FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2006, AT 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Chris Savage or Patrick Kent 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (06)-3 

CB06-70 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

March 2006

Summary

 New orders for manufactured goods in March, up five of the last six months, increased $17.0 billion or 4.2 

percent to $419.6 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This was at the highest level since the 

series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and 

followed a 0.4 percent February increase. 

 Shipments, up five of the last six months, increased 

$3.4 billion or 0.8 percent to $408.0 billion. This 

followed a 1.2 percent February decrease. 

 Unfilled orders, up ten of the last eleven months, 

increased $18.9 billion or 2.9 percent to $662.6 billion. 

This was at the highest level since the series began and 

followed a 1.1 percent February increase. The unfilled 

orders-to-shipments ratio was 4.39, up from 4.30 in 

February. 

 Inventories, up six of the last seven months, increased 

$3.5 billion or 0.7 percent to $477.1 billion. This 

followed a 0.4 percent February decrease. The 

inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.17, unchanged from 

February. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in March, up five of the last six months, increased $14.2 billion or 

6.5 percent to $231.8 billion, revised from the previously 

published 6.1 percent increase. This was at the highest 

level since the series began and followed a 3.5 percent 

February increase. 

 Transportation equipment, up five of the last six 

months, had the largest increase, $9.5 billion or 14.7 

percent to $73.9 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $2.8 billion or 1.5 percent to $187.8 billion. 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in March, 

up five of the last six months, increased $0.6 billion or 

0.3 percent to $220.3 billion, unchanged from the 

previously published increase. This followed a 0.6 

percent February increase. 

 Machinery, up following two consecutive monthly 

decreases, had the largest increase, $1.0 billion or 3.7 

percent to $29.1 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up five 

of the last six months, increased $2.8 billion or 1.5 

percent to $187.8 billion. This increase was led by 

petroleum and coal products, which increased $2.4 

billion or 7.1 percent to $36.1 billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

March, up ten of the last eleven months, increased $18.9 

billion or 2.9 percent to $662.6 billion, revised from the 

previously published 2.8 percent increase. This was at 

the highest level since the series began and followed a 

1.1 percent February increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up ten of the last eleven 

months, had the largest increase, $14.2 billion or 4.3 

percent to $347.5 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in March, 

up six of the last seven months, increased $2.6 billion or 

0.9 percent to $290.1 billion, revised from the previously 

published 0.7 percent increase. This followed a 0.4 

percent February decrease. 

 Computers and electronic products, up two of the last 

three months, had the largest increase, $1.3 billion or 2.9 

percent to $46.7 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up 

three of the last four months, increased $0.8 billion or 

0.4 percent to $187.1 billion. This increase was led by 

chemical products, which increased $0.6 billion or 1.1 

percent to $56.9 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, March materials and supplies 

increased 1.2 percent in durable goods and 0.2 percent in 

nondurable goods. Work in process increased 1.3 

percent in durable goods and decreased 0.1 percent in 

nondurable goods. Finished goods increased 0.2 percent 

in durable goods and 0.7 percent in nondurable goods. 

Figures in text, other than year-to-date, are in seasonally adjusted current dollars. Figures on new and unfilled orders 

exclude data for semiconductor manufacturing. For data, call (301) 763-4673 or go to <http://www.census.gov/m3>. 

The advance report on durable goods for April is scheduled for release on May 24, 2006, at 8:30 a.m. EDT and the full 

report on June 2, 2006, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. See back page for survey description. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2006/

2006p 2006r 2006 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 2006p 2005 2005

 All manufacturing industries .................. 408,026 404,642 409,417 0.8 -1.2 0.1 439,387 383,207 373,213 407,011 1,195,807 1,113,487 7.4

 Excluding transportation ................... 348,359 345,638 350,783 0.8 -1.5 1.6 369,360 324,643 322,454 344,624 1,016,457 945,455 7.5

 Excluding defense .............................. 398,219 395,062 399,371 0.8 -1.1 0.0 428,363 374,090 365,195 396,869 1,167,648 1,087,069 7.4

 With unfilled orders ........................... 150,954 149,607 149,778 0.9 -0.1 -2.0 168,463 142,241 133,287 151,910 443,991 407,644 8.9

 Durable goods industries ........................220,264 219,674 218,461 0.3 0.6 -1.8 246,071 209,366 194,015 222,582 649,452 599,441 8.3

 Wood products................................. ...... 9,547 9,643 9,680 -1.0 -0.4 2.1 9,722 8,798 8,130 9,129 26,650 24,817 7.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 10,090 10,019 9,840 0.7 1.8 2.4 10,197 8,901 8,887 8,897 27,985 24,136 15.9

 Primary metals............................ .......... 16,910 16,797 16,948 0.7 -0.9 3.2 18,700 16,647 16,833 17,027 52,180 48,080 8.5

 Iron and steel mills............................ 7,213 7,274 7,407 -0.8 -1.8 1.2 8,020 7,218 7,349 7,919 22,587 22,524 0.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,965 7,818 7,792 1.9 0.3 5.6 8,757 7,776 7,790 7,394 24,323 20,624 17.9

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,732 1,705 1,749 1.6 -2.5 1.5 1,923 1,653 1,694 1,714 5,270 4,932 6.9

 Fabricated metal products...................... 25,570 25,420 25,451 0.6 -0.1 1.6 27,198 24,307 23,507 24,716 75,012 68,885 8.9

 Machinery............................................. 29,109 28,069 28,652 3.7 -2.0 -1.6 32,796 26,287 25,233 28,577 84,316 75,946 11.0

 Farm machinery................................. 1,664 1,779 1,739 -6.5 2.3 2.6 2,061 1,970 1,444 2,112 5,475 5,412 1.2

 Construction machinery..................... 3,105 3,051 3,209 1.8 -4.9 6.2 3,636 2,881 2,827 3,008 9,344 7,712 21.2

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery........................ 1,083 992 1,025 9.2 -3.2 3.0 1,145 952 974 1,012 3,071 2,708 13.4

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,420 2,203 2,622 9.9 -16.0 -1.1 2,822 1,910 2,411 2,587 7,143 7,509 -4.9

 Photographic equipment...................... 670 677 688 -1.0 -1.6 -8.9 688 576 556 667 1,820 1,754 3.8

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,296 3,283 3,331 0.4 -1.4 4.3 3,667 2,831 2,800 3,200 9,298 8,099 14.8

 Metalworking machinery..................... 3,808 3,688 3,780 3.3 -2.4 3.7 3,995 3,056 3,107 3,176 10,158 8,172 24.3

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 4,334 3,615 3,373 19.9 7.2 -30.1 4,738 3,611 3,191 4,166 11,540 11,165 3.4

 Material handling equipment............... 2,021 2,019 2,016 0.1 0.1 2.4 2,368 1,936 1,947 1,976 6,251 5,126 21.9

 Computers and electronic products ......... 38,359 39,860 37,877 -3.8 5.2 -1.9 43,911 36,672 32,341 41,247 112,924 106,056 6.5

 Computers........................................ 6,251 6,252 6,199 0.0 0.9 -7.0 7,050 5,375 5,712 6,156 18,137 16,937 7.1

