Data Inquiries Media Inquiries

Economic Indicators Division, Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Branch (M3) Public Information Office

301‐763‐4832   301‐763‐3030

eid.m3.qs@census.gov pio@census.gov

FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 AM EDT, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2018

MONTHLY FULL REPORT ON MANUFACTURERS’ SHIPMENTS, INVENTORIES AND ORDERS

SEPTEMBER 2018

Release Number: CB 18‐166 M3‐2 (18)‐09

November 2, 2018 — The U.S. Census Bureau announces the September full report on manufacturers’

shipments, inventories and orders:

MANUFACTURED GOODS – NEW ORDERS

SEPTEMBER 2018 $515.3 billion            +0.7%°

AUGUST 2018  

(revised) $512.0 billion             +2.6%°

Next release: December 6, 2018

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, November

2, 2018.

Summary

New orders for manufactured goods in September, up four of the last five months, increased $3.4 billion

or 0.7 percent to $515.3 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.  This followed a 2.6 percent

August increase.  Shipments, up sixteen of the last seventeen months, increased $4.6 billion or 0.9 percent

to $509.8 billion.  This followed a 0.7 percent August increase.  Unfilled orders, up ten of the last eleven

months, increased $9.7 billion or 0.8 percent to $1,186.5 billion.  This followed a 0.9 percent August

increase.  The unfilled orders‐to‐shipments ratio was 6.64, down from 6.67 in August.  Inventories, up

twenty‐three consecutive months, increased $3.7 billion or 0.5 percent to $680.4 billion.  This followed a

0.1 percent August increase.  The inventories‐to‐shipments ratio was 1.33, down from 1.34 in August.

New Orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in September, up three of the last four months, increased

$1.8 billion or 0.7 percent to $262.0 billion, down from the previously published 0.8 percent increase.  This

followed a 4.7 percent August increase.  Transportation equipment, also up three of the last four months,

drove the increase, $1.9 billion or 1.9 percent to $97.4 billion.  New orders for manufactured nondurable

goods increased $1.6 billion or 0.6 percent to $253.3 billion.

Oct‐17 Nov‐17 Dec‐17 Jan‐18 Feb‐18 Mar‐18 Apr‐18 May‐18 Jun‐18 Jul‐18 Aug‐18 Sep‐18

% Change ‐1.5% 2.0% 1.8% ‐1.6% 2.0% 1.7% ‐0.4% 0.4% 0.6% ‐0.5% 2.6% 0.7%

‐4.0%

‐3.0%

‐2.0%

‐1.0%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

MANUFACTURERS' NEW ORDERS 2017‐2018

Seasonally Adjusted,   Month‐To‐Month Percentage Change

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

November 2, 2018
Data Inquiries Media Inquiries

Economic Indicators Division, Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Branch (M3) Public Information Office

301‐763‐4832   301‐763‐3030

eid.m3.qs@census.gov pio@census.gov

Shipments

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in September, up four of the last five months, increased $3.0

billion or 1.2 percent to $256.5 billion, down from the previously published 1.3 percent increase.  This

followed a 0.9 percent August increase.  Transportation equipment, up three of the last four months, led

the increase, $2.8 billion or 3.3 percent to $89.4 billion.  Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up

fifteen of the last sixteen months, increased $1.6 billion or 0.6 percent to $253.3 billion.  This followed a

0.6 percent August increase.  Petroleum and coal products, up fourteen of the last fifteen months, led the

increase, $1.4 billion or 2.4 percent to $57.9 billion.

Unfilled Orders

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in September, up ten of the last eleven months, increased

$9.7 billion or 0.8 percent to $1,186.5 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase.  This

followed a 0.9 percent August increase.  Transportation equipment, up seven of the last eight months, led

the increase, $8.0 billion or 1.0 percent to $818.8 billion.

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in September, up twenty of the last twenty‐one months,

increased $3.0 billion or 0.7 percent to $410.9 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase.  

This followed a 0.2 percent August decrease.  Transportation equipment, up two of the last three months,

led the increase, $1.2 billion or 0.9 percent to $130.5 billion.  Inventories of manufactured nondurable

goods, up fifteen consecutive months, increased $0.7 billion or 0.2 percent to $269.5 billion.  This followed

a 0.5 percent August increase.  Petroleum and coal products, up five of the last six months, led the

increase, $0.3 billion or 0.8 percent to $43.2 billion.  By stage of fabrication, September materials and

supplies increased 0.8 percent in durable goods and decreased 0.3 percent in nondurable goods.  Work in

process increased 0.7 percent in durable goods and increased 2.2 percent in nondurable goods.  Finished

goods increased 0.7 percent in durable goods and decreased 0.2 percent in nondurable goods.  

The Advance Report on durable goods for October is scheduled for release on November 21, 2018 at 8:30

a.m. EST and the Full Report on December 6, 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>.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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

exclude data for semiconductor manufacturing.   
Data Inquiries Media Inquiries

Economic Indicators Division, Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Branch (M3) Public Information Office

301‐763‐4832   301‐763‐3030

eid.m3.qs@census.gov pio@census.gov

“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 June 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‐to‐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

Economic Indicators Division, Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Branch (M3) Public Information Office

301‐763‐4832   301‐763‐3030

eid.m3.qs@census.gov pio@census.gov

Hurricanes

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

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on our website at:

<https://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/hurricanesfaqsm3.pdf>.

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/>.

NEW TIME SERIES

Beginning with the release of June 2018 data on July 26, 2018, historical estimates of the Monthly Advance

Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders are available on a seasonally adjusted basis

as well as a not seasonally adjusted basis at: <https://www.census.gov/econ/currentdata/>.   

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.
Data Inquiries Media Inquiries

Economic Indicators Division, Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Branch (M3) Public Information Office

301‐763‐4832   301‐763‐3030

eid.m3.qs@census.gov pio@census.gov

2019 Release Dates

Survey month Advance Report                      

(8:30 a.m. release time)

Full Report                             

(10:00 a.m. release time)

Nov‐18 Fri 12/21/2018 Mon 1/7/2019

Dec‐18 Fri 1/25/2019 Mon 2/4/2019

Jan‐19 Wed 2/27/2019 Wed 3/6/2019

Feb‐19 Tue 3/26/2019 Wed 4/3/2019

Mar‐19 Thu 4/25/2019 Thu 5/2/2019

Apr‐19 Fri 5/24/2019 Tue 6/4/2019

May‐19 Wed 6/26/2019 Wed 7/3/2019

Jun‐19 Thu 7/25/2019 Fri 8/2/2019

Jul‐19 Mon 8/26/2019 Thu 9/5/2019

Aug‐19 Fri 9/27/2019 Thu 10/3/2019

Sep‐19 Thu 10/24/2019 Mon 11/4/2019

Oct‐19 Wed 11/27/2019 Thu 12/5/2019

Nov‐19 Tue12/24/2019 Not available at this time

Source: <https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp‐content/uploads/2018/09/pfei_schedule_releasedates_2019.pdf>

###
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

Sep. Aug. July Aug. ‐ July ‐ June ‐ Sep. Aug. July Sep. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Sep. Aug. July 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2018p 2017 2017

  All manufacturing industries.................. 509,779 505,207 501,661 0.9 0.7 0.0 517,948 529,157 482,868 485,527 4,487,518 4,174,571 7.5

      Excluding transportation................... 420,388 418,647 417,161 0.4 0.4 0.3 424,914 436,438 412,040 400,359 3,726,355 3,459,138 7.7

      Excluding defense.............................. 496,006 491,454 488,076 0.9 0.7 0.0 502,882 515,436 470,970 471,449 4,369,047 4,066,364 7.4

      With unfilled orders............................ 178,630 176,516 173,442 1.2 1.8 ‐1.2 185,189 184,753 161,449 174,458 1,565,938 1,457,200 7.5

  Durable goods industries......................... 256,455 253,456 251,307 1.2 0.9 ‐0.1 263,897 267,539 232,167 248,844 2,247,945 2,098,369 7.1

