FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012, AT 10:00 A.M. EDT

Chris Savage or Adriana Stoica

Manufacturing and Construction Division

(301) 763-4832

M3-2 (12)-2

CB12-52

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders

February 2012

Summary

 New orders for manufactured goods in February, up 

three of the last four months, increased $6.0 billion or 

1.3 percent to $468.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This followed a 1.1 percent January

decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders 

increased 0.9 percent. 

 Shipments, up nine consecutive months, increased $0.3

billion or 0.1 percent to $462.6 billion. This followed a 

0.6 percent January increase.

 Unfilled orders, up twenty-two of the last twenty-three

months, increased $12.1 billion or 1.3 percent to $931.1

billion. This followed a 0.7 percent January increase. 

The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.23, up from

6.12 in January.

 Inventories, up twenty-eight of the last twenty-nine

months, increased $2.2 billion or 0.4 percent to $616.8

billion. This was at the highest level since the series was

first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 

0.6 percent January increase. The inventories-toshipments ratio was 1.33, unchanged from January.

New Orders

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

February, up four of the last five months, increased $5.0

billion or 2.4 percent to $212.5 billion, revised from the 

previously published 2.2 percent increase. This 

followed a 3.5 percent January decrease.

 Transportation equipment, up three of the last four 

months, had the largest increase, $2.2 billion or 3.9

percent to $57.9 billion.

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $1.1 billion or 0.4 percent to $255.9 billion. 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in February, 

down following two consecutive monthly increases, 

decreased $0.7 billion or 0.4 percent to $206.7 billion, 

unchanged from the previously published decrease. This 

followed a 0.1 percent January increase.

 Transportation equipment, also down following two 

consecutive monthly increases, had the largest decrease, 

$1.3 billion or 2.5 percent to $49.2 billion.

 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up

three of the last four months, increased $1.1 billion or 

0.4 percent to $255.9 billion. This followed a 1.0

percent January increase. Petroleum and coal products,

also up three of the last four months, drove the increase,

up $2.2 billion or 3.0 percent to $76.6 billion. 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

February, up twenty-two of the last twenty-three months, 

increased $12.1 billion or 1.3 percent to $931.1 billion, 

unchanged from the previously published increase. This 

followed a 0.7 percent January increase. 

 Transportation equipment, up thirteen of the last 

fourteen months, had the largest increase, $8.7 billion or 

1.6 percent to $544.1 billion. 

Inventories

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in 

February, up twenty-six consecutive months, increased 

$1.4 billion or 0.4 percent to $373.6 billion, unchanged 

from the previously published increase. This was at the 

highest level since the series was first published on a 

NAICS basis and followed a 0.6 percent January

increase. 

 Machinery, up twenty-three consecutive months, had 

the largest increase, $0.6 billion or 1.0 percent to $62.3

billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up five

of the last six months, increased $0.8 billion or 0.3

percent to $243.2 billion. This followed a 0.7 percent

January increase. Petroleum and coal products, up six

consecutive months, drove the increase, up $1.0 billion 

or 1.8 percent to $58.4 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, February materials and 

supplies increased 0.2 percent in durable goods and

decreased 0.5 percent in nondurable goods. Work in 

process increased 0.8 percent in durable goods and 1.2

percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods increased 

slightly in durable goods and 0.6 percent in nondurable 

goods.

Figures in text are adjusted for seasonality, but not for inflation. 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 March is scheduled for release on April 25, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. EDT and the full report on May 2, 2012, at 10:00 

a.m. EDT. See back page for survey description.
 2 

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 Percent

Feb. Jan. Dec. Jan. - Dec. - Nov. - Feb. Jan. Dec. Feb. 2012/

2012p 2012r 2011 Feb. Jan. Dec. 2012p 2012r 2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011

 All manufacturing industries.................. 462,642 462,315 459,581 0.1 0.6 0.8 441,602 425,465 445,867 396,554 867,067 789,801 9.8

 Excluding transportation ................... 413,445 411,853 411,840 0.4 0.0 0.7 392,695 382,008 396,764 353,048 774,703 707,850 9.4

 Excluding defense.............................. 453,474 452,261 449,625 0.3 0.6 0.7 432,558 417,459 434,667 386,537 850,017 771,486 10.2

 With unfilled orders ............................ 149,408 150,201 151,193 -0.5 -0.7 3.2 143,644 134,428 150,946 127,011 278,072 248,571 11.9

 Durable goods industries ......................... 206,693 207,421 207,200 -0.4 0.1 2.0 199,219 187,726 203,777 176,499 386,945 347,385 11.4

 Wood products................................. ...... 5,383 5,669 5,431 -5.0 4.4 0.4 4,959 4,803 4,757 4,545 9,762 9,019 8.2

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 7,814 7,831 8,210 -0.2 -4.6 1.2 6,743 6,630 6,916 6,550 13,373 13,111 2.0

 Primary metals............................ ........... 27,413 27,252 28,360 0.6 -3.9 5.4 27,261 26,189 24,159 20,651 53,450 40,668 31.4

 Iron and steel mills............................ 11,467 11,490 12,040 -0.2 -4.6 2.1 11,441 11,160 10,384 10,385 22,601 20,802 8.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 13,985 13,855 14,417 0.9 -3.9 8.3 13,891 13,256 12,103 8,822 27,147 16,999 59.7

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,961 1,907 1,903 2.8 0.2 5.9 1,929 1,773 1,672 1,444 3,702 2,867 29.1

 Fabricated metal products....................... 26,292 26,397 26,184 -0.4 0.8 2.5 24,896 24,304 23,949 22,179 49,200 44,096 11.6

 Machinery............................................. 30,650 29,950 31,663 2.3 -5.4 3.8 29,764 26,859 32,641 25,658 56,623 49,905 13.5

 Farm machinery................................. 2,646 2,669 2,565 -0.9 4.1 -0.7 2,928 2,359 2,047 2,464 5,287 4,242 24.6

 Construction machinery..................... 4,319 4,392 4,441 -1.7 -1.1 0.6 4,073 4,061 4,504 3,230 8,134 6,326 28.6

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,659 1,568 1,582 5.8 -0.9 0.1 1,648 1,480 1,834 1,384 3,128 2,908 7.6

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,197 3,055 3,181 4.6 -4.0 -4.3 2,914 2,549 4,050 2,663 5,463 5,185 5.4

 Photographic equipment...................... 640 641 622 -0.2 3.1 0.0 612 516 704 630 1,128 1,222 -7.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 2,511 2,445 2,368 2.7 3.3 -0.5 2,134 1,979 2,384 2,137 4,113 4,310 -4.6

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,236 2,187 2,259 2.2 -3.2 4.9 2,024 1,922 2,513 1,510 3,946 3,110 26.9

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 4,052 3,609 5,203 12.3 -30.6 27.2 4,059 3,477 5,160 3,289 7,536 6,394 17.9