 Computer storage devices................... 960 865 894 11.0 -3.2 -3.0 1,393 593 511 1,268 2,497 2,331 7.1

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,175 1,250 1,232 -6.0 1.5 -0.7 1,524 1,056 853 1,707 3,433 3,744 -8.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 5,878 5,913 5,663 -0.6 4.4 5.5 6,935 5,174 4,784 6,350 16,893 14,906 13.3

 Defense communications equipment... 483 390 736 23.8 -47.0 39.4 549 360 622 536 1,531 1,409 8.7

 Audio and video equipment.................. 647 877 852 -26.2 2.9 -3.0 674 810 774 827 2,258 2,313 -2.4

 Semiconductors ................................. 7,393 8,799 7,043 -16.0 24.9 -9.6 7,953 8,775 6,332 7,155 23,060 21,055 9.5

 Electronic components....................... 5,241 5,212 5,078 0.6 2.6 0.3 5,706 5,003 4,476 5,538 15,185 14,292 6.2

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 979 957 928 2.3 3.1 2.9 1,101 923 798 1,073 2,822 2,743 2.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,761 2,745 2,763 0.6 -0.7 8.8 3,008 2,670 2,194 2,800 7,872 7,238 8.8

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 6,074 6,086 5,942 -0.2 2.4 -3.1 7,476 5,461 4,793 7,249 17,730 17,387 2.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,260 10,092 10,244 1.7 -1.5 4.2 11,057 9,400 9,025 9,783 29,482 26,630 10.7

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,070 1,060 1,052 0.9 0.8 3.3 1,163 1,047 943 1,107 3,153 3,053 3.3

 Household appliances........................ 2,289 2,180 2,189 5.0 -0.4 -1.1 2,445 1,979 1,728 2,220 6,152 5,815 5.8

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,285 3,337 3,395 -1.6 -1.7 8.0 3,708 3,110 3,011 3,186 9,829 8,522 15.3

 Batteries........................................... 653 604 597 8.1 1.2 3.1 668 494 511 550 1,673 1,485 12.7

 Transportation equipment...................... 59,667 59,004 58,634 1.1 0.6 -7.6 70,027 58,564 50,759 62,387 179,350 168,032 6.7

 Automobiles..................................... 7,377 7,005 7,205 5.3 -2.8 -3.8 8,719 7,153 6,736 7,837 22,608 21,987 2.8

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 13,293 12,724 12,821 4.5 -0.8 -7.8 16,381 12,869 11,363 14,500 40,613 39,428 3.0

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,013 2,008 1,980 0.2 1.4 5.8 2,104 1,905 1,828 1,754 5,837 5,004 16.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 19,361 18,926 19,553 2.3 -3.2 -0.7 21,847 19,358 18,157 20,007 59,362 57,675 2.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 8,225 9,007 7,815 -8.7 15.3 -28.7 10,268 8,415 5,357 8,226 24,040 17,520 37.2

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,707 3,943 3,721 -6.0 6.0 -3.7 4,297 3,606 2,870 4,107 10,773 10,513 2.5

 Ships and boats................................. 2,011 1,969 2,180 2.1 -9.7 3.4 2,198 1,998 1,802 2,392 5,998 7,000 -14.3

 Furniture and related products................. 7,746 7,784 7,830 -0.5 -0.6 -0.7 8,023 7,731 7,500 7,358 23,254 21,285 9.3

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,006 12,986 13,305 0.2 -2.4 3.0 14,440 12,059 11,800 13,461 38,299 35,574 7.7

 Nondurable goods industries................... 187,762 184,968 190,956 1.5 -3.1 2.4 193,316 173,841 179,198 184,429 546,355 514,046 6.3

 Food products....................................... 45,113 44,902 45,579 0.5 -1.5 1.0 45,389 42,956 43,509 44,875 131,854 129,979 1.4

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 3,134 3,070 3,131 2.1 -1.9 1.0 3,184 3,033 3,038 3,098 9,255 8,923 3.7

 Dairy products.................................. 6,533 6,563 6,821 -0.5 -3.8 0.8 6,740 6,050 6,567 6,933 19,357 19,822 -2.3

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 15,213 15,079 15,548 0.9 -3.0 2.8 14,634 14,530 14,879 14,979 44,043 44,070 -0.1

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 9,451 9,266 9,417 2.0 -1.6 -0.6 9,301 8,577 8,456 8,737 26,334 24,753 6.4

 Beverages......................................... 6,142 6,138 6,145 0.1 -0.1 -1.3 5,992 5,449 5,184 5,494 16,625 15,430 7.7

 Tobacco............................................ 3,309 3,128 3,272 5.8 -4.4 0.7 3,309 3,128 3,272 3,243 9,709 9,323 4.1

 Textile mills........................................... 3,292 3,352 3,384 -1.8 -0.9 1.3 3,533 3,329 3,049 3,510 9,911 10,275 -3.5

 Textile products................................... 2,945 2,952 2,949 -0.2 0.1 2.0 3,039 2,870 2,621 2,877 8,530 8,161 4.5

 Apparel................................................ 3,741 3,678 3,629 1.7 1.4 -3.6 3,898 3,682 3,184 3,373 10,764 9,862 9.1

 Leather and allied products..................... 496 490 470 1.2 4.3 3.3 507 514 400 470 1,421 1,408 0.9

 Paper products...................................... 14,268 14,133 14,243 1.0 -0.8 2.1 14,838 13,593 14,107 14,425 42,538 41,474 2.6

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,021 5,999 5,974 0.4 0.4 -0.6 6,296 5,815 5,981 6,252 18,092 17,942 0.8

 Paperboard containers........................ 3,890 3,843 3,961 1.2 -3.0 1.0 3,994 3,612 3,873 3,915 11,479 11,325 1.4

 Printing................................................. 7,240 7,313 7,293 -1.0 0.3 3.7 7,451 6,867 6,848 7,798 21,166 22,012 -3.8

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 36,082 33,694 37,884 7.1 -11.1 5.8 35,123 29,820 33,884 31,664 98,827 82,766 19.4

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 33,024 30,636 34,713 7.8 -11.7 5.9 32,290 27,496 31,485 29,314 91,271 76,556 19.2

 Chemical products.................................. 47,608 47,452 48,155 0.3 -1.5 2.9 51,550 44,703 46,379 48,969 142,632 134,288 6.2

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 1,998 2,241 2,453 -10.8 -8.6 3.9 2,754 2,150 2,086 2,582 6,990 5,943 17.6

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 12,139 11,636 11,427 4.3 1.8 0.5 12,853 10,558 11,510 12,165 34,921 34,253 2.0

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,733 2,615 2,485 4.5 5.2 1.2 2,907 2,466 2,173 2,746 7,546 7,212 4.6

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 17,526 17,736 17,953 -1.2 -1.2 0.9 18,687 16,930 16,761 17,731 52,378 49,068 6.7

p Preliminary r

 Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Year to date
 3

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2006/

2006p 2006r 2006 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 2006p 2005 2005

