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FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 AM EST, MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2017 

MONTHLY FULL REPORT ON MANUFACTURERS’ SHIPMENTS, INVENTORIES 

AND ORDERS OCTOBER 2017 

Release Number: CB 17-189 M3-2 (17)-10 

Notice: For information on the impact of recent hurricanes on the compilation of this report, please see the 

Frequently Asked Questions document on our website. 

December 4, 2017 — The U.S. Census Bureau announces the October full report on manufacturers’ 

shipments, inventories and orders: 

MANUFACTURED GOODS – NEW ORDERS

OCTOBER 2017 $479.6 billion            ‐0.1%°

SEPTEMBER 2017  

(revised) $479.9 billion            +1.7%°

Next release: January 5, 2018

Data adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders. 

°Statistical significance is not measurable for this survey. The Manufacturers' 

Shipments, Inventories, and Orders estimates are not based on a probability 

sample, so the sampling error of these estimates cannot be measured nor can the 

confidence intervals be computed. 

Summary 

New orders for manufactured goods in October, down following two consecutive monthly increases, 

decreased $0.3 billion or 0.1 percent to $479.6 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This 

followed a 1.7 percent September increase. Shipments, up ten of the last eleven months, increased $2.7 

billion or 0.6 percent to $484.2 billion. This followed a 1.1 percent September increase. Unfilled orders, 

down three of the last four months, decreased $0.2 billion or virtually unchanged to $1,135.1 billion. This 

followed a 0.3 percent September increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.68, unchanged 

from September. Inventories, up eleven of the last twelve months, increased $1.2 billion or 0.2 percent to 

$661.6 billion. This followed a 0.6 percent September increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 

1.37, unchanged from September. 

New Orders 

New orders for manufactured durable goods in October, down following two consecutive monthly 

increases, decreased $1.9 billion or 0.8 percent to $237.4 billion, up from the previously published 1.2 

percent decrease. This followed a 2.4 percent September increase. Transportation equipment, also down 

following two consecutive monthly increases, drove the decrease, $3.4 billion or 4.2 percent to $77.4 

Nov-16 Dec-16 Jan-17 Feb-17 Mar-17 Apr-17 May-17 Jun-17 Jul-17 Aug-17 Sep-17 Oct-17

% Change -2.3% 1.8% 0.4% 0.8% 1.0% -0.3% -0.3% 3.2% -3.3% 1.2% 1.7% -0.1%

-4.0%

-3.0%

-2.0%

-1.0%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

MANUFACTURERS' NEW ORDERS 2016-2017

Seasonally Adjusted, Month-To-Month Percentage Change

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders
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billion. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods increased $1.6 billion or 0.7 percent to $242.2 

billion.

Shipments 

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in October, up five of the last six months, increased $1.1 billion 

or 0.4 percent to $242.0 billion, up from the previously published 0.1 percent increase. This followed a 1.2 

percent September increase. Primary metals, up three of the last four months, led the increase, $0.3 billion 

or 1.6 percent to $19.9 billion. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up six of the last seven 

months, increased $1.6 billion or 0.7 percent to $242.2 billion. This followed a 1.0 percent September 

increase. Petroleum and coal products, up four consecutive months, led the increase, $1.2 billion or 2.6 

percent to $46.2 billion. 

Unfilled Orders 

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in October, down three of the last four months, decreased 

$0.2 billion or virtually unchanged to $1,135.1 billion, unchanged from the previously published decrease. 

This followed a 0.3 percent September increase. Transportation equipment, also down three of the last four 

months, drove the decrease, $1.8 billion or 0.2 percent to $770.0 billion. 

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in October, up fifteen of the last sixteen months, increased $0.6 

billion or 0.2 percent to $404.2 billion, up from the previously published 0.1 percent increase. This 

followed a 0.6 percent September increase. Primary metals, also up fifteen of the last sixteen months, led 

the increase, $0.3 billion or 0.8 percent to $34.0 billion. Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up 

five consecutive months, increased $0.5 billion or 0.2 percent to $257.3 billion. This followed a 0.7 percent 

September increase. Chemical products, up three of the last four months, drove the increase, $0.9 billion or 

1.0 percent to $84.1 billion. By stage of fabrication, October materials and supplies decreased 0.4 percent in 

durable goods and decreased 0.3 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 1.0 percent in 

durable goods and decreased 0.3 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 0.4 percent in 

durable goods and increased 0.9 percent in nondurable goods. 

The Advance Report on durable goods for November is scheduled for release on December 22, 2017 at 8:30 

a.m. EST and the Full Report on January 5, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. EST. View the full schedule in the 

Economic Briefing Room: <www.census.gov/economic-indicators/>. The full text and tables of this release 

can be found at <www.census.gov/m3>.
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EXPLANATORY NOTES 

Figures in text are adjusted for seasonality, but not for inflation. Figures on new and unfilled orders exclude 

data for semiconductor manufacturing. 

“Virtually unchanged” indicates that the change is less than 0.05 percent for a percent increase or decrease. 

Description of the survey 

This report is compiled from results of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, 

and Orders (M3) survey, which is a voluntary survey authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code. This 

survey provides statistics on a calendar-month basis for 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). Data published from the M3 survey are based on a panel of approximately 5,000 reporting 

units that represent approximately 3,100 companies and provide an indication of month-to-month change for 

the Manufacturing Sector. These reporting units may be divisions of diversified large companies, large 

homogenous companies, or single-unit manufacturers in 92 industry categories, which are combined into 65 

publication levels due to the small monthly panel size. The survey methodology assumes that the month-tomonth changes of the total operations of the reporting units in the M3 panel effectively represent the monthto-month movements of all establishments that make up the category. The companies for which shipments 

data are currently reported or imputed in the M3 survey represent approximately 64 percent of the total 

value of shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 2012 Economic Census, and these companies 

include almost two-thirds of the manufacturing companies with $500 million or more in shipments in the 

2012 Economic Census. The companies for which shipments data are currently reported in the M3 survey 

represent approximately 57 percent of the total value of shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 

2012 Economic Census. Statistics based on the M3 panel differ from the results that would be obtained 

from a complete enumeration of all manufacturing companies. The M3 panel is not based on 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: 

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

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API 

The Census Bureau’s application programming interface (API) lets developers create custom apps to reach 

new users and makes key demographic, socio-economic and housing statistics more accessible than ever 

before. 

<www.census.gov/developers/>. 