  Wood products....................................... 9,457 9,481 9,524 ‐0.3 ‐0.5 0.6 9,574 10,192 9,764 9,408 85,813 82,454 4.1

  Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 10,964 10,984 10,959 ‐0.2 0.2 0.3 11,191 12,503 11,411 11,090 98,655 95,023 3.8

  Primary metals....................................... 21,914 21,770 21,650 0.7 0.6 0.8 21,383 23,152 20,937 18,603 193,458 167,586 15.4

      Iron and steel mills............................ 11,092 11,014 10,948 0.7 0.6 1.8 10,749 11,803 10,722 9,044 96,413 81,997 17.6

      Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 9,483 9,376 9,309 1.1 0.7 ‐0.6 9,261 9,846 8,906 8,152 84,426 73,382 15.1

      Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,339 1,380 1,393 ‐3.0 ‐0.9 2.2 1,373 1,503 1,309 1,407 12,619 12,207 3.4

  Fabricated metal products....................... 33,053 32,967 32,926 0.3 0.1 0.1 33,362 35,501 32,123 31,668 295,499 269,717 9.6

  Machinery............................................. 32,751 32,894 33,000 ‐0.4 ‐0.3 0.8 32,740 33,401 31,219 32,763 294,120 275,019 6.9

      Farm machinery................................. 2,520 2,435 2,614 3.5 ‐6.8 ‐1.9 2,319 2,218 2,485 2,045 23,737 19,740 20.2

      Construction machinery..................... 3,002 3,022 3,005 ‐0.7 0.6 1.1 2,870 3,006 2,802 2,740 26,580 23,707 12.1

      Mining, oil field, and

          gas field machinery.......................... 1,502 1,538 1,541 ‐2.3 ‐0.2 2.3 1,568 1,536 1,454 1,957 13,591 13,189 3.0

      Industrial machinery.......................... 2,786 2,803 2,729 ‐0.6 2.7 2.9 3,065 2,783 2,606 2,930 23,702 23,339 1.6

      Photographic equipment...................... 586 524 605 11.8 ‐13.4 9.2 632 496 570 550 4,863 4,686 3.8

      Ventilation, heating, air‐conditioning,

          and refrigeration equipment............ 3,852 3,883 3,916 ‐0.8 ‐0.8 0.0 3,850 4,264 4,172 3,871 35,486 33,837 4.9

      Metalworking machinery..................... 2,528 2,626 2,772 ‐3.7 ‐5.3 0.4 2,616 2,670 2,512 2,881 24,172 22,817 5.9

      Turbines, generators, and other

          power transmission equipment....... 4,432 4,384 4,103 1.1 6.8 ‐0.5 4,303 4,507 3,901 4,273 37,653 34,849 8.0

      Material handling equipment............... 2,696 2,732 2,691 ‐1.3 1.5 0.1 2,628 2,971 2,517 2,546 24,133 22,275 8.3

  Computers and electronic products2

.......... 27,109 27,129 27,139 ‐0.1 0.0 1.4 29,987 27,326 25,488 28,197 236,346 222,861 6.1

      Computers........................................ 838 848 840 ‐1.2 1.0 7.6 996 886 816 925 7,070 7,556 ‐6.4

      Computer storage devices..................... 283 306 343 ‐7.5 ‐10.8 30.4 371 269 235 384 2,466 4,689 ‐47.4

      Other peripheral equipment................ 779 785 788 ‐0.8 ‐0.4 10.1 854 721 783 754 6,478 5,568 16.3

      Nondefense communications

          equipment.................................... 3,288 3,225 3,248 2.0 ‐0.7 ‐0.1 4,013 2,939 2,822 3,627 28,160 25,207 11.7

      Defense communications equipment.... 301 304 296 ‐1.0 2.7 2.1 337 312 283 283 2,518 2,214 13.7

      Audio and video equipment.................... 237 233 235 1.7 ‐0.9 4.4 248 232 207 264 1,891 2,100 ‐10.0

      Electronic components......................... 3,391 3,396 3,345 ‐0.1 1.5 ‐2.1 3,581 3,660 3,308 3,694 31,408 30,777 2.1

      Nondefense search and navigation

          equipment...................................... 1,508 1,531 1,532 ‐1.5 ‐0.1 0.3 1,676 1,535 1,369 1,621 13,603 12,860 5.8

      Defense search and navigation

          equipment..................................... 2,723 2,774 2,751 ‐1.8 0.8 1.3 2,977 2,807 2,508 2,907 24,278 23,404 3.7

      Electromedical, measuring,

          and control instruments................. 9,314 9,456 9,524 ‐1.5 ‐0.7 3.0 10,434 9,260 8,864 9,632 81,193 72,083 12.6

  Electrical equipment, appliances,        

    and components................................... 11,529 11,465 11,322 0.6 1.3 0.6 11,965 12,101 10,884 11,373 101,308 95,923 5.6

      Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,041 1,050 1,045 ‐0.9 0.5 ‐2.2 1,050 1,101 1,027 1,088 9,415 9,607 ‐2.0

      Household appliances........................ 1,730 1,740 1,718 ‐0.6 1.3 0.6 1,826 1,831 1,573 1,927 15,209 15,757 ‐3.5

      Electrical equipment............................ 3,162 3,160 3,150 0.1 0.3 2.0 3,290 3,302 2,916 3,115 28,116 26,928 4.4

      Batteries........................................... 920 926 970 ‐0.6 ‐4.5 2.2 931 996 882 989 8,107 7,933 2.2

  Transportation equipment........................ 89,391 86,560 84,500 3.3 2.4 ‐1.3 93,034 92,719 70,828 85,168 761,163 715,433 6.4

      Automobiles..................................... 8,580 8,561 8,563 0.2 0.0 ‐2.5 8,633 9,589 6,437 10,325 81,502 89,480 ‐8.9

      Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 21,712 21,082 21,712 3.0 ‐2.9 9.6 21,971 23,462 17,280 17,121 175,613 146,304 20.0

      Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,819 2,792 2,797 1.0 ‐0.2 2.0 2,804 2,951 2,809 2,630 24,451 21,479 13.8

      Motor vehicle bodies, parts,       

          and trailers.................................... 27,674 27,468 27,199 0.7 1.0 1.1 27,078 29,868 23,479 25,712 243,821 232,320 5.0

      Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 14,760 12,778 10,660 15.5 19.9 ‐24.8 17,472 12,845 9,237 15,522 116,887 115,797 0.9

      Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,761 4,693 4,739 1.4 ‐1.0 9.4 5,380 4,677 4,017 4,977 39,690 38,108 4.2

      Ships and boats................................. 2,777 2,738 2,798 1.4 ‐2.1 ‐3.5 2,814 2,650 2,562 2,837 24,936 23,954 4.1

  Furniture and related products.................. 6,429 6,484 6,532 ‐0.8 ‐0.7 0.2 6,425 7,094 6,569 6,510 58,619 56,886 3.0

  Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,858 13,722 13,755 1.0 ‐0.2 ‐0.4 14,236 13,550 12,944 14,064 122,964 117,467 4.7

  Nondurable goods industries..................... 253,324 251,751 250,354 0.6 0.6 0.1 254,051 261,618 250,701 236,683 2,239,573 2,076,202 7.9

  Food products....................................... 67,188 67,464 67,509 ‐0.4 ‐0.1 ‐0.1 68,485 68,637 65,177 68,732 601,854 592,468 1.6

      Grain and oilseed milling....................... 7,795 7,915 7,956 ‐1.5 ‐0.5 0.0 7,538 8,099 7,626 7,497 69,965 65,923 6.1

      Dairy products.................................. 9,353 9,367 9,400 ‐0.1 ‐0.4 ‐0.8 9,332 9,571 9,281 9,611 84,557 86,516 ‐2.3

      Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 19,172 19,346 19,385 ‐0.9 ‐0.2 ‐0.5 19,415 19,838 19,276 19,663 174,823 173,396 0.8