All manufacturing industries 2................... 419,567 402,538 401,075 4.2 0.4 -3.9 452,357 385,255 374,583 399,435 1,212,195 1,106,084 9.6

 Excluding transportation 2

................... 345,714 338,155 345,520 2.2 -2.1 2.0 367,018 321,933 322,683 339,285 1,011,634 938,263 7.8

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 407,518 391,379 394,799 4.1 -0.9 -3.1 436,792 374,493 368,095 388,186 1,179,380 1,079,358 9.3

 With unfilled orders 2.......................... 169,888 156,302 148,479 8.7 5.3 -12.1 189,386 153,064 140,989 151,489 483,439 421,296 14.8

 Durable goods industries 2..................... 231,805 217,570 210,119 6.5 3.5 -8.9 259,041 211,414 195,385 215,006 665,840 592,038 12.5

 Primary metals............................ ............ 16,895 16,703 17,002 1.1 -1.8 1.3 18,887 17,135 17,734 17,066 53,756 48,659 10.5

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 7,181 7,063 7,469 1.7 -5.4 -3.0 8,186 7,349 7,783 7,858 23,318 22,467 3.8

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,967 7,855 7,735 1.4 1.6 5.0 8,779 7,984 8,127 7,528 24,890 21,260 17.1

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,747 1,785 1,798 -2.1 -0.7 4.4 1,922 1,802 1,824 1,680 5,548 4,932 12.5

 Fabricated metal products...................... 25,919 25,458 26,025 1.8 -2.2 3.1 28,304 24,980 24,798 25,608 78,082 71,884 8.6

 Machinery............................................. 30,098 27,921 30,247 7.8 -7.7 -3.2 33,558 28,409 28,128 28,158 90,095 80,619 11.8

 Construction machinery....................... 3,059 3,035 3,019 0.8 0.5 -2.5 3,558 3,104 3,091 2,981 9,753 8,881 9.8

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 1,133 1,071 1,299 5.8 -17.6 23.0 1,235 1,127 1,311 999 3,673 2,995 22.6

 Industrial machinery............................ 2,844 2,348 3,616 21.1 -35.1 32.8 3,167 2,064 3,820 2,375 9,051 7,216 25.4

 Photographic equipment...................... 700 702 717 -0.3 -2.1 -9.7 748 601 618 728 1,967 1,834 7.3

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,598 3,036 3,492 18.5 -13.1 -1.9 4,159 2,634 3,149 3,415 9,942 8,423 18.0

 Metalworking machinery....................... 3,826 3,724 3,724 2.7 0.0 4.7 3,983 3,331 3,196 3,160 10,510 9,058 16.0

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 4,534 3,233 3,669 40.2 -11.9 -41.7 4,373 4,490 3,429 3,276 12,292 11,834 3.9

 Material handling equipment............... 2,069 2,247 2,155 -7.9 4.3 2.0 2,520 2,417 1,999 2,110 6,936 6,316 9.8

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 34,502 31,789 29,638 8.5 7.3 -1.4 39,800 29,340 26,364 35,559 95,504 90,110 6.0

 Computers........................................ 6,264 6,189 5,770 1.2 7.3 -15.8 7,063 5,312 5,283 5,499 17,658 16,063 9.9

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 6,519 6,568 5,344 -0.7 22.9 12.1 7,886 6,376 5,059 6,464 19,321 17,139 12.7

 Defense communications equipment... 1,160 152 442 663.2 -65.6 35.6 1,242 129 330 1,194 1,701 1,699 0.1

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components....................... 5,398 5,151 5,094 4.8 1.1 -1.7 5,611 5,157 4,707 5,254 15,475 14,535 6.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 1,208 1,433 907 -15.7 58.0 2.3 1,391 1,387 900 1,139 3,678 3,116 18.0

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 4,131 2,493 2,437 65.7 2.3 14.7 4,724 2,512 2,177 3,691 9,413 8,953 5.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 6,523 6,297 6,119 3.6 2.9 -2.5 7,750 5,536 5,278 7,928 18,564 18,516 0.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,420 10,579 11,027 -1.5 -4.1 8.1 10,949 10,427 10,165 9,545 31,541 27,572 14.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,134 1,146 1,142 -1.0 0.4 12.2 1,240 1,125 1,061 1,158 3,426 3,150 8.8

 Household appliances.......................... 2,219 2,273 2,291 -2.4 -0.8 16.4 2,197 2,189 1,944 1,965 6,330 5,841 8.4

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,308 3,547 3,715 -6.7 -4.5 4.3 3,612 3,544 3,419 3,149 10,575 9,087 16.4

 Transportation equipment........................ 73,853 64,383 55,555 14.7 15.9 -29.2 85,339 63,322 51,900 60,150 200,561 167,821 19.5

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 19,503 19,070 19,888 2.3 -4.1 -0.7 21,853 19,744 19,051 19,701 60,648 57,796 4.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 21,131 12,336 7,712 71.3 60.0 -70.1 22,546 10,934 6,996 6,238 40,476 17,540 130.8

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 3,875 3,899 4,786 -0.6 -18.5 -10.2 5,645 3,562 4,996 3,481 14,203 9,115 55.8

 Ships and boats................................. 1,861 3,843 2,472 -51.6 55.5 77.6 1,929 3,865 2,791 1,979 8,585 6,103 40.7

 Furniture and related products................. 7,727 8,117 7,785 -4.8 4.3 5.0 8,097 8,071 7,464 7,686 23,632 21,759 8.6

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 187,762 184,968 190,956 1.5 -3.1 2.4 193,316 173,841 179,198 184,429 546,355 514,046 6.3

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

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

2

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

Note: Estimates of manufacturers' shipments, inventories and orders are subject to survey error and revision. One major component of survey error is nonsampling

error, which includes errors of coverage, response, and nonreporting. Since the survey panel is not a probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be

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

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

Year to date
 4 

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. Mar.

2006p 2006r 2006 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 06/05

All manufacturing industries 1................... 662,591 643,657 636,962 2.9 1.1 -0.2 673,782 652,859 642,036 557,218 20.9

 Excluding transportation 1................... 315,126 310,378 309,062 1.5 0.4 0.6 321,003 315,392 309,327 288,816 11.1

 Excluding defense 1............................. 517,406 500,714 495,598 3.3 1.0 0.5 524,586 508,204 499,026 402,801 30.2

 Durable goods industries 1..................... 662,591 643,657 636,962 2.9 1.1 -0.2 673,782 652,859 642,036 557,218 20.9

 Primary metals........................................ 24,197 24,212 24,306 -0.1 -0.4 0.2 25,292 25,105 24,617 21,065 20.1

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 13,852 13,884 14,095 -0.2 -1.5 0.4 14,517 14,351 14,220 11,648 24.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,279 7,277 7,240 0.0 0.5 -0.8 7,605 7,583 7,375 6,609 15.1

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 3,066 3,051 2,971 0.5 2.7 1.7 3,170 3,171 3,022 2,808 12.9

 Fabricated metal products...................... 49,374 49,025 48,987 0.7 0.1 1.2 50,066 48,960 48,287 44,809 11.7