2018 Release Dates for the M3 Survey 

Source: 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/reports/pei_schedule_release_dates_2018_all_

v2.pdf

###

Survey month Advance Report 

(8:30 a.m. release time)

Full Report 

(10:00 a.m. release time)

Sep-17 Wed 10/25/2017 Fri 11/3/2017

Oct-17 Wed 11/22/2017 Mon 12/4/2017

Nov-17 Fri 12/22/2017 Fri 1/5/2018

Dec-17 Fri 1/26/2018 Fri 2/2/2018

Jan-18 Tue 2/27/2018 Tue 3/6/2018

Feb-18 Fri 3/23/2018 Wed 4/4/2018

Mar-18 Thu 4/26/2018 Thu 5/3/2018

Apr-18 Fri 5/25/2018 Mon 6/4/2018

May-18 Wed 6/27/2018 Tue 7/3/2018

Jun-18 Thu 7/26/2018 Thu 8/2/2018

Jul-18 Fri 8/24/2018 Thu 9/6/2018

Aug-18 Thu 9/27/2018 Thu 10/4/2018

Sep-18 Thu 10/25/2018 Fri 11/2/2018

Oct-18 Wed 11/21/2018 Thu 12/6/2018

Nov-18 Fri 12/21/2018 Not available at this time
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 % Change

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2017p 2016 2016

 All manufacturing industries.................. 484,223 481,520 476,452 0.6 1.1 0.6 496,142 496,064 499,958 462,133 4,764,934 4,540,235 4.9

 Excluding transportation................... 404,990 401,957 397,820 0.8 1.0 0.7 414,365 411,771 416,500 384,206 3,976,488 3,758,378 5.8

 Excluding defense.............................. 471,203 468,750 464,037 0.5 1.0 0.6 483,440 482,006 487,590 450,877 4,643,577 4,427,422 4.9

 With unfilled orders............................ 169,909 169,960 167,588 0.0 1.4 0.2 171,936 179,054 175,441 159,133 1,670,484 1,594,237 4.8

 Durable goods industries......................... 242,008 240,951 238,196 0.4 1.2 0.7 247,546 252,532 250,506 230,310 2,376,546 2,289,528 3.8

 Wood products....................................... 9,396 9,272 9,119 1.3 1.7 1.2 9,864 9,532 9,772 9,014 93,438 86,301 8.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 10,757 10,663 10,556 0.9 1.0 0.3 11,707 11,224 11,943 11,044 107,621 104,998 2.5

 Primary metals....................................... 19,948 19,639 19,655 1.6 -0.1 1.6 20,179 19,693 20,958 17,588 196,569 177,572 10.7

 Iron and steel mills............................ 9,486 9,264 9,249 2.4 0.2 0.4 9,592 9,203 9,936 8,131 92,481 82,808 11.7

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 9,146 9,090 9,118 0.6 -0.3 3.1 9,274 9,120 9,625 8,209 90,905 81,101 12.1

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,316 1,285 1,288 2.4 -0.2 0.7 1,313 1,370 1,397 1,248 13,183 13,663 -3.5

 Fabricated metal products....................... 32,720 32,455 32,182 0.8 0.8 1.2 33,945 33,545 34,742 30,810 321,387 299,041 7.5

 Machinery............................................. 32,527 32,247 31,599 0.9 2.1 1.8 32,383 32,900 31,886 28,847 313,118 299,066 4.7

 Farm machinery................................. 3,065 2,803 2,821 9.3 -0.6 4.9 2,852 2,585 2,600 2,285 27,810 25,415 9.4

 Construction machinery..................... 2,111 2,105 2,103 0.3 0.1 1.4 2,265 2,089 2,072 2,037 20,581 19,701 4.5

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,118 1,179 1,006 -5.2 17.2 -3.5 1,134 1,231 1,008 918 10,073 10,482 -3.9

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,007 2,906 2,961 3.5 -1.9 1.8 3,039 3,250 2,787 2,729 28,566 27,403 4.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 500 520 525 -3.8 -1.0 -3.5 468 572 523 509 5,329 5,475 -2.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,695 3,694 3,676 0.0 0.5 -0.7 3,365 3,831 3,993 3,294 37,858 37,016 2.3

 Metalworking machinery..................... 3,119 3,138 3,070 -0.6 2.2 1.9 3,309 3,345 3,152 2,982 29,927 27,507 8.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 4,370 4,428 4,127 -1.3 7.3 3.2 4,444 4,355 4,222 3,596 40,364 37,422 7.9

 Material handling equipment............... 2,874 2,862 2,848 0.4 0.5 4.9 2,972 2,885 3,054 2,711 27,944 26,268 6.4

 Computers and electronic products2

.......... 27,706 27,590 27,174 0.4 1.5 1.0 27,605 30,631 27,368 26,357 265,442 253,437 4.7

 Computers........................................ 681 692 720 -1.6 -3.9 1.7 653 796 699 763 7,132 7,191 -0.8

 Computer storage devices..................... 606 642 669 -5.6 -4.0 -12.0 419 997 532 516 6,458 6,401 0.9

 Other peripheral equipment................ 685 592 646 15.7 -8.4 4.2 643 680 599 479 5,673 5,762 -1.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 2,866 2,824 2,716 1.5 4.0 0.7 2,625 3,515 2,544 2,363 27,007 25,956 4.0

 Defense communications equipment.... 251 247 245 1.6 0.8 -2.0 256 274 255 243 2,403 2,496 -3.7

 Audio and video equipment.................... 353 357 347 -1.1 2.9 4.8 429 347 330 364 3,147 2,848 10.5

 Electronic components......................... 4,209 4,143 4,078 1.6 1.6 3.2 4,167 4,363 4,487 3,876 40,522 38,413 5.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,471 1,460 1,443 0.8 1.2 -0.8 1,436 1,622 1,488 1,284 14,317 13,178 8.6

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,661 2,671 2,614 -0.4 2.2 0.6 2,651 2,849 2,656 2,486 25,709 24,159 6.4

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 9,279 9,177 9,078 1.1 1.1 0.4 8,934 10,627 8,937 8,127 87,184 83,239 4.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,193 10,137 10,045 0.6 0.9 0.5 10,537 10,682 10,614 10,175 101,013 99,193 1.8

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,042 1,056 1,055 -1.3 0.1 0.0 1,100 1,087 1,106 1,147 10,676 10,780 -1.0

 Household appliances........................ 1,533 1,579 1,544 -2.9 2.3 1.0 1,602 1,699 1,603 1,723 15,547 16,553 -6.1

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,657 2,652 2,676 0.2 -0.9 2.9 2,570 2,843 2,778 2,698 27,201 28,753 -5.4

 Batteries........................................... 936 928 927 0.9 0.1 0.5 1,112 961 1,016 1,016 8,983 9,012 -0.3

 Transportation equipment........................ 79,233 79,563 78,632 -0.4 1.2 -0.3 81,777 84,293 83,458 77,927 788,446 781,857 0.8

 Automobiles..................................... 7,823 8,045 8,235 -2.8 -2.3 5.8 8,103 8,398 9,082 8,764 80,955 93,632 -13.5

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 16,842 16,164 16,011 4.2 1.0 2.2 18,214 16,917 17,670 16,500 162,781 154,773 5.2

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,697 2,620 2,654 2.9 -1.3 2.8 2,862 2,713 2,811 2,148 25,028 23,582 6.1

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 27,987 27,719 27,693 1.0 0.1 2.0 29,652 28,211 29,958 27,618 279,348 268,572 4.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 10,775 12,307 11,481 -12.4 7.2 -11.7 9,986 14,002 11,419 11,215 114,921 120,306 -4.5

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,261 4,007 4,054 6.3 -1.2 -0.3 4,093 4,574 4,033 3,386 39,089 37,869 3.2

 Ships and boats................................. 3,105 3,070 3,003 1.1 2.2 -2.7 3,205 3,212 2,925 3,144 30,697 30,583 0.4

 Furniture and related products.................. 6,619 6,594 6,588 0.4 0.1 1.2 6,630 6,710 7,228 6,351 65,306 63,921 2.2

