FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2011, AT 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Chris Savage or Adriana Stoica 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (11)-09 

CB11-182 

 Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

September 2011 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in September, up 

three consecutive months, increased $1.4 billion or 0.3 

percent to $453.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This followed a 0.1 percent August 

increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 

1.3 percent. 

 Shipments, up four consecutive months, increased $1.3 

billion or 0.3 percent to $452.7 billion. This followed a 

0.1 percent August increase. 

 Unfilled orders, up seventeen of the last eighteen 

months, increased $7.5 billion or 0.9 percent to $886.3 

billion. This followed a 0.9 percent August increase. 

The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.10, up from 

6.07 in August. 

 Inventories, up twenty three of the last twenty four 

months, increased $0.6 billion or 0.1 percent to $601.3 

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

first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 

0.3 percent August increase. The inventories-toshipments ratio was 1.33, unchanged from August. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

September, down following two consecutive monthly 

increases, decreased $1.2 billion or 0.6 percent to $201.0 

billion, revised from the previously published 0.8 

percent decrease. This followed a 0.1 percent August 

increase. 

 Transportation equipment, also down following two 

consecutive monthly increases, had the largest decrease, 

$3.8 billion or 7.1 percent to $49.9 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $2.6 billion or 1.0 percent to $252.5 billion. 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in 

September, down following four consecutive monthly 

increases, decreased $1.3 billion or 0.6 percent to $200.2 

billion, revised from the previously published 0.7 

percent decrease. This followed a 0.1 percent August 

increase. 

 Transportation equipment, down two consecutive 

 

 

months, decreased $1.1 billion or 2.4 percent to $45.8 

billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up four 

consecutive months, increased $2.6 billion or 1.0 percent 

to $252.5 billion. This followed a slight August 

increase. Petroleum and coal products, up two of the last 

three months, led the increase, up $2.4 billion or 3.5 

percent to $72.0 billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

September, up seventeen of the last eighteen months, 

increased $7.5 billion or 0.9 percent to $886.3 billion, 

revised from the previously published 0.8 percent 

increase. This followed a 0.9 percent August increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up nine consecutive 

months, had the largest increase, $4.1 billion or 0.8 

percent to $512.4 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in 

September, up twenty one consecutive months, increased 

$0.4 billion or 0.1 percent to $365.6 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 0.9 percent August 

increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, also up twenty one 

consecutive months, had the largest increase, $0.5 billion 

or 0.4 percent to $112.8 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up 

following four consecutive monthly decreases, increased 

$0.3 billion or 0.1 percent to $235.7 billion. This 

followed a 0.5 percent August decrease. Petroleum and 

coal products, also up following four consecutive 

monthly decreases, drove the increase, up $0.4 billion or 0.8 percent to $50.2 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, September materials and 

supplies increased 0.3 percent in durable goods and 

decreased 1.1 percent in nondurable goods. Work in 

process decreased 0.4 percent in durable goods and 

increased 1.2 percent in nondurable goods. Finished 

goods increased 0.6 percent in durable goods and 0.5 

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 October is scheduled for release on November 23, 

2011, at 8:30 a.m. EST and the full report on December 5, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. EST. 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

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Sept. Aug. July 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

 All manufacturing industries.................. 452,716 451,411 451,182 0.3 0.1 1.2 466,116 472,254 437,119 420,466 4,008,352 3,586,264 11.8

 Excluding transportation................... 406,920 404,468 401,832 0.6 0.7 0.5 415,745 422,572 397,695 370,427 3,592,035 3,184,896 12.8

 Excluding defense.............................. 442,943 441,511 441,699 0.3 0.0 1.3 455,448 462,563 428,675 407,596 3,918,756 3,477,601 12.7

 With unfilled orders............................ 145,219 144,855 143,721 0.3 0.8 0.7 154,863 150,485 133,150 144,090 1,277,829 1,184,571 7.9

 Durable goods industries......................... 200,205 201,505 201,376 -0.6 0.1 2.1 212,452 210,208 186,229 198,645 1,772,044 1,645,451 7.7

 Wood products....................................... 5,283 5,296 5,339 -0.2 -0.8 1.6 5,592 5,748 5,512 5,474 48,268 50,260 -4.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 7,903 7,893 7,834 0.1 0.8 -0.1 8,543 8,963 8,149 8,229 71,511 69,789 2.5

 Primary metals....................................... 24,489 24,217 24,353 1.1 -0.6 1.7 25,422 26,038 23,583 19,547 213,968 166,207 28.7

 Iron and steel mills............................ 10,791 10,927 11,177 -1.2 -2.2 -0.5 11,115 11,695 10,686 10,114 102,569 85,968 19.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 12,027 11,616 11,493 3.5 1.1 4.1 12,509 12,548 11,303 7,903 96,471 67,891 42.1

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,671 1,674 1,683 -0.2 -0.5 0.9 1,798 1,795 1,594 1,530 14,928 12,348 20.9

 Fabricated metal products....................... 25,355 25,055 24,848 1.2 0.8 -0.8 26,911 27,285 24,146 25,094 225,369 212,792 5.9

 Machinery............................................. 31,073 31,461 29,737 -1.2 5.8 0.7 32,131 31,534 27,770 28,444 263,356 234,783 12.2

 Farm machinery................................. 2,522 3,681 2,971 -31.5 23.9 21.5 2,512 3,675 2,823 2,278 24,045 20,669 16.3

 Construction machinery..................... 4,398 4,297 4,105 2.4 4.7 10.1 4,430 4,355 3,937 3,009 33,976 24,197 40.4

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,705 1,816 1,774 -6.1 2.4 3.6 1,662 1,794 1,589 1,447 14,710 13,703 7.3

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,534 3,393 3,221 4.2 5.3 -0.8 3,921 3,002 2,916 3,111 28,613 24,118 18.6

 Photographic equipment...................... 635 642 612 -1.1 4.9 -3.8 695 687 541 755 5,825 6,077 -4.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 2,491 2,588 2,608 -3.7 -0.8 -1.0 2,696 2,804 2,672 2,989 23,872 25,187 -5.2

 Metalworking machinery..................... 1,908 1,952 1,965 -2.3 -0.7 0.8 2,117 2,085 1,792 2,182 16,931 16,808 0.7

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 4,646 3,908 3,560 18.9 9.8 -16.7 4,573 3,932 3,253 4,072 33,923 28,751 18.0

 Material handling equipment............... 2,617 2,631 2,513 -0.5 4.7 -1.3 2,695 2,779 2,332 2,269 22,531 19,264 17.0