 Material handling equipment............... 2,744 2,691 2,816 2.0 -4.4 5.8 2,730 2,432 2,900 2,227 5,162 4,377 17.9

 Computers and electronic products 2

.......... 30,213 29,916 30,054 1.0 -0.5 -0.9 27,716 28,075 32,567 26,676 55,791 56,178 -0.7

 Computers........................................ 3,759 3,688 3,964 1.9 -7.0 -3.0 2,971 3,171 4,378 3,159 6,142 6,872 -10.6

 Computer storage devices..................... 763 728 757 4.8 -3.8 -1.4 541 522 1,322 440 1,063 948 12.1

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,009 994 949 1.5 4.7 -0.7 767 617 1,526 583 1,384 1,096 26.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 2,693 2,483 2,501 8.5 -0.7 7.0 2,353 1,934 3,300 2,370 4,287 4,718 -9.1

 Defense communications equipment.... 387 395 680 -2.0 -41.9 31.5 374 340 702 477 714 935 -23.6

 Audio and video equipment.................... 226 223 257 1.3 -13.2 4.9 193 190 389 229 383 464 -17.5

 Electronic components......................... 3,290 3,243 3,278 1.4 -1.1 -0.2 3,152 2,886 3,588 3,081 6,038 6,136 -1.6

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,154 1,158 1,249 -0.3 -7.3 8.0 1,146 1,000 1,279 1,062 2,146 1,982 8.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,729 2,787 2,762 -2.1 0.9 3.3 2,751 2,328 3,038 2,623 5,079 4,892 3.8

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,342 7,199 7,259 2.0 -0.8 1.9 6,882 6,413 8,411 6,695 13,295 13,334 -0.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,296 10,424 10,211 -1.2 2.1 1.3 9,825 9,297 9,979 9,127 19,122 17,831 7.2

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 981 1,035 1,000 -5.2 3.5 2.1 968 955 1,037 963 1,923 1,880 2.3

 Household appliances........................ 1,558 1,553 1,551 0.3 0.1 2.9 1,434 1,250 1,501 1,388 2,684 2,617 2.6

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,741 3,789 3,711 -1.3 2.1 0.6 3,634 3,378 3,679 3,337 7,012 6,479 8.2

 Batteries........................................... 893 906 892 -1.4 1.6 -1.8 775 769 885 715 1,544 1,416 9.0

 Transportation equipment........................ 49,197 50,462 47,741 -2.5 5.7 1.1 48,907 43,457 49,103 43,506 92,364 81,951 12.7

 Automobiles..................................... 6,024 5,762 5,718 4.5 0.8 5.0 6,113 5,373 5,323 4,711 11,486 9,159 25.4

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 8,312 8,133 7,597 2.2 7.1 -4.4 8,630 7,317 7,625 7,863 15,947 14,544 9.6

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,207 2,175 2,198 1.5 -1.0 0.1 2,181 2,012 2,157 1,493 4,193 2,859 46.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 14,725 14,813 14,708 -0.6 0.7 2.6 15,004 13,824 12,969 13,557 28,828 26,346 9.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 8,458 9,051 7,787 -6.6 16.2 1.0 7,849 6,637 10,087 6,042 14,486 10,922 32.6

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,807 4,608 4,004 -17.4 15.1 5.6 3,581 3,475 4,856 3,971 7,056 7,255 -2.7

 Ships and boats................................. 2,171 2,291 2,304 -5.2 -0.6 2.5 2,225 2,020 2,238 2,361 4,245 4,327 -1.9

 Furniture and related products.................. 5,543 5,651 5,548 -1.9 1.9 2.2 5,571 5,293 5,392 5,254 10,864 10,301 5.5

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,892 13,869 13,798 0.2 0.5 1.7 13,577 12,819 14,314 12,353 26,396 24,325 8.5

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 255,949 254,894 252,381 0.4 1.0 -0.2 242,383 237,739 242,090 220,055 480,122 442,416 8.5

 Food products....................................... 60,639 62,517 62,615 -3.0 -0.2 0.1 60,001 60,158 62,161 57,281 120,159 113,168 6.2

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 8,003 8,149 8,084 -1.8 0.8 -4.3 7,976 8,055 8,059 7,809 16,031 15,905 0.8

 Dairy products.................................. 8,877 9,100 9,220 -2.5 -1.3 -0.2 8,409 8,740 9,065 8,287 17,149 16,267 5.4

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 16,766 17,656 17,565 -5.0 0.5 0.2 16,899 16,853 17,196 16,538 33,752 32,111 5.1

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 12,515 12,095 12,731 3.5 -5.0 2.3 11,700 10,780 12,509 10,432 22,480 20,626 9.0

 Beverages......................................... 9,993 9,829 10,304 1.7 -4.6 6.6 9,178 8,514 10,082 8,072 17,692 16,061 10.2

 Tobacco............................................ 2,522 2,266 2,427 11.3 -6.6 -12.9 2,522 2,266 2,427 2,360 4,788 4,565 4.9

 Textile mills........................................... 2,485 2,519 2,512 -1.3 0.3 -0.2 2,507 2,375 2,195 2,562 4,882 5,003 -2.4

 Textile products................................... 1,894 1,905 1,917 -0.6 -0.6 1.3 1,898 1,701 1,678 1,786 3,599 3,360 7.1

 Apparel................................................ 1,438 1,469 1,456 -2.1 0.9 0.1 1,409 1,302 1,357 1,204 2,711 2,296 18.1

 Leather and allied products...................... 303 314 310 -3.5 1.3 0.6 328 262 292 329 590 581 1.5

 Paper products...................................... 14,116 14,145 14,227 -0.2 -0.6 0.0 13,713 13,844 13,817 13,576 27,557 27,777 -0.8

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,668 6,649 6,691 0.3 -0.6 -0.3 6,459 6,598 6,576 6,308 13,057 13,032 0.2

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,170 4,190 4,241 -0.5 -1.2 0.0 4,021 4,055 4,022 4,076 8,076 8,303 -2.7

 Printing................................................. 6,734 6,782 6,820 -0.7 -0.6 -1.0 6,358 6,358 6,913 6,358 12,716 12,919 -1.6

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 76,581 74,377 71,579 3.0 3.9 -1.3 68,250 67,798 68,259 56,620 136,048 117,642 15.6

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 72,004 69,902 67,359 3.0 3.8 -1.3 64,450 64,413 65,111 53,720 128,863 112,131 14.9

 Chemical products..................................... 62,196 61,920 61,450 0.4 0.8 -0.3 59,993 57,637 57,720 55,588 117,630 110,393 6.6

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 5,331 5,604 5,318 -4.9 5.4 -7.9 5,267 4,588 4,150 5,111 9,855 8,952 10.1

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 15,392 15,277 15,255 0.8 0.1 -0.8 14,841 14,403 15,292 14,129 29,244 28,534 2.5

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,726 2,762 2,733 -1.3 1.1 3.5 2,561 2,390 2,178 2,237 4,951 4,238 16.8

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 17,048 16,851 16,764 1.2 0.5 1.7 16,226 15,524 15,189 14,319 31,750 28,651 10.8

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.