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 12,909 12,791 12,646 0.9 1.1 0.9 12,919 13,322 12,537 12,197 124,206 124,142 0.1

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 242,215 240,569 238,256 0.7 1.0 0.4 248,596 243,532 249,452 231,823 2,388,388 2,250,707 6.1

 Food products....................................... 68,745 68,848 68,885 -0.1 -0.1 -0.5 72,076 70,511 70,599 68,053 680,810 645,957 5.4

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 7,518 7,596 7,629 -1.0 -0.4 0.7 8,200 7,559 8,080 7,918 74,638 72,316 3.2

 Dairy products.................................. 9,511 9,545 9,605 -0.4 -0.6 -2.1 9,771 9,675 9,912 9,521 96,849 92,228 5.0

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 19,812 19,934 19,985 -0.6 -0.3 -0.1 20,083 20,217 20,432 18,694 197,214 185,267 6.4

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 12,711 12,792 13,128 -0.6 -2.6 -0.6 12,561 13,082 13,688 13,259 131,323 133,819 -1.9

 Beverages......................................... 9,208 9,088 9,158 1.3 -0.8 -1.7 9,058 9,378 9,718 9,490 94,144 99,707 -5.6

 Tobacco............................................ 3,503 3,704 3,970 -5.4 -6.7 2.0 3,503 3,704 3,970 3,769 37,179 34,112 9.0

 Textile mills........................................... 2,669 2,612 2,654 2.2 -1.6 0.4 2,743 2,612 2,800 2,606 26,651 25,503 4.5

 Textile products................................... 2,210 2,217 2,189 -0.3 1.3 -0.8 2,232 2,198 2,295 2,211 22,345 21,930 1.9

 Apparel................................................ 1,038 1,031 1,037 0.7 -0.6 -2.5 1,208 1,077 1,163 1,130 10,327 9,852 4.8

 Leather and allied products...................... 388 382 378 1.6 1.1 -1.8 412 378 381 393 3,881 3,829 1.4

 Paper products...................................... 16,294 16,179 16,227 0.7 -0.3 2.0 16,935 16,307 17,071 15,766 159,756 155,567 2.7

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,756 6,676 6,657 1.2 0.3 0.8 6,901 6,722 6,980 6,560 66,391 65,733 1.0

 Paperboard containers........................ 5,462 5,401 5,501 1.1 -1.8 2.6 5,744 5,422 5,871 5,411 54,591 52,695 3.6

 Printing................................................. 6,305 6,254 6,254 0.8 0.0 -0.4 6,757 6,449 6,525 7,052 63,399 68,150 -7.0

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 46,237 45,053 42,772 2.6 5.3 3.3 47,371 45,129 46,423 38,337 431,758 344,116 25.5

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 42,035 40,946 38,767 2.7 5.6 3.8 42,723 40,569 41,541 34,474 390,500 307,739 26.9

 Chemical products..................................... 65,611 65,292 64,938 0.5 0.5 -0.2 65,535 65,647 67,447 62,615 655,894 639,374 2.6

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,810 2,770 2,722 1.4 1.8 -2.8 2,181 2,436 2,388 2,407 29,379 34,684 -15.3

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 23,059 22,871 22,590 0.8 1.2 1.5 23,321 23,190 23,464 20,323 221,567 204,630 8.3

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 3,879 3,817 3,832 1.6 -0.4 -0.5 3,928 3,757 4,201 3,595 38,975 36,934 5.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 20,007 19,909 19,794 0.5 0.6 -0.4 20,766 20,142 21,060 20,401 202,244 202,610 -0.2

Year to date

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

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, October Full Report, December 4, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

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

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2017p 2016 2016

All manufacturing industries2........................ 479,590 479,882 471,965 -0.1 1.7 1.2 487,933 491,447 486,891 463,735 4,721,068 4,472,076 5.6

 Excluding transportation2

...................... 402,175 399,038 394,737 0.8 1.1 0.6 409,540 407,050 409,459 378,885 3,948,132 3,722,901 6.0

 Excluding defense2

.............................. 467,819 467,062 459,243 0.2 1.7 1.5 477,565 476,825 476,595 452,588 4,604,698 4,362,880 5.5

 With unfilled orders2............................. 169,746 172,935 167,549 -1.8 3.2 2.1 168,915 178,809 167,035 166,327 1,670,798 1,567,773 6.6

 Durable goods industries2

......................... 237,375 239,313 233,709 -0.8 2.4 2.1 239,337 247,915 237,439 231,912 2,332,680 2,221,369 5.0

 Primary metals........................................ 20,059 19,783 19,886 1.4 -0.5 1.3 20,216 18,940 20,732 17,933 197,316 177,800 11.0

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 9,614 9,393 9,532 2.4 -1.5 0.2 9,521 8,625 9,950 8,270 93,043 83,455 11.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 9,095 9,049 8,992 0.5 0.6 2.4 9,356 8,980 9,371 8,343 90,780 80,332 13.0

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,350 1,341 1,362 0.7 -1.5 1.5 1,339 1,335 1,411 1,320 13,493 14,013 -3.7

 Fabricated metal products........................ 33,265 33,417 32,760 -0.5 2.0 0.4 33,740 33,881 34,395 30,370 328,022 299,648 9.5

 Machinery............................................. 32,727 32,103 31,856 1.9 0.8 0.0 32,718 31,791 31,979 28,946 317,600 296,626 7.1

 Construction machinery........................ 2,301 2,381 2,282 -3.4 4.3 -0.5 2,474 2,248 2,175 1,997 21,531 17,660 21.9

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,187 1,204 1,002 -1.4 20.2 -7.5 1,261 1,249 1,060 956 10,332 8,669 19.2

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,031 2,915 3,087 4.0 -5.6 11.2 3,114 3,124 2,845 2,536 28,894 26,182 10.4

 Photographic equipment....................... 485 512 482 -5.3 6.2 -1.0 494 574 513 571 5,139 5,505 -6.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,735 3,698 3,702 1.0 -0.1 0.0 3,440 3,782 3,904 3,235 38,455 36,924 4.1

 Metalworking machinery....................... 3,003 2,906 3,030 3.3 -4.1 -5.7 3,144 2,997 3,148 2,938 29,638 28,270 4.8

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment........... 4,244 4,144 4,048 2.4 2.4 0.2 4,194 3,890 4,097 3,637 39,923 37,849 5.5

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,037 2,876 2,944 5.6 -2.3 -6.3 2,897 2,894 3,016 2,532 29,324 26,528 10.5

 Computers and electronic products2

........... 23,931 23,754 23,014 0.7 3.2 2.1 22,564 27,660 21,545 20,871 223,904 216,196 3.6

 Computers........................................ 712 726 750 -1.9 -3.2 0.1 684 830 729 766 7,394 7,182 3.0

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 3,227 3,242 3,008 -0.5 7.8 7.9 2,943 4,014 2,475 2,629 29,129 28,009 4.0

 Defense communications equipment....... 292 257 256 13.6 0.4 2.0 288 285 254 225 2,535 2,507 1.1

 Electronic components......................... 4,288 4,227 4,158 1.4 1.7 4.1 4,253 4,343 4,578 3,863 41,063 38,584 6.4