  Beverage and tobacco products................ 12,925 12,966 12,700 ‐0.3 2.1 1.1 13,149 13,504 12,697 12,300 113,376 112,709 0.6

      Beverages......................................... 8,834 8,823 8,824 0.1 0.0 1.5 9,058 9,361 8,821 8,572 78,791 78,502 0.4

      Tobacco............................................ 4,091 4,143 3,876 ‐1.3 6.9 0.4 4,091 4,143 3,876 3,728 34,585 34,207 1.1

  Textile mills........................................... 2,557 2,538 2,532 0.7 0.2 0.5 2,535 2,705 2,494 2,425 22,817 22,154 3.0

  Textile products................................... 2,334 2,306 2,295 1.2 0.5 1.7 2,295 2,425 2,336 2,091 20,573 19,116 7.6

  Apparel................................................ 990 984 960 0.6 2.5 ‐1.6 1,017 1,105 989 929 8,443 7,864 7.4

  Leather and allied products...................... 401 417 422 ‐3.8 ‐1.2 ‐0.2 390 425 418 406 3,733 3,738 ‐0.1

  Paper products...................................... 16,283 16,294 16,134 ‐0.1 1.0 0.6 16,197 17,105 16,126 15,544 144,871 136,957 5.8

      Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,689 6,680 6,678 0.1 0.0 2.5 6,699 7,001 6,790 6,530 59,350 57,524 3.2

      Paperboard containers........................ 5,646 5,655 5,490 ‐0.2 3.0 ‐0.9 5,597 6,032 5,444 5,460 50,282 48,039 4.7

  Printing................................................. 6,478 6,581 6,686 ‐1.6 ‐1.6 0.2 6,517 6,883 6,369 6,608 58,423 57,988 0.8

  Petroleum and coal products.................. 57,906 56,544 56,106 2.4 0.8 0.3 58,442 60,228 59,913 46,129 496,877 388,387 27.9

      Petroleum refineries.......................... 53,744 52,393 52,038 2.6 0.7 0.2 53,860 55,124 55,216 41,937 460,032 354,559 29.7

  Chemical products..................................... 66,261 65,784 65,163 0.7 1.0 ‐0.3 65,335 67,623 64,255 61,988 588,626 558,652 5.4

      Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

          agricultural chemicals....................... 2,993 2,936 2,751 1.9 6.7 ‐5.4 2,603 2,585 2,380 1,955 25,103 22,183 13.2

      Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 21,759 21,492 21,292 1.2 0.9 0.5 21,737 22,106 20,689 20,374 189,244 173,640 9.0

      Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 3,820 3,813 3,759 0.2 1.4 ‐1.5 3,680 4,187 3,893 3,534 35,223 32,805 7.4

  Plastics and rubber products.................. 20,001 19,873 19,847 0.6 0.1 0.2 19,689 20,978 19,927 19,531 179,980 176,169 2.2

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, September Full Report, November 2, 2018.  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

Sep. Aug. July Aug. ‐ July ‐ June ‐ Sep. Aug. July Sep. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Sep. Aug. July 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2018p 2017 2017

All manufacturing industries2........................ 515,334 511,974 498,925 0.7 2.6 ‐0.5 521,364 526,774 477,354 487,841 4,494,673 4,146,743 8.4

      Excluding transportation2...................... 417,903 416,394 414,532 0.4 0.4 0.1 420,821 430,267 408,497 397,307 3,709,685 3,440,948 7.8

      Excluding defense2.............................. 492,961 493,003 485,507 0.0 1.5 ‐0.2 495,993 511,292 467,329 469,091 4,360,553 4,039,496 7.9

      With unfilled orders2

............................. 188,329 187,262 174,663 0.6 7.2 ‐2.7 192,765 186,759 159,968 180,666 1,608,083 1,464,039 9.8

  Durable goods industries2......................... 262,010 260,223 248,571 0.7 4.7 ‐1.2 267,313 265,156 226,653 251,158 2,255,100 2,070,541 8.9

  Primary metals........................................ 22,302 22,195 21,876 0.5 1.5 ‐0.1 20,867 22,589 21,284 17,865 196,091 167,991 16.7

      Iron and steel mills.............................. 11,402 11,251 11,123 1.3 1.2 1.9 10,320 11,319 10,957 8,497 98,577 82,494 19.5

      Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 9,474 9,472 9,320 0.0 1.6 ‐2.6 9,164 9,699 8,970 7,987 84,687 73,085 15.9

      Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,426 1,472 1,433 ‐3.1 2.7 1.6 1,383 1,571 1,357 1,381 12,827 12,412 3.3

  Fabricated metal products........................ 33,237 33,546 33,391 ‐0.9 0.5 0.4 32,935 35,278 32,469 31,887 302,935 275,829 9.8

  Machinery............................................. 33,364 33,277 33,227 0.3 0.2 0.4 32,717 33,539 31,661 33,156 297,754 281,611 5.7

      Construction machinery........................ 3,303 3,226 3,036 2.4 6.3 3.2 3,186 3,180 2,567 2,915 26,968 25,010 7.8

      Mining, oil field, and

          gas field machinery.......................... 1,553 1,548 1,545 0.3 0.2 15.0 1,672 1,571 1,448 1,971 13,444 13,252 1.4

      Industrial machinery............................ 2,852 2,919 2,554 ‐2.3 14.3 ‐4.3 3,017 2,854 2,460 2,805 23,761 23,549 0.9

      Photographic equipment....................... 544 436 624 24.8 ‐30.1 9.9 608 445 633 681 4,494 4,554 ‐1.3

      Ventilation, heating, air‐conditioning,

          and refrigeration equipment............... 3,843 3,895 4,064 ‐1.3 ‐4.2 1.7 3,814 4,230 4,295 3,851 36,305 34,244 6.0

      Metalworking machinery....................... 2,517 2,578 2,544 ‐2.4 1.3 ‐3.6 2,465 2,590 2,352 2,512 24,103 22,924 5.1

      Turbines, generators, and other        

          power transmission equipment........... 4,430 4,325 4,136 2.4 4.6 3.7 4,163 4,451 4,106 3,809 37,275 34,761 7.2

      Material handling equipment.................. 2,790 2,911 3,020 ‐4.2 ‐3.6 ‐1.9 2,712 2,989 2,814 2,552 25,673 23,586 8.8

  Computers and electronic products2........... 23,292 23,302 23,467 0.0 ‐0.7 0.8 26,872 22,199 21,168 25,503 204,516 190,439 7.4

      Computers........................................ 886 870 855 1.8 1.8 9.1 1,044 908 831 957 7,295 7,772 ‐6.1

      Nondefense communications

          equipment...................................... 3,328 3,314 3,331 0.4 ‐0.5 ‐3.8 4,105 2,888 2,769 4,004 29,200 27,201 7.3

      Defense communications equipment....... 291 315 302 ‐7.6 4.3 11.9 328 329 267 293 2,555 2,301 11.0

      Electronic components......................... 3,445 3,351 3,429 2.8 ‐2.3 ‐4.4 3,551 3,569 3,546 3,697 32,113 31,255 2.7

      Nondefense search and navigation

          equipment...................................... 1,571 1,557 1,603 0.9 ‐2.9 3.2 1,803 1,571 1,411 1,737 14,317 13,466 6.3

      Defense search and navigation

          equipment...................................... 2,748 2,853 2,796 ‐3.7 2.0 ‐2.0 3,259 2,625 2,295 3,123 24,160 22,348 8.1

      Electromedical, measuring,

          and control instruments..................... 9,421 9,426 9,505 ‐0.1 ‐0.8 1.8 10,969 8,771 8,564 10,078 81,750 72,003 13.5

  Electrical equipment, appliances,        

    and components................................... 11,498 11,536 11,472 ‐0.3 0.6 ‐0.3 11,719 12,107 10,719 11,284 101,847 96,168 5.9

      Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,036 1,054 1,048 ‐1.7 0.6 ‐6.3 1,038 1,087 1,010 1,090 9,479 9,740 ‐2.7

