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FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 AM EST, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021

MONTHLY FULL REPORT ON MANUFACTURERS’ SHIPMENTS, INVENTORIES AND ORDERS 

DECEMBER 2020

Release Number: CB 21-10 M3-2 (20)-12

Statement Regarding COVID-19 Impact: The Census Bureau continues to monitor response and data quality 

and has determined that estimates in this release meet publication standards. For more information, see < M3 

COVID-19 FAQs>.

February 4, 2021 — The U.S. Census Bureau announces the December full report on manufacturers’ 

shipments, inventories and orders:

MANUFACTURED GOODS – NEW ORDERS

DECEMBER 2020 $493.5 billion +1.1%°

NOVEMBER 2020

(revised) $488.3 billion +1.3%°

Next release: March 4, 2021

Data adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes.

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.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders, February 4, 

2021.

Summary

New orders for manufactured goods in December, up eight consecutive months, increased $5.2 billion or 

1.1 percent to $493.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.3 percent

November increase. Shipments, also up eight consecutive months, increased $8.4 billion or 1.7 percent to

$501.8 billion. This followed a 0.8 percent November increase. Unfilled orders, down nine of the last ten

months, decreased $3.0 billion or 0.3 percent to $1,070.8 billion. This followed a virtually unchanged 

November decrease. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.28, down from 6.40 in November. 

Inventories, up four of the last five months, increased $2.1 billion or 0.3 percent to $695.7 billion. This 

followed a 0.8 percent November increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.39, down from 1.41 

in November.

Jan-20 Feb-20 Mar-20 Apr-20 May-20 Jun-20 Jul-20 Aug-20 Sep-20 Oct-20 Nov-20 Dec-20

%Change -0.4% 0.2% -11.0% -13.5% 7.7% 6.4% 6.5% 0.6% 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1.1%

-14.0%

-13.0%

-12.0%

-11.0%

-10.0%

-9.0%

-8.0%

-7.0%

-6.0%

-5.0%

-4.0%

-3.0%

-2.0%

-1.0%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

5.0%

6.0%

7.0%

8.0%

MANUFACTURERS' NEW ORDERS 2020

Seasonally Adjusted, Month-To-Month Percentage Change

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders, February 4, 

2021.
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New Orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in December, up eight consecutive months, increased $1.2

billion or 0.5 percent to $246.4 billion, up from the previously published 0.2 percent increase. This 

followed a 1.3 percent November increase. Machinery, also up eight consecutive months, led the 

increase, $0.9 billion or 2.7 percent to $33.4 billion. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $4.1 billion or 1.7 percent to $247.1 billion.

Shipments

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in December, up seven of the last eight months, increased $4.3

billion or 1.7 percent to $254.7 billion, up from the previously published 1.4 percent increase. This 

followed a 0.4 percent November increase. Transportation equipment, also up seven of the last eight

months, led the increase, $2.5 billion or 3.1 percent to $85.1 billion. Shipments of manufactured

nondurable goods, up eight consecutive months, increased $4.1 billion or 1.7 percent to $247.1 billion. 

This followed a 1.2 percent November increase. Petroleum and coal products, up seven of the last eight

months, led the increase, $2.3 billion or 5.6 percent to $44.2 billion.

Unfilled Orders

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in December, down nine of the last ten months,

decreased $3.0 billion or 0.3 percent to $1,070.8 billion, unchanged from the previously published

decrease. This followed a virtually unchanged November decrease. Transportation equipment, down ten

consecutive months, drove the decrease, $6.8 billion or 1.0 percent to $706.3 billion.

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in December, down following three consecutive monthly 

increases, decreased $1.0 billion or 0.2 percent to $425.6 billion, unchanged from the previously published

decrease. This followed a 0.9 percent November increase. Transportation equipment, down following 

four consecutive monthly increases, drove the decrease, $2.8 billion or 1.9 percent to $147.9 billion. 

Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up four of the last five months, increased $3.1 billion or 

1.1 percent to $270.2 billion. This followed a 0.7 percent November increase. Petroleum and coal

products, up two consecutive months, led the increase, $1.4 billion or 4.3 percent to $32.9 billion. By 

stage of fabrication, December materials and supplies increased 0.5 percent in durable goods and 1.4

percent in nondurable goods. Work in process decreased 0.2 percent in durable goods and increased 1.1

percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 1.2 percent in durable goods and increased 0.9

percent in nondurable goods.
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The Advance Report on durable goods for January is scheduled for release on February 25, 2021 at 8:30

a.m. EST and the Full Report on March 4, 2021 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>.

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-ofmonth 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-to-month changes 

of the total operations of the reporting units in the M3 panel effectively represent the month-tomonth 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 60

percent of the total value of shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 2017 Economic 

Census, and these companies include roughly 61 percent of the manufacturing companies with $500 

million or more in shipments in the 2017 Economic Census. The companies for which shipments data 

are currently reported in the M3 survey represent approximately 51 percent of the total value of 

shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 2017 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 
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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>.

Benchmark notice

Revised historical data from the Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey will 

be issued on May 14, 2021. These revisions result from

• benchmarking the M3 shipments and inventories data to the 2019 and 2018 Annual Survey of 

Manufactures (ASM) data, as well as to revised ASM data from 2013 through 2016, resulting 

from benchmarking the ASM to the 2017 Economic Census; 

• incorporating the unfilled orders to shipments ratios obtained for 2019 and 2018 from the 

Manufacturers’ Unfilled Orders (M3UFO) Survey by applying these ratios to the respective ASM 

shipments data, as well as incorporating revised unfilled orders to shipments ratios for prior 

years;

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

orders data;

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

previously reported data;

• updating the seasonally adjusted data based on the results of benchmarking and the recent 

annual review of the seasonal adjustment models. 

These revisions will span the seasonally adjusted data for January 2007 through March 2021 and the 

data not seasonally adjusted for January 2012 through March 2021. An updated Press Release will 

contain revised monthly tables for January 2021 through March 2021. 
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RESOURCES

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/>.

FRED Mobile App

Receive the latest updates on the nation’s key economic indicators by downloading 

the FRED App <https://fred.stlouisfed.org/fred-mobile/> for both Apple and 

Android devices. FRED, the signature database of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. 

Louis, now incorporates the Census Bureau’s 13 economic indicators.