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,585 1,506 1,615 5.2 -6.7 5.9 1,494 1,759 1,513 1,421 15,145 14,005 8.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,615 2,622 2,485 -0.3 5.5 -1.4 2,384 3,072 2,232 2,163 24,482 24,760 -1.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments..................... 9,394 9,411 8,910 -0.2 5.6 0.7 8,823 11,144 8,123 8,181 87,168 84,039 3.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,299 10,219 10,084 0.8 1.3 2.0 10,516 10,627 10,490 10,228 101,401 101,245 0.2

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,075 1,061 1,078 1.3 -1.6 0.3 1,135 1,087 1,082 1,117 10,865 10,815 0.5

 Household appliances.......................... 1,544 1,591 1,604 -3.0 -0.8 4.6 1,602 1,730 1,655 1,714 15,650 16,567 -5.5

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,749 2,684 2,712 2.4 -1.0 8.9 2,733 2,718 2,775 2,752 27,242 29,067 -6.3

 Transportation equipment........................ 77,415 80,844 77,228 -4.2 4.7 4.7 78,393 84,397 77,432 84,850 772,936 749,175 3.2

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 28,106 27,741 27,751 1.3 0.0 2.5 29,034 28,272 30,107 26,629 279,519 266,220 5.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 10,581 12,987 9,699 -18.5 33.9 33.5 9,706 13,274 7,002 19,090 105,012 95,395 10.1

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 3,295 3,566 3,756 -7.6 -5.1 -30.8 2,856 3,531 2,823 3,706 38,581 38,619 -0.1

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,881 4,287 3,258 -32.8 31.6 8.1 2,789 4,730 2,476 3,496 29,228 25,478 14.7

 Furniture and related products................... 6,615 6,492 6,546 1.9 -0.8 -0.1 6,698 6,566 6,600 6,454 66,197 65,217 1.5

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 242,215 240,569 238,256 0.7 1.0 0.4 248,596 243,532 249,452 231,823 2,388,388 2,250,707 6.1

Year to date

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, October Full Report, December 4, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our 

website at <www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>. 
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 % Change

Industry October

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2016

All manufacturing industries2...................... 1,135,138 1,135,301 1,132,326 0.0 0.3 0.0 1,123,056 1,126,077 1,126,322 1,117,473 0.5

 Excluding transportation2...................... 365,138 363,483 361,789 0.5 0.5 0.4 360,487 360,124 360,473 345,030 4.5

 Excluding defense2

............................. 958,018 956,932 954,007 0.1 0.3 0.0 948,155 948,842 949,651 944,826 0.4

 Durable goods industries2........................ 1,135,138 1,135,301 1,132,326 0.0 0.3 0.0 1,123,056 1,126,077 1,126,322 1,117,473 0.5

 Primary metals........................................ 30,849 30,738 30,594 0.4 0.5 0.8 29,689 29,652 30,405 27,807 6.8

 Iron and steel mills............................... 15,638 15,510 15,381 0.8 0.8 1.9 14,759 14,830 15,408 13,357 10.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............. 10,809 10,860 10,901 -0.5 -0.4 -1.1 10,659 10,577 10,717 10,706 -0.4

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 4,402 4,368 4,312 0.8 1.3 1.7 4,271 4,245 4,280 3,744 14.1

 Fabricated metal products......................... 80,859 80,314 79,352 0.7 1.2 0.7 79,894 80,099 79,763 74,499 7.2

 Machinery.............................................. 101,106 100,906 101,050 0.2 -0.1 0.3 100,131 99,796 100,905 96,485 3.8

 Construction machinery......................... 6,143 5,953 5,677 3.2 4.9 3.3 5,704 5,495 5,336 4,214 35.4

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 5,284 5,215 5,190 1.3 0.5 -0.1 5,366 5,239 5,221 5,356 0.2

 Industrial machinery............................. 8,261 8,237 8,228 0.3 0.1 1.6 8,197 8,122 8,248 8,271 -0.9

 Photographic equipment........................ 1,184 1,199 1,207 -1.3 -0.7 -3.4 1,201 1,175 1,173 1,330 -9.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment................ 6,163 6,123 6,119 0.7 0.1 0.4 6,075 6,000 6,049 5,515 10.2

 Metalworking machinery........................ 7,794 7,910 8,142 -1.5 -2.8 -0.5 7,720 7,885 8,233 8,212 -6.0

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment............ 29,313 29,439 29,723 -0.4 -1.0 -0.3 29,136 29,386 29,851 29,852 -2.4

 Material handling equipment................... 12,889 12,726 12,712 1.3 0.1 0.8 12,559 12,634 12,625 10,779 16.5

 Computers and electronic products2............. 119,467 118,772 117,995 0.6 0.7 0.2 118,550 118,403 117,002 115,283 2.8

 Computers......................................... 1,951 1,920 1,886 1.6 1.8 1.6 1,951 1,920 1,886 1,670 16.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 26,585 26,224 25,806 1.4 1.6 1.1 26,338 26,020 25,521 23,934 10.0

 Defense communications equipment........ 1,673 1,632 1,622 2.5 0.6 0.7 1,689 1,657 1,646 1,615 4.6

 Electronic components.......................... 11,674 11,595 11,511 0.7 0.7 0.7 11,606 11,520 11,540 11,036 5.2

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 18,803 18,689 18,643 0.6 0.2 0.9 18,788 18,730 18,593 17,961 4.6

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 26,901 26,947 26,996 -0.2 -0.2 -0.5 26,676 26,943 26,720 27,970 -4.6

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments...................... 31,880 31,765 31,531 0.4 0.7 -0.5 31,502 31,613 31,096 31,097 1.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 22,538 22,432 22,350 0.5 0.4 0.2 22,025 22,046 22,101 20,894 5.4

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,639 1,606 1,601 2.1 0.3 1.5 1,620 1,585 1,585 1,491 8.7

 Household appliances........................... 1,193 1,182 1,170 0.9 1.0 5.4 1,162 1,162 1,131 999 16.3

 Electrical equipment............................. 8,282 8,190 8,158 1.1 0.4 0.4 8,192 8,029 8,154 8,150 0.5

 Transportation equipment......................... 770,000 771,818 770,537 -0.2 0.2 -0.2 762,569 765,953 765,849 772,443 -1.3

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 23,976 23,857 23,835 0.5 0.1 0.2 23,071 23,689 23,628 21,959 5.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 578,368 578,562 577,882 0.0 0.1 -0.3 573,870 574,150 574,878 585,382 -2.0

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 72,313 73,279 73,720 -1.3 -0.6 -0.4 70,892 72,129 73,172 67,834 4.5

 Ships and boats.................................. 24,694 24,918 23,701 -0.9 5.1 1.1 24,162 24,578 23,060 22,086 9.4

 Furniture and related products................... 9,578 9,582 9,684 0.0 -1.1 -0.4 9,457 9,389 9,533 9,341 1.2

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. 2

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

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, October Full Report, December 4, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on 

our website at <www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.
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 % Change

Industry October

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2016

 All manufacturing industries...................... 661,568 660,411 656,323 0.2 0.6 0.6 665,882 660,567 660,704 641,943 3.7

