.6 0.3 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.5 -0.1 0.2

 Transportation equipment................... -0.3 0.4 -0.8 0.8 -0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.6 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.7 (X) 0.9 (X) 0.7 (X) 0.4

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

 Food products................................... (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

 Textile products................................. (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 1.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.0

 Paper products................................... (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Chemical products................................ (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Plastics and rubber products............... (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

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.

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
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-in-process, and finished goods). 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-tomonth changes of the total operations of those companies in the monthly survey effectively represent the month-tomonth 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-tomonth movement of all companies is another potential source. 

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

2006 Release Dates for M3 Survey

Survey Month Advance 8:30 A.M. Preliminary 10:00 A.M. 

Nov 2005 January 4, 2006 

Dec 2005 January 26, 2006 February 3, 2006 

Jan 2006 February 24, 2006 March 6, 2006 

Feb 2006 March 24, 2006 March 31, 2006 

Mar 2006 April 26, 2006 May 3, 2006 

Apr 2006 May 24, 2006 June 2, 2006 

May 2006 June 23, 2006 July 5, 2006 

Jun 2006 July 27, 2006 August 3, 2006 

Jul 2006 August 24, 2006 August 31, 2006 

Aug 2006 September 27, 2006 October 4, 2006 

Sep 2006 October 26, 2006 November 2, 2006

Oct 2006 November 28, 2006 December 5, 2006

Nov 2006 December 22, 2006