 Machinery............................................. 88,913 87,924 88,072 1.1 -0.2 1.8 91,247 90,485 88,363 79,273 15.1

 Construction machinery....................... 7,388 7,434 7,450 -0.6 -0.2 -2.5 8,004 8,082 7,859 6,214 28.8

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 2,949 2,899 2,820 1.7 2.8 10.8 3,031 2,941 2,766 1,843 64.5

 Industrial machinery............................ 10,339 9,915 9,770 4.3 1.5 11.3 10,364 10,019 9,865 8,806 17.7

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,338 1,308 1,283 2.3 1.9 2.3 1,363 1,303 1,278 906 50.4

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 7,439 7,137 7,384 4.2 -3.3 2.2 7,565 7,073 7,270 5,220 44.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 7,666 7,648 7,612 0.2 0.5 -0.7 7,742 7,754 7,479 7,153 8.2

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 32,359 32,159 32,541 0.6 -1.2 0.9 33,118 33,483 32,604 31,260 5.9

 Material handling equipment............... 7,904 7,856 7,628 0.6 3.0 1.9 8,260 8,108 7,627 7,040 17.3

 Computers and electronic products 1...... 118,722 115,186 114,458 3.1 0.6 -1.0 120,437 116,595 115,152 113,860 5.8

 Computers......................................... 5,637 5,624 5,687 0.2 -1.1 -7.0 5,637 5,624 5,687 5,543 1.7

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 31,538 30,897 30,242 2.1 2.2 -1.0 32,181 31,230 30,028 31,109 3.4

 Defense communications equipment... 6,760 6,083 6,321 11.1 -3.8 -4.4 6,886 6,193 6,424 6,639 3.7

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 13,097 12,940 13,001 1.2 -0.5 0.1 13,131 13,226 13,072 13,017 0.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 5,038 4,809 4,333 4.8 11.0 -0.5 5,141 4,851 4,387 4,107 25.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 34,826 33,456 33,708 4.1 -0.7 -1.0 35,652 33,936 34,094 34,997 1.9

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 21,826 21,377 21,166 2.1 1.0 0.8 21,809 21,535 21,460 18,448 18.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 20,365 20,205 19,718 0.8 2.5 4.1 20,578 20,686 19,659 16,353 25.8

 Electric lighting equipment................... 2,271 2,207 2,121 2.9 4.1 4.4 2,273 2,196 2,118 1,809 25.6

 Household appliances.......................... 816 886 793 -7.9 11.7 14.8 814 1,062 852 611 33.2

 Electrical equipment............................ 11,749 11,726 11,516 0.2 1.8 2.9 11,754 11,850 11,416 9,678 21.5

 Transportation equipment........................ 347,465 333,279 327,900 4.3 1.6 -0.9 352,779 337,467 332,709 268,402 31.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 17,623 17,481 17,337 0.8 0.8 2.0 18,307 18,301 17,915 15,391 18.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 207,239 194,333 191,004 6.6 1.7 -0.1 208,853 196,575 194,056 122,606 70.3

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 53,559 53,391 53,435 0.3 -0.1 2.0 55,009 53,661 53,705 53,999 1.9

 Ships and boats................................. 15,400 15,550 13,676 -1.0 13.7 2.2 16,035 16,304 14,437 17,962 -10.7

 Furniture and related products................. 7,984 8,003 7,670 -0.2 4.3 -0.6 7,812 7,738 7,398 7,501 4.1

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. Mar.

2006p 2006r 2006 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 06/05

 All manufacturing industries .................. 477,131 473,664 475,450 0.7 -0.4 1.1 477,097 477,342 473,261 460,777 3.5

 Excluding transportation ...................... 409,956 406,952 408,136 0.7 -0.3 1.2 410,097 410,082 406,479 394,885 3.9

 Excluding defense ............................. 457,510 454,332 456,026 0.7 -0.4 1.2 457,546 457,879 454,002 442,004 3.5

 With unfilled orders ............................. 224,879 223,390 223,545 0.7 -0.1 1.0 224,468 225,425 222,877 218,039 2.9

 Durable goods industries ........................ 290,068 287,421 288,690 0.9 -0.4 1.0 289,713 290,441 287,736 280,560 3.3

 Wood products................................. ...... 10,827 10,893 10,750 -0.6 1.3 -0.6 11,160 11,252 10,911 10,930 2.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 10,546 10,486 10,449 0.6 0.4 0.8 10,799 10,721 10,442 10,382 4.0

 Primary metals............................ ............ 24,620 24,580 24,274 0.2 1.3 1.6 24,704 24,834 24,515 24,493 0.9

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 13,684 13,652 13,421 0.2 1.7 1.4 13,589 13,725 13,570 14,282 -4.9

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 8,976 8,946 8,863 0.3 0.9 2.6 9,093 9,084 8,975 8,115 12.1

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,960 1,982 1,990 -1.1 -0.4 -1.3 2,022 2,025 1,970 2,096 -3.5

 Fabricated metal products...................... 37,845 37,726 37,541 0.3 0.5 1.0 38,387 38,247 37,467 37,860 1.4

 Machinery............................................. 48,695 48,203 48,284 1.0 -0.2 1.0 48,770 48,944 48,175 46,159 5.7

 Farm machinery................................. 2,317 2,337 2,357 -0.9 -0.8 -0.4 2,457 2,519 2,461 2,639 -6.9

 Construction machinery........................ 4,148 4,105 4,082 1.0 0.6 0.9 4,253 4,233 4,107 3,911 8.7

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................. 2,940 2,916 2,855 0.8 2.1 0.8 2,960 2,923 2,818 2,611 13.4

 Industrial machinery............................ 6,595 6,263 6,177 5.3 1.4 -0.6 6,603 6,426 6,065 6,440 2.5

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,434 1,433 1,441 0.1 -0.6 -0.7 1,397 1,432 1,423 1,277 9.4

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,111 4,068 4,080 1.1 -0.3 0.6 4,171 4,137 3,988 4,177 -0.1

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,619 4,644 4,661 -0.5 -0.4 0.1 4,542 4,603 4,591 4,285 6.0

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 6,171 6,196 6,242 -0.4 -0.7 3.8 5,979 6,211 6,183 5,376 11.2

 Material handling equipment............... 2,765 2,784 2,849 -0.7 -2.3 1.1 2,784 2,806 2,841 2,634 5.7

 Computers and electronic products ......... 46,734 45,422 46,664 2.9 -2.7 1.7 45,546 45,662 46,353 43,718 4.2

 Computers......................................... 1,973 1,868 1,859 5.6 0.5 -8.4 1,900 1,844 1,756 1,940 -2.1

 Computer storage devices................... 1,447 1,470 1,493 -1.6 -1.5 -2.7 1,315 1,497 1,434 1,290 1.9

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,754 1,740 1,746 0.8 -0.3 0.1 1,633 1,726 1,717 1,762 -7.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment..................................... 9,132 9,328 9,364 -2.1 -0.4 2.2 8,843 9,476 9,426 9,131 -3.2

 Defense communications equipment... 1,115 1,121 1,071 -0.5 4.7 15.3 1,115 1,121 1,071 1,062 5.0