 Excluding transportation........................ 530,634 529,503 526,291 0.2 0.6 0.7 534,417 529,843 530,320 510,653 4.7

 Excluding defense............................. 633,736 632,866 628,639 0.1 0.7 0.6 638,100 633,087 633,016 615,594 3.7

 With unfilled orders............................. 328,842 328,190 326,145 0.2 0.6 0.5 329,514 327,710 329,123 317,996 3.6

 Durable goods industries........................ 404,249 403,636 401,323 0.2 0.6 0.5 404,758 402,699 404,696 390,203 3.7

 Wood products........................................ 11,844 11,787 11,774 0.5 0.1 -0.1 11,765 11,659 11,668 11,136 5.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products..................... 13,512 13,511 13,450 0.0 0.5 0.7 13,163 13,310 13,390 12,756 3.2

 Primary metals......................................... 34,022 33,756 33,499 0.8 0.8 0.6 33,947 33,923 33,715 30,903 9.9

 Iron and steel mills............................... 18,982 18,887 18,829 0.5 0.3 0.1 19,080 19,156 18,978 17,598 8.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............ 13,011 12,856 12,662 1.2 1.5 1.3 12,869 12,813 12,724 11,416 12.7

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,029 2,013 2,008 0.8 0.2 0.7 1,998 1,954 2,013 1,889 5.8

 Fabricated metal products......................... 50,516 50,376 50,065 0.3 0.6 0.6 50,265 50,280 50,227 47,591 5.6

 Machinery.............................................. 69,561 69,673 69,165 -0.2 0.7 1.0 69,602 69,668 70,087 65,576 6.1

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,939 3,901 3,770 1.0 3.5 1.8 3,608 3,623 3,563 3,101 16.3

 Construction machinery......................... 5,304 5,330 5,251 -0.5 1.5 0.2 5,381 5,413 5,241 5,425 -0.8

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 7,856 7,717 7,709 1.8 0.1 -0.8 7,752 7,659 7,853 7,448 4.1

 Industrial machinery............................. 7,684 7,860 7,842 -2.2 0.2 0.9 7,627 7,952 7,928 7,208 5.8

 Photographic equipment....................... 1,375 1,429 1,413 -3.8 1.1 1.9 1,391 1,447 1,461 1,410 -1.3

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 5,192 5,183 5,204 0.2 -0.4 1.6 5,109 5,034 5,210 4,650 9.9

 Metalworking machinery........................ 5,902 5,877 5,842 0.4 0.6 0.6 5,983 5,944 5,948 5,803 3.1

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment............ 9,946 10,088 10,047 -1.4 0.4 1.4 10,210 10,204 10,403 9,087 12.4

 Material handling equipment.................. 5,266 5,219 5,193 0.9 0.5 1.5 5,463 5,394 5,404 4,816 13.4

 Computers and electronic products2

............ 45,100 45,086 44,876 0.0 0.5 0.5 45,486 44,662 45,889 43,676 4.1

 Computers......................................... 1,808 1,767 1,711 2.3 3.3 1.6 1,825 1,813 1,805 1,597 14.3

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,430 1,423 1,475 0.5 -3.5 -2.2 1,447 1,384 1,554 1,353 6.9

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,147 1,186 1,176 -3.3 0.9 1.1 1,132 1,138 1,212 1,116 1.4

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 3,990 3,983 4,045 0.2 -1.5 -0.3 4,013 3,903 4,180 3,966 1.2

 Defense communications equipment........ 558 554 598 0.7 -7.4 2.0 558 554 598 550 1.5

 Audio and video equipment.................... 606 603 623 0.5 -3.2 -3.6 677 663 663 632 7.1

 Electronic components.......................... 7,955 7,997 7,871 -0.5 1.6 0.4 7,958 7,887 7,912 7,502 6.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,137 3,139 3,134 -0.1 0.2 0.3 3,193 3,144 3,188 3,119 2.4

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 3,148 3,112 3,111 1.2 0.0 0.5 3,122 3,015 3,157 3,052 2.3

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments...................... 14,622 14,629 14,506 0.0 0.8 0.1 14,854 14,463 14,943 14,704 1.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 17,784 17,722 17,725 0.3 0.0 0.5 17,789 17,520 18,065 17,002 4.6

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 2,209 2,192 2,179 0.8 0.6 1.1 2,211 2,194 2,201 2,073 6.7

 Household appliances........................... 2,454 2,440 2,435 0.6 0.2 0.3 2,504 2,454 2,541 2,400 4.3

 Electrical equipment............................. 4,926 4,905 4,868 0.4 0.8 0.0 4,915 4,640 4,949 4,811 2.2

 Batteries............................................ 1,772 1,774 1,755 -0.1 1.1 0.0 1,785 1,851 1,844 1,746 2.2

 Transportation equipment......................... 130,934 130,908 130,032 0.0 0.7 0.2 131,465 130,724 130,384 131,290 0.1

 Automobiles....................................... 4,365 4,479 4,462 -2.5 0.4 1.1 4,487 4,525 4,559 4,489 0.0

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 3,755 3,803 3,744 -1.3 1.6 -1.3 4,038 3,930 3,825 4,099 -1.5

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 2,054 2,090 2,134 -1.7 -2.1 -0.2 1,979 2,005 2,117 1,808 9.5

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 24,426 24,624 24,411 -0.8 0.9 -0.1 24,457 24,642 24,592 24,966 -2.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 67,084 66,821 66,041 0.4 1.2 0.2 67,214 66,374 65,862 67,904 -1.0

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 13,426 13,232 13,428 1.5 -1.5 2.2 13,444 13,264 13,469 11,975 12.3

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,451 3,487 3,387 -1.0 3.0 -2.4 3,468 3,538 3,335 3,367 3.0

 Furniture and related products.................... 7,886 7,810 7,769 1.0 0.5 0.8 7,856 7,786 7,946 7,316 7.4

 Miscellaneous durable goods..................... 23,090 23,007 22,968 0.4 0.2 0.6 23,420 23,167 23,325 22,957 2.0

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 257,319 256,775 255,000 0.2 0.7 0.7 261,124 257,868 256,008 251,740 3.7

 Food products........................................ 55,180 55,608 55,527 -0.8 0.1 -0.2 58,489 56,530 56,042 58,026 0.8

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,444 5,483 5,579 -0.7 -1.7 -1.1 5,754 5,271 5,352 6,020 -4.4

 Dairy products.................................... 8,209 8,273 8,281 -0.8 -0.1 -0.1 8,166 8,278 8,445 7,623 7.1

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products....... 9,224 9,437 9,313 -2.3 1.3 0.1 9,411 9,452 9,456 9,337 0.8

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 23,212 23,250 23,380 -0.2 -0.6 -0.4 23,964 23,298 22,843 23,949 0.1

 Beverages......................................... 18,803 18,880 19,063 -0.4 -1.0 -0.5 19,410 19,040 18,809 19,415 0.0

 Tobacco............................................ 4,409 4,370 4,317 0.9 1.2 -0.3 4,554 4,258 4,034 4,534 0.4

 Textile mills............................................ 3,279 3,266 3,255 0.4 0.3 0.2 3,277 3,275 3,278 3,171 3.3