###
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

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2020/

2020p 2020r 2020 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2020p 2020r 2020 2019 2020p 2019 2019

 All manufacturing industries.................. 501,815 493,448 489,486 1.7 0.8 1.2 500,810 476,975 502,055 491,768 5,680,317 6,017,160 -5.6

 Excluding transportation................... 416,695 410,870 407,392 1.4 0.9 1.4 416,015 397,429 416,396 410,158 4,785,850 4,986,167 -4.0

 Excluding defense.............................. 487,393 478,305 475,022 1.9 0.7 1.1 484,607 461,191 487,627 476,955 5,510,175 5,849,657 -5.8

 With unfilled orders............................ 170,508 167,845 168,427 1.6 -0.3 2.9 173,566 160,467 170,835 171,228 1,956,571 2,072,748 -5.6

 Durable goods industries......................... 254,672 250,388 249,356 1.7 0.4 1.5 255,110 240,126 256,990 241,127 2,833,308 2,981,801 -5.0

 Wood products....................................... 10,475 10,289 10,210 1.8 0.8 1.6 9,263 9,511 10,752 8,007 113,585 107,817 5.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 12,094 12,028 11,918 0.5 0.9 1.1 10,706 11,447 13,028 9,861 140,209 136,869 2.4

 Primary metals....................................... 19,719 19,310 18,840 2.1 2.5 2.6 18,279 17,815 18,960 17,285 222,267 238,516 -6.8

 Iron and steel mills............................ 10,188 9,908 9,631 2.8 2.9 3.0 9,427 9,059 9,702 8,793 113,402 124,716 -9.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 8,339 8,203 8,007 1.7 2.4 1.4 7,768 7,694 8,075 7,315 94,172 96,063 -2.0

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,192 1,199 1,202 -0.6 -0.2 7.3 1,084 1,062 1,183 1,177 14,693 17,737 -17.2

 Fabricated metal products....................... 31,393 31,027 30,898 1.2 0.4 2.5 29,670 29,329 31,976 29,307 362,880 380,477 -4.6

 Machinery............................................. 31,979 31,591 31,514 1.2 0.2 1.5 33,212 29,121 31,885 32,362 369,254 384,961 -4.1

 Farm machinery................................. 2,098 2,179 2,210 -3.7 -1.4 4.0 1,857 1,708 2,195 1,728 22,875 23,660 -3.3

 Construction machinery..................... 2,720 2,755 2,666 -1.3 3.3 4.3 2,686 2,573 2,877 2,593 31,420 36,166 -13.1

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,054 1,091 1,099 -3.4 -0.7 3.6 1,234 1,085 1,103 1,668 14,223 17,614 -19.3

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,319 3,204 3,161 3.6 1.4 0.7 3,932 2,918 3,161 3,768 38,307 36,248 5.7

 Photographic equipment...................... 584 568 560 2.8 1.4 -2.9 680 530 552 578 6,759 6,459 4.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,800 3,875 4,031 -1.9 -3.9 1.4 3,680 3,387 3,876 3,608 45,673 46,339 -1.4

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,446 2,504 2,508 -2.3 -0.2 1.0 2,828 2,436 2,665 2,949 29,618 32,126 -7.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 4,316 3,929 3,860 9.8 1.8 1.5 4,130 3,873 3,994 3,832 46,129 49,114 -6.1

 Material handling equipment............... 2,849 2,796 2,748 1.9 1.7 1.0 3,103 2,592 2,853 2,952 32,530 34,240 -5.0

 Computers and electronic products2.......... 30,838 30,652 31,103 0.6 -1.5 2.3 34,705 31,301 31,014 31,984 355,913 340,696 4.5

 Computers........................................ 563 583 586 -3.4 -0.5 1.7 655 604 583 687 6,879 7,365 -6.6

 Computer storage devices..................... 502 502 511 0.0 -1.8 17.7 741 542 478 736 5,740 4,604 24.7

 Other peripheral equipment................ 787 839 814 -6.2 3.1 2.1 981 818 764 962 9,354 8,560 9.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 4,208 4,071 4,394 3.4 -7.4 10.7 5,693 3,745 3,774 4,608 45,266 39,839 13.6

 Defense communications equipment.... 267 301 277 -11.3 8.7 0.0 282 316 292 280 3,304 3,080 7.3

 Audio and video equipment.................... 311 357 371 -12.9 -3.8 1.4 426 498 513 440 3,955 4,042 -2.2

 Electronic components......................... 4,460 4,507 4,475 -1.0 0.7 1.5 4,609 4,291 4,373 4,145 51,833 46,954 10.4

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,515 1,528 1,547 -0.9 -1.2 2.4 1,720 1,545 1,483 1,778 18,330 19,293 -5.0

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 3,005 2,999 3,068 0.2 -2.2 0.7 3,338 3,300 3,018 3,353 36,251 35,472 2.2

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 9,469 9,374 9,418 1.0 -0.5 1.7 11,113 9,250 9,387 10,304 109,210 108,840 0.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,886 10,801 11,028 0.8 -2.1 4.4 11,073 10,465 11,337 10,887 128,494 131,098 -2.0

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 962 952 949 1.1 0.3 -2.8 971 950 1,004 1,006 11,637 12,106 -3.9

 Household appliances........................ 2,058 2,121 2,239 -3.0 -5.3 16.6 2,356 2,140 2,307 2,091 23,651 22,811 3.7

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,934 2,799 2,891 4.8 -3.2 1.3 2,898 2,593 2,792 3,202 36,503 40,515 -9.9

 Batteries........................................... 763 730 770 4.5 -5.2 0.1 829 798 907 805 8,994 9,076 -0.9

 Transportation equipment........................ 85,120 82,578 82,094 3.1 0.6 0.3 84,795 79,546 85,659 81,610 894,467 1,030,993 -13.2

 Automobiles..................................... 7,293 7,385 7,582 -1.2 -2.6 -5.9 6,772 7,166 8,132 7,049 77,601 105,190 -26.2

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 24,074 22,758 21,379 5.8 6.5 -5.6 24,296 21,864 23,264 18,901 213,159 244,731 -12.9

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,601 2,671 2,525 -2.6 5.8 -0.2 2,301 2,463 2,644 2,015 26,825 31,070 -13.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 29,308 29,321 29,015 0.0 1.1 0.7 26,264 27,589 30,560 24,717 323,628 337,309 -4.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 6,266 4,333 6,275 44.6 -30.9 22.9 8,261 4,314 5,670 13,342 71,692 133,830 -46.4

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,615 4,225 4,220 -14.4 0.1 12.8 4,174 4,369 4,164 4,660 48,871 55,125 -11.3

 Ships and boats................................. 2,677 2,705 2,659 -1.0 1.7 -1.3 2,704 2,854 2,667 2,800 31,997 36,113 -11.4

 Furniture and related products.................. 6,618 6,576 6,599 0.6 -0.3 1.0 6,607 6,445 6,777 6,532 78,217 79,437 -1.5

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 15,550 15,536 15,152 0.1 2.5 1.6 16,800 15,146 15,602 13,292 168,022 150,937 11.3

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 247,143 243,060 240,130 1.7 1.2 0.8 245,700 236,849 245,065 250,641 2,847,009 3,035,359 -6.2

 Food products....................................... 68,495 68,254 68,154 0.4 0.1 0.8 68,603 69,521 71,437 67,077 814,177 803,872 1.3

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 7,310 7,212 7,142 1.4 1.0 0.5 7,461 7,355 7,441 6,672 85,250 82,169 3.7

 Dairy products.................................. 10,391 10,492 10,618 -1.0 -1.2 1.1 10,571 10,845 10,969 10,559 126,458 124,145 1.9

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 18,442 18,107 18,032 1.9 0.4 0.0 17,880 18,108 18,440 18,843 221,123 234,266 -5.6

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 13,788 12,955 13,423 6.4 -3.5 -2.9 13,594 12,809 13,554 12,884 159,092 160,401 -0.8

 Beverages......................................... 9,655 9,471 9,465 1.9 0.1 0.5 9,461 9,325 9,596 9,127 112,471 111,461 0.9