 Audio and video equipment.................. 1,219 1,019 1,068 19.6 -4.6 -3.8 1,030 969 1,044 985 4.6

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 7,063 6,980 7,100 1.2 -1.7 3.1 6,952 6,960 7,115 6,386 8.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,598 2,732 2,751 -4.9 -0.7 0.8 2,571 2,738 2,711 2,660 -3.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,825 2,868 2,773 -1.5 3.4 12.2 2,760 2,874 2,735 2,654 4.0

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 9,900 9,911 9,861 -0.1 0.5 0.9 9,757 10,041 9,835 9,488 2.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 13,408 13,378 13,403 0.2 -0.2 1.8 13,605 13,686 13,382 12,788 6.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,661 1,647 1,659 0.9 -0.7 5.9 1,657 1,658 1,639 1,528 8.4

 Household appliances.......................... 2,287 2,335 2,367 -2.1 -1.4 0.9 2,329 2,427 2,350 2,169 7.4

 Electrical equipment............................ 4,653 4,607 4,569 1.0 0.8 1.2 4,738 4,751 4,643 4,329 9.4

 Batteries............................................ 674 712 734 -5.3 -3.0 7.9 662 693 675 611 8.3

 Transportation equipment...................... 67,175 66,712 67,314 0.7 -0.9 0.2 67,000 67,260 66,782 65,892 1.7

 Automobiles....................................... 2,144 2,292 2,488 -6.5 -7.9 13.0 2,054 2,303 2,434 1,994 3.0

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 3,241 3,385 3,267 -4.3 3.6 -1.4 3,170 3,363 3,116 2,983 6.3

 Heavy duty trucks .............................. 1,256 1,253 1,254 0.2 -0.1 0.2 1,259 1,268 1,241 1,320 -4.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 17,586 17,386 17,385 1.2 0.0 -1.3 17,831 17,478 17,416 18,256 -2.3

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 23,250 23,011 23,340 1.0 -1.4 2.7 23,058 23,267 23,144 22,463 2.6

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 11,694 11,583 11,678 1.0 -0.8 -1.0 11,655 11,677 11,552 11,082 5.2

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,883 2,618 2,719 10.1 -3.7 -8.5 2,950 2,679 2,745 2,686 9.8

 Furniture and related products................. 9,194 9,024 8,955 1.9 0.8 0.3 8,989 8,821 8,887 8,504 5.7

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 21,024 20,997 21,056 0.1 -0.3 1.7 20,753 21,014 20,822 19,834 4.6

 Nondurable goods industries................... 187,063 186,243 186,760 0.4 -0.3 1.2 187,384 186,901 185,525 180,217 4.0

 Food products........................................ 33,363 33,410 33,341 -0.1 0.2 0.6 32,883 33,469 33,128 31,817 3.4

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 3,325 3,392 3,477 -2.0 -2.4 0.7 3,461 3,618 3,624 3,209 7.9

 Dairy products.................................... 4,056 4,070 4,099 -0.3 -0.7 0.7 4,059 4,042 3,973 4,065 -0.1

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 6,154 6,179 6,099 -0.4 1.3 -4.0 6,209 6,187 5,920 6,259 -0.8

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 15,294 15,311 15,336 -0.1 -0.2 -0.4 15,294 15,448 15,569 14,752 3.7

 Beverages......................................... 10,630 10,681 10,713 -0.5 -0.3 -0.6 10,677 10,679 10,707 10,063 6.1

 Tobacco............................................ 4,664 4,630 4,623 0.7 0.2 0.2 4,617 4,769 4,862 4,689 -1.5

 Textile mills........................................... 4,234 4,236 4,244 0.0 -0.2 0.0 4,223 4,275 4,245 4,287 -1.5

 Textile products...................................... 3,699 3,714 3,720 -0.4 -0.2 -1.5 3,719 3,752 3,729 3,749 -0.8

 Apparel................................................. 6,079 6,093 6,063 -0.2 0.5 -0.9 5,914 5,985 6,020 5,942 -0.5

 Leather and allied products..................... 809 818 915 -1.1 -10.6 4.7 782 810 921 847 -7.7

 Paper products....................................... 14,291 14,149 13,995 1.0 1.1 0.2 14,383 14,281 14,040 14,422 -0.3

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,158 6,092 6,051 1.1 0.7 -0.3 6,212 6,169 6,081 6,286 -1.2

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,075 4,024 3,952 1.3 1.8 -0.7 4,070 4,067 4,003 4,164 -2.3

 Printing.................................................. 6,528 6,536 6,557 -0.1 -0.3 1.1 6,353 6,323 6,181 6,527 -2.7

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 25,675 25,465 25,387 0.8 0.3 1.5 25,463 24,769 24,462 22,293 14.2

 Petroleum refineries............................. 23,193 22,946 22,905 1.1 0.2 1.9 22,884 22,283 22,112 19,896 15.0

 Chemical products.................................. 56,866 56,246 56,962 1.1 -1.3 2.7 57,361 56,840 56,646 55,303 3.7

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,670 2,703 2,713 -1.2 -0.4 -0.2 3,089 3,237 3,069 2,690 14.8

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 18,984 18,390 18,919 3.2 -2.8 6.7 18,779 18,076 18,192 18,675 0.6

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 2,919 2,940 2,882 -0.7 2.0 1.6 3,009 3,001 2,863 2,897 3.9

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 20,225 20,265 20,240 -0.2 0.1 1.1 21,009 20,949 20,584 20,278 3.6

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1 Inventories for semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products and total durable goods industries, but are not shown separately. 

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

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

 Topical Series 1

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted2

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date Percent

Industry Change6

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2006/

2006p 2006r 2006 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 2006p 2005 2005

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 408,026 404,642 409,417 0.8 -1.2 0.1 439,387 383,207 373,213 407,011 1,195,807 1,113,487 7.4

 Construction materials and supplies...... 44,992 44,722 44,394 0.6 0.7 1.7 46,738 40,778 39,111 42,209 126,627 114,894 10.2

 Information technology......................... 29,358 29,437 29,455 -0.3 -0.1 0.1 34,013 26,240 24,921 31,941 85,174 80,218 6.2

 Computers and related products .......... 8,386 8,367 8,325 0.2 0.5 -5.7 9,967 7,024 7,076 9,131 24,067 23,012 4.6

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 42,044 40,663 41,559 3.4 -2.2 -3.3 49,051 41,285 38,084 44,098 128,420 124,094 3.5

 Capital goods...................................... 79,926 79,030 78,553 1.1 0.6 -3.5 90,974 73,064 66,727 80,262 230,765 207,163 11.4

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 71,735 71,048 70,057 1.0 1.4 -4.4 81,904 65,378 59,867 71,715 207,149 184,798 12.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 66,183 64,971 65,292 1.9 -0.5 0.0 74,731 59,724 57,220 67,189 191,675 176,351 8.7