 Computers and electronic products2.......... 30,815 31,185 30,990 -1.2 0.6 1.7 32,730 30,489 30,073 33,268 272,493 266,964 2.1

 Computers........................................ 4,063 4,092 4,294 -0.7 -4.7 4.6 4,187 3,877 4,967 4,432 36,080 32,575 10.8

 Computer storage devices..................... 788 768 628 2.6 22.3 -6.4 1,140 633 419 850 6,171 5,386 14.6

 Other peripheral equipment................ 976 934 900 4.5 3.8 -6.8 1,293 849 663 1,119 7,929 7,287 8.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 2,582 2,574 2,567 0.3 0.3 0.0 3,125 2,433 2,191 3,622 23,369 28,061 -16.7

 Defense communications equipment.... 593 495 466 19.8 6.2 -8.6 672 478 460 626 4,540 5,005 -9.3

 Audio and video equipment.................... 239 249 250 -4.0 -0.4 -1.6 228 212 204 259 1,991 1,945 2.4

 Electronic components......................... 3,217 3,338 3,210 -3.6 4.0 -1.5 3,475 3,483 2,975 3,807 29,824 30,771 -3.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,121 1,185 1,220 -5.4 -2.9 1.5 1,269 1,234 1,027 1,355 10,587 9,626 10.0

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,785 2,780 2,720 0.2 2.2 0.0 2,922 2,806 2,364 3,138 24,375 27,161 -10.3

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,272 7,359 7,442 -1.2 -1.1 -2.7 8,335 7,077 6,385 8,370 65,683 62,611 4.9

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,262 10,305 9,921 -0.4 3.9 -2.3 11,044 10,784 9,349 10,362 91,045 85,458 6.5

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,006 1,023 1,020 -1.7 0.3 -0.8 1,056 1,056 968 1,034 9,004 8,713 3.3

 Household appliances........................ 1,510 1,499 1,524 0.7 -1.6 -1.5 1,587 1,552 1,400 1,590 13,987 14,259 -1.9

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,857 3,947 3,649 -2.3 8.2 -1.9 4,280 4,090 3,407 3,935 33,821 31,091 8.8

 Batteries........................................... 869 873 802 -0.5 8.9 -7.6 977 938 738 958 7,449 7,208 3.3

 Transportation equipment........................ 45,796 46,943 49,350 -2.4 -4.9 7.0 50,371 49,682 39,424 50,039 416,317 401,368 3.7

 Automobiles..................................... 4,998 5,033 5,325 -0.7 -5.5 3.0 5,549 5,728 4,285 5,631 46,181 44,573 3.6

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 7,261 7,681 9,506 -5.5 -19.2 19.5 8,265 8,427 6,262 8,368 70,222 59,725 17.6

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,021 2,003 1,937 0.9 3.4 3.1 2,214 2,145 1,704 1,657 16,299 13,851 17.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 13,894 14,153 14,996 -1.8 -5.6 8.1 14,846 15,596 12,236 14,244 129,133 120,978 6.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 7,981 7,804 7,550 2.3 3.4 8.8 8,689 7,747 6,319 7,142 63,325 58,383 8.5

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,801 4,053 3,819 -6.2 6.1 -9.4 4,335 3,879 3,320 5,543 36,531 44,647 -18.2

 Ships and boats................................. 2,327 2,334 2,309 -0.3 1.1 1.3 2,378 2,283 2,091 2,645 20,789 21,796 -4.6

 Furniture and related products.................. 5,526 5,577 5,421 -0.9 2.9 -1.8 5,671 6,008 5,506 5,353 49,991 46,498 7.5

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,703 13,573 13,583 1.0 -0.1 1.3 14,037 13,677 12,717 12,835 119,726 111,332 7.5

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 252,511 249,906 249,806 1.0 0.0 0.4 253,664 262,046 250,890 221,821 2,236,308 1,940,813 15.2

 Food products....................................... 62,463 62,314 61,571 0.2 1.2 0.8 63,993 63,497 59,473 57,410 542,891 488,569 11.1

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 8,306 8,434 8,269 -1.5 2.0 0.6 8,439 8,892 7,985 7,261 73,152 62,432 17.2

 Dairy products.................................. 9,499 9,498 9,486 0.0 0.1 1.3 9,659 9,790 9,432 8,718 82,279 72,317 13.8

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 17,627 17,544 17,165 0.5 2.2 -0.1 17,488 17,883 17,042 16,267 153,899 143,559 7.2

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 12,396 12,257 12,004 1.1 2.1 -4.8 12,443 12,911 11,854 11,715 108,258 97,338 11.2

 Beverages......................................... 9,681 9,343 9,469 3.6 -1.3 -2.1 9,728 9,997 9,319 8,982 84,752 74,043 14.5

 Tobacco............................................ 2,715 2,914 2,535 -6.8 15.0 -13.6 2,715 2,914 2,535 2,733 23,506 23,295 0.9

 Textile mills........................................... 2,594 2,587 2,611 0.3 -0.9 -0.5 2,632 2,700 2,525 2,550 23,732 22,461 5.7

 Textile products................................... 1,867 1,841 1,826 1.4 0.8 -1.5 1,871 1,921 1,866 1,762 16,820 16,461 2.2

 Apparel................................................ 1,397 1,375 1,291 1.6 6.5 0.9 1,515 1,507 1,282 1,275 11,510 10,798 6.6

 Leather and allied products...................... 308 311 318 -1.0 -2.2 -0.6 349 331 316 345 2,867 2,821 1.6

 Paper products...................................... 14,227 14,309 14,399 -0.6 -0.6 0.2 14,518 15,034 14,307 14,982 130,029 128,563 1.1

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,728 6,746 6,754 -0.3 -0.1 -0.5 6,845 7,102 6,766 6,965 60,832 59,800 1.7

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,223 4,209 4,317 0.3 -2.5 0.5 4,301 4,444 4,303 4,536 39,138 38,412 1.9

 Printing................................................. 7,033 7,072 6,892 -0.6 2.6 -1.0 7,426 7,262 6,432 7,404 62,425 62,295 0.2

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 71,965 69,525 70,862 3.5 -1.9 2.4 70,798 75,251 76,728 50,532 634,487 463,512 36.9

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 67,868 65,139 66,541 4.2 -2.1 2.5 65,980 69,783 71,761 46,829 597,079 433,944 37.6

 Chemical products..................................... 61,939 62,092 61,828 -0.2 0.4 -0.9 61,370 64,141 59,990 58,225 557,364 510,042 9.3