 Tobacco............................................ 4,133 3,484 3,958 18.6 -12.0 -10.0 4,133 3,484 3,958 3,757 46,621 48,940 -4.7

 Textile mills........................................... 2,258 2,244 2,202 0.6 1.9 0.4 1,981 2,127 2,266 1,994 25,745 27,841 -7.5

 Textile products................................... 1,910 1,861 1,831 2.6 1.6 -2.5 1,749 1,814 1,911 1,761 21,955 24,170 -9.2

 Apparel................................................ 951 874 871 8.8 0.3 -1.1 941 990 1,009 899 10,560 10,938 -3.5

 Leather and allied products...................... 407 439 435 -7.3 0.9 -0.5 422 415 442 395 4,745 4,804 -1.2

 Paper products...................................... 16,855 16,792 16,686 0.4 0.6 1.5 16,614 16,138 17,228 15,796 196,988 194,296 1.4

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,551 6,598 6,567 -0.7 0.5 -0.7 6,536 6,379 6,712 6,515 78,788 78,708 0.1

 Paperboard containers........................ 6,089 5,993 5,969 1.6 0.4 -1.0 5,808 5,725 6,285 5,430 70,967 69,554 2.0

 Printing................................................. 7,093 6,955 7,092 2.0 -1.9 2.5 7,167 7,028 7,630 7,261 83,543 86,049 -2.9

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 44,193 41,844 39,858 5.6 5.0 0.9 43,237 39,545 39,858 56,046 472,683 666,331 -29.1

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 39,892 37,535 35,610 6.3 5.4 0.7 39,567 35,562 35,201 52,402 422,380 614,937 -31.3

 Chemical products..................................... 71,011 70,601 69,538 0.6 1.5 1.3 72,522 67,575 68,879 67,885 820,167 810,562 1.2

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 3,128 3,011 2,933 3.9 2.7 8.1 3,201 2,493 2,315 2,713 33,759 34,639 -2.5

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 26,150 26,059 25,533 0.3 2.1 0.5 27,471 25,517 25,402 23,743 299,432 268,743 11.4

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 4,897 4,912 4,732 -0.3 3.8 0.0 4,197 4,256 4,757 3,812 54,066 51,845 4.3

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 20,182 20,241 20,040 -0.3 1.0 1.1 18,870 18,887 20,851 18,643 237,354 246,095 -3.6

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, December Full Report, February 4, 2021. 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

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2020/

2020p 2020r 2020 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2020p 2020r 2020 2019 2020p 2019 2019

All manufacturing industries2........................ 493,548 488,307 482,228 1.1 1.3 1.3 500,495 469,979 490,308 494,935 5,545,952 5,936,462 -6.6

 Excluding transportation2...................... 415,253 409,418 404,863 1.4 1.1 1.3 415,161 394,109 411,909 404,355 4,740,306 4,928,698 -3.8

 Excluding defense2

.............................. 480,589 474,651 468,692 1.3 1.3 0.8 481,961 455,679 478,790 468,195 5,376,879 5,758,618 -6.6

 With unfilled orders2............................. 167,509 167,824 166,341 -0.2 0.9 3.2 177,917 159,367 164,911 178,714 1,882,372 2,050,630 -8.2

 Durable goods industries2......................... 246,405 245,247 242,098 0.5 1.3 1.8 254,795 233,130 245,243 244,294 2,698,943 2,901,103 -7.0

 Primary metals........................................ 20,003 19,880 19,616 0.6 1.3 1.3 19,327 18,825 19,505 17,767 224,364 239,039 -6.1

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 10,243 10,153 10,229 0.9 -0.7 0.6 9,972 9,553 9,906 9,067 114,313 124,751 -8.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 8,554 8,413 8,099 1.7 3.9 0.9 8,204 8,051 8,360 7,519 94,915 96,351 -1.5

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,206 1,314 1,288 -8.2 2.0 10.4 1,151 1,221 1,239 1,181 15,136 17,937 -15.6

 Fabricated metal products........................ 32,381 31,995 32,023 1.2 -0.1 2.8 30,362 29,836 32,344 28,682 366,325 380,011 -3.6

 Machinery............................................. 33,395 32,505 31,877 2.7 2.0 0.3 34,037 29,743 32,016 31,060 373,774 382,627 -2.3

 Construction machinery........................ 3,037 2,970 2,737 2.3 8.5 4.3 3,138 2,813 2,903 2,627 32,006 33,268 -3.8

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,262 1,116 1,089 13.1 2.5 -7.8 1,442 1,110 1,093 1,514 14,284 16,970 -15.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,327 3,164 3,078 5.2 2.8 -1.8 3,696 2,827 3,179 3,494 37,880 36,055 5.1

 Photographic equipment....................... 564 555 530 1.6 4.7 0.0 675 509 556 581 6,546 6,164 6.2

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,920 3,958 3,973 -1.0 -0.4 -0.7 3,745 3,374 3,799 3,512 46,357 46,692 -0.7

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,797 2,580 2,528 8.4 2.1 -3.0 3,097 2,441 2,585 2,575 30,686 31,293 -1.9

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment........... 4,150 3,819 3,810 8.7 0.2 -1.4 3,964 3,763 3,944 3,551 45,610 48,733 -6.4

 Material handling equipment.................. 2,908 2,965 2,919 -1.9 1.6 3.1 3,431 2,647 2,929 3,333 33,077 34,524 -4.2

 Computers and electronic products2........... 26,270 26,246 26,270 0.1 -0.1 4.3 31,416 25,473 25,452 28,096 298,008 284,235 4.8

 Computers........................................ 617 629 586 -1.9 7.3 -1.8 709 650 583 688 6,827 7,382 -7.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,376 4,353 4,488 0.5 -3.0 12.0 5,841 3,974 3,941 4,639 46,007 40,297 14.2

 Defense communications equipment....... 354 351 247 0.9 42.1 -5.0 353 359 248 382 3,082 2,773 11.1

 Electronic components......................... 4,606 4,623 4,563 -0.4 1.3 3.0 4,950 4,331 4,562 4,224 51,968 47,539 9.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,742 1,705 1,662 2.2 2.6 4.5 1,726 1,678 1,695 1,506 19,650 19,886 -1.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,975 3,006 3,039 -1.0 -1.1 2.5 3,885 2,879 2,799 3,830 36,064 36,454 -1.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments..................... 9,517 9,410 9,519 1.1 -1.1 2.6 11,323 9,248 9,343 10,317 109,736 108,631 1.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 11,318 11,241 11,043 0.7 1.8 2.4 11,433 10,751 11,312 10,705 130,511 132,075 -1.2

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,018 966 939 5.4 2.9 -4.2 981 950 1,004 1,008 11,563 12,520 -7.6

 Household appliances.......................... 2,232 2,295 2,262 -2.7 1.5 14.3 2,569 2,218 2,341 2,072 24,711 23,021 7.3

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,929 2,813 2,889 4.1 -2.6 1.0 2,867 2,631 2,821 3,171 36,580 40,600 -9.9