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

2 Estimates and percent changes of shipments for the semiconductor industry are no longer shown separately, but are included in computers and electronic products, and all other applicable

 aggregate totals. 

Year to date
 3

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 Percent

Feb. Jan. Dec. Jan. - Dec. - Nov. - Feb. Jan. Dec. Feb. 2012/

2012p 2012r 2011 Feb. Jan. Dec. 2012p 2012r 2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011

All manufacturing industries 2...................... 468,406 462,357 467,341 1.3 -1.1 1.4 451,630 429,490 467,743 397,022 881,120 794,780 10.9

 Excluding transportation 2

...................... 410,476 406,628 408,541 0.9 -0.5 0.7 394,541 379,750 395,163 353,473 774,291 708,265 9.3

 Excluding defense 2

.............................. 458,854 453,901 459,706 1.1 -1.3 1.6 441,554 421,137 455,137 387,096 862,691 771,395 11.8

 With unfilled orders 2

............................. 161,482 156,705 164,856 3.0 -4.9 4.2 159,759 146,635 176,897 133,090 306,394 267,627 14.5

 Durable goods industries 2........................ 212,457 207,463 214,960 2.4 -3.5 3.3 209,247 191,751 225,653 176,967 400,998 352,364 13.8

 Primary metals............................ ............ 26,955 26,671 28,978 1.1 -8.0 3.9 27,505 27,030 25,543 20,325 54,535 42,885 27.2

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 11,015 10,884 12,653 1.2 -14.0 0.3 11,679 11,766 11,354 9,670 23,445 22,169 5.8

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 13,874 13,796 14,328 0.6 -3.7 6.6 13,744 13,310 12,382 9,089 27,054 17,573 54.0

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 2,066 1,991 1,997 3.8 -0.3 8.7 2,082 1,954 1,807 1,566 4,036 3,143 28.4

 Fabricated metal products........................ 26,751 26,626 26,205 0.5 1.6 1.0 26,337 25,028 23,637 24,239 51,365 47,044 9.2

 Machinery............................................. 33,103 31,091 34,100 6.5 -8.8 6.5 33,029 29,578 34,286 27,395 62,607 55,483 12.8

 Construction machinery....................... 4,403 4,660 4,472 -5.5 4.2 2.0 4,399 4,677 4,577 3,643 9,076 7,302 24.3

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 2,007 1,728 2,212 16.1 -21.9 92.2 2,069 1,735 2,069 2,042 3,804 3,679 3.4

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,055 2,944 3,310 3.8 -11.1 3.8 2,760 2,945 3,925 2,555 5,705 5,252 8.6

 Photographic equipment...................... 670 668 554 0.3 20.6 -14.1 667 626 529 641 1,293 1,309 -1.2

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,776 2,434 2,487 55.1 -2.1 -9.9 3,480 1,895 2,497 2,159 5,375 5,458 -1.5

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,310 2,267 2,363 1.9 -4.1 7.5 2,226 2,147 2,569 1,985 4,373 3,807 14.9

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 4,602 4,242 5,878 8.5 -27.8 6.0 4,582 4,095 6,236 3,164 8,677 6,606 31.4

 Material handling equipment.................. 2,810 2,780 2,978 1.1 -6.6 14.1 2,908 2,596 3,142 2,255 5,504 4,683 17.5

 Computers and electronic products 2

......... 24,525 23,864 23,299 2.8 2.4 -0.2 23,513 20,579 28,961 22,435 44,092 43,783 0.7

 Computers........................................ 3,667 3,448 3,893 6.4 -11.4 -7.6 2,879 2,931 4,307 2,984 5,810 6,549 -11.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 2,930 2,652 2,592 10.5 2.3 3.5 3,011 2,070 3,693 2,580 5,081 4,675 8.7

 Defense communications equipment...... 332 284 315 16.9 -9.8 -6.8 304 285 445 369 589 928 -36.5

 Electronic components......................... 3,310 3,237 3,281 2.3 -1.3 -0.9 3,324 2,993 3,506 3,124 6,317 6,215 1.6

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,394 1,348 1,285 3.4 4.9 -6.5 1,521 1,252 1,183 1,287 2,773 2,414 14.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,887 2,880 2,442 0.2 17.9 7.2 3,352 2,354 3,701 3,530 5,706 5,794 -1.5

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,456 7,514 7,033 -0.8 6.8 2.2 7,122 6,873 8,330 6,963 13,995 13,976 0.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,400 10,554 10,617 -1.5 -0.6 -0.6 10,510 10,348 9,911 10,160 20,858 19,755 5.6

 Electric lighting equipment................... 954 1,006 969 -5.2 3.8 1.9 944 942 953 948 1,886 1,919 -1.7

 Household appliances.......................... 1,493 1,450 1,648 3.0 -12.0 5.6 1,484 1,370 1,454 1,609 2,854 2,906 -1.8

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,879 4,058 3,940 -4.4 3.0 -4.5 3,953 3,981 3,561 3,632 7,934 7,322 8.4

 Transportation equipment........................ 57,930 55,729 58,800 3.9 -5.2 6.3 57,089 49,740 72,580 43,549 106,829 86,515 23.5

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 14,743 14,713 14,868 0.2 -1.0 2.7 15,139 13,853 13,657 13,729 28,992 26,663 8.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 17,408 16,427 19,847 6.0 -17.2 21.0 15,969 13,005 31,359 7,795 28,974 12,605 129.9

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 4,429 3,938 3,882 12.5 1.4 -6.4 4,200 3,900 6,118 3,925 8,100 9,240 -12.3

 Ships and boats.................................. 1,661 1,648 1,495 0.8 10.2 2.1 2,188 2,137 1,503 1,129 4,325 5,919 -26.9

 Furniture and related products................. 5,720 5,626 5,550 1.7 1.4 -0.6 6,001 5,263 4,776 5,437 11,264 10,463 7.7

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 255,949 254,894 252,381 0.4 1.0 -0.2 242,383 237,739 242,090 220,055 480,122 442,416 8.5

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/>.

Year to date
 4 

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 Percent

Industry Change

Feb. Jan. Dec. Jan. - Dec. - Nov. - Feb. Jan. Dec. Feb. Feb.