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,191 7,982 8,496 2.6 -6.0 4.1 9,070 7,686 6,860 8,547 23,616 22,365 5.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 157,261 153,307 158,669 2.6 -3.4 0.9 164,556 145,636 147,362 155,027 457,554 431,318 6.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 38,957 38,422 39,122 1.4 -1.8 -3.1 45,362 38,025 34,914 41,745 118,301 113,557 4.2

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 118,304 114,885 119,547 3.0 -3.9 2.3 119,194 107,611 112,448 113,282 339,253 317,761 6.8

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 419,567 402,538 401,075 4.2 0.4 -3.9 452,357 385,255 374,583 399,435 1,212,195 1,106,084 9.6

 Construction materials and supplies...... 45,694 44,662 44,740 2.3 -0.2 1.4 48,274 41,120 40,047 43,211 129,441 117,203 10.4

 Information technology......................... 32,910 30,349 28,543 8.4 6.3 -0.7 38,169 27,859 25,505 33,756 91,533 85,418 7.2

 Computers and related products .......... 8,399 8,304 7,896 1.1 5.2 -12.4 9,980 6,961 6,647 8,474 23,588 22,138 6.5

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 42,186 40,807 41,894 3.4 -2.6 -3.3 49,057 41,671 38,978 43,792 129,706 124,215 4.4

 Capital goods...................................... 94,541 83,780 75,938 12.8 10.3 -21.0 106,765 79,908 69,813 80,218 256,486 217,107 18.1

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 83,979 74,395 71,392 12.9 4.2 -20.1 93,129 70,930 65,113 70,115 229,172 193,827 18.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 68,951 66,373 66,750 3.9 -0.6 0.0 77,411 64,406 60,948 67,376 202,765 185,059 9.6

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 10,562 9,385 4,546 12.5 106.4 -33.6 13,636 8,978 4,700 10,103 27,314 23,280 17.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 156,779 153,561 158,580 2.1 -3.2 1.7 163,909 146,156 147,642 154,484 457,707 430,534 6.3

 Consumer durable goods..................... 38,475 38,676 39,033 -0.5 -0.9 -0.2 44,715 38,545 35,194 41,202 118,454 112,773 5.0

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 118,304 114,885 119,547 3.0 -3.9 2.3 119,194 107,611 112,448 113,282 339,253 317,761 6.8

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 662,591 643,657 636,962 2.9 1.1 -0.2 673,782 652,859 642,036 557,218 (X) (X) 20.9

 Construction materials and supplies...... 41,659 40,957 41,017 1.7 -0.1 0.9 42,182 40,646 40,304 36,409 (X) (X) 15.9

 Information technology......................... 112,492 108,940 108,028 3.3 0.8 -0.8 114,406 110,250 108,631 106,004 (X) (X) 7.9

 Computers and related products .......... 5,637 5,624 5,687 0.2 -1.1 -7.0 5,637 5,624 5,687 5,543 (X) (X) 1.7

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 17,623 17,481 17,337 0.8 0.8 2.0 18,307 18,301 17,915 15,391 (X) (X) 18.9

 Capital goods...................................... 494,570 479,955 475,205 3.0 1.0 -0.5 502,560 486,769 479,925 408,388 (X) (X) 23.1

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................362,887 350,643 347,296 3.5 1.0 0.4 367,247 356,022 350,470 266,993 (X) (X) 37.5

 Excluding aircraft............................. 180,693 177,925 176,523 1.6 0.8 0.8 183,845 181,165 176,483 165,659 (X) (X) 11.0

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 131,683 129,312 127,909 1.8 1.1 -3.0 135,313 130,747 129,455 141,395 (X) (X) -4.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 12,190 12,672 12,418 -3.8 2.0 -0.7 12,314 12,961 12,441 13,273 (X) (X) -7.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 12,190 12,672 12,418 -3.8 2.0 -0.7 12,314 12,961 12,441 13,273 (X) (X) -7.2 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 477,131 473,664 475,450 0.7 -0.4 1.1 477,097 477,342 473,261 460,777 (X) (X) 3.5

 Construction materials and supplies...... 54,972 54,847 54,531 0.2 0.6 0.6 56,139 55,924 54,429 54,922 (X) (X) 2.2

 Information technology......................... 37,880 37,902 37,839 -0.1 0.2 1.3 36,876 38,207 37,557 36,750 (X) (X) 0.3

 Computers and related products .......... 5,174 5,078 5,098 1.9 -0.4 -4.0 4,848 5,067 4,907 4,992 (X) (X) -2.9

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 24,227 24,316 24,394 -0.4 -0.3 0.0 24,314 24,412 24,207 24,553 (X) (X) -1.0

 Capital goods...................................... 130,993 130,183 130,421 0.6 -0.2 1.0 129,941 131,439 129,657 124,754 (X) (X) 4.2

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................115,288 114,647 114,865 0.6 -0.2 1.2 114,267 115,866 114,140 109,636 (X) (X) 4.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 96,374 95,980 95,935 0.4 0.0 1.0 95,478 96,951 95,368 91,765 (X) (X) 4.0

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 15,705 15,536 15,556 1.1 -0.1 -0.7 15,674 15,573 15,517 15,118 (X) (X) 3.7

 Consumer goods.................................. 144,245 143,535 144,078 0.5 -0.4 1.4 142,623 142,897 142,313 136,951 (X) (X) 4.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 31,809 31,908 32,010 -0.3 -0.3 0.9 31,287 32,054 31,781 30,196 (X) (X) 3.6

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 112,436 111,627 112,068 0.7 -0.4 1.6 111,336 110,843 110,532 106,755 (X) (X) 4.3

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable.

1

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories.

2

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

3

 Nondefense capital goods industries include: small arms and ordnance; farm machinery and equipment; construction machinery; mining, oil, and gas field machinery;

industrial machinery; vending, laundry, and other machinery; photographic equipment; metalworking machinery; turbines and generators; other power transmission

equipment; pumps and compressors; material handling equipment; all other machinery; electronic computers; computer storage devices; other computer peripheral

equipment; communications equipment; search and navigation equipment; electromedical, measuring, and control instruments; electrical equipment; other electrical 

equipment, appliances, and components; heavy duty trucks; aircraft; railroad rolling stock; ships and boats; office and institutional furniture; and medical equipment

and supplies.

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

and search and navigation equipment.

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 

6

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

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

NEW ORDERS

UNFILLED ORDERS

TOTAL INVENTORIES
 7

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. Mar.