 Transportation equipment........................ 78,295 78,889 77,365 -0.8 2.0 1.5 85,334 75,870 78,399 90,580 805,646 1,007,764 -20.1

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 29,367 29,505 29,115 -0.5 1.3 0.9 27,169 28,169 30,034 25,638 324,691 336,154 -3.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts3................ 1,145 2,372 2,356 -51.7 0.7 23.9 6,381 1,500 1,611 9,699 -17,281 103,500 -116.7

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 2,857 2,971 2,824 -3.8 5.2 71.3 4,997 3,758 1,994 8,514 43,033 59,984 -28.3

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,857 2,370 2,719 20.5 -12.8 -0.7 2,251 3,204 2,182 7,975 35,049 38,969 -10.1

 Furniture and related products................... 6,630 6,653 6,637 -0.3 0.2 0.0 6,123 6,543 6,846 6,250 78,588 79,686 -1.4

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 247,143 243,060 240,130 1.7 1.2 0.8 245,700 236,849 245,065 250,641 2,847,009 3,035,359 -6.2

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

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

3

 (NA) - New Orders month-to-month percent change is not provided for Nondefense aircraft and parts because the denominator has a negative value. 

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, December Full Report, February 4, 2021. 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 December

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2020/

2020p 2020r 2020 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2020p 2020r 2020 2019 2019

All manufacturing industries2

...................... 1,070,796 1,073,795 1,073,816 -0.3 0.0 -0.2 1,067,943 1,063,592 1,064,692 1,142,142 -6.5

 Excluding transportation2...................... 364,495 360,669 357,001 1.1 1.0 0.7 359,747 355,935 353,359 345,125 4.2

 Excluding defense2............................. 855,833 857,369 855,903 -0.2 0.2 -0.1 852,164 850,144 849,760 925,294 -7.9

 Durable goods industries2........................ 1,070,796 1,073,795 1,073,816 -0.3 0.0 -0.2 1,067,943 1,063,592 1,064,692 1,142,142 -6.5

 Primary metals........................................ 33,462 33,178 32,608 0.9 1.7 2.4 33,556 32,508 31,498 31,459 6.7

 Iron and steel mills............................... 14,589 14,534 14,289 0.4 1.7 4.4 14,578 14,033 13,539 13,667 6.7

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............. 13,153 12,938 12,728 1.7 1.6 0.7 13,277 12,841 12,484 12,534 5.9

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 5,720 5,706 5,591 0.2 2.1 1.6 5,701 5,634 5,475 5,258 8.4

 Fabricated metal products......................... 77,485 76,497 75,529 1.3 1.3 1.5 75,895 75,203 74,696 72,450 4.8

 Machinery.............................................. 101,102 99,686 98,772 1.4 0.9 0.4 99,248 98,423 97,801 94,728 4.8

 Construction machinery......................... 6,061 5,744 5,529 5.5 3.9 1.3 5,963 5,511 5,271 5,377 10.9

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 4,083 3,875 3,850 5.4 0.6 -0.3 4,083 3,875 3,850 4,022 1.5

 Industrial machinery............................. 8,431 8,423 8,463 0.1 -0.5 -1.0 8,064 8,300 8,391 8,491 -5.0

 Photographic equipment........................ 830 850 863 -2.4 -1.5 -3.4 857 862 883 1,070 -19.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment................ 7,496 7,376 7,293 1.6 1.1 -0.8 7,180 7,115 7,128 6,496 10.5

 Metalworking machinery........................ 8,926 8,575 8,499 4.1 0.9 0.2 8,682 8,413 8,408 7,614 14.0

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment............ 23,087 23,253 23,363 -0.7 -0.5 -0.2 23,087 23,253 23,363 23,606 -2.2

 Material handling equipment................... 11,571 11,512 11,343 0.5 1.5 1.5 11,583 11,255 11,200 11,036 5.0

 Computers and electronic products2............. 120,457 119,757 119,043 0.6 0.6 0.3 120,003 118,626 118,558 117,742 1.9

 Computers......................................... 1,956 1,902 1,856 2.8 2.5 0.0 1,956 1,902 1,856 2,008 -2.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 25,520 25,352 25,070 0.7 1.1 0.4 25,373 25,225 24,996 24,632 3.0

 Defense communications equipment........ 760 673 623 12.9 8.0 -4.6 735 664 621 957 -23.2

 Electronic components.......................... 14,798 14,652 14,536 1.0 0.8 0.6 14,800 14,459 14,419 14,665 0.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 22,802 22,575 22,398 1.0 0.8 0.5 22,668 22,662 22,529 21,348 6.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 30,563 30,593 30,586 -0.1 0.0 -0.1 30,534 29,987 30,408 30,721 -0.6

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments...................... 24,058 24,010 23,974 0.2 0.2 0.4 23,937 23,727 23,729 23,411 2.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 23,239 22,807 22,367 1.9 2.0 0.1 22,800 22,440 22,154 20,783 9.7

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,716 1,660 1,646 3.4 0.9 -0.6 1,673 1,663 1,663 1,747 -4.2

 Household appliances........................... 2,574 2,400 2,226 7.3 7.8 1.0 2,616 2,403 2,325 1,556 68.1

 Electrical equipment............................. 8,655 8,660 8,646 -0.1 0.2 0.0 8,494 8,525 8,487 8,417 0.9

 Transportation equipment......................... 706,301 713,126 716,815 -1.0 -0.5 -0.7 708,196 707,657 711,333 797,017 -11.1

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 21,560 21,501 21,317 0.3 0.9 0.5 21,811 20,906 20,326 20,748 5.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 470,273 475,394 477,355 -1.1 -0.4 -0.8 471,001 472,881 475,695 559,974 -15.9

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 78,461 79,219 80,473 -1.0 -1.6 -1.7 79,199 78,376 78,987 85,037 -6.9

 Ships and boats.................................. 49,786 49,606 49,941 0.4 -0.7 0.1 48,201 48,654 48,304 45,149 6.8

 Furniture and related products................... 8,272 8,260 8,183 0.1 0.9 0.5 7,767 8,251 8,153 7,396 5.0

p

 Preliminary 

r

 Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment. 

1

 Estimates of shipments and new orders are for the duration of the period, while estimates of unfilled orders and total inventories are for the end of the period. Not seasonally adjusted estimates of shipments and new orders 

include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the 

latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 

2

 Data on 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, December Full Report, February 4, 2021. 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 December

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2020/

2020p 2020r 2020 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2020p 2020r 2020 2019 2019

 All manufacturing industries...................... 695,712 693,627 687,818 0.3 0.8 0.3 679,707 692,530 689,974 683,015 -0.5

 Excluding transportation........................ 547,800 542,910 539,561 0.9 0.6 0.2 536,140 541,382 540,457 546,377 -1.9

 Excluding defense............................. 670,444 668,384 662,215 0.3 0.9 0.3 654,654 667,298 664,389 658,224 -0.5

 With unfilled orders............................. 347,429 347,773 344,942 -0.1 0.8 0.1 338,311 347,296 344,926 335,247 0.9

 Durable goods industries........................ 425,555 426,531 422,634 -0.2 0.9 0.3 414,693 426,159 422,599 412,104 0.6