2012p 2012r 2011 Feb. Jan. Dec. 2012p 2012r 2011 2011 12/11

All manufacturing industries 2...................... 931,085 919,011 912,507 1.3 0.7 1.5 938,685 922,570 910,363 848,514 10.6

 Excluding transportation 2

...................... 386,983 383,642 382,405 0.9 0.3 0.7 389,759 381,826 375,902 354,690 9.9

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 764,083 752,393 744,291 1.6 1.1 2.2 770,183 755,100 743,240 680,040 13.3

 Durable goods industries 2

........................ 931,085 919,011 912,507 1.3 0.7 1.5 938,685 922,570 910,363 848,514 10.6

 Primary metals........................................ 33,480 33,938 34,519 -1.3 -1.7 1.8 34,662 34,418 33,577 33,878 2.3

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 18,531 18,983 19,589 -2.4 -3.1 3.2 19,477 19,239 18,633 20,889 -6.8

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 11,039 11,150 11,209 -1.0 -0.5 -0.8 11,160 11,307 11,253 9,834 13.5

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 3,910 3,805 3,721 2.8 2.3 2.6 4,025 3,872 3,691 3,155 27.6

 Fabricated metal products......................... 67,056 66,597 66,368 0.7 0.3 0.0 66,876 65,435 64,711 62,236 7.5

 Machinery.............................................. 124,679 122,226 121,085 2.0 0.9 2.1 124,918 121,653 118,934 99,856 25.1

 Construction machinery....................... 10,971 10,887 10,619 0.8 2.5 0.3 11,381 11,055 10,439 8,924 27.5

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 13,609 13,261 13,101 2.6 1.2 5.1 13,567 13,146 12,891 9,457 43.5

 Industrial machinery............................ 13,570 13,712 13,823 -1.0 -0.8 0.9 13,709 13,863 13,467 13,955 -1.8

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,995 1,965 1,938 1.5 1.4 -3.4 2,000 1,945 1,835 1,966 1.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 21,713 20,448 20,459 6.2 -0.1 0.6 21,003 19,657 19,741 18,228 15.2

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,968 5,894 5,814 1.3 1.4 1.8 6,104 5,902 5,677 4,965 22.9

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 25,547 24,997 24,364 2.2 2.6 2.8 25,702 25,179 24,561 14,897 72.5

 Material handling equipment.................. 8,820 8,754 8,665 0.8 1.0 1.9 8,902 8,724 8,560 7,869 13.1

 Computers and electronic products 2......... 124,721 124,099 123,689 0.5 0.3 -0.7 126,019 124,135 123,449 125,553 0.4

 Computers......................................... 3,112 3,204 3,444 -2.9 -7.0 -2.0 3,112 3,204 3,444 3,331 -6.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 23,352 23,115 22,946 1.0 0.7 0.4 23,851 23,193 23,057 23,201 2.8

 Defense communications equipment...... 5,000 5,055 5,166 -1.1 -2.1 -6.6 4,964 5,034 5,089 6,340 -21.7

 Electronic components.......................... 11,816 11,796 11,802 0.2 -0.1 0.0 11,916 11,744 11,637 11,510 3.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 9,913 9,673 9,483 2.5 2.0 0.4 10,051 9,676 9,424 8,957 12.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 43,470 43,312 43,219 0.4 0.2 -0.7 44,002 43,401 43,375 44,932 -2.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 28,058 27,944 27,629 0.4 1.1 -0.8 28,123 27,883 27,423 27,282 3.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 28,430 28,326 28,196 0.4 0.5 1.5 29,016 28,331 27,280 25,176 15.3

 Electric lighting equipment................... 961 988 1,017 -2.7 -2.9 -3.0 907 931 944 1,056 -14.1

 Household appliances.......................... 807 872 975 -7.5 -10.6 11.0 987 937 817 993 -0.6

 Electrical equipment............................. 15,738 15,600 15,331 0.9 1.8 1.5 15,831 15,512 14,909 13,880 14.1

 Transportation equipment........................ 544,102 535,369 530,102 1.6 1.0 2.1 548,926 540,744 534,461 493,824 11.2

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 13,954 13,936 14,036 0.1 -0.7 1.2 14,569 14,434 14,405 14,113 3.2

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 392,812 383,862 376,486 2.3 2.0 3.3 395,879 387,759 381,391 339,099 16.7

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 55,504 54,882 55,552 1.1 -1.2 -0.2 56,268 55,649 55,224 54,090 4.0

 Ships and boats.................................. 16,008 16,518 17,161 -3.1 -3.7 -4.5 16,305 16,342 16,225 18,528 -12.0

 Furniture and related products................. 7,021 6,844 6,869 2.6 -0.4 0.0 6,672 6,242 6,272 6,392 4.4

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. 

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

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 Percent

Industry Change

Feb. Jan. Dec. Jan. - Dec. - Nov. - Feb. Jan. Dec. Feb. Feb.

2012p 2012r 2011 Feb. Jan. Dec. 2012p 2012r 2011 2011 12/11

 All manufacturing industries..................... 616,789 614,564 610,815 0.4 0.6 0.2 616,735 609,647 593,137 572,993 7.6

 Excluding transportation...................... 499,637 497,833 494,481 0.4 0.7 -0.1 499,851 493,720 480,908 469,985 6.4

 Excluding defense............................. 591,396 589,240 585,481 0.4 0.6 0.3 591,291 584,357 568,059 547,908 7.9

 With unfilled orders............................. 307,585 305,683 303,235 0.6 0.8 0.3 307,454 303,731 294,533 279,895 9.8

 Durable goods industries........................ 373,564 372,165 370,100 0.4 0.6 0.3 374,370 370,276 359,494 344,068 8.8

 Wood products........................................ 8,758 8,731 8,842 0.3 -1.3 0.3 9,021 8,857 8,762 8,907 1.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 11,299 11,262 11,246 0.3 0.1 0.7 11,496 11,240 11,014 10,725 7.2

 Primary metals......................................... 35,118 34,642 34,511 1.4 0.4 0.4 34,395 33,853 33,589 31,623 8.8

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 22,082 21,733 21,538 1.6 0.9 0.5 21,366 20,995 20,745 19,177 11.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,941 10,792 10,880 1.4 -0.8 0.4 10,866 10,709 10,768 10,488 3.6

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 2,095 2,117 2,093 -1.0 1.1 0.0 2,163 2,149 2,076 1,958 10.5

 Fabricated metal products......................... 46,389 46,153 46,070 0.5 0.2 -0.6 46,516 46,114 45,288 43,185 7.7

 Machinery.............................................. 62,279 61,636 60,601 1.0 1.7 0.4 63,186 61,542 58,649 55,566 13.7

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,711 3,600 3,581 3.1 0.5 1.3 4,058 3,758 3,577 3,352 21.1

 Construction machinery........................ 6,271 6,242 6,107 0.5 2.2 2.8 6,393 6,200 5,954 5,006 27.7

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 8,006 7,863 7,707 1.8 2.0 2.2 7,979 7,753 7,333 6,514 22.5

 Industrial machinery............................ 7,081 7,056 7,333 0.4 -3.8 5.5 7,107 6,901 7,089 6,471 9.8

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,546 1,559 1,521 -0.8 2.5 -5.2 1,545 1,587 1,448 1,545 0.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,972 3,952 3,909 0.5 1.1 -1.5 3,976 3,767 3,559 4,016 -1.0