2006p 2006r 2006 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 06/05

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 161,722 160,403 160,058 0.8 0.2 0.0 161,816 160,969 160,574 156,724 3.2

 Durable goods industries........................ 97,889 96,724 96,298 1.2 0.4 0.0 97,430 97,104 96,699 95,120 2.4

 Wood products................................... 4,462 4,499 4,380 -0.8 2.7 -0.3 4,367 4,599 4,586 3,883 12.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 3,903 3,904 3,817 0.0 2.3 0.3 3,900 3,900 3,803 3,672 6.2

 Primary metals.................................... 9,406 9,278 8,970 1.4 3.4 2.9 9,207 9,131 9,008 9,104 1.1

 Fabricated metal products.................. 14,343 14,244 13,975 0.7 1.9 1.1 14,466 14,419 14,018 14,126 2.4

 Machinery.......................................... 16,761 16,644 16,737 0.7 -0.6 0.2 16,619 16,704 16,817 15,964 4.1

 Computers and electronic products ...... 15,841 15,356 15,711 3.2 -2.3 -0.8 15,786 15,441 15,780 15,398 2.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,274 5,281 5,324 -0.1 -0.8 1.3 5,309 5,402 5,360 5,080 4.5

 Transportation equipment.................. 16,337 16,037 16,003 1.9 0.2 -3.4 16,343 16,084 15,975 16,958 -3.6

 Furniture and related products............ 4,111 4,063 4,021 1.2 1.0 1.4 4,079 4,014 4,016 3,879 5.2

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,451 7,418 7,360 0.4 0.8 1.3 7,354 7,410 7,336 7,056 4.2

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 63,833 63,679 63,760 0.2 -0.1 0.0 64,386 63,865 63,875 61,604 4.5

 Food products................................... 10,596 10,639 10,709 -0.4 -0.7 0.8 10,640 10,785 10,838 10,274 3.6

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,598 4,651 4,732 -1.1 -1.7 0.2 4,645 4,753 4,939 5,069 -8.4

 Textiles.............................................. 1,288 1,325 1,309 -2.8 1.2 1.5 1,292 1,332 1,308 1,331 -2.9

 Textile products.................................. 1,513 1,498 1,501 1.0 -0.2 1.6 1,510 1,494 1,505 1,371 10.1

 Apparel............................................. 1,336 1,320 1,303 1.2 1.3 -1.0 1,325 1,311 1,304 1,323 0.2

 Leather and allied products................... 234 236 279 -0.8 -15.4 -6.4 225 232 278 248 -9.3

 Paper products................................... 6,346 6,274 6,188 1.1 1.4 0.6 6,390 6,302 6,204 6,268 1.9

 Printing ............................................ 2,985 3,012 2,988 -0.9 0.8 2.2 2,969 2,940 2,903 3,038 -2.3

 Petroleum and coal products............... 8,650 8,483 8,383 2.0 1.2 -2.3 8,832 8,228 8,005 7,048 25.3

 Chemical products............................. 18,507 18,389 18,471 0.6 -0.4 -0.6 18,610 18,468 18,562 17,827 4.4

 Plastics and rubber products............... 7,780 7,852 7,897 -0.9 -0.6 1.1 7,948 8,020 8,029 7,807 1.8

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 132,216 130,957 132,717 1.0 -1.3 1.5 131,528 131,584 131,977 126,946 3.6

 Durable goods industries ........................ 103,498 102,212 103,334 1.3 -1.1 1.2 103,124 102,989 102,743 98,111 5.1

 Wood products................................... 1,990 1,985 1,910 0.3 3.9 0.5 2,001 1,994 1,913 2,062 -3.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,175 1,157 1,179 1.6 -1.9 0.7 1,243 1,213 1,175 1,216 2.2

 Primary metals.................................... 7,674 7,700 7,571 -0.3 1.7 0.8 7,746 7,822 7,643 7,436 4.2

 Fabricated metal products.................. 11,089 11,080 11,079 0.1 0.0 2.7 11,177 11,168 11,058 10,563 5.8

 Machinery.......................................... 14,950 14,609 14,554 2.3 0.4 2.1 14,768 14,551 14,148 14,145 4.4

 Computers and electronic products ...... 20,683 20,623 21,099 0.3 -2.3 4.1 19,978 20,614 20,804 18,577 7.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 2,797 2,769 2,733 1.0 1.3 1.6 2,832 2,819 2,726 2,717 4.2

 Transportation equipment.................. 38,395 37,518 38,358 2.3 -2.2 -0.6 38,665 38,016 38,503 36,688 5.4

 Furniture and related products............ 1,549 1,539 1,547 0.6 -0.5 0.1 1,537 1,521 1,545 1,525 0.8

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,196 3,232 3,304 -1.1 -2.2 -1.5 3,177 3,271 3,228 3,182 -0.2

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 28,718 28,745 29,383 -0.1 -2.2 2.3 28,404 28,595 29,234 28,835 -1.5

 Food products................................... 2,690 2,886 2,872 -6.8 0.5 -6.4 2,617 2,899 3,016 2,876 -9.0

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,642 4,718 4,690 -1.6 0.6 -1.5 4,552 4,785 4,877 3,968 14.7

 Textiles.............................................. 1,147 1,126 1,141 1.9 -1.3 2.1 1,141 1,136 1,151 1,179 -3.2

 Textile products.................................. 547 548 549 -0.2 -0.2 1.1 548 547 543 571 -4.0

 Apparel............................................. 1,087 1,068 1,069 1.8 -0.1 -1.8 1,063 1,046 1,064 1,006 5.7

 Leather and allied products................... 116 120 119 -3.3 0.8 29.3 118 122 123 134 -11.9

 Paper products................................... 1,370 1,345 1,317 1.9 2.1 -0.5 1,364 1,339 1,333 1,428 -4.5

 Printing ............................................ 1,739 1,715 1,745 1.4 -1.7 0.8 1,642 1,649 1,581 1,662 -1.2

 Petroleum and coal products............... 2,300 2,313 3,002 -0.6 -23.0 17.8 2,322 2,269 2,869 3,325 -30.2

 Chemical products............................. 10,865 10,675 10,671 1.8 0.0 4.0 10,704 10,487 10,413 10,340 3.5

 Plastics and rubber products............... 2,215 2,231 2,208 -0.7 1.0 0.6 2,333 2,316 2,264 2,346 -0.6

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 183,193 182,304 182,675 0.5 -0.2 1.7 183,753 184,789 180,710 177,107 3.8

 Durable goods industries ........................ 88,681 88,485 89,058 0.2 -0.6 1.8 89,159 90,348 88,294 87,329 2.1

 Wood products................................... 4,375 4,409 4,460 -0.8 -1.1 -1.4 4,792 4,659 4,412 4,985 -3.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,468 5,425 5,453 0.8 -0.5 1.2 5,656 5,608 5,464 5,494 2.9

 Primary metals.................................... 7,540 7,602 7,733 -0.8 -1.7 1.0 7,751 7,881 7,864 7,953 -2.5

 Fabricated metal products.................. 12,413 12,402 12,487 0.1 -0.7 -0.6 12,744 12,660 12,391 13,171 -3.2

 Machinery.......................................... 16,984 16,950 16,993 0.2 -0.3 1.0 17,383 17,689 17,210 16,050 8.3

 Computers and electronic products ...... 10,210 9,443 9,854 8.1 -4.2 0.7 9,782 9,607 9,769 9,743 0.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,337 5,328 5,346 0.2 -0.3 2.5 5,464 5,465 5,296 4,991 9.5

 Transportation equipment.................. 12,443 13,157 12,953 -5.4 1.6 7.5 11,992 13,160 12,304 12,246 -2.1

 Furniture and related products............ 3,534 3,422 3,387 3.3 1.0 -0.9 3,373 3,286 3,326 3,100 8.8