 Textile products...................................... 3,446 3,436 3,428 0.3 0.2 0.3 3,433 3,434 3,435 3,300 4.0

 Apparel................................................. 2,042 2,066 2,022 -1.2 2.2 1.3 2,089 2,159 2,132 2,207 -5.3

 Leather and allied products....................... 782 788 797 -0.8 -1.1 -0.6 779 799 823 789 -1.3

 Paper products....................................... 15,561 15,549 15,587 0.1 -0.2 -0.3 15,400 15,540 15,634 15,424 -0.2

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills........... 6,167 6,180 6,225 -0.2 -0.7 0.0 6,055 6,130 6,203 6,160 -1.7

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,980 4,923 4,923 1.2 0.0 -0.6 4,940 4,900 4,919 4,805 2.8

 Printing.................................................. 5,373 5,413 5,396 -0.7 0.3 -0.2 5,558 5,500 5,514 5,703 -2.5

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 38,495 38,422 36,807 0.2 4.4 5.0 39,450 39,387 37,054 32,813 20.2

 Petroleum refineries............................. 33,833 33,745 32,215 0.3 4.7 5.7 34,905 34,794 32,435 28,348 23.1

 Chemical products..................................... 84,070 83,209 83,116 1.0 0.1 -0.1 83,090 82,320 83,661 81,504 1.9

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals........................ 4,163 4,162 4,198 0.0 -0.9 -0.8 3,971 3,870 4,005 3,996 -0.6

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines.............. 35,293 34,909 34,757 1.1 0.4 0.3 35,090 34,598 35,014 34,777 0.9

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.............. 3,982 3,942 3,896 1.0 1.2 0.7 3,848 3,850 3,849 3,566 7.9

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 25,879 25,768 25,685 0.4 0.3 0.8 25,595 25,626 25,592 24,854 3.0

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

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

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, October Full Report, December 4, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

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

Industry % Change6

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2017p 2016 2016

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries................... 484,223 481,520 476,452 0.6 1.1 0.6 496,142 496,064 499,958 462,133 4,764,934 4,540,235 4.9

 Construction materials and supplies....... 50,481 50,167 49,701 0.6 0.9 0.6 53,189 51,849 54,798 49,508 505,098 481,424 4.9

 Information technology......................... 23,552 23,276 23,016 1.2 1.1 -0.2 22,871 26,560 22,854 20,989 224,675 212,899 5.5

 Computers and related products........... 1,972 1,926 2,035 2.4 -5.4 -2.5 1,715 2,473 1,830 1,758 19,263 19,354 -0.5

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 55,349 54,548 54,593 1.5 -0.1 2.6 58,831 56,239 59,521 55,030 548,112 540,559 1.4

 Capital goods...................................... 83,939 84,546 82,342 -0.7 2.7 -0.7 82,683 91,597 82,881 75,888 810,839 780,160 3.9

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 72,975 73,852 71,915 -1.2 2.7 -1.0 71,945 79,866 72,493 66,306 709,074 687,327 3.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 66,395 65,648 64,780 1.1 1.3 1.3 66,059 70,076 65,243 59,287 636,125 610,667 4.2

 Defense capital goods4

........................ 10,964 10,694 10,427 2.5 2.6 1.1 10,738 11,731 10,388 9,582 101,765 92,833 9.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 201,360 199,496 197,345 0.9 1.1 1.2 207,894 203,086 206,744 190,495 1,962,736 1,828,917 7.3

 Consumer durable goods..................... 38,224 37,580 37,595 1.7 0.0 2.5 39,990 39,150 40,196 38,609 376,483 381,782 -1.4

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 163,136 161,916 159,750 0.8 1.4 0.8 167,904 163,936 166,548 151,886 1,586,253 1,447,135 9.6

 All manufacturing industries5

................... 479,590 479,882 471,965 -0.1 1.7 1.2 487,933 491,447 486,891 463,735 4,721,068 4,472,076 5.6

 Construction materials and supplies....... 50,768 50,713 50,070 0.1 1.3 0.6 53,087 52,013 54,336 49,424 509,772 482,482 5.7

 Information technology......................... 24,123 23,994 23,101 0.5 3.9 0.8 22,739 28,022 21,442 21,208 226,641 218,901 3.5

 Computers and related products........... 2,003 1,960 2,065 2.2 -5.1 -3.0 1,746 2,507 1,860 1,761 19,525 19,345 0.9

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 55,468 54,570 54,651 1.6 -0.1 2.9 58,213 56,300 59,670 54,041 548,283 538,207 1.9

 Capital goods...................................... 83,137 86,937 81,612 -4.4 6.5 2.5 80,092 92,060 75,781 84,451 806,302 759,754 6.1

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 72,963 75,784 70,600 -3.7 7.3 4.0 71,572 78,993 66,793 75,479 709,188 669,296 6.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 66,876 66,656 65,132 0.3 2.3 1.4 66,069 70,165 63,651 59,610 642,598 614,595 4.6

 Defense capital goods4

........................ 10,174 11,153 11,012 -8.8 1.3 -6.5 8,520 13,067 8,988 8,972 97,114 90,458 7.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 201,358 199,456 197,434 1.0 1.0 1.2 207,895 203,168 206,759 190,564 1,963,001 1,829,266 7.3

 Consumer durable goods..................... 38,222 37,540 37,684 1.8 -0.4 2.5 39,991 39,232 40,211 38,678 376,748 382,131 -1.4

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 163,136 161,916 159,750 0.8 1.4 0.8 167,904 163,936 166,548 151,886 1,586,253 1,447,135 9.6

 All manufacturing industries5

................... 1,135,138 1,135,301 1,132,326 0.0 0.3 0.0 1,123,056 1,126,077 1,126,322 1,117,473 (X) (X) 0.5

 Construction materials and supplies....... 53,844 53,557 53,011 0.5 1.0 0.7 53,349 53,451 53,287 49,515 (X) (X) 7.7

 Information technology......................... 120,401 119,830 119,112 0.5 0.6 0.1 119,196 119,328 117,866 115,831 (X) (X) 2.9

 Computers and related products........... 1,951 1,920 1,886 1.6 1.8 1.6 1,951 1,920 1,886 1,670 (X) (X) 16.8

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 23,976 23,857 23,835 0.5 0.1 0.2 23,071 23,689 23,628 21,959 (X) (X) 5.1

 Capital goods...................................... 847,894 848,696 846,305 -0.1 0.3 -0.1 839,640 842,231 841,768 839,866 (X) (X) 0.0

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 705,342 705,354 703,422 0.0 0.3 -0.2 698,803 699,176 700,049 700,905 (X) (X) -0.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 228,411 227,930 226,922 0.2 0.4 0.2 226,038 226,028 225,939 220,592 (X) (X) 2.5

 Defense capital goods4........................ 142,552 143,342 142,883 -0.6 0.3 0.4 140,837 143,055 141,719 138,961 (X) (X) 1.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 5,404 5,406 5,446 0.0 -0.7 1.7 5,269 5,268 5,186 5,125 (X) (X) 2.8

 Consumer durable goods..................... 5,404 5,406 5,446 0.0 -0.7 1.7 5,269 5,268 5,186 5,125 (X) (X) 2.8