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,276 5,216 5,139 1.2 1.5 0.5 5,184 5,084 4,958 4,193 23.6

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 8,013 7,845 7,235 2.1 8.4 -3.1 8,172 7,859 6,954 6,932 17.9

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,680 3,650 3,543 0.8 3.0 -2.6 3,685 3,662 3,467 3,367 9.4

 Computers and electronic products 2

......... 47,553 47,635 47,324 -0.2 0.7 -1.2 47,876 47,583 46,108 47,044 1.8

 Computers......................................... 3,100 3,154 3,145 -1.7 0.3 -2.8 3,131 2,994 3,018 2,795 12.0

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,316 1,328 1,350 -0.9 -1.6 0.8 1,323 1,294 1,241 1,332 -0.7

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,485 1,524 1,500 -2.6 1.6 -1.3 1,509 1,493 1,376 1,451 4.0

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 7,177 7,148 6,967 0.4 2.6 -2.1 7,340 7,276 6,888 6,882 6.7

 Defense communications equipment...... 2,064 2,031 2,010 1.6 1.0 -15.0 2,064 2,031 2,010 2,523 -18.2

 Audio and video equipment.................. 498 510 528 -2.4 -3.4 2.1 460 493 507 479 -4.0

 Electronic components.......................... 7,378 7,328 7,229 0.7 1.4 2.1 7,429 7,463 6,989 7,292 1.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,498 3,373 3,350 3.7 0.7 0.8 3,485 3,310 3,278 3,131 11.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,633 2,681 2,655 -1.8 1.0 -5.9 2,661 2,650 2,554 2,807 -5.2

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 12,532 12,500 12,561 0.3 -0.5 -0.9 12,615 12,541 12,213 12,495 1.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,899 15,965 15,419 -0.4 3.5 -0.1 15,947 15,840 14,748 15,265 4.5

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,865 2,022 1,795 -7.8 12.6 0.1 1,857 1,997 1,711 1,663 11.7

 Household appliances.......................... 2,102 2,093 2,098 0.4 -0.2 -0.4 2,115 2,071 1,889 2,266 -6.7

 Electrical equipment............................. 4,968 4,970 4,886 0.0 1.7 0.6 5,021 5,003 4,853 4,979 0.8

 Batteries............................................ 1,059 1,062 1,057 -0.3 0.5 -0.2 1,057 1,037 975 1,076 -1.8

 Transportation equipment......................... 117,152 116,731 116,334 0.4 0.3 1.4 116,884 115,927 112,229 103,008 13.5

 Automobiles....................................... 3,182 3,143 3,324 1.2 -5.4 0.3 3,254 3,237 3,133 2,993 8.7

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 3,233 3,443 3,318 -6.1 3.8 2.8 3,147 3,225 2,778 2,894 8.7

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,404 1,401 1,385 0.2 1.2 -2.7 1,387 1,368 1,310 1,427 -2.8

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 18,667 18,812 18,651 -0.8 0.9 1.0 18,830 19,147 18,275 17,390 8.3

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 65,126 64,467 64,191 1.0 0.4 2.0 64,645 63,503 61,747 53,538 20.7

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 14,860 14,616 14,648 1.7 -0.2 -1.2 14,782 14,492 14,418 13,810 7.0

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,361 3,469 3,510 -3.1 -1.2 1.5 3,453 3,522 3,508 3,444 0.3

 Furniture and related products................. 6,654 6,683 6,736 -0.4 -0.8 0.4 6,575 6,656 6,571 6,687 -1.7

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 22,463 22,727 23,017 -1.2 -1.3 -0.1 22,474 22,664 22,536 22,058 1.9

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 243,225 242,399 240,715 0.3 0.7 0.0 242,365 239,371 233,643 228,925 5.9

 Food products........................................ 45,450 45,204 45,039 0.5 0.4 0.7 45,228 45,039 44,921 43,308 4.4

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,371 5,262 5,292 2.1 -0.6 1.7 5,539 5,433 5,422 5,919 -6.4

 Dairy products.................................... 6,044 6,042 6,127 0.0 -1.4 0.7 5,952 5,807 5,647 5,436 9.5

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 8,544 8,471 8,424 0.9 0.6 0.4 8,574 8,391 8,403 8,433 1.7

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 16,752 16,819 16,814 -0.4 0.0 0.7 17,162 17,171 16,764 16,771 2.3

 Beverages......................................... 13,343 13,365 13,375 -0.2 -0.1 0.9 13,556 13,500 13,213 13,025 4.1

 Tobacco............................................ 3,409 3,454 3,439 -1.3 0.4 0.2 3,606 3,671 3,551 3,746 -3.7

 Textile mills............................................ 3,604 3,602 3,621 0.1 -0.5 -0.1 3,594 3,606 3,579 3,370 6.6

 Textile products...................................... 3,040 3,055 3,125 -0.5 -2.2 0.9 3,042 3,048 3,006 2,923 4.1

 Apparel................................................. 2,750 2,757 2,735 -0.3 0.8 0.0 2,706 2,780 2,596 2,330 16.1

 Leather and allied products...................... 902 898 908 0.4 -1.1 0.0 908 922 879 858 5.8

 Paper products....................................... 13,872 13,853 13,790 0.1 0.5 -0.7 13,980 13,880 13,751 14,027 -0.3

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 5,971 5,974 5,920 -0.1 0.9 -0.6 6,049 6,012 5,949 6,019 0.5

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,016 3,980 3,959 0.9 0.5 -1.0 4,075 4,021 3,957 4,034 1.0

 Printing.................................................. 5,287 5,321 5,321 -0.6 0.0 -1.4 5,286 5,197 5,056 5,598 -5.6

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 58,354 57,326 55,963 1.8 2.4 0.8 56,442 54,374 52,097 47,907 17.8

 Petroleum refineries............................. 54,510 53,459 52,101 2.0 2.6 0.7 52,667 50,500 48,387 44,747 17.7

 Chemical products..................................... 72,396 72,793 72,689 -0.5 0.1 -1.1 72,935 72,587 70,890 71,529 2.0

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 3,981 4,052 4,147 -1.8 -2.3 2.4 4,616 4,560 4,250 4,252 8.6

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 24,916 25,038 24,975 -0.5 0.3 -0.7 24,894 24,684 23,947 25,663 -3.0

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,085 3,077 3,057 0.3 0.7 -0.3 3,191 3,080 2,876 3,192 0.0

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 20,818 20,771 20,710 0.2 0.3 -0.1 21,082 20,767 20,104 20,304 3.8

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 agregates totals, 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 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 Percent

Industry Change6

Feb. Jan. Dec. Jan. - Dec. - Nov. - Feb. Jan. Dec. Feb. 2012/

2012p 2012r 2011 Feb. Jan. Dec. 2012p 2012r 2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 462,642 462,315 459,581 0.1 0.6 0.8 441,602 425,465 445,867 396,554 867,067 789,801 9.8