 Wood products........................................ 12,288 12,203 12,112 0.7 0.8 1.6 12,439 12,261 12,064 12,011 3.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products..................... 14,037 13,993 13,960 0.3 0.2 -0.3 13,744 13,603 13,593 14,217 -3.3

 Primary metals......................................... 34,334 33,823 33,657 1.5 0.5 0.3 34,092 33,545 33,250 35,502 -4.0

 Iron and steel mills............................... 18,560 18,375 18,318 1.0 0.3 -0.1 18,510 18,210 18,075 20,071 -7.8

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............ 13,725 13,416 13,281 2.3 1.0 1.2 13,587 13,327 13,146 13,250 2.5

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,049 2,032 2,058 0.8 -1.3 -1.0 1,995 2,008 2,029 2,181 -8.5

 Fabricated metal products......................... 51,975 51,618 51,240 0.7 0.7 0.4 50,912 50,947 50,873 52,021 -2.1

 Machinery.............................................. 69,912 69,385 68,876 0.8 0.7 -0.1 67,739 69,882 68,603 69,352 -2.3

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,841 3,864 3,724 -0.6 3.8 2.3 3,928 3,990 3,589 3,955 -0.7

 Construction machinery......................... 5,995 5,974 5,946 0.4 0.5 0.3 5,805 5,972 5,967 5,919 -1.9

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 4,620 4,661 4,643 -0.9 0.4 -0.8 4,474 4,715 4,666 5,056 -11.5

 Industrial machinery............................. 10,035 10,004 9,868 0.3 1.4 0.8 9,915 10,060 9,686 9,426 5.2

 Photographic equipment....................... 1,421 1,442 1,426 -1.5 1.1 1.1 1,370 1,467 1,444 1,413 -3.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 5,430 5,146 5,112 5.5 0.7 1.8 4,895 4,978 4,926 5,145 -4.9

 Metalworking machinery........................ 5,697 5,687 5,704 0.2 -0.3 -0.3 5,599 5,765 5,767 6,068 -7.7

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment............ 9,187 9,087 9,039 1.1 0.5 -1.7 8,611 9,194 9,059 8,960 -3.9

 Material handling equipment.................. 4,752 4,749 4,717 0.1 0.7 -0.6 4,473 4,864 4,811 4,859 -7.9

 Computers and electronic products2

............ 43,571 43,520 43,552 0.1 -0.1 0.1 42,103 43,737 43,663 42,810 -1.7

 Computers......................................... 1,877 1,867 1,859 0.5 0.4 2.3 1,756 1,878 1,828 1,685 4.2

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,006 1,039 960 -3.2 8.2 -1.8 1,015 1,084 1,018 998 1.7

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,077 1,006 1,046 7.1 -3.8 -0.8 1,014 1,036 1,040 1,080 -6.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,564 4,568 4,609 -0.1 -0.9 -0.9 4,239 4,683 4,668 4,219 0.5

 Defense communications equipment........ 667 678 682 -1.6 -0.6 1.3 667 678 682 667 0.0

 Audio and video equipment.................... 464 398 455 16.6 -12.5 -6.8 445 406 497 600 -25.8

 Electronic components.......................... 7,351 7,341 7,339 0.1 0.0 -0.3 7,134 7,164 7,190 7,842 -9.0

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,899 2,932 2,926 -1.1 0.2 -0.3 2,830 2,923 2,981 2,826 0.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,712 2,708 2,695 0.1 0.5 0.0 2,610 2,672 2,675 2,589 0.8

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments...................... 15,428 15,399 15,387 0.2 0.1 -0.3 15,004 15,514 15,465 14,757 1.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 19,891 19,776 19,627 0.6 0.8 -0.6 19,047 19,417 19,530 18,986 0.3

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,997 2,001 2,006 -0.2 -0.2 0.0 1,924 1,975 1,996 2,016 -4.6

 Household appliances........................... 2,568 2,501 2,417 2.7 3.5 -1.8 2,330 2,429 2,431 2,370 -1.7

 Electrical equipment............................. 6,215 6,259 6,232 -0.7 0.4 -2.0 6,039 6,233 6,150 6,237 -3.2

 Batteries............................................ 1,864 1,831 1,861 1.8 -1.6 0.5 1,678 1,663 1,869 1,627 3.1

 Transportation equipment......................... 147,912 150,717 148,257 -1.9 1.7 0.5 143,567 151,148 149,517 136,638 5.1

 Automobiles....................................... 5,786 5,647 5,512 2.5 2.4 2.5 5,395 5,643 5,636 5,302 1.8

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 4,757 5,743 5,090 -17.2 12.8 6.1 4,275 5,913 5,289 4,857 -12.0

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 2,046 2,029 2,001 0.8 1.4 0.9 1,919 1,962 1,963 1,803 6.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 27,013 26,826 26,555 0.7 1.0 0.1 26,568 26,739 26,537 26,372 0.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 78,570 80,826 79,311 -2.8 1.9 0.3 76,101 81,217 80,159 70,270 8.3

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 12,388 12,355 12,446 0.3 -0.7 0.1 12,286 12,390 12,458 12,003 2.4

 Ships and boats.................................. 4,274 4,158 4,255 2.8 -2.3 -2.5 4,233 4,150 4,247 3,958 6.9

 Furniture and related products.................... 7,260 7,204 7,132 0.8 1.0 -0.4 7,122 7,194 7,078 7,253 -1.8

 Miscellaneous durable goods..................... 24,375 24,292 24,221 0.3 0.3 0.5 23,928 24,425 24,428 23,314 2.6

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 270,157 267,096 265,184 1.1 0.7 0.2 265,014 266,371 267,375 270,911 -2.2

 Food products........................................ 55,837 55,264 54,882 1.0 0.7 0.6 55,635 56,737 57,813 55,296 0.6

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,682 5,515 5,364 3.0 2.8 0.5 5,785 5,688 5,641 5,429 6.6

 Dairy products.................................... 8,799 8,743 8,634 0.6 1.3 1.7 8,388 8,415 8,516 8,085 3.7

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products....... 9,340 9,362 9,388 -0.2 -0.3 0.9 9,195 9,474 9,567 9,914 -7.3

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 25,621 25,484 25,251 0.5 0.9 0.0 25,695 25,740 25,546 25,634 0.2

 Beverages......................................... 21,873 21,761 21,533 0.5 1.1 0.1 21,798 21,860 21,745 21,499 1.4

 Tobacco............................................ 3,748 3,723 3,718 0.7 0.1 -1.1 3,897 3,880 3,801 4,135 -5.8

 Textile mills............................................ 3,087 3,043 3,029 1.4 0.5 -0.1 3,043 3,016 3,025 3,176 -4.2

 Textile products...................................... 3,723 3,708 3,698 0.4 0.3 -0.1 3,657 3,686 3,683 3,829 -4.5

 Apparel................................................. 1,758 1,780 1,791 -1.2 -0.6 -0.1 1,622 1,748 1,843 1,714 -5.4

 Leather and allied products....................... 795 800 805 -0.6 -0.6 -0.6 795 800 795 862 -7.8

 Paper products....................................... 15,047 15,018 15,035 0.2 -0.1 -0.1 14,946 14,832 14,826 15,235 -1.9