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 5,528 5,440 5,296 1.6 2.7 0.6 4,610 4,855 4,239 3,758 49,192 38,539 27.6

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 15,357 15,368 15,174 -0.1 1.3 -4.4 15,311 15,923 14,499 16,597 138,667 141,217 -1.8

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,561 2,519 2,481 1.7 1.5 0.1 2,719 2,790 2,627 2,560 23,165 23,223 -0.2

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 16,322 16,223 16,204 0.6 0.1 0.5 16,749 17,491 16,117 15,621 145,925 137,953 5.8

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

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Sept. Aug. July 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

All manufacturing industries2...................... 453,541 452,121 451,885 0.3 0.1 2.1 465,343 469,793 433,515 423,825 3,999,637 3,551,484 12.6

 Excluding transportation2...................... 403,641 398,424 398,627 1.3 -0.1 0.6 412,304 413,708 392,752 369,183 3,564,699 3,158,523 12.9

 Excluding defense2.............................. 442,452 441,626 441,705 0.2 0.0 2.3 453,879 460,836 426,740 410,047 3,903,804 3,444,666 13.3

 With unfilled orders2

............................. 152,751 152,469 151,297 0.2 0.8 4.0 159,637 154,912 137,588 152,641 1,327,277 1,202,554 10.4

 Durable goods industries2........................ 201,030 202,215 202,079 -0.6 0.1 4.2 211,679 207,747 182,625 202,004 1,763,329 1,610,671 9.5

 Primary metals........................................ 25,100 24,432 24,438 2.7 0.0 7.4 25,153 26,004 23,701 19,109 213,841 171,382 24.8

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 11,334 10,890 11,101 4.1 -1.9 15.1 10,948 11,520 10,638 9,508 100,549 90,134 11.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 12,083 11,760 11,614 2.7 1.3 1.7 12,451 12,589 11,427 8,118 97,825 68,660 42.5

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,683 1,782 1,723 -5.6 3.4 2.4 1,754 1,895 1,636 1,483 15,467 12,588 22.9

 Fabricated metal products........................ 25,791 25,477 25,648 1.2 -0.7 -0.8 26,926 27,176 24,852 24,731 231,026 215,012 7.4

 Machinery............................................. 32,629 32,007 32,621 1.9 -1.9 1.9 32,918 31,685 30,688 30,460 285,250 247,030 15.5

 Construction machinery....................... 4,678 3,795 4,575 23.3 -17.0 9.4 4,722 3,672 4,465 3,198 35,834 25,069 42.9

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,995 1,546 2,680 29.0 -42.3 17.8 1,702 1,653 2,545 1,798 19,080 15,744 21.2

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,304 3,468 2,770 -4.7 25.2 -18.1 3,361 2,791 2,706 3,227 28,993 25,599 13.3

 Photographic equipment...................... 644 644 628 0.0 2.5 -9.1 759 671 566 633 6,012 6,029 -0.3

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 1,768 2,155 2,929 -18.0 -26.4 11.3 1,612 2,405 2,887 3,427 26,584 27,978 -5.0

 Metalworking machinery....................... 1,969 2,001 2,089 -1.6 -4.2 -1.0 2,160 2,117 1,884 2,185 18,137 16,679 8.7

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 6,430 4,755 4,689 35.2 1.4 -15.4 6,317 4,678 4,428 4,690 40,804 30,558 33.5

 Material handling equipment.................. 2,754 2,844 2,613 -3.2 8.8 10.2 3,052 2,891 2,279 2,556 23,683 20,228 17.1

 Computers and electronic products2......... 24,514 24,075 23,749 1.8 1.4 -3.5 28,706 22,541 20,958 30,516 214,251 216,126 -0.9

 Computers........................................ 4,296 4,071 3,970 5.5 2.5 -6.3 4,420 3,856 4,643 4,524 35,957 32,614 10.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 2,581 2,433 2,266 6.1 7.4 -24.3 3,436 2,493 1,805 4,014 22,489 27,764 -19.0

 Defense communications equipment...... 419 496 470 -15.5 5.5 -0.8 603 370 306 856 3,969 5,212 -23.8

 Electronic components......................... 3,299 3,295 3,243 0.1 1.6 1.9 3,511 3,540 3,070 3,685 30,054 31,643 -5.0

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,329 1,223 1,157 8.7 5.7 -11.0 1,504 1,194 997 1,149 11,087 9,367 18.4

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,801 2,770 2,781 1.1 -0.4 -1.8 3,121 2,354 2,011 4,163 23,895 27,722 -13.8

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,314 7,329 7,664 -0.2 -4.4 5.8 8,913 6,521 6,464 9,399 66,928 63,413 5.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,759 10,550 10,163 2.0 3.8 -2.7 11,207 10,674 9,866 10,568 94,311 89,233 5.7

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,021 993 1,020 2.8 -2.6 -2.1 1,062 1,021 939 1,076 9,097 8,871 2.5

 Household appliances.......................... 1,488 1,517 1,492 -1.9 1.7 -6.3 1,572 1,534 1,446 1,619 14,049 14,313 -1.8

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,870 3,895 3,818 -0.6 2.0 -0.7 4,025 3,910 3,740 3,797 35,294 32,756 7.7

 Transportation equipment........................ 49,900 53,697 53,258 -7.1 0.8 15.0 53,039 56,085 40,763 54,642 434,938 392,961 10.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 14,013 14,314 15,138 -2.1 -5.4 8.5 14,982 15,400 12,400 14,323 128,824 119,756 7.6

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 10,356 13,814 10,947 -25.0 26.2 49.9 10,437 14,558 8,879 12,828 79,992 60,371 32.5

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 3,357 5,086 4,093 -34.0 24.3 0.1 3,535 4,416 2,931 6,428 38,633 44,827 -13.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,163 1,829 1,948 72.9 -6.1 -25.4 2,729 1,392 1,137 1,593 22,399 16,671 34.4

 Furniture and related products................. 5,453 5,270 5,438 3.5 -3.1 -0.5 5,563 5,249 5,411 5,427 50,354 47,101 6.9

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 252,511 249,906 249,806 1.0 0.0 0.4 253,664 262,046 250,890 221,821 2,236,308 1,940,813 15.2

p

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

1

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

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

and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not

adjusted for price changes.

2

 Data on 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

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. Sept.