 All manufacturing industries................... 661,568 660,411 656,323 0.2 0.6 0.6 665,882 660,567 660,704 641,943 (X) (X) 3.7

 Construction materials and supplies....... 68,126 67,971 67,660 0.2 0.5 0.7 67,333 67,511 67,632 64,049 (X) (X) 5.1

 Information technology......................... 38,468 38,465 38,490 0.0 -0.1 0.3 38,813 38,131 39,502 37,697 (X) (X) 3.0

 Computers and related products........... 4,385 4,376 4,362 0.2 0.3 0.2 4,404 4,335 4,571 4,066 (X) (X) 8.3

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 34,600 34,996 34,751 -1.1 0.7 -0.1 34,961 35,102 35,093 35,362 (X) (X) -1.1

 Capital goods...................................... 203,307 203,022 202,047 0.1 0.5 0.6 203,892 202,236 204,026 197,500 (X) (X) 3.2

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 179,682 179,648 178,565 0.0 0.6 0.5 180,335 178,959 180,581 175,956 (X) (X) 2.5

 Excluding aircraft............................. 124,242 124,371 123,844 -0.1 0.4 0.5 124,814 124,089 126,102 119,539 (X) (X) 4.4

 Defense capital goods4........................ 23,625 23,374 23,482 1.1 -0.5 1.2 23,557 23,277 23,445 21,544 (X) (X) 9.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 196,718 196,841 195,063 -0.1 0.9 0.9 202,224 198,945 196,351 194,184 (X) (X) 4.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 29,733 29,790 29,703 -0.2 0.3 0.4 30,363 30,045 30,301 29,631 (X) (X) 2.5

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 166,985 167,051 165,360 0.0 1.0 1.0 171,861 168,900 166,050 164,553 (X) (X) 4.4

NEW ORDERS 

UNFILLED ORDERS 

TOTAL INVENTORIES 

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. 

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, October Full Report, December 4, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

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

Industry October

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2016

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries....................... 225,639 226,438 223,844 -0.4 1.2 0.7 226,347 226,587 224,326 217,754 3.9

 Durable goods industries.......................... 136,007 136,499 135,430 -0.4 0.8 0.4 136,129 137,084 136,468 130,997 3.9

 Wood products................................... 4,831 4,841 4,856 -0.2 -0.3 -1.4 4,991 4,961 4,890 4,607 8.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 5,487 5,522 5,488 -0.6 0.6 0.7 5,461 5,503 5,493 5,307 2.9

 Primary metals.................................... 12,745 12,697 12,726 0.4 -0.2 0.5 12,915 12,908 12,808 11,955 8.0

 Fabricated metal products........................ 18,549 18,586 18,334 -0.2 1.4 0.7 18,492 18,708 18,468 17,546 5.4

 Machinery.......................................... 24,337 24,545 24,326 -0.8 0.9 1.4 24,370 24,700 24,657 23,520 3.6

 Computers and electronic products........ 18,683 18,690 18,122 0.0 3.1 1.0 18,774 18,538 18,288 17,630 6.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 7,034 7,013 6,961 0.3 0.7 0.4 7,011 6,898 7,039 6,911 1.4

 Transportation equipment..................... 32,717 33,010 33,047 -0.9 -0.1 -0.7 32,467 33,252 33,062 32,166 0.9

 Furniture and related products............... 3,772 3,753 3,782 0.5 -0.8 0.6 3,754 3,743 3,814 3,569 5.2

 Miscellaneous products......................... 7,852 7,842 7,788 0.1 0.7 0.4 7,894 7,873 7,949 7,786 1.4

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 89,632 89,939 88,414 -0.3 1.7 1.3 90,218 89,503 87,858 86,757 4.0

 Food products.................................... 19,067 19,441 19,426 -1.9 0.1 0.5 19,849 19,153 19,132 20,200 -1.7

 Beverage and tobacco products................... 5,876 5,790 5,744 1.5 0.8 -0.5 5,978 5,698 5,555 5,997 -0.3

 Textiles.............................................. 1,133 1,144 1,139 -1.0 0.4 0.8 1,127 1,146 1,151 1,116 1.0

 Textile products................................... 1,263 1,267 1,268 -0.3 -0.1 0.2 1,253 1,271 1,272 1,259 -0.5

 Apparel............................................. 499 507 506 -1.6 0.2 -1.9 514 520 514 598 -14.0

 Leather and allied products.................... 228 223 221 2.2 0.9 -0.9 230 226 229 232 -0.9

 Paper products.................................... 7,783 7,751 7,692 0.4 0.8 -0.3 7,715 7,735 7,714 7,665 0.7

 Printing ............................................. 2,616 2,617 2,620 0.0 -0.1 0.2 2,659 2,665 2,659 2,736 -2.8

 Petroleum and coal products................. 11,556 11,861 10,611 -2.6 11.8 9.0 11,828 12,050 10,342 9,748 21.3

 Chemical products................................ 29,127 28,927 28,855 0.7 0.2 0.5 28,678 28,624 28,921 27,006 6.2

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 10,484 10,411 10,332 0.7 0.8 0.5 10,387 10,415 10,369 10,200 1.8

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 206,903 205,570 203,713 0.6 0.9 0.8 209,354 204,434 204,725 198,231 5.6

 Durable goods industries.......................... 154,373 152,868 151,506 1.0 0.9 0.6 154,807 151,942 152,730 149,322 3.7

 Wood products................................... 2,010 1,990 1,953 1.0 1.9 2.2 1,993 1,968 1,923 2,049 -2.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 1,492 1,495 1,472 -0.2 1.6 -0.5 1,423 1,462 1,464 1,405 1.3

 Primary metals.................................... 9,845 9,857 9,698 -0.1 1.6 0.8 9,839 9,877 9,873 8,722 12.8

 Fabricated metal products........................ 13,420 13,368 13,214 0.4 1.2 0.2 13,475 13,422 13,323 12,684 6.2

 Machinery.......................................... 21,848 21,392 21,220 2.1 0.8 1.0 22,219 21,306 21,670 20,338 9.2

 Computers and electronic products........ 13,823 13,815 13,961 0.1 -1.0 -0.1 13,800 13,476 14,310 13,627 1.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,931 3,889 3,921 1.1 -0.8 -0.4 3,895 3,822 3,987 3,720 4.7

 Transportation equipment..................... 83,158 82,312 81,330 1.0 1.2 0.8 83,306 81,830 81,366 82,187 1.4

 Furniture and related products............... 1,193 1,177 1,184 1.4 -0.6 2.2 1,188 1,174 1,194 1,109 7.1

 Miscellaneous products......................... 3,653 3,573 3,553 2.2 0.6 0.2 3,669 3,605 3,620 3,481 5.4

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 52,530 52,702 52,207 -0.3 0.9 1.2 54,547 52,492 51,995 48,909 11.5

 Food products.................................... 6,414 6,353 5,968 1.0 6.5 -1.9 7,550 5,874 5,456 6,813 10.8

 Beverage and tobacco products................... 8,608 8,866 9,081 -2.9 -2.4 0.5 9,235 8,955 8,451 9,120 1.3

 Textiles.............................................. 683 680 675 0.4 0.7 0.0 687 686 681 660 4.1