 Miscellaneous products........................ 10,377 10,347 10,392 0.3 -0.4 3.0 10,222 10,333 10,258 9,596 6.5

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 94,512 93,819 93,617 0.7 0.2 1.7 94,594 94,441 92,416 89,778 5.4

 Food products................................... 20,077 19,885 19,760 1.0 0.6 1.6 19,626 19,785 19,274 18,667 5.1

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 6,054 5,942 5,914 1.9 0.5 0.0 6,097 5,910 5,753 5,715 6.7

 Textiles.............................................. 1,799 1,785 1,794 0.8 -0.5 -2.2 1,790 1,807 1,786 1,777 0.7

 Textile products.................................. 1,639 1,668 1,670 -1.7 -0.1 -5.0 1,661 1,711 1,681 1,807 -8.1

 Apparel............................................. 3,656 3,705 3,691 -1.3 0.4 -0.6 3,526 3,628 3,652 3,613 -2.4

 Leather and allied products................... 459 462 517 -0.6 -10.6 6.8 439 456 520 465 -5.6

 Paper products................................... 6,575 6,530 6,490 0.7 0.6 -0.1 6,629 6,640 6,503 6,726 -1.4

 Printing ............................................ 1,804 1,809 1,824 -0.3 -0.8 -0.2 1,742 1,734 1,697 1,827 -4.7

 Petroleum and coal products............... 14,725 14,669 14,002 0.4 4.8 0.8 14,309 14,272 13,588 11,920 20.0

 Chemical products............................. 27,494 27,182 27,820 1.1 -2.3 4.4 28,047 27,885 27,671 27,136 3.4

 Plastics and rubber products............... 10,230 10,182 10,135 0.5 0.5 1.1 10,728 10,613 10,291 10,125 6.0

p

 Preliminary r Revised

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

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

 to Shipments, by Industry Group

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Mar Feb Jan Dec Mar Feb Jan Dec

2006p 2006r 2006 2005 2006p 2006r 2006 2005

 All manufacturing industries2

...... 1.17 1.17 1.16 1.15 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

................... 1.32 1.31 1.32 1.29 4.39 4.30 4.25 4.17

 Wood products................................ 1.13 1.13 1.11 1.14 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products........... 1.05 1.05 1.06 1.08 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals................................. 1.46 1.46 1.43 1.45 1.43 1.44 1.43 1.48

 Fabricated metal products............... 1.48 1.48 1.48 1.48 1.99 2.00 2.00 1.99

 Machinery....................................... 1.67 1.72 1.69 1.64 3.34 3.45 3.38 3.25

 Computers and electronic products 2

.. 1.22 1.14 1.23 1.19 4.29 4.18 4.19 4.25

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 1.31 1.33 1.31 1.34 2.12 2.13 2.04 2.05

 Transportation equipment................. 1.13 1.13 1.15 1.06 9.40 8.94 8.95 8.23

 Furniture and related products........... 1.19 1.16 1.14 1.13 1.16 1.16 1.11 1.10

 Miscellaneous products.................... 1.62 1.62 1.58 1.60 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

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

 Beverage and tobacco products......... 1.62 1.65 1.63 1.62 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................... 1.29 1.26 1.25 1.27 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................... 1.26 1.26 1.26 1.31 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel.......................................... 1.62 1.66 1.67 1.63 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............... 1.63 1.67 1.95 1.92 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products................................ 1.00 1.00 0.98 1.00 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing.......................................... 0.90 0.89 0.90 0.92 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............ 0.71 0.76 0.67 0.70 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products............................. 1.19 1.19 1.18 1.19 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products.............. 1.15 1.14 1.13 1.13 (X) (X) (X) (X)

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable

1

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

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

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

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

trucks; and miscellaneous furniture.

2 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing.

Mar2 Mar2 Mar2 Mar2

Industry 2005- 2005- 2005- 2005-

Mar1 Feb Mar1 Feb Mar1 Feb Mar1 Feb

2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006

 All manufacturing industries.......... (X) 0.4 (X) 0.6 (X) 0.2 (X) 0.1

Durable goods industries...................... 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2

 Wood products................................... (X) 1.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.0

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

 Primary metals.................................... 0.2 0.3 0.0 1.2 -0.1 0.7 0.0 0.3

 Fabricated metal products................... 0.1 0.5 0.5 0.8 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3

 Machinery.......................................... 0.5 0.7 0.3 1.7 -0.2 0.4 0.6 0.1

 Computers and electronic products ..... -0.5 0.7 1.0 1.5 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.0 0.3 0.3 1.5 0.2 0.8 0.0 0.2

 Transportation equipment................... 0.3 0.6 0.7 1.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.4 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.6 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.9 (X) 1.4 (X) 1.2 (X) 0.5

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

 Food products................................... (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Textiles............................................. (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

 Textile products................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 1.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.5

 Paper products................................... (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

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

 Chemical products................................ (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Plastics and rubber products............... (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

 publication.

2

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

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

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
NOTICE

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

May 19, 2006. These revisions reflect:

• benchmarking the shipments and inventory data to the 2004 Annual Survey of Manufactures

(ASM) data;

• adjusting new orders and order backlog to be consistent with the benchmarked shipments

and inventory data;

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

previously reported data; and

• updating the seasonal adjustment factors for all series.

For revised historical data go to http://www.census.gov/m3/hist/naicshist.htm. An accompanying

press release will include the revised 2006 January through March data. Please call Chris Savage on

(301)763-4832 with questions.

Survey Description 

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

(M3) survey. This survey provides statistics on manufacturers' value of shipments, new orders (net of cancellations),

end-of-month order backlog (unfilled orders), end-of-month total inventory (at current cost or market value), and

inventories by stage of fabrication (materials and supplies, work-in-process, and finished goods). The M3 includes

approximately 4,200 reporting units. Units may be divisions of diversified large companies, large homogenous

companies, or single-unit manufacturers in 89 industry categories. Due to the small monthly sample, these 89

categories have been combined into 59 publication levels. The survey methodology assumes that the month-tomonth changes of the total operations of those companies in the monthly survey effectively represent the month-tomonth movements of all establishments that make up the category. The current coverage levels in the survey show

that reported data in the monthly survey represent approximately 62 percent of the shipments estimates at the total

manufacturing level. Data published represent manufacturing in a calendar month. The data collection is based on a

voluntary survey authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code. 

The data presented in this release are based on data obtained from a panel of 4,200 reporting units and provide an

indication of the activity within the manufacturing sector. The results differ from what would be obtained from a

complete enumeration of all manufacturing companies. In addition, a different panel of 4,200 companies would

yield different results. The M3 panel is comprised of companies with $500 million or more in shipments and a

limited number of smaller companies. From a statistical perspective, the panel is not a probability sample; therefore,

the sampling errors that are normally provided with sample surveys cannot be measured. Nonsampling errors are

attributable to many sources. The use of company or divisional reports to estimate the monthly change for

establishments is one source of nonsampling error. The use of primarily large companies to represent the month-tomonth movement of all companies is another potential source. Any corrections in the data will be released in the

next month’s advance report. Any revisions made later than two months will be reflected in the annual benchmark

publication.

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