2011p 2011r 2011 Sept. Aug. July 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

All manufacturing industries2...................... 886,263 878,731 871,117 0.9 0.9 0.9 878,906 874,132 869,705 816,656 7.6

 Excluding transportation2...................... 373,852 370,424 369,564 0.9 0.2 1.0 371,025 368,919 370,895 331,149 12.0

 Excluding defense2............................. 714,121 707,905 700,886 0.9 1.0 1.0 709,265 705,287 700,126 654,538 8.4

 Durable goods industries2

........................ 886,263 878,731 871,117 0.9 0.9 0.9 878,906 874,132 869,705 816,656 7.6

 Primary metals........................................ 32,426 31,815 31,600 1.9 0.7 0.3 31,534 31,803 31,837 28,876 9.2

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 18,073 17,530 17,567 3.1 -0.2 -0.4 17,502 17,669 17,844 17,515 -0.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,859 10,803 10,659 0.5 1.4 1.1 10,614 10,672 10,631 8,627 23.0

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 3,494 3,482 3,374 0.3 3.2 1.2 3,418 3,462 3,362 2,734 25.0

 Fabricated metal products......................... 65,236 64,800 64,378 0.7 0.7 1.3 64,945 64,930 65,039 60,875 6.7

 Machinery.............................................. 117,065 115,509 114,963 1.3 0.5 2.6 116,172 115,385 115,234 88,529 31.2

 Construction machinery....................... 10,052 9,772 10,274 2.9 -4.9 4.8 9,806 9,514 10,197 6,961 40.9

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 13,165 12,875 13,145 2.3 -2.1 7.4 13,056 13,016 13,157 8,660 50.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 14,734 14,964 14,889 -1.5 0.5 -2.9 14,268 14,828 15,039 12,276 16.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 2,014 2,005 2,003 0.4 0.1 0.8 2,066 2,002 2,018 2,173 -4.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 19,789 20,512 20,945 -3.5 -2.1 1.6 19,792 20,876 21,275 16,389 20.8

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,528 5,467 5,418 1.1 0.9 2.3 5,474 5,431 5,399 3,986 37.3

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 21,691 19,907 19,060 9.0 4.4 6.3 21,566 19,822 19,076 12,562 71.7

 Material handling equipment.................. 8,674 8,537 8,324 1.6 2.6 1.2 8,715 8,358 8,246 7,345 18.7

 Computers and electronic products2......... 124,161 123,755 123,961 0.3 -0.2 -0.3 123,792 122,269 123,329 122,566 1.0

 Computers......................................... 3,531 3,298 3,319 7.1 -0.6 -8.9 3,531 3,298 3,319 3,583 -1.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 22,227 22,228 22,369 0.0 -0.6 -1.3 22,364 22,053 21,993 23,113 -3.2

 Defense communications equipment...... 5,827 6,001 6,000 -2.9 0.0 0.1 5,776 5,845 5,953 6,368 -9.3

 Electronic components.......................... 11,585 11,503 11,546 0.7 -0.4 0.3 11,661 11,625 11,568 11,466 1.7

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 9,039 8,831 8,793 2.4 0.4 -0.7 9,025 8,790 8,830 8,735 3.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 44,032 44,016 44,026 0.0 0.0 0.1 43,550 43,351 43,803 43,078 1.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 27,920 27,878 27,908 0.2 -0.1 0.8 27,885 27,307 27,863 26,223 6.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 26,782 26,285 26,040 1.9 0.9 0.9 26,518 26,355 26,465 22,406 18.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,071 1,056 1,086 1.4 -2.8 0.0 1,110 1,104 1,139 1,124 -1.2

 Household appliances.......................... 801 823 805 -2.7 2.2 -3.8 766 781 799 598 28.1

 Electrical equipment............................. 14,634 14,621 14,673 0.1 -0.4 1.2 14,510 14,765 14,945 12,379 17.2

 Transportation equipment........................ 512,411 508,307 501,553 0.8 1.3 0.8 507,881 505,213 498,810 485,507 4.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 14,005 13,886 13,725 0.9 1.2 1.0 13,487 13,351 13,547 12,678 6.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 356,035 353,660 347,650 0.7 1.7 1.0 354,083 352,335 345,524 333,067 6.3

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 55,216 55,660 54,627 -0.8 1.9 0.5 54,207 55,007 54,470 51,251 5.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 19,337 18,501 19,006 4.5 -2.7 -1.9 18,546 18,195 19,086 17,806 4.2

 Furniture and related products................. 6,711 6,784 7,091 -1.1 -4.3 0.2 6,593 6,701 7,460 6,366 3.6

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

1

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

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

and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not

adjusted for price changes.

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

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. Sept.

2011p 2011r 2011 Sept. Aug. July 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

 All manufacturing industries..................... 601,345 600,709 598,758 0.1 0.3 0.6 600,443 606,466 604,143 537,547 11.7

 Excluding transportation...................... 488,500 488,340 487,894 0.0 0.1 0.4 488,157 493,046 492,168 441,848 10.5

 Excluding defense............................. 575,723 574,671 572,812 0.2 0.3 0.6 574,912 580,496 578,183 513,027 12.1

 With unfilled orders............................. 299,851 299,976 297,399 0.0 0.9 1.1 298,533 302,809 300,003 264,234 13.0

 Durable goods industries........................ 365,646 365,291 362,100 0.1 0.9 1.1 363,973 368,589 364,914 324,314 12.2

 Wood products........................................ 8,433 8,503 8,452 -0.8 0.6 -0.2 8,516 8,505 8,333 8,540 -0.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 11,039 10,947 10,844 0.8 0.9 0.1 10,863 10,867 10,892 10,139 7.1

 Primary metals......................................... 34,560 34,512 34,282 0.1 0.7 1.3 34,655 34,929 34,965 29,439 17.7

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 21,625 21,535 21,298 0.4 1.1 1.9 21,759 21,864 21,903 17,964 21.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,895 10,954 10,981 -0.5 -0.2 -0.1 10,910 11,068 11,091 9,695 12.5

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 2,040 2,023 2,003 0.8 1.0 1.5 1,986 1,997 1,971 1,780 11.6

 Fabricated metal products......................... 45,863 45,982 45,689 -0.3 0.6 0.9 45,722 46,228 46,195 41,193 11.0

 Machinery.............................................. 59,693 59,467 58,562 0.4 1.5 1.4 59,100 59,720 58,525 51,524 14.7

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,419 3,463 3,337 -1.3 3.8 2.7 3,147 3,314 3,230 2,491 26.3

 Construction machinery........................ 5,738 5,764 5,498 -0.5 4.8 1.3 5,724 5,706 5,420 4,513 26.8

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 7,372 7,278 7,185 1.3 1.3 1.9 7,345 7,401 7,335 6,190 18.7

 Industrial machinery............................ 6,972 6,806 6,683 2.4 1.8 1.8 7,040 6,854 6,631 6,310 11.6

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,630 1,610 1,582 1.2 1.8 2.8 1,620 1,635 1,634 1,460 11.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,108 4,185 4,242 -1.8 -1.3 -0.2 3,998 4,248 4,298 3,920 2.0

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,008 4,869 4,721 2.9 3.1 1.2 5,122 4,946 4,807 4,153 23.3

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 7,400 7,501 7,466 -1.3 0.5 2.0 7,318 7,706 7,461 6,033 21.3

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,708 3,678 3,635 0.8 1.2 2.8 3,671 3,685 3,638 3,213 14.3

 Computers and electronic products2......... 48,085 48,447 48,568 -0.7 -0.2 0.6 47,695 49,317 48,807 45,009 6.0

 Computers......................................... 3,108 3,131 3,248 -0.7 -3.6 8.1 3,233 3,335 3,201 2,937 10.1

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,403 1,381 1,381 1.6 0.0 1.6 1,364 1,435 1,410 1,252 8.9

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,483 1,458 1,432 1.7 1.8 0.7 1,443 1,527 1,480 1,368 5.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 7,265 7,292 7,220 -0.4 1.0 -0.8 7,086 7,347 7,159 6,617 7.1

 Defense communications equipment...... 2,471 2,747 2,703 -10.0 1.6 1.5 2,471 2,747 2,703 2,480 -0.4

 Audio and video equipment.................. 521 535 528 -2.6 1.3 -1.1 587 584 539 573 2.4

 Electronic components.......................... 7,187 7,128 7,168 0.8 -0.6 -0.1 7,082 7,115 7,280 6,773 4.6

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,221 3,262 3,201 -1.3 1.9 0.4 3,271 3,312 3,219 3,162 3.4

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,657 2,694 2,773 -1.4 -2.8 -0.5 2,610 2,721 2,814 2,757 -5.3

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 12,878 12,887 12,945 -0.1 -0.4 0.1 12,683 13,145 12,958 11,615 9.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,492 15,570 15,529 -0.5 0.3 0.1 15,400 15,825 15,742 14,778 4.2

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,781 1,766 1,760 0.8 0.3 0.9 1,765 1,809 1,795 1,685 4.7

 Household appliances.......................... 2,226 2,214 2,199 0.5 0.7 -1.0 2,283 2,307 2,285 2,220 2.8

 Electrical equipment............................. 4,775 4,946 5,013 -3.5 -1.3 -0.4 4,648 4,963 5,023 4,802 -3.2

 Batteries............................................ 1,028 1,019 1,002 0.9 1.7 -2.0 1,050 1,063 1,039 1,062 -1.1

 Transportation equipment......................... 112,845 112,369 110,864 0.4 1.4 1.6 112,286 113,420 111,975 95,699 17.3

 Automobiles....................................... 3,337 3,183 3,107 4.8 2.4 8.3 3,257 3,227 3,225 2,431 34.0

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 3,249 3,155 3,093 3.0 2.0 6.2 3,391 3,352 3,107 2,582 31.3

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,479 1,458 1,476 1.4 -1.2 -0.8 1,462 1,486 1,520 1,411 3.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 18,146 17,978 17,809 0.9 0.9 0.4 18,081 17,961 17,891 16,429 10.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 61,381 61,412 60,313 -0.1 1.8 1.9 60,884 62,091 61,114 48,485 25.6

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 14,593 14,414 14,368 1.2 0.3 0.7 14,661 14,475 14,458 13,807 6.2

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,386 3,434 3,349 -1.4 2.5 -0.2 3,329 3,362 3,268 2,998 11.0

 Furniture and related products................. 6,790 6,847 6,829 -0.8 0.3 0.7 6,766 6,920 6,941 6,553 3.3

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 22,846 22,647 22,481 0.9 0.7 0.5 22,970 22,858 22,539 21,440 7.1

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 235,699 235,418 236,658 0.1 -0.5 -0.1 236,470 237,877 239,229 213,233 10.9

 Food products........................................ 44,607 45,059 45,007 -1.0 0.1 0.4 45,332 45,324 44,405 43,057 5.3

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,068 5,361 5,443 -5.5 -1.5 -0.9 4,905 5,232 5,371 5,178 -5.3

 Dairy products.................................... 6,090 6,099 6,016 -0.1 1.4 2.2 6,138 6,297 6,271 5,547 10.7

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 8,421 8,513 8,551 -1.1 -0.4 -0.3 8,522 8,522 8,438 8,433 1.1

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 16,542 16,474 16,499 0.4 -0.2 0.5 16,488 15,914 15,964 15,989 3.1

 Beverages......................................... 13,143 13,028 13,022 0.9 0.0 0.4 13,182 12,664 12,689 12,533 5.2

 Tobacco............................................ 3,399 3,446 3,477 -1.4 -0.9 0.7 3,306 3,250 3,275 3,456 -4.3

 Textile mills............................................ 3,687 3,656 3,631 0.8 0.7 1.2 3,662 3,635 3,641 3,111 17.7

 Textile products...................................... 3,052 3,058 3,030 -0.2 0.9 1.0 3,071 3,089 3,057 2,795 9.9

 Apparel................................................. 2,590 2,569 2,521 0.8 1.9 2.4 2,743 2,712 2,653 2,341 17.2

 Leather and allied products...................... 904 903 897 0.1 0.7 0.7 911 925 916 782 16.5

 Paper products....................................... 14,041 14,018 13,991 0.2 0.2 0.3 14,015 14,013 13,940 13,785 1.7

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 6,034 6,003 5,987 0.5 0.3 0.7 5,999 5,977 5,949 5,733 4.6

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,028 4,030 4,004 0.0 0.6 -0.2 4,003 4,021 3,985 4,056 -1.3

 Printing.................................................. 5,454 5,512 5,552 -1.1 -0.7 0.4 5,537 5,609 5,620 5,420 2.2

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 50,173 49,752 51,383 0.8 -3.2 -2.0 50,585 51,793 54,083 39,750 27.3

 Petroleum refineries............................. 46,587 46,288 47,990 0.6 -3.5 -2.3 46,971 48,182 50,547 36,768 27.7

 Chemical products..................................... 73,734 73,458 73,262 0.4 0.3 0.4 73,225 73,871 73,972 66,792 9.6

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 4,096 3,890 3,726 5.3 4.4 1.6 3,608 3,466 3,486 2,978 21.2

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 24,902 24,977 25,199 -0.3 -0.9 -1.0 24,850 25,349 25,548 24,505 1.4

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,058 3,086 3,092 -0.9 -0.2 -0.5 3,001 3,103 3,132 2,930 2.4

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 20,915 20,959 20,885 -0.2 0.4 0.2 20,901 20,992 20,978 19,411 7.7

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

1

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

estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for 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

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Sept. Aug. July 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries................... 452,716 451,411 451,182 0.3 0.1 1.2 466,116 472,254 437,119 420,466 4,008,352 3,586,264 11.8

 Construction materials and supplies...... 37,072 37,475 37,192 -1.1 0.8 0.1 40,107 41,875 38,207 37,804 336,603 324,897 3.6

 Information technology......................... 24,546 24,548 24,445 0.0 0.4 -1.1 27,547 23,953 22,433 27,869 217,115 213,694 1.6

 Computers and related products........... 5,827 5,794 5,822 0.6 -0.5 1.4 6,620 5,359 6,049 6,401 50,180 45,248 10.9

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 28,174 28,870 31,764 -2.4 -9.1 10.0 30,874 31,896 24,487 29,900 261,835 239,127 9.5

 Capital goods...................................... 78,375 79,029 76,690 -0.8 3.0 0.7 83,892 78,925 70,850 79,355 677,163 642,450 5.4

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 70,757 71,470 69,370 -1.0 3.0 1.4 75,699 71,434 64,231 69,234 607,029 554,768 9.4

 Excluding aircraft............................. 66,083 66,689 64,677 -0.9 3.1 0.3 70,758 66,593 60,428 65,312 570,868 520,317 9.7

 Defense capital goods4....................... 7,618 7,559 7,320 0.8 3.3 -5.4 8,193 7,491 6,619 10,121 70,134 87,682 -20.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 198,139 195,501 197,692 1.3 -1.1 1.3 200,110 205,002 194,492 173,771 1,751,980 1,503,882 16.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 24,921 25,271 27,300 -1.4 -7.4 6.5 26,814 26,875 21,879 26,069 229,100 211,322 8.4

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 173,218 170,230 170,392 1.8 -0.1 0.5 173,296 178,127 172,613 147,702 1,522,880 1,292,560 17.8

 All manufacturing industries5.................. 453,541 452,121 451,885 0.3 0.1 2.1 465,343 469,793 433,515 423,825 3,999,637 3,551,484 12.6

 Construction materials and supplies...... 36,387 37,041 37,690 -1.8 -1.7 0.7 38,837 41,066 38,462 38,329 341,067 328,873 3.7

 Information technology......................... 25,370 24,696 24,165 2.7 2.2 -4.2 29,525 22,943 21,457 30,582 218,631 216,597 0.9

 Computers and related products........... 6,060 5,773 5,498 5.0 5.0 -6.4 6,853 5,338 5,725 6,493 50,057 45,287 10.5

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 28,293 29,031 31,906 -2.5 -9.0 10.2 31,010 31,700 24,651 29,979 261,526 237,905 9.9

 Capital goods...................................... 85,476 86,199 82,333 -0.8 4.7 3.1 89,986 84,434 73,343 87,810 719,802 653,176 10.2

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 76,723 78,159 74,125 -1.8 5.4 4.2 81,233 77,396 68,011 77,390 643,492 568,132 13.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 69,469 67,495 66,897 2.9 0.9 -0.3 74,185 65,788 62,536 67,985 592,434 531,663 11.4

 Defense capital goods4....................... 8,753 8,040 8,208 8.9 -2.0 -6.0 8,753 7,038 5,332 10,420 76,310 85,044 -10.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 198,089 195,290 197,683 1.4 -1.2 1.3 200,034 204,643 194,652 173,772 1,751,734 1,504,280 16.4

 Consumer durable goods..................... 24,871 25,060 27,291 -0.8 -8.2 6.7 26,738 26,516 22,039 26,070 228,854 211,720 8.1

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 173,218 170,230 170,392 1.8 -0.1 0.5 173,296 178,127 172,613 147,702 1,522,880 1,292,560 17.8

 All manufacturing industries5

.................. 886,263 878,731 871,117 0.9 0.9 0.9 878,906 874,132 869,705 816,656 (X) (X) 7.6

 Construction materials and supplies...... 57,184 57,869 58,303 -1.2 -0.7 0.9 56,896 58,166 58,975 52,848 (X) (X) 7.7

 Information technology......................... 124,866 124,042 123,894 0.7 0.1 -0.2 124,329 122,351 123,361 121,578 (X) (X) 2.3

 Computers and related products........... 3,531 3,298 3,319 7.1 -0.6 -8.9 3,531 3,298 3,319 3,583 (X) (X) -1.5

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 14,005 13,886 13,725 0.9 1.2 1.0 13,487 13,351 13,547 12,678 (X) (X) 6.4

 Capital goods...................................... 675,830 668,729 661,559 1.1 1.1 0.9 670,851 664,757 659,248 620,927 (X) (X) 8.0

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 522,880 516,914 510,225 1.2 1.3 0.9 520,003 514,469 508,507 476,204 (X) (X) 9.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 208,882 205,496 204,690 1.6 0.4 1.1 207,660 204,233 205,038 180,967 (X) (X) 14.8

 Defense capital goods4....................... 152,950 151,815 151,334 0.7 0.3 0.6 150,848 150,288 150,741 144,723 (X) (X) 4.2

 Consumer goods.................................. 4,511 4,561 4,772 -1.1 -4.4 -0.2 4,364 4,440 4,799 4,375 (X) (X) -0.3

 Consumer durable goods..................... 4,511 4,561 4,772 -1.1 -4.4 -0.2 4,364 4,440 4,799 4,375 (X) (X) -0.3

 All manufacturing industries................... 601,345 600,709 598,758 0.1 0.3 0.6 600,443 606,466 604,143 537,547 (X) (X) 11.7

 Construction materials and supplies...... 57,335 57,287 57,027 0.1 0.5 0.4 57,252 57,671 57,469 53,641 (X) (X) 6.7

 Information technology......................... 42,690 43,001 42,960 -0.7 0.1 0.9 42,411 43,864 43,114 39,597 (X) (X) 7.1

 Computers and related products........... 5,994 5,970 6,061 0.4 -1.5 4.8 6,040 6,297 6,091 5,557 (X) (X) 8.7

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 26,211 25,774 25,485 1.7 1.1 1.9 26,191 26,026 25,743 22,853 (X) (X) 14.6

 Capital goods...................................... 187,413 187,564 185,440 -0.1 1.1 1.2 185,977 189,343 186,408 162,340 (X) (X) 14.6

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 167,387 167,042 165,025 0.2 1.2 1.3 166,110 168,950 166,069 142,978 (X) (X) 16.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 114,623 114,294 113,218 0.3 1.0 1.0 113,791 115,654 113,515 102,308 (X) (X) 11.2

 Defense capital goods4

....................... 20,026 20,522 20,415 -2.4 0.5 0.5 19,867 20,393 20,339 19,362 (X) (X) 2.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 178,249 178,012 179,531 0.1 -0.8 -0.3 179,634 180,700 181,636 162,493 (X) (X) 10.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,532 27,221 26,944 1.1 1.0 1.6 27,726 27,689 27,104 25,264 (X) (X) 9.7

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 150,717 150,791 152,587 0.0 -1.2 -0.6 151,908 153,011 154,532 137,229 (X) (X) 10.7

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

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. Sept.

2011p 2011r 2011 Sept. Aug. July 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 196,411 196,938 195,469 -0.3 0.8 0.3 196,193 198,107 197,181 177,999 10.2

 Durable goods industries........................ 116,885 116,558 115,723 0.3 0.7 0.6 116,877 117,214 116,657 106,723 9.5

 Wood products................................... 3,074 3,128 3,106 -1.7 0.7 -1.0 3,195 3,141 3,015 3,273 -2.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,425 4,371 4,335 1.2 0.8 -0.4 4,422 4,381 4,343 3,983 11.0

 Primary metals.................................... 14,064 13,989 13,900 0.5 0.6 1.4 14,276 14,094 14,112 12,374 15.4

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,314 16,430 16,390 -0.7 0.2 0.5 16,385 16,546 16,518 14,741 11.2

 Machinery.......................................... 22,514 22,183 21,890 1.5 1.3 1.0 22,420 22,323 22,068 19,097 17.4

 Computers and electronic products...... 18,102 18,419 18,429 -1.7 -0.1 1.8 18,043 18,577 18,438 16,540 9.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 6,537 6,548 6,557 -0.2 -0.1 0.4 6,455 6,649 6,667 6,252 3.2

 Transportation equipment.................. 21,229 20,939 20,591 1.4 1.7 -0.5 21,057 20,887 20,904 20,623 2.1

 Furniture and related products............ 3,320 3,352 3,378 -1.0 -0.8 1.7 3,300 3,359 3,408 3,125 5.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,306 7,199 7,147 1.5 0.7 -0.1 7,324 7,257 7,184 6,715 9.1

 Nondurable goods industries................. 79,526 80,380 79,746 -1.1 0.8 -0.3 79,316 80,893 80,524 71,276 11.3

 Food products................................... 14,474 15,011 14,786 -3.6 1.5 2.1 14,224 14,653 14,577 14,108 0.8

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,393 4,417 4,344 -0.5 1.7 0.2 4,256 4,203 4,148 4,233 0.5

 Textiles.............................................. 1,326 1,297 1,303 2.2 -0.5 -1.6 1,321 1,302 1,326 1,137 16.2

 Textile products.................................. 1,426 1,415 1,400 0.8 1.1 0.4 1,449 1,432 1,430 1,273 13.8

 Apparel............................................. 917 894 866 2.6 3.2 2.2 933 908 887 663 40.7

 Leather and allied products................ 300 309 310 -2.9 -0.3 -1.0 309 316 314 286 8.0

 Paper products................................... 6,704 6,721 6,660 -0.3 0.9 0.0 6,757 6,751 6,592 6,628 1.9

 Printing ............................................ 2,617 2,650 2,678 -1.2 -1.0 -0.1 2,674 2,686 2,709 2,607 2.6

 Petroleum and coal products............... 15,302 15,631 15,659 -2.1 -0.2 -4.9 15,283 16,381 16,444 11,929 28.1

 Chemical products............................. 23,244 23,284 23,037 -0.2 1.1 0.7 23,200 23,413 23,221 20,670 12.2

 Plastics and rubber products............... 8,823 8,751 8,703 0.8 0.6 1.1 8,910 8,848 8,876 7,742 15.1

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 186,861 186,897 187,275 0.0 -0.2 0.5 185,240 187,995 188,551 162,111 14.3

 Durable goods industries........................ 141,751 142,336 141,416 -0.4 0.7 1.3 140,948 143,822 142,668 121,932 15.6

 Wood products................................... 1,512 1,516 1,518 -0.3 -0.1 -0.7 1,515 1,513 1,505 1,478 2.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,193 1,202 1,205 -0.7 -0.2 -0.2 1,179 1,192 1,217 1,162 1.5

 Primary metals.................................... 10,001 10,026 9,954 -0.2 0.7 1.6 9,994 10,339 10,320 8,461 18.1

 Fabricated metal products.................. 12,717 12,795 12,639 -0.6 1.2 1.8 12,780 12,911 12,735 11,272 13.4

 Machinery.......................................... 14,875 14,930 15,159 -0.4 -1.5 0.7 14,904 15,204 15,243 13,960 6.8

 Computers and electronic products...... 18,204 18,306 18,362 -0.6 -0.3 -0.1 17,909 18,637 18,543 17,334 3.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 3,765 3,759 3,680 0.2 2.1 0.6 3,700 3,852 3,737 3,268 13.2

 Transportation equipment.................. 75,049 75,371 74,557 -0.4 1.1 1.8 74,531 75,701 74,985 60,694 22.8

 Furniture and related products............ 1,082 1,084 1,067 -0.2 1.6 0.7 1,075 1,086 1,077 986 9.0

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,353 3,347 3,275 0.2 2.2 -0.1 3,361 3,387 3,306 3,317 1.3

 Nondurable goods industries................. 45,110 44,561 45,859 1.2 -2.8 -1.8 44,292 44,173 45,883 40,179 10.2

 Food products................................... 3,531 3,549 3,628 -0.5 -2.2 0.3 3,194 3,055 3,093 2,968 7.6

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 5,513 5,507 5,538 0.1 -0.6 0.3 5,348 4,980 5,056 5,173 3.4

 Textiles.............................................. 835 838 836 -0.4 0.2 2.6 841 848 847 737 14.1

 Textile products.................................. 467 473 469 -1.3 0.9 3.5 469 475 465 434 8.1

 Apparel............................................. 353 380 368 -7.1 3.3 -0.3 365 402 390 373 -2.1

 Leather and allied products................ 101 100 95 1.0 5.3 4.4 100 98 93 76 31.6

 Paper products................................... 1,273 1,261 1,288 1.0 -2.1 1.7 1,275 1,282 1,305 1,251 1.9

 Printing ............................................ 1,215 1,247 1,243 -2.6 0.3 2.2 1,246 1,297 1,247 1,245 0.1

 Petroleum and coal products............... 15,491 14,875 15,834 4.1 -6.1 -3.4 15,258 15,288 16,661 11,526 32.4

 Chemical products............................. 14,369 14,351 14,549 0.1 -1.4 -2.1 14,226 14,473 14,731 14,252 -0.2

 Plastics and rubber products............... 1,962 1,980 2,011 -0.9 -1.5 -3.7 1,970 1,975 1,995 2,144 -8.1

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 218,073 216,874 216,014 0.6 0.4 1.0 219,010 220,364 218,411 197,437 10.9

 Durable goods industries........................ 107,010 106,397 104,961 0.6 1.4 1.3 106,148 107,553 105,589 95,659 11.0

 Wood products................................... 3,847 3,859 3,828 -0.3 0.8 0.7 3,806 3,851 3,813 3,789 0.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,421 5,374 5,304 0.9 1.3 0.5 5,262 5,294 5,332 4,994 5.4

 Primary metals.................................... 10,495 10,497 10,428 0.0 0.7 0.9 10,385 10,496 10,533 8,604 20.7

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,832 16,757 16,660 0.4 0.6 0.7 16,557 16,771 16,942 15,180 9.1

 Machinery.......................................... 22,304 22,354 21,513 -0.2 3.9 2.2 21,776 22,193 21,214 18,467 17.9

 Computers and electronic products...... 11,779 11,722 11,777 0.5 -0.5 0.0 11,743 12,103 11,826 11,135 5.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,190 5,263 5,292 -1.4 -0.5 -0.7 5,245 5,324 5,338 5,258 -0.2

 Transportation equipment.................. 16,567 16,059 15,716 3.2 2.2 3.4 16,698 16,832 16,086 14,382 16.1

 Furniture and related products............ 2,388 2,411 2,384 -1.0 1.1 -0.8 2,391 2,475 2,456 2,442 -2.1

 Miscellaneous products........................ 12,187 12,101 12,059 0.7 0.3 1.0 12,285 12,214 12,049 11,408 7.7

 Nondurable goods industries................. 111,063 110,477 111,053 0.5 -0.5 0.7 112,862 112,811 112,822 101,778 10.9

 Food products................................... 26,602 26,499 26,593 0.4 -0.4 -0.5 27,914 27,616 26,735 25,981 7.4

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 6,636 6,550 6,617 1.3 -1.0 0.8 6,884 6,731 6,760 6,583 4.6

 Textiles.............................................. 1,526 1,521 1,492 0.3 1.9 2.9 1,500 1,485 1,468 1,237 21.3

 Textile products.................................. 1,159 1,170 1,161 -0.9 0.8 0.8 1,153 1,182 1,162 1,088 6.0

 Apparel............................................. 1,320 1,295 1,287 1.9 0.6 3.4 1,445 1,402 1,376 1,305 10.7

 Leather and allied products................ 503 494 492 1.8 0.4 1.0 502 511 509 420 19.5

 Paper products................................... 6,064 6,036 6,043 0.5 -0.1 0.5 5,983 5,980 6,043 5,906 1.3

 Printing ............................................ 1,622 1,615 1,631 0.4 -1.0 0.0 1,617 1,626 1,664 1,568 3.1

 Petroleum and coal products............... 19,380 19,246 19,890 0.7 -3.2 1.6 20,044 20,124 20,978 16,295 23.0

 Chemical products............................. 36,121 35,823 35,676 0.8 0.4 1.2 35,799 35,985 36,020 31,870 12.3

 Plastics and rubber products............... 10,130 10,228 10,171 -1.0 0.6 0.2 10,021 10,169 10,107 9,525 5.2

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

1

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

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

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

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 Sep Aug Jul Jun Sep Aug Jul Jun

2011p 2011r 2011 2011 2011p 2011r 2011 2011

All manufacturing industries2............................ 1.33 1.33 1.33 1.33 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

.................................. 1.83 1.81 1.80 1.82 6.10 6.07 6.06 6.05

 Wood products.............................................. 1.60 1.61 1.58 1.61 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.40 1.39 1.38 1.38 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.41 1.43 1.41 1.41 1.32 1.31 1.30 1.32

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.81 1.84 1.84 1.81 2.66 2.67 2.68 2.62

 Machinery..................................................... 1.92 1.89 1.97 1.96 4.19 4.25 4.40 4.24

 Computers and electronic products2

................ 1.56 1.55 1.57 1.58 5.74 5.67 5.66 5.65

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.51 1.51 1.57 1.53 2.85 2.79 2.86 2.78

 Transportation equipment.............................. 2.46 2.39 2.25 2.37 16.26 15.77 15.39 16.00

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.23 1.23 1.26 1.23 1.40 1.40 1.51 1.48

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.67 1.67 1.66 1.67 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 0.93 0.94 0.95 0.95 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.71 0.72 0.73 0.73 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.33 1.34 1.37 1.30 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.42 1.41 1.39 1.37 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.63 1.66 1.66 1.62 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 1.85 1.87 1.95 1.92 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.94 2.90 2.82 2.78 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 0.99 0.98 0.97 0.97 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.70 0.72 0.73 0.76 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.19 1.18 1.18 1.17 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.28 1.29 1.29 1.29 (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.

Sep2 Sep2 Sep2 Sep2

Industry 2010- 2010- 2010- 2010-

Sep1 Aug Sep1 Aug Sep1 Aug Sep1 Aug

2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011

 

All manufacturing industries.................. (X) 0.3 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.1 (X) 0.2

Durable goods industries....................... 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

 Primary metals.................................... -0.4 0.9 0.1 2.3 0.2 1.2 -0.4 0.6

 Fabricated metal products.................... -0.1 0.3 -0.7 0.7 -0.2 0.2 -0.1 0.3

 Machinery.......................................... 0.3 0.9 0.1 2.0 0.0 0.5 0.3 0.2

 Computers and electronic products..... -0.3 0.5 0.8 1.0 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.5 0.8 0.1 1.0 -0.1 0.3 -0.7 0.2

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.3 0.7 0.4 1.3 0.0 0.1 -0.1 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 1.2 (X) 0.7 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.3 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.1 (X) 0.2

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

 Food products................................... (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

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

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.2 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Leather and allied products.................... (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

 Petroleum and coal products................. (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.1

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

 Plastics and rubber products................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

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.