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills........... 5,385 5,415 5,458 -0.6 -0.8 -0.7 5,374 5,334 5,331 5,741 -6.4

 Paperboard containers......................... 5,502 5,456 5,421 0.8 0.6 0.3 5,487 5,377 5,363 5,410 1.4

 Printing.................................................. 5,557 5,589 5,636 -0.6 -0.8 0.0 5,448 5,614 5,768 5,552 -1.9

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 32,935 31,576 30,394 4.3 3.9 -1.2 31,595 30,608 30,048 38,312 -17.5

 Petroleum refineries............................. 27,614 26,321 25,174 4.9 4.6 -1.3 26,371 25,510 24,976 32,624 -19.2

 Chemical products..................................... 99,130 98,341 98,316 0.8 0.0 0.5 96,576 97,418 97,926 94,836 1.8

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals........................ 5,447 5,537 5,666 -1.6 -2.3 1.3 5,514 5,475 5,389 5,563 -0.9

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines.............. 47,402 46,818 46,875 1.2 -0.1 0.7 45,690 46,439 47,047 43,558 4.9

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.............. 3,919 3,886 3,863 0.8 0.6 0.7 3,776 3,758 3,748 3,868 -2.4

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 26,667 26,493 26,347 0.7 0.6 0.4 26,002 26,172 26,102 26,465 -1.7

p Preliminary 

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

1 Estimates of shipments and new orders are for the duration of the period, while estimates of unfilled orders and total inventories are for the end of the period. Not seasonally adjusted estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for noncalendar 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, December Full Report, February 4, 2021. 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

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2020/

2020p 2020r 2020 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2020p 2020r 2020 2019 2020p 2019 2019

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries......................... 501,815 493,448 489,486 1.7 0.8 1.2 500,810 476,975 502,055 491,768 5,680,317 6,017,160 -5.6

 Construction materials and supplies....... 54,283 53,785 53,401 0.9 0.7 1.1 48,847 50,009 56,348 46,116 619,987 622,338 -0.4

 Information technology......................... 25,863 25,792 26,195 0.3 -1.5 3.4 30,129 25,628 25,697 27,881 298,382 288,211 3.5

 Computers and related products........... 1,852 1,924 1,911 -3.7 0.7 5.8 2,377 1,964 1,825 2,385 21,973 20,529 7.0

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 63,276 62,135 60,501 1.8 2.7 -2.5 59,633 59,082 64,600 52,682 641,213 718,300 -10.7

 Capital goods...................................... 87,200 85,242 85,928 2.3 -0.8 3.8 96,781 82,727 85,611 93,168 988,131 1,027,927 -3.9

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 74,358 71,825 73,375 3.5 -2.1 3.9 82,478 68,606 73,009 80,324 838,718 882,193 -4.9

 Excluding aircraft............................. 70,347 69,856 69,568 0.7 0.4 2.6 76,691 66,632 69,721 70,719 798,385 794,656 0.5

 Defense capital goods4........................ 12,842 13,417 12,553 -4.3 6.9 3.5 14,303 14,121 12,602 12,844 149,413 145,734 2.5

 Consumer goods.................................. 209,360 204,539 201,333 2.4 1.6 -0.3 210,249 201,321 207,678 210,935 2,331,648 2,546,874 -8.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 45,159 43,913 42,847 2.8 2.5 -3.3 45,224 42,569 45,868 39,440 451,071 511,373 -11.8

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 164,201 160,626 158,486 2.2 1.4 0.5 165,025 158,752 161,810 171,495 1,880,577 2,035,501 -7.6

 All manufacturing industries5...................... 493,548 488,307 482,228 1.1 1.3 1.3 500,495 469,979 490,308 494,935 5,545,952 5,936,462 -6.6

 Construction materials and supplies....... 55,144 54,555 53,950 1.1 1.1 1.2 49,514 50,318 56,296 45,568 621,233 621,760 -0.1

 Information technology......................... 26,604 26,615 26,420 0.0 0.7 3.6 31,328 25,805 25,685 28,102 301,249 289,718 4.0

 Computers and related products........... 1,906 1,970 1,911 -3.2 3.1 4.5 2,431 2,010 1,825 2,386 21,921 20,546 6.7

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 63,335 62,319 60,601 1.6 2.8 -2.4 60,538 59,662 64,074 53,603 642,276 717,145 -10.4

 Capital goods...................................... 82,461 84,281 83,708 -2.2 0.7 3.3 95,886 80,334 81,354 95,052 913,172 1,000,182 -8.7

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 70,516 71,862 71,107 -1.9 1.1 0.7 79,353 67,458 70,517 72,547 759,423 846,559 -10.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 72,020 71,504 70,681 0.7 1.2 1.7 77,394 67,726 70,498 69,419 807,741 793,375 1.8

 Defense capital goods4........................ 11,945 12,419 12,601 -3.8 -1.4 21.7 16,533 12,876 10,837 22,505 153,749 153,623 0.1

 Consumer goods.................................. 209,545 204,710 201,371 2.4 1.7 -0.3 210,215 201,526 207,758 210,789 2,332,953 2,547,345 -8.4

 Consumer durable goods..................... 45,344 44,084 42,885 2.9 2.8 -3.3 45,190 42,774 45,948 39,294 452,376 511,844 -11.6

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 164,201 160,626 158,486 2.2 1.4 0.5 165,025 158,752 161,810 171,495 1,880,577 2,035,501 -7.6

 All manufacturing industries5...................... 1,070,796 1,073,795 1,073,816 -0.3 0.0 -0.2 1,067,943 1,063,592 1,064,692 1,142,142 (X) (X) -6.5

 Construction materials and supplies....... 53,726 52,865 52,095 1.6 1.5 1.1 52,363 51,696 51,387 51,117 (X) (X) 2.4

 Information technology......................... 116,783 116,042 115,219 0.6 0.7 0.2 116,077 114,878 114,701 113,210 (X) (X) 2.5

 Computers and related products........... 1,956 1,902 1,856 2.8 2.5 0.0 1,956 1,902 1,856 2,008 (X) (X) -2.6

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 21,560 21,501 21,317 0.3 0.9 0.5 21,811 20,906 20,326 20,748 (X) (X) 5.1

 Capital goods...................................... 765,621 770,360 771,321 -0.6 -0.1 -0.3 763,314 764,209 766,602 838,273 (X) (X) -8.9

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 587,975 591,817 591,780 -0.6 0.0 -0.4 585,369 588,494 589,642 664,664 (X) (X) -11.9

 Excluding aircraft............................. 224,443 222,770 221,122 0.8 0.7 0.5 221,490 220,787 219,693 212,134 (X) (X) 4.4

 Defense capital goods4........................ 177,646 178,543 179,541 -0.5 -0.6 0.0 177,945 175,715 176,960 173,609 (X) (X) 2.5

 Consumer goods.................................. 6,063 5,878 5,707 3.1 3.0 0.7 5,995 6,029 5,824 4,690 (X) (X) 27.8

 Consumer durable goods..................... 6,063 5,878 5,707 3.1 3.0 0.7 5,995 6,029 5,824 4,690 (X) (X) 27.8 