 Construction materials and supplies...... 38,249 38,787 38,223 -1.4 1.5 1.7 34,404 33,379 33,225 31,361 67,783 62,072 9.2

 Information technology......................... 24,376 23,993 24,552 1.6 -2.3 2.5 22,103 20,468 28,485 21,338 42,571 42,626 -0.1

 Computers and related products .......... 5,531 5,410 5,670 2.2 -4.6 -2.4 4,279 4,310 7,226 4,182 8,589 8,916 -3.7

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 31,268 30,883 30,221 1.2 2.2 1.0 31,928 28,526 28,074 27,624 60,454 52,908 14.3

 Capital goods...................................... 78,233 78,452 79,197 -0.3 -0.9 3.2 74,344 67,999 86,405 67,128 142,343 130,286 9.3

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 71,356 70,984 71,561 0.5 -0.8 2.6 67,368 61,910 78,194 59,073 129,278 115,665 11.8

 Excluding aircraft............................. 65,996 65,061 66,965 1.4 -2.8 2.8 62,430 58,057 71,735 55,662 120,487 110,065 9.5

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 6,877 7,468 7,636 -7.9 -2.2 9.6 6,976 6,089 8,211 8,055 13,065 14,621 -10.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 203,168 202,023 199,398 0.6 1.3 -0.3 193,827 188,819 195,359 174,301 382,646 349,379 9.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,222 26,825 26,026 1.5 3.1 0.1 27,759 24,236 25,613 24,649 51,995 46,565 11.7

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 175,946 175,198 173,372 0.4 1.1 -0.4 166,068 164,583 169,746 149,652 330,651 302,814 9.2

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 468,406 462,357 467,341 1.3 -1.1 1.4 451,630 429,490 467,743 397,022 881,120 794,780 10.9

 Construction materials and supplies...... 39,602 38,852 38,142 1.9 1.9 0.3 36,225 33,585 33,066 32,212 69,810 64,766 7.8

 Information technology......................... 25,066 24,429 23,740 2.6 2.9 -0.3 24,210 21,498 29,042 23,208 45,708 45,069 1.4

 Computers and related products .......... 5,439 5,170 5,599 5.2 -7.7 -5.7 4,187 4,070 7,155 4,007 8,257 8,593 -3.9

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 31,286 30,783 30,381 1.6 1.3 1.0 32,063 28,555 28,762 27,796 60,618 53,225 13.9

 Capital goods...................................... 89,302 86,995 90,060 2.7 -3.4 5.2 87,054 79,100 107,771 71,640 166,154 142,418 16.7

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 82,303 80,744 84,983 1.9 -5.0 6.9 79,401 72,790 98,825 63,622 152,191 122,889 23.8

 Excluding aircraft............................. 67,937 66,781 69,157 1.7 -3.4 3.5 66,627 62,301 72,700 58,740 128,928 116,514 10.7

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 6,999 6,251 5,077 12.0 23.1 -16.3 7,653 6,310 8,946 8,018 13,963 19,529 -28.5

 Consumer goods.................................. 203,190 201,859 199,522 0.7 1.2 -0.4 194,148 188,945 195,204 174,663 383,093 349,844 9.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,244 26,661 26,150 2.2 2.0 -0.5 28,080 24,362 25,458 25,011 52,442 47,030 11.5

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 175,946 175,198 173,372 0.4 1.1 -0.4 166,068 164,583 169,746 149,652 330,651 302,814 9.2

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 931,085 919,011 912,507 1.3 0.7 1.5 938,685 922,570 910,363 848,514 (X) (X) 10.6

 Construction materials and supplies...... 59,100 57,747 57,682 2.3 0.1 -0.1 58,184 56,363 56,157 55,126 (X) (X) 5.5

 Information technology......................... 125,824 125,134 124,698 0.6 0.3 -0.6 127,394 125,287 124,257 125,256 (X) (X) 1.7

 Computers and related products .......... 3,112 3,204 3,444 -2.9 -7.0 -2.0 3,112 3,204 3,444 3,331 (X) (X) -6.6

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 13,954 13,936 14,036 0.1 -0.7 1.2 14,569 14,434 14,405 14,113 (X) (X) 3.2

 Capital goods...................................... 714,148 703,079 694,536 1.6 1.2 1.6 719,466 706,756 695,655 640,344 (X) (X) 12.4

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................566,572 555,625 545,865 2.0 1.8 2.5 570,787 558,754 547,874 490,764 (X) (X) 16.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 217,153 215,212 213,492 0.9 0.8 1.0 218,948 214,751 210,507 192,543 (X) (X) 13.7

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 147,576 147,454 148,671 0.1 -0.8 -1.7 148,679 148,002 147,781 149,580 (X) (X) -0.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 4,929 4,907 5,071 0.4 -3.2 2.5 5,200 4,879 4,753 5,075 (X) (X) 2.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 4,929 4,907 5,071 0.4 -3.2 2.5 5,200 4,879 4,753 5,075 (X) (X) 2.5

 All manufacturing industries .................. 616,789 614,564 610,815 0.4 0.6 0.2 616,735 609,647 593,137 572,993 (X) (X) 7.6

 Construction materials and supplies...... 58,065 57,967 57,965 0.2 0.0 0.0 58,587 57,843 56,472 55,575 (X) (X) 5.4

 Information technology......................... 42,123 42,000 41,543 0.3 1.1 -2.2 42,388 41,764 40,219 41,122 (X) (X) 3.1

 Computers and related products .......... 5,901 6,006 5,995 -1.7 0.2 -1.6 5,963 5,781 5,635 5,578 (X) (X) 6.9

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 26,486 26,799 26,678 -1.2 0.5 0.9 26,618 26,977 25,496 24,704 (X) (X) 7.7

 Capital goods...................................... 193,015 191,863 190,422 0.6 0.8 0.2 193,568 190,351 184,604 173,265 (X) (X) 11.7

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................172,893 171,790 170,378 0.6 0.8 0.5 173,317 170,188 164,586 153,362 (X) (X) 13.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 117,084 116,560 115,340 0.4 1.1 -0.1 118,034 115,911 111,758 108,025 (X) (X) 9.3

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 20,122 20,073 20,044 0.2 0.1 -2.7 20,251 20,163 20,018 19,903 (X) (X) 1.7

 Consumer goods.................................. 187,035 186,150 184,697 0.5 0.8 0.4 185,651 183,354 178,311 174,779 (X) (X) 6.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,235 27,431 27,536 -0.7 -0.4 0.5 27,518 27,713 26,376 26,795 (X) (X) 2.7

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 159,800 158,719 157,161 0.7 1.0 0.4 158,133 155,641 151,935 147,984 (X) (X) 6.9

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.

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 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 Percent

Industry Change

Feb. Jan. Dec. Jan. - Dec. - Nov. - Feb. Jan. Dec. Feb. Feb.