      Household appliances.......................... 1,717 1,712 1,696 0.3 0.9 ‐3.5 1,798 1,809 1,506 1,958 15,349 15,863 ‐3.2

      Electrical equipment............................ 3,118 3,123 3,157 ‐0.2 ‐1.1 1.5 3,090 3,248 2,948 2,976 27,827 26,697 4.2

  Transportation equipment........................ 97,431 95,580 84,393 1.9 13.3 ‐3.6 100,543 96,507 68,857 90,534 784,988 705,795 11.2

      Motor vehicle bodies, parts,       

          and trailers..................................... 27,781 27,639 27,292 0.5 1.3 1.6 27,248 30,429 23,155 26,165 244,135 233,599 4.5

      Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 13,645 16,547 10,110 ‐17.5 63.7 ‐29.1 14,416 14,248 8,742 14,749 123,671 106,066 16.6

      Defense aircraft and parts.................... 11,672 5,337 4,433 118.7 20.4 ‐32.3 12,259 3,910 3,566 3,929 46,326 38,842 19.3

      Ships and boats.................................. 3,092 3,792 2,944 ‐18.5 28.8 33.5 3,763 2,497 1,569 9,424 27,924 25,627 9.0

  Furniture and related products................... 6,688 6,617 6,507 1.1 1.7 ‐2.8 6,740 6,709 6,376 6,389 59,599 57,734 3.2

  Nondurable goods industries..................... 253,324 251,751 250,354 0.6 0.6 0.1 254,051 261,618 250,701 236,683 2,239,573 2,076,202 7.9

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, September Full Report, November 2, 2018.  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 September

Sep. Aug. July Aug. ‐ July ‐ June ‐ Sep. Aug. July Sep. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Sep. Aug. July 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2017

All manufacturing industries2...................... 1,186,506 1,176,807 1,166,061 0.8 0.9 0.1 1,178,557 1,170,981 1,168,975 1,121,506 5.1

      Excluding transportation2

...................... 367,698 366,039 364,313 0.5 0.5 0.4 364,893 364,826 366,608 346,161 5.4

      Excluding defense2............................. 990,271 989,172 983,644 0.1 0.6 0.1 982,727 985,456 985,211 939,503 4.6

  Durable goods industries2........................ 1,186,506 1,176,807 1,166,061 0.8 0.9 0.1 1,178,557 1,170,981 1,168,975 1,121,506 5.1

  Primary metals........................................ 31,885 31,497 31,072 1.2 1.4 0.7 30,511 31,027 31,590 26,280 16.1

      Iron and steel mills............................... 17,309 16,999 16,762 1.8 1.4 1.1 16,382 16,811 17,295 13,351 22.7

      Aluminum and nonferrous metals............. 11,120 11,129 11,033 ‐0.1 0.9 0.1 10,767 10,864 11,011 9,860 9.2

      Ferrous metal foundries........................ 3,456 3,369 3,277 2.6 2.8 1.2 3,362 3,352 3,284 3,069 9.5

  Fabricated metal products......................... 84,933 84,749 84,170 0.2 0.7 0.6 84,810 85,237 85,460 77,809 9.0

  Machinery.............................................. 105,677 105,064 104,681 0.6 0.4 0.2 104,971 104,994 104,856 102,499 2.4

      Construction machinery......................... 6,685 6,384 6,180 4.7 3.3 0.5 6,386 6,070 5,896 5,984 6.7

      Mining, oil field, and

          gas field machinery.......................... 4,398 4,347 4,337 1.2 0.2 0.1 4,392 4,288 4,253 4,569 ‐3.9

      Industrial machinery............................. 8,592 8,526 8,410 0.8 1.4 ‐2.0 8,525 8,573 8,502 8,700 ‐2.0

      Photographic equipment........................ 1,513 1,555 1,643 ‐2.7 ‐5.4 1.2 1,461 1,485 1,536 1,563 ‐6.5

      Ventilation, heating, air‐conditioning,

          and refrigeration equipment................ 6,967 6,976 6,964 ‐0.1 0.2 2.2 6,930 6,966 7,000 5,930 16.9

      Metalworking machinery........................ 7,764 7,775 7,823 ‐0.1 ‐0.6 ‐2.8 7,696 7,847 7,927 7,931 ‐3.0

      Turbines, generators, and other        

          power transmission equipment............ 29,435 29,437 29,496 0.0 ‐0.2 0.1 29,442 29,582 29,638 29,973 ‐1.8

      Material handling equipment................... 12,945 12,851 12,672 0.7 1.4 2.7 12,965 12,881 12,863 11,290 14.8

  Computers and electronic products2............. 115,787 115,460 115,308 0.3 0.1 0.2 115,630 114,585 115,323 111,729 3.5

      Computers......................................... 2,103 2,055 2,033 2.3 1.1 0.7 2,103 2,055 2,033 1,795 17.2

      Nondefense communications

          equipment...................................... 24,800 24,760 24,671 0.2 0.4 0.3 24,669 24,577 24,628 23,041 7.1

      Defense communications equipment........ 1,437 1,447 1,436 ‐0.7 0.8 0.4 1,467 1,476 1,459 1,440 1.9

      Electronic components.......................... 12,612 12,558 12,603 0.4 ‐0.4 0.7 12,527 12,557 12,648 11,590 8.1

      Nondefense search and navigation

          equipment....................................... 19,717 19,654 19,628 0.3 0.1 0.4 19,787 19,660 19,624 19,090 3.7

      Defense search and navigation

          equipment....................................... 27,081 27,056 26,977 0.1 0.3 0.2 27,087 26,805 26,987 27,661 ‐2.1

      Electromedical, measuring,

          and control instruments...................... 28,037 27,930 27,960 0.4 ‐0.1 ‐0.1 27,990 27,455 27,944 27,112 3.2

  Electrical equipment, appliances,        

    and components.................................... 19,896 19,927 19,856 ‐0.2 0.4 0.8 19,571 19,817 19,811 18,893 3.6

      Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,410 1,415 1,411 ‐0.4 0.3 0.2 1,409 1,421 1,435 1,367 3.1

      Household appliances........................... 1,366 1,379 1,407 ‐0.9 ‐2.0 ‐1.5 1,324 1,352 1,374 1,199 10.4

      Electrical equipment............................. 7,693 7,737 7,774 ‐0.6 ‐0.5 0.1 7,546 7,746 7,800 7,580 ‐0.4

  Transportation equipment......................... 818,808 810,768 801,748 1.0 1.1 0.0 813,664 806,155 802,367 775,345 4.9

      Motor vehicle bodies, parts,       

          and trailers...................................... 26,976 26,869 26,698 0.4 0.6 0.3 26,821 26,651 26,090 25,761 4.1

      Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 604,266 605,381 601,612 ‐0.2 0.6 ‐0.1 599,894 602,950 601,547 577,981 3.8

      Defense aircraft and parts..................... 79,628 72,717 72,073 9.5 0.9 ‐0.4 79,130 72,251 73,018 72,530 9.1

      Ships and boats.................................. 30,508 30,193 29,139 1.0 3.6 0.5 30,042 29,093 29,246 30,901 ‐2.8

  Furniture and related products................... 8,979 8,720 8,587 3.0 1.5 ‐0.3 8,859 8,544 8,929 8,339 6.2

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, September Full Report, November 2, 2018.  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 September

Sep. Aug. July Aug. ‐ July ‐ June ‐ Sep. Aug. July Sep. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Sep. Aug. July 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2017

  All manufacturing industries...................... 680,400 676,738 676,154 0.5 0.1 0.9 680,458 680,217 680,361 647,570 5.1

      Excluding transportation........................ 549,868 547,388 544,978 0.5 0.4 0.3 550,194 550,501 548,040 520,632 5.7

      Excluding defense............................. 653,282 649,781 648,996 0.5 0.1 0.9 653,469 653,285 652,923 620,564 5.3