 All manufacturing industries....................... 695,712 693,627 687,818 0.3 0.8 0.3 679,707 692,530 689,974 683,015 (X) (X) -0.5

 Construction materials and supplies....... 70,664 69,831 69,195 1.2 0.9 0.7 69,080 68,606 68,211 70,097 (X) (X) -1.5

 Information technology......................... 39,516 39,375 39,309 0.4 0.2 -0.1 38,183 39,622 39,537 37,732 (X) (X) 1.2

 Computers and related products........... 3,960 3,912 3,865 1.2 1.2 0.4 3,785 3,998 3,886 3,763 (X) (X) 0.6

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 39,602 40,245 39,158 -1.6 2.8 1.2 38,157 40,257 39,425 38,334 (X) (X) -0.5

 Capital goods...................................... 215,359 217,128 215,076 -0.8 1.0 0.0 208,988 218,171 216,071 203,269 (X) (X) 2.8

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 194,300 196,083 193,670 -0.9 1.2 0.1 188,042 197,172 194,695 182,586 (X) (X) 3.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 128,270 127,768 126,947 0.4 0.6 -0.1 124,466 128,450 126,975 124,564 (X) (X) -0.1

 Defense capital goods4........................ 21,059 21,045 21,406 0.1 -1.7 -0.5 20,946 20,999 21,376 20,683 (X) (X) 1.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 206,209 204,264 201,746 1.0 1.2 0.4 201,567 205,039 205,407 207,181 (X) (X) -2.7

 Consumer durable goods..................... 31,148 31,820 31,006 -2.1 2.6 1.4 29,819 32,165 31,536 30,684 (X) (X) -2.8

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 175,061 172,444 170,740 1.5 1.0 0.2 171,748 172,874 173,871 176,497 (X) (X) -2.7

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 noncalendar 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, December Full Report, February 4, 2021. 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 December

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2020/

2020p 2020r 2020 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2020p 2020r 2020 2019 2019

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries....................... 238,672 236,582 235,168 0.9 0.6 0.3 236,191 235,023 235,521 234,868 0.6

 Durable goods industries.......................... 146,558 145,772 144,754 0.5 0.7 0.6 145,009 145,024 144,930 142,880 1.5

 Wood products................................... 5,687 5,638 5,572 0.9 1.2 2.9 5,902 5,773 5,661 5,458 8.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 5,718 5,645 5,645 1.3 0.0 -1.1 5,669 5,579 5,603 5,580 1.6

 Primary metals.................................... 12,191 12,060 12,305 1.1 -2.0 0.4 12,378 12,089 12,387 13,193 -6.2

 Fabricated metal products.......................... 19,693 19,460 19,132 1.2 1.7 0.9 19,611 19,260 19,119 19,457 0.8

 Machinery.......................................... 27,139 27,051 27,043 0.3 0.0 -0.3 26,594 26,890 27,083 27,523 -3.4

 Computers and electronic products........ 19,921 19,911 19,874 0.1 0.2 0.2 19,410 20,041 20,008 19,299 0.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 8,722 8,766 8,716 -0.5 0.6 -0.6 8,476 8,608 8,651 8,287 2.3

 Transportation equipment..................... 35,861 35,633 34,897 0.6 2.1 1.7 35,386 35,196 34,860 32,810 7.9

 Furniture and related products............... 3,509 3,525 3,481 -0.5 1.3 0.3 3,510 3,485 3,458 3,501 0.3

 Miscellaneous products......................... 8,117 8,083 8,089 0.4 -0.1 1.0 8,073 8,103 8,100 7,772 3.9

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 92,114 90,810 90,414 1.4 0.4 -0.2 91,182 89,999 90,591 91,988 -0.9

 Food products.................................... 19,759 19,628 19,492 0.7 0.7 -0.6 19,979 19,957 20,275 20,003 -0.1

 Beverage and tobacco products........................ 5,540 5,517 5,510 0.4 0.1 -1.5 5,644 5,585 5,569 5,955 -5.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,155 1,137 1,127 1.6 0.9 0.2 1,144 1,125 1,114 1,164 -1.7

 Textile products................................... 1,180 1,189 1,192 -0.8 -0.3 0.3 1,169 1,182 1,180 1,197 -2.3

 Apparel............................................. 527 550 551 -4.2 -0.2 -0.9 510 543 559 527 -3.2

 Leather and allied products.................... 266 268 271 -0.7 -1.1 -0.7 266 264 266 274 -2.9

 Paper products.................................... 7,603 7,603 7,607 0.0 -0.1 0.0 7,646 7,552 7,521 7,721 -1.0

 Printing ............................................. 2,648 2,639 2,648 0.3 -0.3 -0.7 2,618 2,646 2,673 2,644 -1.0

 Petroleum and coal products................. 10,753 9,738 9,474 10.4 2.8 -1.4 10,030 9,108 9,143 10,864 -7.7

 Chemical products................................ 31,884 31,827 31,878 0.2 -0.2 0.8 31,489 31,469 31,684 31,021 1.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 10,799 10,714 10,664 0.8 0.5 -0.1 10,687 10,568 10,607 10,618 0.6

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 209,557 209,431 207,513 0.1 0.9 -0.4 203,780 209,881 208,973 200,696 1.5

 Durable goods industries.......................... 162,786 163,185 161,837 -0.2 0.8 -0.2 157,203 163,215 162,261 150,850 4.2

 Wood products................................... 2,080 2,030 1,995 2.5 1.8 0.5 2,046 2,006 1,978 1,730 18.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 1,401 1,399 1,402 0.1 -0.2 0.6 1,342 1,329 1,337 1,419 -5.4

 Primary metals.................................... 9,586 9,417 9,524 1.8 -1.1 2.1 9,184 9,347 9,460 9,697 -5.3

 Fabricated metal products.......................... 12,957 12,859 12,793 0.8 0.5 0.2 12,564 12,771 12,791 13,257 -5.2

 Machinery.......................................... 20,420 19,636 19,455 4.0 0.9 -1.2 19,363 20,118 19,514 18,582 4.2

 Computers and electronic products........ 12,537 12,529 12,525 0.1 0.0 0.7 12,015 12,329 12,232 12,171 -1.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 4,213 4,166 4,176 1.1 -0.2 -0.6 4,029 4,091 4,131 4,018 0.3

 Transportation equipment..................... 94,629 96,173 94,962 -1.6 1.3 -0.4 91,860 96,237 95,785 85,221 7.8

 Furniture and related products............... 1,167 1,165 1,171 0.2 -0.5 0.3 1,144 1,161 1,152 1,161 -1.5

 Miscellaneous products......................... 3,796 3,811 3,834 -0.4 -0.6 0.6 3,656 3,826 3,881 3,594 1.7

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 46,771 46,246 45,676 1.1 1.2 -1.3 46,577 46,666 46,712 49,846 -6.6

 Food products.................................... 4,505 4,409 4,564 2.2 -3.4 -5.9 4,808 5,021 5,263 4,733 1.6

 Beverage and tobacco products........................ 9,007 8,967 8,873 0.4 1.1 -0.8 9,315 9,204 9,064 9,478 -1.7