2012p 2012r 2011 Feb. Jan. Dec. 2012p 2012r 2011 2011 12/11

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 202,362 202,561 200,787 -0.1 0.9 0.6 202,390 202,425 198,440 190,501 6.2

 Durable goods industries........................ 120,187 119,937 118,618 0.2 1.1 0.9 120,108 120,120 117,924 111,388 7.8

 Wood products................................... 3,371 3,351 3,370 0.6 -0.6 1.8 3,493 3,496 3,541 3,272 6.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,611 4,584 4,484 0.6 2.2 1.1 4,627 4,574 4,446 4,137 11.8

 Primary metals.................................... 14,461 14,180 14,027 2.0 1.1 1.6 14,040 13,932 14,037 12,800 9.7

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,510 16,408 16,298 0.6 0.7 -1.1 16,515 16,506 16,467 15,463 6.8

 Machinery.......................................... 23,217 22,987 22,791 1.0 0.9 0.9 23,179 23,070 22,190 20,540 12.8

 Computers and electronic products...... 18,638 18,670 18,346 -0.2 1.8 0.6 18,634 18,731 18,221 17,661 5.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 6,891 6,874 6,640 0.2 3.5 1.0 6,871 6,826 6,459 6,270 9.6

 Transportation equipment.................. 21,831 22,193 22,079 -1.6 0.5 2.3 22,069 22,260 22,073 21,074 4.7

 Furniture and related products............ 3,208 3,291 3,302 -2.5 -0.3 1.7 3,201 3,293 3,276 3,209 -0.2

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,449 7,399 7,281 0.7 1.6 0.2 7,479 7,432 7,214 6,962 7.4

 Nondurable goods industries................. 82,175 82,624 82,169 -0.5 0.6 0.0 82,282 82,305 80,516 79,113 4.0

 Food products................................... 14,451 14,333 14,396 0.8 -0.4 -0.4 14,611 14,659 14,570 14,606 0.0

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,444 4,434 4,382 0.2 1.2 0.9 4,635 4,643 4,529 4,537 2.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,300 1,292 1,298 0.6 -0.5 -0.1 1,285 1,283 1,279 1,227 4.7

 Textile products.................................. 1,472 1,469 1,477 0.2 -0.5 1.4 1,455 1,446 1,433 1,322 10.1

 Apparel............................................. 1,004 990 965 1.4 2.6 0.0 998 995 956 764 30.6

 Leather and allied products................ 302 295 298 2.4 -1.0 0.0 300 298 291 296 1.4

 Paper products................................... 6,784 6,752 6,711 0.5 0.6 0.4 6,827 6,797 6,761 6,734 1.4

 Printing ............................................ 2,571 2,582 2,541 -0.4 1.6 -2.4 2,558 2,539 2,476 2,697 -5.2

 Petroleum and coal products............... 18,534 18,939 18,229 -2.1 3.9 0.3 18,053 18,009 16,972 16,096 12.2

 Chemical products............................. 22,640 22,752 23,228 -0.5 -2.0 0.3 22,824 22,798 22,795 22,584 1.1

 Plastics and rubber products............... 8,673 8,786 8,644 -1.3 1.6 -0.8 8,736 8,838 8,454 8,250 5.9

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 194,277 192,597 191,022 0.9 0.8 0.3 194,155 190,767 185,039 176,199 10.2

 Durable goods industries........................ 146,162 145,061 144,373 0.8 0.5 0.2 145,981 143,813 139,399 131,123 11.3

 Wood products................................... 1,573 1,552 1,539 1.4 0.8 -1.1 1,576 1,535 1,497 1,541 2.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,219 1,216 1,250 0.2 -2.7 0.3 1,245 1,203 1,190 1,182 5.3

 Primary metals.................................... 10,312 10,147 10,134 1.6 0.1 -0.2 10,096 9,802 9,421 9,200 9.7

 Fabricated metal products.................. 13,486 13,366 13,305 0.9 0.5 1.0 13,504 13,365 12,966 11,725 15.2

 Machinery.......................................... 15,754 15,761 15,413 0.0 2.3 0.3 15,876 15,495 14,635 14,549 9.1

 Computers and electronic products...... 17,216 17,335 17,353 -0.7 -0.1 -2.6 17,299 17,267 16,707 17,720 -2.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 3,805 3,870 3,749 -1.7 3.2 -1.0 3,819 3,864 3,533 3,560 7.3

 Transportation equipment.................. 78,375 77,374 77,175 1.3 0.3 0.7 78,139 76,894 75,148 67,315 16.1

 Furniture and related products............ 1,077 1,058 1,049 1.8 0.9 -2.5 1,074 1,059 1,041 1,027 4.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,345 3,382 3,406 -1.1 -0.7 1.0 3,353 3,329 3,261 3,304 1.5

 Nondurable goods industries................. 48,115 47,536 46,649 1.2 1.9 0.6 48,174 46,954 45,640 45,076 6.9

 Food products................................... 3,539 3,604 3,527 -1.8 2.2 0.5 3,618 3,840 4,087 3,585 0.9

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 5,664 5,630 5,633 0.6 -0.1 -0.2 5,927 5,884 5,996 5,760 2.9

 Textiles.............................................. 820 823 849 -0.4 -3.1 0.1 809 825 820 763 6.0

 Textile products.................................. 448 458 475 -2.2 -3.6 2.2 454 461 449 472 -3.8

 Apparel............................................. 353 353 356 0.0 -0.8 1.1 344 347 326 358 -3.9

 Leather and allied products................ 102 104 107 -1.9 -2.8 -2.7 106 106 111 86 23.3

 Paper products................................... 1,249 1,253 1,220 -0.3 2.7 -4.2 1,252 1,258 1,209 1,244 0.6

 Printing ............................................ 1,096 1,112 1,137 -1.4 -2.2 -2.0 1,129 1,075 1,011 1,290 -12.5

 Petroleum and coal products............... 17,782 17,049 16,733 4.3 1.9 1.8 17,418 15,973 15,578 14,470 20.4

 Chemical products............................. 15,093 15,165 14,631 -0.5 3.6 0.4 15,092 15,162 14,142 14,863 1.5

 Plastics and rubber products............... 1,969 1,985 1,981 -0.8 0.2 -1.0 2,025 2,023 1,911 2,185 -7.3

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 220,150 219,406 219,006 0.3 0.2 -0.2 220,190 216,455 209,658 206,293 6.7

 Durable goods industries........................ 107,215 107,167 107,109 0.0 0.1 -0.1 108,281 106,343 102,171 101,557 6.6

 Wood products................................... 3,814 3,828 3,933 -0.4 -2.7 -0.5 3,952 3,826 3,724 4,094 -3.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,469 5,462 5,512 0.1 -0.9 0.4 5,624 5,463 5,378 5,406 4.0