      With unfilled orders............................. 334,627 331,682 332,490 0.9 ‐0.2 1.5 334,253 334,438 336,057 318,590 4.9

  Durable goods industries........................ 410,927 407,936 408,559 0.7 ‐0.2 1.3 410,134 410,921 412,243 391,636 4.7

  Wood products........................................ 12,305 12,242 12,243 0.5 0.0 0.5 12,111 12,113 12,087 11,577 4.6

  Nonmetallic mineral products..................... 14,671 14,543 14,499 0.9 0.3 0.8 14,513 14,432 14,575 13,631 6.5

  Primary metals......................................... 35,652 35,669 35,554 0.0 0.3 0.8 36,045 36,048 35,987 32,926 9.5

      Iron and steel mills............................... 20,079 20,135 20,060 ‐0.3 0.4 1.0 20,487 20,379 20,298 18,580 10.3

      Aluminum and nonferrous metals............ 13,513 13,505 13,486 0.1 0.1 0.6 13,554 13,646 13,668 12,482 8.6

      Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,060 2,029 2,008 1.5 1.0 0.7 2,004 2,023 2,021 1,864 7.5

  Fabricated metal products......................... 54,278 53,777 53,420 0.9 0.7 0.7 54,220 53,959 54,065 49,717 9.1

  Machinery.............................................. 69,696 69,054 68,421 0.9 0.9 0.1 69,731 69,819 68,735 66,394 5.0

      Farm machinery.................................. 3,861 3,801 3,685 1.6 3.1 1.3 3,588 3,576 3,454 3,449 4.0

      Construction machinery......................... 5,520 5,435 5,496 1.6 ‐1.1 ‐0.2 5,551 5,414 5,464 5,364 3.5

      Mining, oil field,   

          and gas field machinery.................... 5,420 5,393 5,402 0.5 ‐0.2 ‐1.1 5,397 5,449 5,413 5,464 ‐1.2

      Industrial machinery............................. 8,879 8,711 8,453 1.9 3.1 1.2 9,020 8,809 8,396 8,215 9.8

      Photographic equipment....................... 1,695 1,704 1,692 ‐0.5 0.7 ‐1.3 1,707 1,773 1,731 1,663 2.6

      Ventilation, heating, air‐conditioning,

          and refrigeration equipment............... 5,066 5,021 4,964 0.9 1.1 0.8 4,939 5,048 5,005 4,784 3.2

      Metalworking machinery........................ 5,939 5,986 5,959 ‐0.8 0.5 0.2 6,046 6,095 5,986 5,782 4.6

      Turbines, generators, and other

          power transmission equipment............ 9,538 9,468 9,500 0.7 ‐0.3 ‐1.5 9,570 9,770 9,758 9,362 2.2

      Material handling equipment.................. 5,813 5,727 5,619 1.5 1.9 0.0 5,982 5,911 5,767 5,517 8.4

  Computers and electronic products2

............ 43,419 43,068 43,136 0.8 ‐0.2 ‐0.5 43,018 43,761 43,770 42,117 2.1

      Computers......................................... 1,507 1,500 1,488 0.5 0.8 ‐2.7 1,540 1,551 1,531 1,552 ‐0.8

      Computer storage devices.................... 992 1,009 1,027 ‐1.7 ‐1.8 ‐1.9 986 1,044 1,075 1,050 ‐6.1

      Other peripheral equipment................... 1,232 1,175 1,151 4.9 2.1 0.3 1,189 1,225 1,184 1,136 4.7

      Nondefense communications

          equipment...................................... 4,705 4,687 4,710 0.4 ‐0.5 ‐0.3 4,625 4,818 4,729 4,547 1.7

      Defense communications equipment........ 646 661 677 ‐2.3 ‐2.4 ‐2.3 646 661 677 627 3.0

      Audio and video equipment.................... 561 563 559 ‐0.4 0.7 ‐1.9 616 594 560 631 ‐2.4

      Electronic components.......................... 7,362 7,240 7,268 1.7 ‐0.4 ‐0.3 7,278 7,213 7,418 7,225 0.7

      Nondefense search and navigation

          equipment...................................... 2,583 2,548 2,571 1.4 ‐0.9 0.0 2,592 2,597 2,615 2,581 0.4

      Defense search and navigation

          equipment....................................... 2,621 2,632 2,618 ‐0.4 0.5 ‐0.8 2,535 2,646 2,671 2,494 1.6

      Electromedical, measuring        

          and control instruments...................... 15,419 15,316 15,243 0.7 0.5 ‐0.4 15,235 15,649 15,473 14,600 4.3

  Electrical equipment, appliances,        

    and components.................................... 18,933 18,879 18,835 0.3 0.2 0.6 18,661 19,257 19,214 17,457 6.9

      Electric lighting equipment..................... 2,235 2,241 2,229 ‐0.3 0.5 ‐0.1 2,239 2,260 2,278 2,130 5.1

      Household appliances........................... 2,788 2,802 2,821 ‐0.5 ‐0.7 0.5 2,770 2,907 2,890 2,707 2.3

      Electrical equipment............................. 5,175 5,193 5,187 ‐0.3 0.1 0.7 4,868 5,307 5,308 4,622 5.3

      Batteries............................................ 1,815 1,834 1,841 ‐1.0 ‐0.4 ‐1.2 1,888 1,926 1,911 1,896 ‐0.4

  Transportation equipment......................... 130,532 129,350 131,176 0.9 ‐1.4 3.4 130,264 129,716 132,321 126,938 2.6

      Automobiles....................................... 4,088 4,139 4,095 ‐1.2 1.1 0.0 4,184 4,140 4,176 3,923 6.7

      Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 4,516 4,717 4,625 ‐4.3 2.0 0.0 4,630 4,884 4,766 4,299 7.7

      Heavy duty trucks ............................... 2,090 2,213 2,249 ‐5.6 ‐1.6 3.9 2,013 2,271 2,303 1,882 7.0

      Motor vehicle bodies, parts,       

          and trailers...................................... 25,641 25,496 25,522 0.6 ‐0.1 ‐0.1 25,608 25,684 25,818 25,088 2.1

      Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 66,601 65,342 66,910 1.9 ‐2.3 6.5 66,177 65,063 67,085 63,888 3.6

      Defense aircraft and parts..................... 13,140 12,877 12,911 2.0 ‐0.3 0.5 13,117 12,924 12,943 12,984 1.0

      Ships and boats.................................. 3,059 3,049 2,995 0.3 1.8 0.0 3,106 3,004 3,036 3,212 ‐3.3

  Furniture and related products.................... 7,966 7,924 7,891 0.5 0.4 0.1 7,915 8,056 8,076 7,646 3.5

  Miscellaneous durable goods..................... 23,475 23,430 23,384 0.2 0.2 0.3 23,656 23,760 23,413 23,233 1.8

  Nondurable goods industries...................... 269,473 268,802 267,595 0.2 0.5 0.3 270,324 269,296 268,118 255,934 5.6

  Food products........................................ 54,008 53,988 54,090 0.0 ‐0.2 ‐0.7 54,632 54,491 53,482 54,989 ‐0.6

      Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,297 5,378 5,378 ‐1.5 0.0 0.3 5,130 5,199 5,130 5,217 ‐1.7

      Dairy products.................................... 7,689 7,491 7,544 2.6 ‐0.7 ‐0.6 7,708 7,636 7,804 7,774 ‐0.8

      Meat, poultry, and seafood products....... 9,230 9,247 9,297 ‐0.2 ‐0.5 0.4 9,235 9,427 9,373 9,213 0.2

  Beverage and tobacco products................ 24,505 24,480 24,477 0.1 0.0 ‐0.2 24,440 23,709 23,651 23,838 2.5

      Beverages......................................... 19,963 19,928 19,876 0.2 0.3 0.0 20,029 19,477 19,392 19,281 3.9

      Tobacco............................................ 4,542 4,552 4,601 ‐0.2 ‐1.1 ‐1.1 4,411 4,232 4,259 4,557 ‐3.2