 Textiles.............................................. 596 579 580 2.9 -0.2 0.2 572 578 585 613 -6.7

 Textile products................................... 341 328 326 4.0 0.6 -1.2 326 329 328 356 -8.4

 Apparel............................................. 285 284 288 0.4 -1.4 -0.3 261 280 292 299 -12.7

 Leather and allied products.................... 87 89 85 -2.2 4.7 1.2 88 90 85 94 -6.4

 Paper products.................................... 1,436 1,433 1,428 0.2 0.4 1.7 1,403 1,413 1,418 1,381 1.6

 Printing ............................................. 1,190 1,215 1,237 -2.1 -1.8 1.6 1,146 1,229 1,309 1,179 -2.8

 Petroleum and coal products................. 7,563 7,136 6,451 6.0 10.6 -1.5 7,218 6,776 6,511 9,560 -24.5

 Chemical products................................ 18,554 18,618 18,685 -0.3 -0.4 -1.1 18,338 18,562 18,680 19,199 -4.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 3,207 3,188 3,159 0.6 0.9 0.1 3,102 3,184 3,177 2,954 5.0

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 247,483 247,614 245,137 -0.1 1.0 0.8 239,736 247,626 245,480 247,451 -3.1

 Durable goods industries.......................... 116,211 117,574 116,043 -1.2 1.3 0.5 112,481 117,920 115,408 118,374 -5.0

 Wood products................................... 4,521 4,535 4,545 -0.3 -0.2 0.7 4,491 4,482 4,425 4,823 -6.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 6,918 6,949 6,913 -0.4 0.5 0.1 6,733 6,695 6,653 7,218 -6.7

 Primary metals.................................... 12,557 12,346 11,828 1.7 4.4 -1.1 12,530 12,109 11,403 12,612 -0.7

 Fabricated metal products.......................... 19,325 19,299 19,315 0.1 -0.1 0.1 18,737 18,916 18,963 19,307 -3.0

 Machinery.......................................... 22,353 22,698 22,378 -1.5 1.4 1.2 21,782 22,874 22,006 23,247 -6.3

 Computers and electronic products........ 11,113 11,080 11,153 0.3 -0.7 -0.8 10,678 11,367 11,423 11,340 -5.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,956 6,844 6,735 1.6 1.6 -0.6 6,542 6,718 6,748 6,681 -2.1

 Transportation equipment..................... 17,422 18,911 18,398 -7.9 2.8 3.2 16,321 19,715 18,872 18,607 -12.3

 Furniture and related products............... 2,584 2,514 2,480 2.8 1.4 -1.7 2,468 2,548 2,468 2,591 -4.7

 Miscellaneous products......................... 12,462 12,398 12,298 0.5 0.8 0.2 12,199 12,496 12,447 11,948 2.1

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 131,272 130,040 129,094 0.9 0.7 1.0 127,255 129,706 130,072 129,077 -1.4

 Food products.................................... 31,573 31,227 30,826 1.1 1.3 2.4 30,848 31,759 32,275 30,560 0.9

 Beverage and tobacco products........................ 11,074 11,000 10,868 0.7 1.2 1.3 10,736 10,951 10,913 10,201 5.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,336 1,327 1,322 0.7 0.4 -0.5 1,327 1,313 1,326 1,399 -5.1

 Textile products................................... 2,202 2,191 2,180 0.5 0.5 -0.2 2,162 2,175 2,175 2,276 -5.0

 Apparel............................................. 946 946 952 0.0 -0.6 0.4 851 925 992 888 -4.2

 Leather and allied products.................... 442 443 449 -0.2 -1.3 -0.9 441 446 444 494 -10.7

 Paper products.................................... 6,008 5,982 6,000 0.4 -0.3 -0.8 5,897 5,867 5,887 6,133 -3.8

 Printing ............................................. 1,719 1,735 1,751 -0.9 -0.9 -0.1 1,684 1,739 1,786 1,729 -2.6

 Petroleum and coal products................. 14,619 14,702 14,469 -0.6 1.6 -0.8 14,347 14,724 14,394 17,888 -19.8

 Chemical products................................ 48,692 47,896 47,753 1.7 0.3 1.0 46,749 47,387 47,562 44,616 4.8

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 12,661 12,591 12,524 0.6 0.5 0.9 12,213 12,420 12,318 12,893 -5.3

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 noncalendar 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, December Full Report, February 4, 2021. 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 Dec Nov Oct Sep Dec Nov Oct Sep

2020p 2020r 2020 2020 2020p 2020r 2020 2020

All manufacturing industries3

.................................... 1.39 1.41 1.41 1.42 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries3

........................................ 1.67 1.70 1.69 1.72 6.28 6.40 6.38 6.57

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

 Nonmetallic mineral products............................. 1.16 1.16 1.17 1.19 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals............................................................ 1.74 1.75 1.79 1.83 1.70 1.72 1.73 1.73

 Fabricated metal products...................................... 1.66 1.66 1.66 1.69 2.54 2.54 2.52 2.54

 Machinery..................................................................... 2.19 2.20 2.19 2.22 3.52 3.51 3.49 3.53

 Computers and electronic products3

................... 1.41 1.42 1.40 1.43 5.13 5.13 5.01 5.15

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.................................................... 1.83 1.83 1.78 1.87 2.30 2.26 2.18 2.28

 Transportation equipment..................................... 1.74 1.83 1.81 1.80 13.81 14.33 14.16 14.85

 Furniture and related products............................ 1.10 1.10 1.08 1.10 1.39 1.40 1.39 1.39

 Miscellaneous products.......................................... 1.57 1.56 1.60 1.62 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries................................... 1.09 1.10 1.10 1.11 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products............................................................. 0.82 0.81 0.81 0.81 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products........................... 1.86 1.97 1.88 1.83 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................................................... 1.37 1.36 1.38 1.38 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products......................................................... 1.95 1.99 2.02 1.97 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel........................................................................ 1.85 2.04 2.06 2.04 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products................................ 1.95 1.82 1.85 1.85 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.......................................................... 0.89 0.89 0.90 0.92 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing........................................................................ 0.78 0.80 0.79 0.81 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............................... 0.75 0.75 0.76 0.78 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products................................................... 1.40 1.39 1.41 1.43 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products................................ 1.32 1.31 1.31 1.32 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Dec3 Dec3 Dec3 Dec3

Industry 2019- 2019- 2019- 2019-

Dec2 Nov Dec2 Nov Dec2 Nov Dec2 Nov

2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020

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

Durable goods industries....................... 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

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

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Primary metals............................................. 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.2

 Fabricated metal products.................... 0.5 0.6 0.6 1.0 0.1 0.3 -0.3 0.2

 Machinery...................................................... 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.8 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1

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

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components..................................... 0.1 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.3 0.3 -0.5 0.2

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.4 0.3 0.2 1.1 -0.1 0.1 -0.1 0.1

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.6 (X) 0.9 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.4

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

Nondurable goods industries................... (X) 0.2 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Textiles.......................................................... (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

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

 Apparel......................................................... (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

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

 Printing.......................................................... (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

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

 Plastics and rubber products................ (X) 0.3 (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, December Full Report, February 4, 2021. 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, December Full Report, February 4, 2021. 

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