 Primary metals.................................... 10,345 10,315 10,350 0.3 -0.3 -0.5 10,259 10,119 10,131 9,623 6.6

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,393 16,379 16,467 0.1 -0.5 -1.5 16,497 16,243 15,855 15,997 3.1

 Machinery.......................................... 23,308 22,888 22,397 1.8 2.2 0.0 24,131 22,977 21,824 20,477 17.8

 Computers and electronic products...... 11,699 11,630 11,625 0.6 0.0 -2.0 11,943 11,585 11,180 11,663 2.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,203 5,221 5,030 -0.3 3.8 -0.7 5,257 5,150 4,756 5,435 -3.3

 Transportation equipment.................. 16,946 17,164 17,080 -1.3 0.5 3.6 16,676 16,773 15,008 14,619 14.1

 Furniture and related products............ 2,369 2,334 2,385 1.5 -2.1 -0.1 2,300 2,304 2,254 2,451 -6.2

 Miscellaneous products........................ 11,669 11,946 12,330 -2.3 -3.1 -0.6 11,642 11,903 12,061 11,792 -1.3

 Nondurable goods industries................. 112,935 112,239 111,897 0.6 0.3 -0.3 111,909 110,112 107,487 104,736 6.8

 Food products................................... 27,460 27,267 27,116 0.7 0.6 1.3 26,999 26,540 26,264 25,117 7.5

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 6,644 6,755 6,799 -1.6 -0.6 1.5 6,600 6,644 6,239 6,474 1.9

 Textiles.............................................. 1,484 1,487 1,474 -0.2 0.9 -0.1 1,500 1,498 1,480 1,380 8.7

 Textile products.................................. 1,120 1,128 1,173 -0.7 -3.8 -0.3 1,133 1,141 1,124 1,129 0.4

 Apparel............................................. 1,393 1,414 1,414 -1.5 0.0 -0.2 1,364 1,438 1,314 1,208 12.9

 Leather and allied products................ 498 499 503 -0.2 -0.8 0.6 502 518 477 476 5.5

 Paper products................................... 5,839 5,848 5,859 -0.2 -0.2 -1.2 5,901 5,825 5,781 6,049 -2.4

 Printing ............................................ 1,620 1,627 1,643 -0.4 -1.0 0.6 1,599 1,583 1,569 1,611 -0.7

 Petroleum and coal products............... 22,038 21,338 21,001 3.3 1.6 0.4 20,971 20,392 19,547 17,341 20.9

 Chemical products............................. 34,663 34,876 34,830 -0.6 0.1 -2.5 35,019 34,627 33,953 34,082 2.7

 Plastics and rubber products............... 10,176 10,000 10,085 1.8 -0.8 0.8 10,321 9,906 9,739 9,869 4.6

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

1

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

estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences,

where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes.

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 Group3

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

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Feb Jan Dec Nov Feb Jan Dec Nov

2012p 2012r 2011 2011 2012p 2012r 2011 2011

All manufacturing industries2

............................ 1.33 1.33 1.33 1.34 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

.................................. 1.81 1.79 1.79 1.82 6.23 6.12 6.04 6.13

 Wood products.............................................. 1.63 1.54 1.63 1.63 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.45 1.44 1.37 1.38 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.28 1.27 1.22 1.28 1.22 1.25 1.22 1.26

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.76 1.75 1.76 1.81 2.63 2.60 2.61 2.68

 Machinery..................................................... 2.03 2.06 1.91 1.98 4.55 4.58 4.25 4.35

 Computers and electronic products2

................ 1.57 1.59 1.57 1.58 5.84 5.92 5.70 5.88

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.54 1.53 1.51 1.53 3.02 2.98 3.03 3.03

 Transportation equipment.............................. 2.38 2.31 2.44 2.43 16.66 15.57 16.45 16.40

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.20 1.18 1.21 1.24 1.48 1.42 1.44 1.46

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.62 1.64 1.67 1.70 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 0.95 0.95 0.95 0.95 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.75 0.72 0.72 0.72 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.34 1.39 1.32 1.34 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.45 1.43 1.44 1.44 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.61 1.60 1.63 1.64 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 1.91 1.88 1.88 1.88 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.98 2.86 2.93 2.95 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 0.98 0.98 0.97 0.98 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing......................................................... 0.79 0.78 0.78 0.78 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.76 0.77 0.78 0.77 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.16 1.18 1.18 1.19 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.26 (X) (X) (X) (X)

X Not Applicable p

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

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.

Feb2 Feb2 Feb2 Feb2

Industry 2011- 2011- 2011- 2011-

Feb1 Jan Feb1 Jan Feb1 Jan Feb1 Jan

2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012 2012

 

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

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

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Primary metals.................................... 0.1 1.1 -0.2 2.2 -0.1 0.9 0.1 0.5

 Fabricated metal products.................... 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.8 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.3

 Machinery.......................................... 0.0 0.8 0.8 2.0 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.2

 Computers and electronic products..... 0.0 0.5 0.1 1.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.2 0.6 1.0 1.1 0.4 0.4 -0.1 0.4

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.0 0.5 0.0 1.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 1.0 (X) 0.7 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.5 (X) 0.6 (X) 0.2 (X) 0.3

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) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

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

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

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

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

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

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

 publication.

2

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

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

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

3

 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.

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes3

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

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
9 

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-inprocess, and finished goods). The M3 includes approximately 4,300 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 65 

publication levels. The survey methodology assumes that the month-to-month changes of the total 

operations of those companies in the monthly survey effectively represent the month-to-month 

movements of all establishments that make up the category. The current coverage levels in the survey 

show that reported data in the monthly survey represent approximately 60 percent of the shipments 

estimates at the total manufacturing level. Data published represent manufacturing in a calendar month. 

The data collection is based on a voluntary survey authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code. 

The data presented in this release are based on data obtained from a panel of 4,300 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 4,300 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-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: http://www.census.gov/m3. 

Benchmark Notice 

Revised historical data for Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders will be issued on May 18, 

2012. These revisions reflect: 

 benchmarking the shipments and inventories data to the 2010 Annual Survey of Manufactures 

(ASM) data, as well as revised ASM benchmarks for prior years; 

 incorporating the unfilled orders to shipments ratios obtained from the 2009/2010 Manufacturers’ 

Unfilled Orders Survey by applying these ratios to the respective ASM shipments data, as well as 

incorporating revised unfilled orders to shipments ratios for prior years; 

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

data; 

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

previously reported data; 

 incorporating the monthly data corrections when producing estimates for industry groups for which 

we identified companies to be tabbed separately from the link-relative estimation procedure; 

 implementing a new SAS® benchmarking program, which is based on the same benchmarking 

methodology as the previous ASCII Fortran program; and 

 updating the seasonally adjusted data, based on the results of benchmarking and the recent annual 

review of the seasonal adjustment models. 

An accompanying press release will include the revised 2012 January through March data. Please call 

Jessica Young on (301) 763-4832 with any questions.