  Textile mills............................................ 3,276 3,254 3,242 0.7 0.4 0.9 3,279 3,268 3,264 3,134 4.6

  Textile products...................................... 3,524 3,500 3,473 0.7 0.8 1.6 3,534 3,509 3,463 3,371 4.8

  Apparel................................................. 1,966 1,945 1,919 1.1 1.4 1.1 2,034 2,045 2,024 1,980 2.7

  Leather and allied products....................... 795 785 780 1.3 0.6 ‐0.1 803 805 804 770 4.3

  Paper products....................................... 16,076 16,076 16,088 0.0 ‐0.1 0.6 16,147 16,124 16,202 15,726 2.7

      Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills........... 6,486 6,506 6,515 ‐0.3 ‐0.1 ‐0.2 6,454 6,490 6,533 6,487 ‐0.5

      Paperboard containers......................... 5,124 5,121 5,117 0.1 0.1 1.7 5,165 5,115 5,130 4,842 6.7

  Printing.................................................. 5,496 5,442 5,427 1.0 0.3 ‐0.3 5,571 5,533 5,447 5,494 1.4

  Petroleum and coal products..................... 43,153 42,824 42,265 0.8 1.3 1.7 44,223 42,869 43,043 36,909 19.8

      Petroleum refineries............................. 37,218 37,022 36,606 0.5 1.1 1.4 38,349 37,008 37,284 32,167 19.2

  Chemical products..................................... 89,727 89,734 89,229 0.0 0.6 0.3 88,816 90,249 90,163 84,453 5.2

      Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

          agricultural chemicals........................ 4,403 4,567 4,613 ‐3.6 ‐1.0 0.6 4,083 4,353 4,335 4,385 ‐6.9

      Pharmaceuticals and medicines.............. 36,490 36,540 36,444 ‐0.1 0.3 0.2 36,070 36,748 36,927 34,105 5.8

      Paints, coatings, and adhesives.............. 3,943 3,914 3,888 0.7 0.7 0.1 3,859 3,859 3,919 3,672 5.1

  Plastics and rubber products..................... 26,947 26,774 26,605 0.6 0.6 0.5 26,845 26,694 26,575 25,270 6.2

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 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, September Full Report, November 2, 2018.  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

Sep. Aug. July Aug. ‐ July ‐ June ‐ Sep. Aug. July Sep. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Sep. Aug. July 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2018p 2017 2017

SHIPMENTS

  All manufacturing industries......................... 509,779 505,207 501,661 0.9 0.7 0.0 517,948 529,157 482,868 485,527 4,487,518 4,174,571 7.5

    Construction materials and supplies....... 51,757 51,724 51,682 0.1 0.1 0.3 52,426 57,208 53,191 50,621 466,042 438,764 6.2

    Information technology......................... 24,836 24,867 24,881 ‐0.1 ‐0.1 2.7 27,746 24,644 23,203 25,413 215,272 197,801 8.8

    Computers and related products........... 1,900 1,939 1,971 ‐2.0 ‐1.6 12.0 2,221 1,876 1,834 2,063 16,014 17,813 ‐10.1

    Motor vehicle and parts......................... 60,785 59,903 60,271 1.5 ‐0.6 3.5 60,486 65,870 50,005 55,788 525,387 489,583 7.3

    Capital goods......................................      91,102 89,033 86,619 2.3 2.8 ‐3.5 97,807 89,774 80,297 92,258 787,944 733,321 7.4

      Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 79,370 77,376 75,135 2.6 3.0 ‐4.0 85,034 78,154 70,150 80,601 686,958 643,458 6.8

        Excluding aircraft............................. 68,675 68,724 68,801 ‐0.1 ‐0.1 1.2 71,769 69,228 64,912 69,455 607,267 567,101 7.1

      Defense capital goods4

........................ 11,732 11,657 11,484 0.6 1.5 0.2 12,773 11,620 10,147 11,657 100,986 89,863 12.4

    Consumer goods.................................. 215,794 213,842 213,593 0.9 0.1 1.0 217,784 223,310 206,275 199,864 1,887,913 1,723,296 9.6

      Consumer durable goods..................... 43,909 43,315 43,877 1.4 ‐1.3 3.9 44,477 46,899 36,188 41,301 379,200 354,546 7.0

      Consumer nondurable goods................ 171,885 170,527 169,716 0.8 0.5 0.3 173,307 176,411 170,087 158,563 1,508,713 1,368,750 10.2

  All manufacturing industries5

...................... 515,334 511,974 498,925 0.7 2.6 ‐0.5 521,364 526,774 477,354 487,841 4,494,673 4,146,743 8.4

    Construction materials and supplies....... 51,787 52,005 51,911 ‐0.4 0.2 0.3 52,041 56,743 53,310 50,803 471,868 443,406 6.4

    Information technology......................... 25,098 25,108 25,263 0.0 ‐0.6 1.8 28,791 24,042 22,628 26,758 217,982 199,673 9.2

    Computers and related products........... 1,948 1,961 1,986 ‐0.7 ‐1.3 12.6 2,269 1,898 1,849 2,095 16,239 18,029 ‐9.9

    Motor vehicle and parts......................... 60,892 60,074 60,364 1.4 ‐0.5 3.7 60,656 66,431 49,681 56,241 525,701 490,862 7.1

    Capital goods......................................      93,316 97,603 86,635 ‐4.4 12.7 ‐4.0 99,540 91,760 78,652 98,933 806,402 735,646 9.6

      Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 79,201 81,095 75,540 ‐2.3 7.4 ‐3.7 82,207 78,289 70,230 81,829 697,107 646,522 7.8

        Excluding aircraft............................. 69,712 69,747 69,863 ‐0.1 ‐0.2 1.5 72,421 68,898 65,224 71,652 614,393 576,186 6.6

      Defense capital goods4

........................ 14,115 16,508 11,095 ‐14.5 48.8 ‐6.1 17,333 13,471 8,422 17,104 109,295 89,124 22.6

    Consumer goods.................................. 215,728 213,682 213,659 1.0 0.0 1.0 217,807 223,080 206,369 199,943 1,887,990 1,723,653 9.5

      Consumer durable goods..................... 43,843 43,155 43,943 1.6 ‐1.8 3.8 44,500 46,669 36,282 41,380 379,277 354,903 6.9

      Consumer nondurable goods.............. 171,885 170,527 169,716 0.8 0.5 0.3 173,307 176,411 170,087 158,563 1,508,713 1,368,750 10.2

  All manufacturing industries5

...................... 1,186,506 1,176,807 1,166,061 0.8 0.9 0.1 1,178,557 1,170,981 1,168,975 1,121,506 (X) (X) 5.1

    Construction materials and supplies....... 58,430 58,400 58,119 0.1 0.5 0.4 58,397 58,782 59,247 52,768 (X) (X) 10.7

    Information technology......................... 114,115 113,853 113,612 0.2 0.2 0.3 113,856 112,811 113,413 110,449 (X) (X) 3.1

    Computers and related products........... 2,103 2,055 2,033 2.3 1.1 0.7 2,103 2,055 2,033 1,795 (X) (X) 17.2

    Motor vehicle and parts......................... 26,976 26,869 26,698 0.4 0.6 0.3 26,821 26,651 26,090 25,761 (X) (X) 4.1

    Capital goods......................................      872,627 870,413 861,843 0.3 1.0 0.0 867,551 865,818 863,832 841,039 (X) (X) 3.2

      Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 718,226 718,395 714,676 0.0 0.5 0.1 712,961 715,788 715,653 693,336 (X) (X) 2.8

        Excluding aircraft............................. 222,791 221,754 220,731 0.5 0.5 0.5 221,616 220,964 221,294 216,669 (X) (X) 2.3

      Defense capital goods4........................ 154,401 152,018 147,167 1.6 3.3 ‐0.3 154,590 150,030 148,179 147,703 (X) (X) 4.7

    Consumer goods.................................. 5,015 5,081 5,241 ‐1.3 ‐3.1 1.3 4,888 4,865 5,095 4,923 (X) (X) ‐0.7

      Consumer durable goods..................... 5,015 5,081 5,241 ‐1.3 ‐3.1 1.3 4,888 4,865 5,095 4,923 (X) (X) ‐0.7

  All manufacturing industries....................... 680,400 676,738 676,154 0.5 0.1 0.9 680,458 680,217 680,361 647,570 (X) (X) 5.1

    Construction materials and supplies....... 73,356 72,682 72,294 0.9 0.5 0.9 72,926 72,613 72,807 67,229 (X) (X) 8.5

    Information technology......................... 39,128 38,850 38,737 0.7 0.3 ‐0.3 38,815 39,665 39,315 37,243 (X) (X) 4.2

    Computers and related products........... 3,731 3,684 3,666 1.3 0.5 ‐1.5 3,715 3,820 3,790 3,738 (X) (X) ‐0.6

    Motor vehicle and parts......................... 36,335 36,565 36,491 ‐0.6 0.2 0.2 36,435 36,979 37,063 35,192 (X) (X) 3.5

    Capital goods......................................      202,528 200,472 201,630 1.0 ‐0.6 1.9 201,692 202,212 203,374 194,019 (X) (X) 4.0

      Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 179,740 177,868 178,814 1.1 ‐0.5 2.2 179,010 179,680 180,310 171,458 (X) (X) 4.4

        Excluding aircraft............................. 125,369 124,534 123,886 0.7 0.5 0.2 125,039 126,524 125,182 119,749 (X) (X) 4.4

      Defense capital goods4

........................ 22,788 22,604 22,816 0.8 ‐0.9 ‐0.3 22,682 22,532 23,064 22,561 (X) (X) 0.5

    Consumer goods.................................. 202,851 202,787 202,086 0.0 0.3 0.2 204,575 203,540 202,286 194,163 (X) (X) 5.4

      Consumer durable goods..................... 30,211 30,445 30,281 ‐0.8 0.5 0.2 30,481 31,017 30,514 29,439 (X) (X) 3.5

      Consumer nondurable goods................ 172,640 172,342 171,805 0.2 0.3 0.2 174,094 172,523 171,772 164,724 (X) (X) 5.7

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 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, September Full Report, November 2, 2018.  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 September

Sep. Aug. July Aug. ‐ July ‐ June ‐ Sep. Aug. July Sep. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Sep. Aug. July 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2017

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

  All manufacturing industries....................... 235,428 234,542 232,388 0.4 0.9 0.9 235,822 235,357 234,055 221,438 6.5

    Durable goods industries.......................... 143,050 141,880 140,596 0.8 0.9 0.7 143,872 143,224 141,964 133,655 7.6

      Wood products................................... 5,099 5,089 5,068 0.2 0.4 ‐0.4 5,133 5,132 4,996 4,901 4.7

      Nonmetallic mineral products................. 5,947 5,939 5,946 0.1 ‐0.1 0.3 5,942 5,939 5,955 5,522 7.6

      Primary metals.................................... 13,010 12,952 12,828 0.4 1.0 1.6 13,270 13,162 12,897 12,241 8.4

      Fabricated metal products..........................       20,731 20,458 20,343 1.3 0.6 1.8 20,881 20,634 20,632 18,752 11.4

      Machinery.......................................... 27,964 27,512 26,851 1.6 2.5 0.2 28,177 27,860 27,176 25,082 12.3

      Computers and electronic products........ 18,903 18,856 18,667 0.2 1.0 0.8 18,799 18,938 18,880 17,509 7.4

      Electrical equipment, appliances,

         and components............................... 8,037 8,005 7,936 0.4 0.9 1.3 7,898 8,108 8,058 7,096 11.3

      Transportation equipment..................... 31,562 31,206 31,220 1.1 0.0 ‐0.2 31,968 31,409 31,522 31,115 2.7

      Furniture and related products............... 3,888 3,894 3,898 ‐0.2 ‐0.1 1.1 3,867 3,930 3,939 3,748 3.2

      Miscellaneous products......................... 7,909 7,969 7,839 ‐0.8 1.7 0.9 7,937 8,112 7,909 7,689 3.2

   Nondurable goods industries...................... 92,378 92,662 91,792 ‐0.3 0.9 1.2 91,950 92,133 92,091 87,783 4.7

      Food  products.................................... 17,764 17,835 17,915 ‐0.4 ‐0.4 0.0 17,505 17,612 17,773 18,369 ‐4.7

      Beverage and tobacco products........................ 5,944 5,842 5,786 1.7 1.0 ‐0.2 5,848 5,586 5,546 5,695 2.7

      Textiles.............................................. 1,164 1,155 1,153 0.8 0.2 2.0 1,164 1,168 1,163 1,083 7.5

      Textile products................................... 1,315 1,317 1,319 ‐0.2 ‐0.2 0.5 1,325 1,321 1,320 1,297 2.2

      Apparel............................................. 516 511 497 1.0 2.8 0.2 517 517 511 492 5.1

      Leather and allied products.................... 270 267 265 1.1 0.8 0.0 274 272 274 238 15.1

      Paper products.................................... 8,237 8,218 8,206 0.2 0.1 0.8 8,265 8,227 8,238 7,830 5.6

      Printing ............................................. 2,834 2,812 2,792 0.8 0.7 1.2 2,851 2,837 2,815 2,718 4.9

      Petroleum and coal products................. 12,176 12,386 12,232 ‐1.7 1.3 3.8 12,309 12,106 12,402 10,997 11.9

      Chemical products................................ 30,782 31,003 30,409 ‐0.7 2.0 1.3 30,524 31,101 30,767 28,541 6.9

      Plastics and rubber products.................. 11,376 11,316 11,218 0.5 0.9 1.2 11,368 11,386 11,282 10,523 8.0

WORK IN PROCESS

  All manufacturing industries....................... 209,379 207,121 208,787 1.1 ‐0.8 2.0 208,037 207,535 210,116 196,228 6.0

    Durable goods industries.......................... 152,348 151,306 153,266 0.7 ‐1.3 2.8 151,360 152,118 154,671 145,173 4.3

      Wood products................................... 2,274 2,275 2,284 0.0 ‐0.4 0.9 2,244 2,229 2,242 1,986 13.0

      Nonmetallic mineral products................. 1,553 1,553 1,540 0.0 0.8 1.0 1,527 1,548 1,551 1,530 ‐0.2

      Primary metals.................................... 10,606 10,640 10,669 ‐0.3 ‐0.3 ‐0.2 10,669 10,883 10,907 9,522 12.0

      Fabricated metal products..........................       13,931 13,827 13,769 0.8 0.4 ‐0.8 14,005 13,924 13,903 13,043 7.4

      Machinery.......................................... 18,765 18,845 19,004 ‐0.4 ‐0.8 ‐0.2 18,775 19,274 19,094 18,190 3.2

      Computers and electronic products........ 12,769 12,713 12,778 0.4 ‐0.5 ‐1.1 12,447 12,855 12,994 12,714 ‐2.1

      Electrical equipment, appliances,

         and components............................... 4,014 3,992 3,989 0.6 0.1 1.0 3,932 4,067 4,081 3,562 10.4

      Transportation equipment..................... 83,285 82,274 84,094 1.2 ‐2.2 5.5 82,563 82,082 84,729 79,825 3.4

      Furniture and related products............... 1,393 1,414 1,386 ‐1.5 2.0 ‐2.5 1,385 1,427 1,401 1,277 8.5

      Miscellaneous products......................... 3,758 3,773 3,753 ‐0.4 0.5 1.0 3,813 3,829 3,769 3,524 8.2

   Nondurable goods industries...................... 57,031 55,815 55,521 2.2 0.5 ‐0.2 56,677 55,417 55,445 51,055 11.0

      Food  products.................................... 6,225 6,153 6,164 1.2 ‐0.2 ‐4.4 5,609 5,508 5,642 5,652 ‐0.8

      Beverage and tobacco products........................ 9,340 9,416 9,465 ‐0.8 ‐0.5 0.4 9,330 8,824 8,838 9,044 3.2

      Textiles.............................................. 712 707 707 0.7 0.0 0.9 720 709 714 700 2.9

      Textile products................................... 436 432 411 0.9 5.1 1.2 443 434 409 422 5.0

      Apparel............................................. 344 341 336 0.9 1.5 0.0 355 364 360 318 11.6

      Leather and allied products.................... 82 81 79 1.2 2.5 3.9 83 84 78 79 5.1

      Paper products.................................... 1,311 1,303 1,298 0.6 0.4 1.2 1,318 1,326 1,320 1,237 6.5

      Printing ............................................. 1,148 1,104 1,102 4.0 0.2 ‐0.4 1,211 1,170 1,111 1,179 2.7

      Petroleum and coal products................. 14,252 13,676 13,425 4.2 1.9 ‐0.5 14,569 13,967 13,840 11,130 30.9

      Chemical products................................ 19,986 19,427 19,378 2.9 0.3 0.8 19,852 19,878 19,988 18,326 8.3

      Plastics and rubber products.................. 3,195 3,175 3,156 0.6 0.6 0.6 3,187 3,153 3,145 2,968 7.4

FINISHED GOODS

  All manufacturing industries....................... 235,593 235,075 234,979 0.2 0.0 0.0 236,599 237,325 236,190 229,904 2.9

    Durable goods industries.......................... 115,529 114,750 114,697 0.7 0.0 0.1 114,902 115,579 115,608 112,808 1.9

      Wood products................................... 4,932 4,878 4,891 1.1 ‐0.3 1.1 4,734 4,752 4,849 4,690 0.9

      Nonmetallic mineral products................. 7,171 7,051 7,013 1.7 0.5 1.1 7,044 6,945 7,069 6,579 7.1

      Primary metals.................................... 12,036 12,077 12,057 ‐0.3 0.2 0.9 12,106 12,003 12,183 11,163 8.4

      Fabricated metal products..........................       19,616 19,492 19,308 0.6 1.0 0.7 19,334 19,401 19,530 17,922 7.9

      Machinery.......................................... 22,967 22,697 22,566 1.2 0.6 0.3 22,779 22,685 22,465 23,122 ‐1.5

      Computers and electronic products........ 11,747 11,499 11,691 2.2 ‐1.6 ‐1.9 11,772 11,968 11,896 11,894 ‐1.0

      Electrical equipment, appliances,

         and components............................... 6,882 6,882 6,910 0.0 ‐0.4 ‐0.3 6,831 7,082 7,075 6,799 0.5

      Transportation equipment..................... 15,685 15,870 15,862 ‐1.2 0.1 ‐0.3 15,733 16,225 16,070 15,998 ‐1.7

      Furniture and related products............... 2,685 2,616 2,607 2.6 0.3 ‐0.2 2,663 2,699 2,736 2,621 1.6

      Miscellaneous products......................... 11,808 11,688 11,792 1.0 ‐0.9 ‐0.4 11,906 11,819 11,735 12,020 ‐0.9

   Nondurable goods industries...................... 120,064 120,325 120,282 ‐0.2 0.0 ‐0.1 121,697 121,746 120,582 117,096 3.9

      Food  products.................................... 30,019 30,000 30,011 0.1 0.0 ‐0.3 31,518 31,371 30,067 30,968 1.8

      Beverage and tobacco products........................ 9,221 9,222 9,226 0.0 0.0 ‐0.7 9,262 9,299 9,267 9,099 1.8

      Textiles.............................................. 1,400 1,392 1,382 0.6 0.7 0.1 1,395 1,391 1,387 1,351 3.3

      Textile products................................... 1,773 1,751 1,743 1.3 0.5 2.5 1,766 1,754 1,734 1,652 6.9

      Apparel............................................. 1,106 1,093 1,086 1.2 0.6 1.9 1,162 1,164 1,153 1,170 ‐0.7

      Leather and allied products.................... 443 437 436 1.4 0.2 ‐0.9 446 449 452 453 ‐1.5

      Paper products.................................... 6,528 6,555 6,584 ‐0.4 ‐0.4 0.1 6,564 6,571 6,644 6,659 ‐1.4

      Printing ............................................. 1,514 1,526 1,533 ‐0.8 ‐0.5 ‐2.7 1,509 1,526 1,521 1,597 ‐5.5

      Petroleum and coal products................. 16,725 16,762 16,608 ‐0.2 0.9 1.8 17,345 16,796 16,801 14,782 17.3

      Chemical products................................ 38,959 39,304 39,442 ‐0.9 ‐0.3 ‐0.8 38,440 39,270 39,408 37,586 2.3

      Plastics and rubber products.................. 12,376 12,283 12,231 0.8 0.4 ‐0.1 12,290 12,155 12,148 11,779 4.3

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

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, September Full Report, November 2, 2018.  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 Sep Aug Jul Jun Sep Aug Jul Jun

2018p 2018r 2018 2018 2018p 2018r 2018 2018

All manufacturing industries3.................................... 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.34 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries3

........................................ 1.60 1.61 1.63 1.60 6.64 6.67 6.72 6.64

  Wood products........................................................... 1.30 1.29 1.29 1.29 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Nonmetallic mineral products............................. 1.34 1.32 1.32 1.32 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Primary metals............................................................ 1.63 1.64 1.64 1.64 1.46 1.45 1.44 1.44

  Fabricated metal products...................................... 1.64 1.63 1.62 1.61 2.64 2.65 2.63 2.62

  Machinery..................................................................... 2.13 2.10 2.07 2.09 3.57 3.53 3.53 3.56

  Computers and electronic products3

................... 1.60 1.59 1.59 1.62 5.42 5.36 5.35 5.42

  Electrical equipment, appliances,

      and components.................................................... 1.64 1.65 1.66 1.66 1.88 1.89 1.92 1.91

  Transportation equipment..................................... 1.46 1.49 1.55 1.48 14.55 14.98 15.59 14.76

  Furniture and related products............................ 1.24 1.22 1.21 1.21 1.57 1.52 1.48 1.49

  Miscellaneous products.......................................... 1.69 1.71 1.70 1.69 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

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

  Beverage and tobacco products........................... 1.90 1.89 1.93 1.95 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Textiles.......................................................................... 1.28 1.28 1.28 1.28 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Textile products......................................................... 1.51 1.52 1.51 1.51 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Apparel........................................................................ 1.99 1.98 2.00 1.94 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Leather and allied products................................ 1.98 1.88 1.85 1.85 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Paper products.......................................................... 0.99 0.99 1.00 1.00 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Printing........................................................................ 0.85 0.83 0.81 0.82 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Petroleum and coal products............................... 0.75 0.76 0.75 0.74 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Chemical products................................................... 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.36 (X) (X) (X) (X)

  Plastics and rubber products................................ 1.35 1.35 1.34 1.34 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Sep3 Sep3 Sep3 Sep3

Industry 2017‐ 2017‐ 2017‐ 2017‐

Sep2 Aug Sep2 Aug Sep2 Aug Sep2 Aug

2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018

          

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

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

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

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

  Primary metals............................................. 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.8 0.1 0.3 ‐0.1 0.3

  Fabricated metal products.................... ‐0.2 0.2 ‐0.2 0.5 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.2

  Machinery...................................................... ‐0.5 0.2 ‐0.5 0.9 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.2

  Computers and electronic products..... ‐0.2 0.3 0.0 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2

  Electrical equipment, appliances,

      and components..................................... 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2

  Transportation equipment.................... 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

  Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 0.9 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.4

  Miscellaneous products.......................... (X) 0.2 (X) 0.2 (X) 0.3 (X) 0.1

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

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

  Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

  Textiles.......................................................... (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

  Textile products......................................... (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

  Apparel......................................................... (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

  Leather and allied products.................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

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

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

  Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

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

  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, September Full Report, November 2, 2018. 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, September Full Report, November 2, 2018.

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