 Textile products................................... 416 412 405 1.0 1.7 -0.2 417 418 405 414 0.7

 Apparel............................................. 325 328 321 -0.9 2.2 1.3 331 344 344 338 -2.1

 Leather and allied products.................... 80 84 86 -4.8 -2.3 3.6 78 85 88 90 -13.3

 Paper products.................................... 1,230 1,195 1,221 2.9 -2.1 -1.6 1,216 1,197 1,246 1,242 -2.1

 Printing ............................................. 1,024 1,056 1,004 -3.0 5.2 -0.4 1,108 1,095 1,084 1,193 -7.1

 Petroleum and coal products................. 12,319 12,315 12,026 0.0 2.4 4.2 12,756 12,638 12,387 9,748 30.9

 Chemical products................................ 18,194 18,176 18,240 0.1 -0.4 1.1 17,960 17,983 18,692 16,215 10.8

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 3,237 3,237 3,180 0.0 1.8 1.0 3,209 3,217 3,161 3,076 4.3

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 229,026 228,403 228,766 0.3 -0.2 0.2 230,181 229,546 231,653 225,958 1.9

 Durable goods industries.......................... 113,869 114,269 114,387 -0.4 -0.1 0.5 113,822 113,673 115,498 109,884 3.6

 Wood products................................... 5,003 4,956 4,965 0.9 -0.2 0.4 4,781 4,730 4,855 4,480 6.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 6,533 6,494 6,490 0.6 0.1 0.9 6,279 6,345 6,433 6,044 3.9

 Primary metals.................................... 11,432 11,202 11,075 2.1 1.1 0.5 11,193 11,138 11,034 10,226 9.5

 Fabricated metal products........................ 18,547 18,422 18,517 0.7 -0.5 0.9 18,298 18,150 18,436 17,361 5.4

 Machinery.......................................... 23,376 23,736 23,619 -1.5 0.5 0.5 23,013 23,662 23,760 21,718 6.0

 Computers and electronic products........ 12,594 12,581 12,793 0.1 -1.7 0.6 12,912 12,648 13,291 12,419 4.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,819 6,820 6,843 0.0 -0.3 1.1 6,883 6,800 7,039 6,371 8.0

 Transportation equipment..................... 15,059 15,586 15,655 -3.4 -0.4 -0.9 15,692 15,642 15,956 16,937 -7.4

 Furniture and related products............... 2,921 2,880 2,803 1.4 2.7 0.3 2,914 2,869 2,938 2,638 10.5

 Miscellaneous products......................... 11,585 11,592 11,627 -0.1 -0.3 0.8 11,857 11,689 11,756 11,690 1.4

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 115,157 114,134 114,379 0.9 -0.2 -0.1 116,359 115,873 116,155 116,074 0.2

 Food products.................................... 29,699 29,814 30,133 -0.4 -1.1 -0.3 31,090 31,503 31,454 31,013 0.2

 Beverage and tobacco products................... 8,728 8,594 8,555 1.6 0.5 -1.4 8,751 8,645 8,837 8,832 -0.9

 Textiles.............................................. 1,463 1,442 1,441 1.5 0.1 -0.1 1,463 1,443 1,446 1,395 4.9

 Textile products................................... 1,767 1,757 1,755 0.6 0.1 0.5 1,763 1,745 1,758 1,627 8.4

 Apparel............................................. 1,218 1,231 1,195 -1.1 3.0 2.7 1,244 1,295 1,274 1,271 -2.1

 Leather and allied products.................... 474 481 490 -1.5 -1.8 -1.2 471 488 506 467 0.9

 Paper products.................................... 6,548 6,603 6,674 -0.8 -1.1 -0.1 6,469 6,608 6,674 6,517 -0.7

 Printing ............................................. 1,733 1,740 1,772 -0.4 -1.8 -0.7 1,791 1,740 1,771 1,774 1.0

 Petroleum and coal products................. 14,620 14,246 14,170 2.6 0.5 2.9 14,866 14,699 14,325 13,317 11.6

 Chemical products................................ 36,749 36,106 36,021 1.8 0.2 -1.0 36,452 35,713 36,048 38,283 -4.8

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 12,158 12,120 12,173 0.3 -0.4 1.0 11,999 11,994 12,062 11,578 3.6

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. 

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, October Full Report, December 4, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.
Table 7. Ratios of Manufacturers' Inventories to Shipments and Unfilled Orders 

 to Shipments, by Industry Group 1

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

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio2

Industry Oct Sep Aug Jul Oct Sep Aug Jul

2017p 2017r 2017 2017 2017p 2017r 2017 2017

All manufacturing industries3

............................ 1.37 1.37 1.38 1.38 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries3

.................................. 1.67 1.68 1.68 1.69 6.68 6.68 6.76 6.77

 Wood products.............................................. 1.26 1.27 1.29 1.31 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.26 1.27 1.27 1.27 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.71 1.72 1.70 1.72 1.55 1.57 1.56 1.57

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.54 1.55 1.56 1.56 2.54 2.54 2.54 2.55

 Machinery..................................................... 2.14 2.16 2.19 2.21 3.51 3.50 3.59 3.64

 Computers and electronic products3

................ 1.63 1.63 1.65 1.66 5.58 5.60 5.65 5.69

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.74 1.75 1.76 1.77 2.43 2.44 2.45 2.46

 Transportation equipment.............................. 1.65 1.65 1.65 1.65 14.84 14.64 14.89 14.62

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.19 1.18 1.18 1.18 1.65 1.65 1.68 1.71

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.79 1.80 1.82 1.82 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 1.06 1.07 1.07 1.07 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.80 0.81 0.81 0.80 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.83 1.82 1.78 1.78 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.23 1.25 1.23 1.23 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.56 1.55 1.57 1.55 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 1.97 2.00 1.95 1.88 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.02 2.06 2.11 2.08 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Printing......................................................... 0.85 0.87 0.86 0.86 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.83 0.85 0.86 0.85 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.28 1.27 1.28 1.28 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.29 1.29 1.30 1.28 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Oct3 Oct3 Oct3 Oct3

Industry 2016- 2016- 2016- 2016-

Oct2 Sep Oct2 Sep Oct2 Sep Oct2 Sep

2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017

 

All manufacturing industries.................. (X) 0.2 (X) 0.3 (X) 0.1 (X) 0.1

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

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

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

 Primary metals.................................... 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.7 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.3

 Fabricated metal products.................... 0.4 0.4 0.4 1.1 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.2

 Machinery.......................................... 1.1 0.4 1.3 0.6 0.1 0.2 -0.1 0.1

 Computers and electronic products..... 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.7 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.2

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.9 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.3 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.2

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.4 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.3 (X) 0.1

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

 Food products................................... (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Textile products.................................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

 Leather and allied products.................... (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Paper products.................................... (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Petroleum and coal products................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.8

 Chemical products................................ (X) 0.2 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

 Plastics and rubber products................. (X) 0.2 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

X

 Not Applicable 

p

 Preliminary 

r

 Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment. 

2

 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. 

3

 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing. 

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, October Full Report, December 4, 2017. 

Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

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

X Not Applicable 

NA Not Available 

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

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

publication. 

3

 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. 

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/>.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, October Full Report, December 4, 

2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes 1

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

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories