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FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 AM EDT, TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

MONTHLY FULL REPORT ON MANUFACTURERS’ SHIPMENTS, INVENTORIES AND ORDERS 

MARCH 2021

Release Number: CB 21-60 M3-2 (21)-03

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

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

COVID-19 FAQs>.

May 4, 2021 — The U.S. Census Bureau announces the March full report on manufacturers’ shipments, 

inventories and orders:

MANUFACTURED GOODS – NEW ORDERS

MARCH 2021 $512.9 billion +1.1%°

FEBRUARY 2021

(revised) $507.1 billion -0.5%°

Next release: June 4, 2021

Data adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes.

Statistical significance is not measurable for this survey. The Manufacturers' Shipments, 

Inventories, and Orders estimates are not based on a probability sample, so the sampling error 

of these estimates cannot be measured nor can the confidence intervals be computed.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders, May 4, 2021.

Summary

New orders for manufactured goods in March, up ten of the last eleven months, increased $5.8 billion or 

1.1 percent to $512.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 0.5 percent February

decrease. Shipments, also up ten of the last eleven months, increased $10.8 billion or 2.1 percent to

$513.6 billion. This followed a 1.9 percent February decrease. Unfilled orders, up three consecutive 

months, increased $4.5 billion or 0.4 percent to $1,087.8 billion. This followed a 0.9 percent February

increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.21, down from 6.30 in February. Inventories, up

seven of the last eight months, increased $5.2 billion or 0.7 percent to $707.7 billion. This followed a 0.8

percent February increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.38, down from 1.40 in February.

Apr-20 May-20 Jun-20 Jul-20 Aug-20 Sep-20 Oct-20 Nov-20 Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21

% Change -13.5% 7.7% 6.4% 6.5% 0.6% 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1.6% 2.7% -0.5% 1.1%

-14.0%

-13.0%

-12.0%

-11.0%

-10.0%

-9.0%

-8.0%

-7.0%

-6.0%

-5.0%

-4.0%

-3.0%

-2.0%

-1.0%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

5.0%

6.0%

7.0%

8.0%

MANUFACTURERS' NEW ORDERS 2020-2021

Seasonally Adjusted, Month-To-Month Percentage Change

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders, May 4, 2021.
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New Orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in March, up ten of the last eleven months, increased $2.0

billion or 0.8 percent to $256.9 billion, up from the previously published 0.5 percent increase. This 

followed a 0.9 percent February decrease. Fabricated metal products, up six of the last seven months, led

the increase, $1.4 billion or 4.0 percent to $35.4 billion. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $3.8 billion or 1.5 percent to $256.0 billion.

Shipments

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in March, up six of the last seven months, increased $7.0 billion 

or 2.8 percent to $257.6 billion, up from the previously published 2.5 percent increase. This followed a 3.7

percent February decrease. Transportation equipment, also up six of the last seven months, led the 

increase, $3.8 billion or 4.9 percent to $82.2 billion. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up ten 

of the last eleven months, increased $3.8 billion or 1.5 percent to $256.0 billion. This followed a 0.1

percent February decrease. Petroleum and coal products, also up ten of the last eleven months, led the 

increase, $2.1 billion or 4.4 percent to $50.8 billion.

Unfilled Orders

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in March, up three consecutive months, increased $4.5

billion or 0.4 percent to $1,087.8 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed 

a 0.9 percent February increase. Fabricated metal products, up eleven consecutive months, led the 

increase, $2.3 billion or 2.8 percent to $83.0 billion.

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in March, up two consecutive months, increased $4.3 billion or 

1.0 percent to $431.9 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed a 0.7

percent February increase. Transportation equipment, also up two consecutive months, led the increase, 

$2.1 billion or 1.4 percent to $149.0 billion. Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up seven of 

the last eight months, increased $0.9 billion or 0.3 percent to $275.8 billion. This followed a 0.9 percent

February increase. Petroleum and coal products, up five consecutive months, drove the increase, $1.1

billion or 2.9 percent to $38.4 billion. By stage of fabrication, March materials and supplies increased 0.8

percent in durable goods and 0.5 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 1.0 percent in

durable goods and decreased 0.3 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods increased 1.2 percent in

durable goods and 0.4 percent in nondurable goods.
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The Advance Report on durable goods for April is scheduled for release on May 27, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. EDT

and the Full Report on June 4, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. View the full schedule in the Economic Briefing

Room: <www.census.gov/economic-indicators/>. The full text and tables of this release can be found at

<www.census.gov/m3>.

EXPLANATORY NOTES

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

exclude data for semiconductor manufacturing. 

“Virtually unchanged” indicates that the change is less than 0.05 percent for a percent increase or 

decrease. 

Description of the survey 

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

and Orders (M3) survey, which is a voluntary survey authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code. This 

survey provides statistics on a calendar-month basis for manufacturers' value of shipments, new orders 

(net of cancellations), end-of-month order backlog (unfilled orders), end-of-month total inventory (at 

current cost or market value), and inventories by stage of fabrication (materials and supplies, work-inprocess, and finished goods). Data published from the M3 survey are based on a panel of approximately 

5,000 reporting units that represent approximately 3,100 companies and provide an indication of monthto-month change for the Manufacturing Sector. These reporting units may be divisions of diversified large 

companies, large homogenous companies, or single-unit manufacturers in 92 industry categories, which 

are combined into 65 publication levels due to the small monthly panel size. The survey methodology 

assumes that the month-to-month changes of the total operations of the reporting units in the M3 panel 

effectively represent the month-to-month movements of all establishments that make up the category. 

The companies for which shipments data are currently reported or imputed in the M3 survey represent 

approximately 60 percent of the total value of shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 2017

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

$500 million or more in shipments in the 2017 Economic Census. The companies for which shipments data 

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

shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 2017 Economic Census. Statistics based on the M3 

panel differ from the results that would be obtained from a complete enumeration of all manufacturing 

companies. The M3 panel is not based on a probability sample; therefore, the sampling errors that are 

normally provided with sample surveys cannot be measured. Nonsampling errors are attributable to many 
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sources. The use of company or divisional reports to estimate the monthly change for establishments is 

one source of nonsampling error. The use of primarily large companies to represent the month-to-month 

movement of all companies is another potential source. Any corrections will be published in the full 

report. Corrections received after the full report will be released in the next month’s advance report. Any 

revisions made later than two months will be reflected in the annual benchmark publication. Additional 

survey documentation can be found on our web site: 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.

Benchmark notice

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

issued on May 14, 2021. These revisions result from

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

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

benchmarking the ASM to the 2017 Economic Census; 

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

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

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

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

data;

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

reported data;

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

review of the seasonal adjustment models. 

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

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

revised monthly tables for January 2021 through March 2021. 
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RESOURCES

API

The Census Bureau’s application programming interface (API) lets developers create custom apps to reach 

new users and makes key demographic, socio-economic and housing statistics more accessible than ever 

before.

<www.census.gov/developers/>.

FRED Mobile App

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

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

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

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

###
Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups1

[Estimates are shown in millions of dollars and are based on data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.] 

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry % Change

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2021/

2021p 2021r 2021 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2021p 2021r 2021 2020 2021p 2020 2020

 All manufacturing industries.................. 513,555 502,760 512,672 2.1 -1.9 1.8 548,134 470,613 470,046 493,599 1,488,793 1,432,661 3.9

 Excluding transportation................... 431,371 424,401 427,043 1.6 -0.6 2.1 455,817 394,006 396,098 412,146 1,245,921 1,194,080 4.3

 Excluding defense.............................. 498,905 488,036 497,741 2.2 -1.9 1.7 531,808 456,481 457,506 478,586 1,445,795 1,391,705 3.9

 With unfilled orders............................ 175,229 171,843 175,769 2.0 -2.2 2.6 192,453 162,300 156,910 181,330 511,663 501,915 1.9

 Durable goods industries......................... 257,550 250,555 260,178 2.8 -3.7 1.8 280,734 237,188 231,570 250,002 749,492 710,530 5.5

 Wood products....................................... 11,412 10,925 11,018 4.5 -0.8 5.2 11,615 9,939 9,383 9,075 30,937 25,562 21.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 12,104 11,835 12,460 2.3 -5.0 1.9 12,177 10,226 10,630 11,290 33,033 31,493 4.9

 Primary metals....................................... 20,633 20,157 20,268 2.4 -0.5 1.9 22,863 19,783 19,969 20,235 62,615 59,133 5.9

 Iron and steel mills............................ 10,758 10,562 10,698 1.9 -1.3 3.3 12,013 10,446 10,665 10,380 33,124 30,437 8.8

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 8,688 8,463 8,397 2.7 0.8 0.4 9,501 8,248 8,210 8,401 25,959 24,551 5.7

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,187 1,132 1,173 4.9 -3.5 -0.8 1,349 1,089 1,094 1,454 3,532 4,145 -14.8

 Fabricated metal products....................... 33,112 32,284 32,590 2.6 -0.9 2.6 35,034 30,391 29,938 31,797 95,363 92,228 3.4

 Machinery............................................. 33,044 32,415 33,214 1.9 -2.4 3.6 37,114 31,145 29,383 33,874 97,642 92,906 5.1

 Farm machinery................................. 1,988 2,052 2,197 -3.1 -6.6 4.4 2,506 2,270 1,951 2,201 6,727 5,928 13.5

 Construction machinery..................... 2,905 2,849 2,988 2.0 -4.7 9.9 3,277 2,853 2,591 2,928 8,721 8,336 4.6

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,129 1,114 1,111 1.3 0.3 4.9 1,239 1,035 1,035 1,454 3,309 4,193 -21.1

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,702 3,356 3,503 10.3 -4.2 4.8 4,302 2,920 2,909 3,706 10,131 9,228 9.8

 Photographic equipment...................... 605 598 616 1.2 -2.9 3.2 701 528 509 606 1,738 1,572 10.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,966 4,118 4,282 -3.7 -3.8 12.9 4,325 3,386 3,271 4,042 10,982 10,123 8.5

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,705 2,680 2,618 0.9 2.4 6.1 2,976 2,458 2,328 2,620 7,762 7,335 5.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 4,120 4,049 4,057 1.8 -0.2 -6.2 4,255 4,122 3,899 3,995 12,276 11,853 3.6

 Material handling equipment............... 2,963 2,746 2,802 7.9 -2.0 -1.3 3,277 2,661 2,575 2,926 8,513 8,309 2.5

 Computers and electronic products2.......... 31,166 31,077 31,263 0.3 -0.6 1.2 33,469 27,658 28,024 30,516 89,151 82,133 8.5

 Computers........................................ 602 618 606 -2.6 2.0 6.5 576 457 510 568 1,543 1,502 2.7

 Computer storage devices..................... 559 581 613 -3.8 -5.2 20.4 781 457 498 686 1,736 1,428 21.6

 Other peripheral equipment................ 851 867 887 -1.8 -2.3 9.9 883 687 801 787 2,371 2,017 17.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 3,985 3,925 3,955 1.5 -0.8 -5.5 4,771 3,170 3,094 4,133 11,035 9,616 14.8

 Defense communications equipment.... 274 279 279 -1.8 0.0 4.5 284 274 220 270 778 728 6.9

 Audio and video equipment.................... 347 340 366 2.1 -7.1 17.7 289 284 279 240 852 726 17.4

 Electronic components......................... 4,602 4,527 4,532 1.7 -0.1 1.1 4,887 4,053 4,081 4,328 13,021 11,978 8.7

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,548 1,555 1,558 -0.5 -0.2 3.0 1,821 1,462 1,364 1,774 4,647 4,620 0.6

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 3,078 3,091 3,169 -0.4 -2.5 4.7 3,343 2,907 2,621 3,267 8,871 8,635 2.7

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 9,689 9,606 9,726 0.9 -1.2 2.2 10,743 8,596 8,428 9,831 27,767 25,420 9.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 11,710 11,588 11,680 1.1 -0.8 6.5 12,614 10,651 10,098 11,864 33,363 31,912 4.5

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 997 968 952 3.0 1.7 -1.0 1,040 901 863 1,050 2,804 2,921 -4.0

 Household appliances........................ 2,360 2,356 2,465 0.2 -4.4 19.7 2,595 2,104 1,949 2,020 6,648 5,306 25.3

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,055 3,049 3,005 0.2 1.5 0.9 3,416 2,811 2,537 3,922 8,764 10,032 -12.6

 Batteries........................................... 829 822 910 0.9 -9.7 19.4 854 707 727 738 2,288 2,027 12.9

 Transportation equipment........................ 82,184 78,359 85,629 4.9 -8.5 0.3 92,317 76,607 73,948 81,453 242,872 238,581 1.8

 Automobiles..................................... 5,944 5,946 6,364 0.0 -6.6 -12.8 6,591 5,796 5,690 6,535 18,077 23,202 -22.1

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 22,900 20,273 23,992 13.0 -15.5 -0.4 25,716 20,434 20,288 14,894 66,438 50,969 30.3

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,547 2,487 2,606 2.4 -4.6 -1.0 2,958 2,267 2,350 2,245 7,575 6,711 12.9

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 28,919 28,239 29,785 2.4 -5.2 0.8 31,855 28,243 27,283 28,506 87,381 85,587 2.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 6,278 5,693 7,153 10.3 -20.4 15.7 7,626 4,685 4,972 13,042 17,283 27,015 -36.0

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,947 4,001 4,270 -1.3 -6.3 18.3 4,478 3,601 3,389 4,347 11,468 12,017 -4.6

 Ships and boats................................. 2,735 2,751 2,804 -0.6 -1.9 4.2 3,015 2,783 2,298 2,903 8,096 8,374 -3.3

 Furniture and related products.................. 6,617 6,575 6,486 0.6 1.4 -1.5 6,728 6,395 6,041 6,556 19,164 19,611 -2.3

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 15,568 15,340 15,570 1.5 -1.5 0.6 16,803 14,393 14,156 13,342 45,352 36,971 22.7

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 256,005 252,205 252,494 1.5 -0.1 1.8 267,400 233,425 238,476 243,597 739,301 722,131 2.4

 Food products....................................... 69,379 68,987 68,917 0.6 0.1 0.7 71,335 65,930 65,844 70,205 203,109 201,815 0.6

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 7,535 7,533 7,509 0.0 0.3 2.0 7,922 7,278 7,221 7,083 22,421 20,405 9.9

 Dairy products.................................. 10,491 10,490 10,429 0.0 0.6 0.3 10,764 9,726 10,132 10,862 30,622 31,249 -2.0

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 19,086 18,878 18,545 1.1 1.8 1.5 19,391 17,976 17,365 19,870 54,732 57,082 -4.1

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 13,809 13,316 13,410 3.7 -0.7 -2.5 14,003 12,173 12,161 13,745 38,337 37,677 1.8

 Beverages......................................... 9,597 9,541 9,794 0.6 -2.6 1.7 9,791 8,398 8,545 9,443 26,734 26,171 2.2

 Tobacco............................................ 4,212 3,775 3,616 11.6 4.4 -12.5 4,212 3,775 3,616 4,302 11,603 11,506 0.8

 Textile mills........................................... 2,333 2,276 2,326 2.5 -2.1 2.5 2,457 2,195 2,144 2,333 6,796 6,695 1.5

 Textile products................................... 1,938 1,903 1,943 1.8 -2.1 1.3 2,009 1,849 1,767 1,908 5,625 5,529 1.7

 Apparel................................................ 926 906 917 2.2 -1.2 -3.4 879 852 851 822 2,582 2,548 1.3

 Leather and allied products...................... 443 426 416 4.0 2.4 1.5 466 443 408 366 1,317 1,141 15.4

 Paper products...................................... 17,362 17,242 17,196 0.7 0.3 1.8 18,070 16,123 16,650 16,669 50,843 48,308 5.2

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,627 6,630 6,611 0.0 0.3 0.8 6,853 6,111 6,496 6,722 19,460 19,429 0.2

 Paperboard containers........................ 6,268 6,169 6,177 1.6 -0.1 0.9 6,526 5,714 5,998 5,898 18,238 17,217 5.9

 Printing................................................. 7,189 7,032 7,005 2.2 0.4 -1.1 7,438 6,340 6,569 7,233 20,347 21,255 -4.3

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 50,826 48,692 47,891 4.4 1.7 7.1 50,828 42,003 45,473 36,671 138,304 134,307 3.0

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 46,368 44,506 43,280 4.2 2.8 7.1 46,675 38,534 41,744 32,487 126,953 122,593 3.6

 Chemical products..................................... 71,258 71,209 71,915 0.1 -1.0 0.8 78,087 66,760 67,575 72,723 212,422 203,397 4.4

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,999 3,015 3,136 -0.5 -3.9 0.1 3,943 3,090 2,712 3,516 9,745 8,844 10.2

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 25,916 25,850 25,789 0.3 0.2 -1.1 27,913 23,493 24,015 25,186 75,421 69,252 8.9

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 4,981 4,910 4,991 1.4 -1.6 1.4 5,423 4,411 4,352 4,728 14,186 12,827 10.6

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 20,542 20,216 20,558 1.6 -1.7 1.5 21,828 18,757 19,034 20,922 59,619 59,459 0.3

Year to date

p

 Preliminary 

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

1

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

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

model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 

2

 Estimates and percent changes of shipments for the semiconductor industry are included in computers and electronic products, and all other applicable aggregate totals. 

Note: Estimates of manufacturers' shipments, inventories and orders are subject to survey error and revision. One major component of survey error is nonsampling error, which includes errors of coverage, response, and nonreporting. Since the 

survey panel is not a probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, March Full Report, May 4, 2021. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>. 
Table 2. Value of Manufacturers' New Orders for Industry Groups1

[Estimates are shown in millions of dollars and are based on data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.] 

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry % Change

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2021/

2021p 2021r 2021 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2021p 2021r 2021 2020 2021p 2020 2020

All manufacturing industries2........................ 512,857 507,089 509,736 1.1 -0.5 2.7 556,156 478,127 470,245 472,892 1,504,528 1,411,511 6.6

 Excluding transportation2...................... 430,918 423,831 424,751 1.7 -0.2 1.8 458,461 396,625 397,648 409,146 1,252,734 1,188,216 5.4

 Excluding defense2

.............................. 497,423 491,815 493,235 1.1 -0.3 2.1 535,155 463,213 457,361 451,062 1,455,729 1,361,338 6.9

 With unfilled orders2............................. 179,686 181,382 177,925 -0.9 1.9 5.2 205,070 174,670 162,758 164,757 542,498 494,875 9.6

 Durable goods industries2......................... 256,852 254,884 257,242 0.8 -0.9 3.6 288,756 244,702 231,769 229,295 765,227 689,380 11.0

 Primary metals........................................ 21,323 20,990 20,746 1.6 1.2 2.7 23,785 21,141 20,886 19,836 65,812 59,609 10.4

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 11,032 10,800 10,741 2.1 0.5 3.5 12,468 10,931 10,861 9,871 34,260 30,404 12.7

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 8,964 8,925 8,711 0.4 2.5 1.1 9,913 8,985 8,633 8,617 27,531 25,156 9.4

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,327 1,265 1,294 4.9 -2.2 6.5 1,404 1,225 1,392 1,348 4,021 4,049 -0.7

 Fabricated metal products........................ 35,409 34,032 33,906 4.0 0.4 3.0 38,310 32,673 32,167 32,196 103,150 93,929 9.8

 Machinery............................................. 34,141 33,649 33,723 1.5 -0.2 0.4 38,305 33,452 31,986 33,869 103,743 95,782 8.3

 Construction machinery........................ 3,237 3,169 3,274 2.1 -3.2 7.3 3,609 3,390 3,271 2,688 10,270 8,444 21.6

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,121 1,234 1,037 -9.2 19.0 -18.2 1,231 1,155 961 1,384 3,347 4,062 -17.6

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,866 3,322 3,313 16.4 0.3 0.3 4,597 2,793 3,224 3,572 10,614 9,649 10.0

 Photographic equipment....................... 607 644 628 -5.7 2.5 8.1 683 596 517 563 1,796 1,526 17.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,171 4,359 4,241 -4.3 2.8 8.9 4,651 3,813 3,444 4,200 11,908 10,718 11.1

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,746 2,724 2,648 0.8 2.9 -6.2 2,868 2,718 2,568 2,456 8,154 7,618 7.0

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment........... 4,355 4,109 4,020 6.0 2.2 -3.3 4,490 4,182 3,862 4,099 12,534 11,778 6.4

 Material handling equipment.................. 2,972 2,789 2,826 6.6 -1.3 -2.2 3,224 2,806 2,569 2,948 8,599 8,405 2.3

 Computers and electronic products2........... 26,243 26,107 26,151 0.5 -0.2 -0.5 29,918 23,209 22,738 27,045 75,865 69,638 8.9

 Computers........................................ 623 619 593 0.6 4.4 -4.8 597 458 497 539 1,552 1,465 5.9

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,086 3,918 3,980 4.3 -1.6 -8.6 4,946 3,274 3,214 4,187 11,434 9,969 14.7

 Defense communications equipment....... 248 257 248 -3.5 3.6 -29.7 290 253 209 215 752 659 14.1

 Electronic components......................... 4,672 4,554 4,450 2.6 2.3 -3.7 4,824 4,080 4,285 4,216 13,189 12,183 8.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,711 1,705 1,645 0.4 3.6 -2.9 1,979 1,580 1,525 1,760 5,084 4,833 5.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,028 3,178 3,170 -4.7 0.3 6.0 3,839 3,034 2,426 3,836 9,299 8,969 3.7

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments..................... 9,642 9,610 9,719 0.3 -1.1 1.9 10,994 8,647 8,525 10,081 28,166 26,036 8.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 12,010 12,156 12,033 -1.2 1.0 4.8 12,995 11,521 10,853 11,960 35,369 32,785 7.9

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,079 1,019 941 5.9 8.3 -7.5 1,136 950 884 1,023 2,970 2,870 3.5

 Household appliances.......................... 2,378 2,516 2,544 -5.5 -1.1 14.7 2,641 2,091 2,033 2,076 6,765 5,307 27.5

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,055 3,124 3,047 -2.2 2.5 2.2 3,408 3,016 2,738 3,960 9,162 10,363 -11.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 81,939 83,258 84,985 -1.6 -2.0 7.6 97,695 81,502 72,597 63,746 251,794 223,295 12.8

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 29,154 28,642 30,123 1.8 -4.9 1.6 32,008 29,127 27,996 28,286 89,131 86,359 3.2

 Nondefense aircraft and parts3................ 5,044 9,506 4,712 -46.9 101.7 358.4 8,830 7,819 2,518 -10,797 19,167 1,258 1423.6

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 3,632 4,554 4,844 -20.2 -6.0 64.7 4,969 3,607 4,092 7,633 12,668 13,174 -3.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,715 2,196 4,824 69.2 -54.5 50.3 6,032 4,249 4,669 2,090 14,950 14,159 5.6

 Furniture and related products................... 6,695 6,584 6,649 1.7 -1.0 -0.2 7,145 6,638 6,372 6,944 20,155 20,307 -0.7

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 256,005 252,205 252,494 1.5 -0.1 1.8 267,400 233,425 238,476 243,597 739,301 722,131 2.4

Year to date

p

 Preliminary 

r

 Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment. 

1

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

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

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

2

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

3

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

Note: Estimates of manufacturers' shipments, inventories and orders are subject to survey error and revision. One major component of survey error is nonsampling error, which includes errors of coverage, response, and nonreporting. 

Since the survey panel is not a probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, March Full Report, May 4, 2021. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>. 
Table 3. Value of Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders for Industry Groups1

[Estimates are shown in millions of dollars and are based on data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.] 

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly % Change

Industry March

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2021/

2021p 2021r 2021 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2021p 2021r 2021 2020 2020

All manufacturing industries2

...................... 1,087,776 1,083,319 1,073,780 0.4 0.9 0.2 1,099,263 1,086,646 1,074,276 1,135,102 -3.2

 Excluding transportation2...................... 377,012 372,310 367,670 1.3 1.3 0.8 382,025 374,786 367,311 353,371 8.1

 Excluding defense2............................. 869,563 865,890 856,901 0.4 1.0 0.1 877,682 869,740 858,152 909,037 -3.4

 Durable goods industries2........................ 1,087,776 1,083,319 1,073,780 0.4 0.9 0.2 1,099,263 1,086,646 1,074,276 1,135,102 -3.2

 Primary metals........................................ 35,483 34,793 33,960 2.0 2.5 1.4 36,803 35,881 34,523 31,935 15.2

 Iron and steel mills............................... 15,110 14,836 14,598 1.8 1.6 0.3 15,756 15,301 14,816 13,634 15.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............. 14,240 13,964 13,502 2.0 3.4 2.4 14,853 14,441 13,704 13,139 13.0

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 6,133 5,993 5,860 2.3 2.3 2.1 6,194 6,139 6,003 5,162 20.0

 Fabricated metal products......................... 83,018 80,721 78,973 2.8 2.2 1.7 83,714 80,438 78,156 74,151 12.9

 Machinery.............................................. 104,063 102,966 101,732 1.1 1.2 0.5 105,547 104,356 102,049 97,604 8.1

 Construction machinery......................... 7,014 6,682 6,362 5.0 5.0 4.7 7,512 7,180 6,643 5,485 37.0

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 4,121 4,129 4,009 -0.2 3.0 -1.8 4,121 4,129 4,009 3,891 5.9

 Industrial machinery............................. 8,322 8,158 8,192 2.0 -0.4 -2.3 8,535 8,240 8,367 8,912 -4.2

 Photographic equipment........................ 894 892 846 0.2 5.4 1.4 915 933 865 1,024 -10.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment................ 7,881 7,676 7,435 2.7 3.2 -0.5 8,100 7,774 7,347 7,091 14.2

 Metalworking machinery........................ 9,045 9,004 8,960 0.5 0.5 0.3 9,090 9,198 8,938 7,897 15.1

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment............ 23,344 23,109 23,049 1.0 0.3 -0.2 23,344 23,109 23,049 23,531 -0.8

 Material handling equipment................... 11,639 11,630 11,587 0.1 0.4 0.2 11,690 11,743 11,598 11,132 5.0

 Computers and electronic products2............. 120,821 120,589 120,349 0.2 0.2 0.0 121,810 120,766 120,359 119,357 2.1

 Computers......................................... 1,965 1,944 1,943 1.1 0.1 -0.7 1,965 1,944 1,943 1,971 -0.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 25,637 25,536 25,543 0.4 0.0 0.1 25,772 25,597 25,493 24,985 3.1

 Defense communications equipment........ 680 706 728 -3.7 -3.0 -4.1 709 703 724 888 -20.2

 Electronic components.......................... 14,803 14,733 14,706 0.5 0.2 -0.6 14,982 15,045 15,018 14,870 0.8

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 23,156 22,993 22,843 0.7 0.7 0.4 23,094 22,936 22,818 21,561 7.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 30,595 30,645 30,558 -0.2 0.3 0.0 30,962 30,466 30,339 31,055 -0.3

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments...................... 23,985 24,032 24,028 -0.2 0.0 0.0 24,326 24,075 24,024 24,027 1.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 24,540 24,240 23,672 1.2 2.4 1.5 24,838 24,457 23,587 21,656 14.7

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,837 1,755 1,704 4.7 3.0 -0.6 1,839 1,743 1,694 1,696 8.4

 Household appliances........................... 2,815 2,797 2,637 0.6 6.1 3.1 2,733 2,687 2,700 1,557 75.5

 Electrical equipment............................. 8,780 8,780 8,705 0.0 0.9 0.5 8,893 8,901 8,696 8,748 1.7

 Transportation equipment......................... 710,764 711,009 706,110 0.0 0.7 -0.1 717,238 711,860 706,965 781,731 -8.3

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 22,582 22,347 21,944 1.1 1.8 1.6 23,579 23,426 22,542 21,520 9.6

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 470,375 471,609 467,796 -0.3 0.8 -0.5 472,885 471,681 468,547 534,217 -11.5

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 79,364 79,679 79,126 -0.4 0.7 0.7 80,399 79,908 79,902 86,194 -6.7

 Ships and boats.................................. 52,569 51,589 52,144 1.9 -1.1 4.0 55,156 52,139 50,673 50,934 8.3

 Furniture and related products................... 8,592 8,514 8,505 0.9 0.1 2.0 8,818 8,401 8,158 8,092 9.0

p

 Preliminary 

r

 Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment. 

1

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

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

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

2

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

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

nonreporting. Since the survey panel is not a probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see 

<http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, March Full Report, May 4, 2021. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.
Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups1

[Estimates are shown in millions of dollars and are based on data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.] 

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly % Change

Industry March

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2021/

2021p 2021r 2021 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2021p 2021r 2021 2020 2020

 All manufacturing industries...................... 707,713 702,495 696,914 0.7 0.8 0.2 709,480 707,033 695,332 688,034 3.1

 Excluding transportation........................ 558,725 555,604 551,155 0.6 0.8 0.6 560,875 559,203 550,109 546,165 2.7

 Excluding defense............................. 682,121 676,860 671,483 0.8 0.8 0.2 683,803 681,410 670,044 662,956 3.1

 With unfilled orders............................. 350,719 347,616 345,645 0.9 0.6 -0.6 350,843 348,706 344,048 345,463 1.6

 Durable goods industries........................ 431,947 427,631 424,520 1.0 0.7 -0.3 432,457 430,327 423,143 423,705 2.1

 Wood products........................................ 12,775 12,652 12,452 1.0 1.6 1.3 13,210 13,193 12,847 12,159 8.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products..................... 13,945 13,897 13,894 0.3 0.0 -0.6 14,241 14,101 13,906 14,736 -3.4

 Primary metals......................................... 35,879 35,221 34,635 1.9 1.7 0.9 35,961 35,447 34,792 35,768 0.5

 Iron and steel mills............................... 19,151 18,871 18,587 1.5 1.5 0.5 19,136 18,956 18,721 19,841 -3.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............ 14,603 14,264 13,993 2.4 1.9 1.4 14,661 14,334 14,005 13,691 7.1

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,125 2,086 2,055 1.9 1.5 0.4 2,164 2,157 2,066 2,236 -3.2

 Fabricated metal products......................... 53,925 53,208 52,555 1.3 1.2 0.9 54,210 53,392 52,563 53,316 1.7

 Machinery.............................................. 70,482 70,376 69,979 0.2 0.6 0.1 71,029 70,710 68,960 71,589 -0.8

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,959 4,051 4,003 -2.3 1.2 3.8 4,146 4,355 4,019 3,951 4.9

 Construction machinery......................... 6,308 6,251 6,067 0.9 3.0 1.0 6,417 6,267 5,959 6,166 4.1

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 4,502 4,555 4,550 -1.2 0.1 -0.9 4,501 4,628 4,542 4,988 -9.8

 Industrial machinery............................. 10,048 10,057 10,032 -0.1 0.2 0.0 10,291 10,000 9,594 9,878 4.2

 Photographic equipment....................... 1,427 1,438 1,428 -0.8 0.7 0.6 1,381 1,464 1,434 1,425 -3.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 5,292 5,258 5,316 0.6 -1.1 -2.4 5,544 5,402 5,168 5,920 -6.4

 Metalworking machinery........................ 5,800 5,754 5,774 0.8 -0.3 1.0 5,760 5,693 5,676 6,023 -4.4

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment............ 9,257 9,181 9,124 0.8 0.6 -0.6 9,156 9,153 8,965 9,493 -3.5

 Material handling equipment.................. 4,844 4,808 4,767 0.7 0.9 0.6 4,839 4,683 4,613 4,973 -2.7

 Computers and electronic products2

............ 43,631 43,481 43,507 0.3 -0.1 -0.3 43,006 43,543 43,185 43,498 -1.1

 Computers......................................... 1,913 1,862 1,835 2.7 1.5 -2.0 1,859 1,828 1,762 1,711 8.6

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,084 1,071 1,057 1.2 1.3 4.2 958 1,112 1,052 849 12.8

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,075 1,040 1,049 3.4 -0.9 -2.6 1,055 1,064 1,043 1,035 1.9

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,506 4,519 4,541 -0.3 -0.5 -0.6 4,413 4,556 4,453 4,541 -2.8

 Defense communications equipment........ 675 675 677 0.0 -0.3 1.5 675 675 677 659 2.4

 Audio and video equipment.................... 518 482 459 7.5 5.0 -1.1 477 465 452 580 -17.8

 Electronic components.......................... 7,347 7,339 7,337 0.1 0.0 -0.5 7,377 7,380 7,468 8,095 -8.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,901 2,912 2,910 -0.4 0.1 -0.5 2,856 2,900 2,916 2,856 0.0

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,733 2,728 2,717 0.2 0.4 0.6 2,747 2,762 2,704 2,694 2.0

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments...................... 15,545 15,472 15,476 0.5 0.0 0.1 15,380 15,330 15,228 15,038 2.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 20,126 19,907 19,901 1.1 0.0 0.1 20,306 20,102 19,858 19,807 2.5

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 2,002 1,990 1,985 0.6 0.3 -0.3 1,999 2,003 2,002 2,035 -1.8

 Household appliances........................... 2,591 2,470 2,500 4.9 -1.2 -3.0 2,674 2,579 2,507 2,575 3.8

 Electrical equipment............................. 6,391 6,314 6,285 1.2 0.5 0.6 6,405 6,399 6,348 6,336 1.1

 Batteries............................................ 1,921 1,892 1,861 1.5 1.7 -0.3 1,967 1,816 1,715 1,865 5.5

 Transportation equipment......................... 148,988 146,891 145,759 1.4 0.8 -1.5 148,605 147,830 145,223 141,869 4.7

 Automobiles....................................... 6,336 6,086 5,753 4.1 5.8 -0.3 6,339 6,212 5,733 5,628 12.6

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 6,164 5,475 5,190 12.6 5.5 9.1 6,004 5,675 5,145 4,993 20.2

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 2,292 2,226 2,109 3.0 5.5 3.1 2,309 2,332 2,117 1,884 22.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 28,343 27,967 27,502 1.3 1.7 1.4 28,485 28,087 27,727 27,139 5.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 75,689 75,043 75,332 0.9 -0.4 -4.1 75,313 75,430 74,801 73,479 2.5

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 12,405 12,523 12,552 -0.9 -0.2 1.4 12,342 12,567 12,526 12,125 1.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 4,370 4,294 4,233 1.8 1.4 -0.8 4,510 4,223 4,142 4,302 4.8

 Furniture and related products.................... 7,349 7,318 7,288 0.4 0.4 0.5 7,283 7,327 7,341 7,285 0.0

 Miscellaneous durable goods..................... 24,847 24,680 24,550 0.7 0.5 0.7 24,606 24,682 24,468 23,678 3.9

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 275,766 274,864 272,394 0.3 0.9 0.9 277,023 276,706 272,189 264,329 4.8

 Food products........................................ 56,006 55,971 55,938 0.1 0.1 0.3 55,251 56,077 55,899 54,296 1.8

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 6,108 6,065 5,898 0.7 2.8 2.9 6,199 6,312 6,156 5,353 15.8

 Dairy products.................................... 8,663 8,707 8,708 -0.5 0.0 -0.3 8,762 8,681 8,535 8,582 2.1

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products....... 9,474 9,450 9,471 0.3 -0.2 0.6 9,544 9,599 9,418 9,797 -2.6

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 24,963 24,918 24,943 0.2 -0.1 -1.5 25,106 25,218 25,136 25,628 -2.0

 Beverages......................................... 21,320 21,258 21,263 0.3 0.0 -1.6 21,371 21,402 21,260 21,566 -0.9

 Tobacco............................................ 3,643 3,660 3,680 -0.5 -0.5 -1.2 3,735 3,816 3,876 4,062 -8.1

 Textile mills............................................ 3,101 3,070 3,076 1.0 -0.2 -0.5 3,090 3,068 3,076 3,177 -2.7

 Textile products...................................... 3,589 3,581 3,651 0.2 -1.9 -1.4 3,624 3,600 3,708 3,881 -6.6

 Apparel................................................. 1,771 1,772 1,770 -0.1 0.1 0.2 1,718 1,745 1,747 1,766 -2.7

 Leather and allied products....................... 812 812 810 0.0 0.2 1.3 798 800 816 841 -5.1

 Paper products....................................... 15,133 15,123 15,103 0.1 0.1 0.2 15,165 15,182 15,228 14,993 1.1

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills........... 5,351 5,381 5,383 -0.6 0.0 -0.1 5,415 5,448 5,406 5,662 -4.4

 Paperboard containers......................... 5,530 5,526 5,528 0.1 0.0 0.4 5,494 5,523 5,609 5,328 3.1

 Printing.................................................. 5,386 5,488 5,554 -1.9 -1.2 0.4 5,389 5,495 5,471 5,702 -5.5

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 38,444 37,354 35,456 2.9 5.4 6.6 39,257 37,413 34,870 30,500 28.7

 Petroleum refineries............................. 32,953 31,982 30,093 3.0 6.3 7.8 33,770 32,004 29,474 24,633 37.1

 Chemical products..................................... 99,910 100,110 99,400 -0.2 0.7 0.3 100,568 100,934 99,454 96,408 4.3

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals........................ 5,330 5,359 5,396 -0.5 -0.7 -0.8 5,738 5,810 5,773 5,872 -2.3

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines.............. 47,305 47,746 47,467 -0.9 0.6 0.2 47,092 47,490 47,146 44,333 6.2

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.............. 3,988 4,023 3,909 -0.9 2.9 -0.2 4,137 4,138 3,923 4,135 0.0

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 26,651 26,665 26,693 -0.1 -0.1 0.4 27,057 27,174 26,784 27,137 -0.3

p Preliminary 

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

1 Estimates of shipments and new orders are for the duration of the period, while estimates of unfilled orders and total inventories are for the end of the period. Not seasonally adjusted estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for noncalendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. 

Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 

2

 Estimates of inventories for the semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products, and all other applicable aggregate totals. 

Note: Estimates of manufacturers' shipments, inventories and orders are subject to survey error and revision. One major component of survey error is nonsampling error, which includes errors of coverage, response, and nonreporting. Since the survey 

panel is not a probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, March Full Report, May 4, 2021. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>. 
Table 5. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments, New Orders, Unfilled Orders, and Total Inventories for 

 Topical Series1, 2

[Estimates are shown in millions of dollars and are based on data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.] 

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date

Industry % Change6

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2021/

2021p 2021r 2021 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2021p 2021r 2021 2020 2021p 2020 2020

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries......................... 513,555 502,760 512,672 2.1 -1.9 1.8 548,134 470,613 470,046 493,599 1,488,793 1,432,661 3.9

 Construction materials and supplies....... 56,639 55,121 56,724 2.8 -2.8 3.6 58,261 49,209 48,977 51,933 156,447 146,241 7.0

 Information technology......................... 26,483 26,331 26,603 0.6 -1.0 2.3 29,397 23,405 22,825 26,794 75,627 69,243 9.2

 Computers and related products........... 2,012 2,066 2,106 -2.6 -1.9 11.7 2,240 1,601 1,809 2,041 5,650 4,947 14.2

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 60,310 56,945 62,747 5.9 -9.2 -1.3 67,120 56,740 55,611 52,180 179,471 166,469 7.8

 Capital goods...................................... 89,088 87,444 89,958 1.9 -2.8 2.9 99,456 81,368 77,838 93,997 258,662 245,458 5.4

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 76,043 74,376 76,728 2.2 -3.1 2.9 85,042 68,719 66,701 80,937 220,462 209,717 5.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 72,278 71,133 71,983 1.6 -1.2 2.0 80,345 66,344 63,954 71,532 210,643 193,119 9.1

 Defense capital goods4........................ 13,045 13,068 13,230 -0.2 -1.2 3.0 14,414 12,649 11,137 13,060 38,200 35,741 6.9

 Consumer goods.................................. 214,777 208,873 212,147 2.8 -1.5 1.2 224,408 195,235 197,922 192,748 617,565 591,480 4.4

 Consumer durable goods..................... 42,764 39,979 44,485 7.0 -10.1 -1.4 47,367 39,691 38,552 35,173 125,610 113,560 10.6

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 172,013 168,894 167,662 1.8 0.7 1.9 177,041 155,544 159,370 157,575 491,955 477,920 2.9

 All manufacturing industries5...................... 512,857 507,089 509,736 1.1 -0.5 2.7 556,156 478,127 470,245 472,892 1,504,528 1,411,511 6.6

 Construction materials and supplies....... 58,962 57,104 57,756 3.3 -1.1 3.7 61,586 51,511 50,703 52,033 163,800 147,076 11.4

 Information technology......................... 26,847 26,872 26,920 -0.1 -0.2 0.6 30,733 24,482 23,441 27,555 78,656 71,199 10.5

 Computers and related products........... 2,033 2,067 2,093 -1.6 -1.2 7.9 2,261 1,602 1,796 2,012 5,659 4,910 15.3

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 60,545 57,348 63,085 5.6 -9.1 -0.9 67,273 57,624 56,324 51,960 181,221 167,241 8.4

 Capital goods...................................... 90,225 93,243 90,544 -3.2 3.0 8.7 107,559 88,428 79,679 77,529 275,666 232,634 18.5

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 76,108 79,646 75,502 -4.4 5.5 6.3 88,272 75,041 67,510 57,703 230,823 187,008 23.4

 Excluding aircraft............................. 73,440 72,550 73,140 1.2 -0.8 0.7 82,232 69,580 67,754 72,303 219,566 198,681 10.5

 Defense capital goods4........................ 14,117 13,597 15,042 3.8 -9.6 22.2 19,287 13,387 12,169 19,826 44,843 45,626 -1.7

 Consumer goods.................................. 214,968 209,132 212,338 2.8 -1.5 1.1 224,740 195,422 198,259 192,837 618,421 591,696 4.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 42,955 40,238 44,676 6.8 -9.9 -1.5 47,699 39,878 38,889 35,262 126,466 113,776 11.2

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 172,013 168,894 167,662 1.8 0.7 1.9 177,041 155,544 159,370 157,575 491,955 477,920 2.9

 All manufacturing industries5...................... 1,087,776 1,083,319 1,073,780 0.4 0.9 0.2 1,099,263 1,086,646 1,074,276 1,135,102 (X) (X) -3.2

 Construction materials and supplies....... 59,183 56,860 54,877 4.1 3.6 1.9 59,744 56,419 54,117 51,952 (X) (X) 15.0

 Information technology......................... 118,020 117,656 117,115 0.3 0.5 0.3 119,116 117,780 116,703 115,166 (X) (X) 3.4

 Computers and related products........... 1,965 1,944 1,943 1.1 0.1 -0.7 1,965 1,944 1,943 1,971 (X) (X) -0.3

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 22,582 22,347 21,944 1.1 1.8 1.6 23,579 23,426 22,542 21,520 (X) (X) 9.6

 Capital goods...................................... 773,812 772,675 766,876 0.1 0.8 0.1 780,635 772,532 765,472 825,449 (X) (X) -5.4

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 592,399 592,334 587,064 0.0 0.9 -0.2 596,046 592,816 586,494 641,955 (X) (X) -7.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 228,503 227,341 225,924 0.5 0.6 0.5 230,729 228,842 225,606 217,696 (X) (X) 6.0

 Defense capital goods4........................ 181,413 180,341 179,812 0.6 0.3 1.0 184,589 179,716 178,978 183,494 (X) (X) 0.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 6,756 6,565 6,306 2.9 4.1 3.1 6,911 6,579 6,392 4,906 (X) (X) 40.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 6,756 6,565 6,306 2.9 4.1 3.1 6,911 6,579 6,392 4,906 (X) (X) 40.9 

 All manufacturing industries....................... 707,713 702,495 696,914 0.7 0.8 0.2 709,480 707,033 695,332 688,034 (X) (X) 3.1

 Construction materials and supplies....... 72,756 71,870 71,066 1.2 1.1 0.5 73,968 72,950 71,397 72,729 (X) (X) 1.7

 Information technology......................... 39,753 39,606 39,579 0.4 0.1 0.1 39,211 39,636 39,168 38,539 (X) (X) 1.7

 Computers and related products........... 4,072 3,973 3,941 2.5 0.8 -0.6 3,872 4,004 3,857 3,595 (X) (X) 7.7

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 43,135 41,754 40,554 3.3 3.0 2.2 43,137 42,306 40,722 39,644 (X) (X) 8.8

 Capital goods...................................... 214,087 213,392 212,990 0.3 0.2 -1.1 213,489 213,775 210,654 209,797 (X) (X) 1.8

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 192,679 191,958 191,770 0.4 0.1 -1.3 191,933 192,397 189,551 188,858 (X) (X) 1.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 129,564 129,271 128,749 0.2 0.4 0.3 129,250 129,477 127,137 127,784 (X) (X) 1.1

 Defense capital goods4........................ 21,408 21,434 21,220 -0.1 1.0 0.8 21,556 21,378 21,103 20,939 (X) (X) 2.9

 Consumer goods.................................. 213,758 211,695 208,688 1.0 1.4 1.2 213,464 212,501 208,266 199,310 (X) (X) 7.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 33,854 32,464 31,597 4.3 2.7 1.4 33,623 33,084 31,853 31,271 (X) (X) 7.5

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 179,904 179,231 177,091 0.4 1.2 1.2 179,841 179,417 176,413 168,039 (X) (X) 7.0

NEW ORDERS 

UNFILLED ORDERS 

TOTAL INVENTORIES 

X

 Not Applicable 

p

 Preliminary 

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

1

 Estimates of shipments and new orders are for the duration of the period, while estimates of unfilled orders and total inventories are for the end of the period. Not seasonally adjusted estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for noncalendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates 

are not adjusted for price changes. 

2 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories. 

3

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

metalworking machinery; turbines and generators; other power transmission equipment; pumps and compressors; material handling equipment; all other machinery; electronic computers; computer storage devices; other computer peripheral equipment; 

communications equipment; search and navigation equipment; electromedical, measuring, and control instruments; electrical equipment; other electrical equipment, appliances, and components; heavy duty trucks; aircraft; railroad rolling stock; ships and 

boats; office and institutional furniture; and medical equipment and supplies. 

4

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

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 

6

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

Note: Estimates of manufacturers' shipments, inventories and orders are subject to survey error and revision. One major component of survey error is nonsampling error, which includes errors of coverage, response, and nonreporting. Since the survey 

panel is not a probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, March Full Report, May 4, 2021. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>. 
Table 6. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories, by Stage of Fabrication, by Industry Group1 

[Estimates are shown in millions of dollars and are based on data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.] 

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly % Change

Industry March

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2021/

2021p 2021r 2021 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2021p 2021r 2021 2020 2020

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries....................... 246,199 244,458 240,969 0.7 1.4 0.7 247,349 245,268 241,183 236,190 4.7

 Durable goods industries.......................... 150,864 149,600 147,224 0.8 1.6 0.2 150,646 149,261 147,064 144,864 4.0

 Wood products................................... 5,975 5,867 5,714 1.8 2.7 0.7 5,950 6,023 5,939 5,341 11.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 5,910 5,808 5,754 1.8 0.9 0.5 5,944 5,813 5,731 5,814 2.2

 Primary metals.................................... 12,759 12,432 12,216 2.6 1.8 0.0 12,514 12,418 12,315 12,544 -0.2

 Fabricated metal products.......................... 20,983 20,502 20,139 2.3 1.8 1.8 20,840 20,349 20,164 19,455 7.1

 Machinery.......................................... 27,973 27,801 27,462 0.6 1.2 0.9 28,094 27,552 27,159 27,691 1.5

 Computers and electronic products........ 20,056 20,020 19,953 0.2 0.3 0.0 19,738 19,788 19,706 19,528 1.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 8,876 8,834 8,761 0.5 0.8 0.2 8,934 8,856 8,719 8,651 3.3

 Transportation equipment..................... 36,706 36,828 35,863 -0.3 2.7 -0.4 37,192 37,054 35,911 34,625 7.4

 Furniture and related products............... 3,655 3,627 3,595 0.8 0.9 1.9 3,630 3,624 3,652 3,469 4.6

 Miscellaneous products......................... 7,971 7,881 7,767 1.1 1.5 -4.3 7,810 7,784 7,768 7,746 0.8

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 95,335 94,858 93,745 0.5 1.2 1.6 96,703 96,007 94,119 91,326 5.9

 Food products.................................... 20,114 20,133 20,065 -0.1 0.3 1.4 20,192 20,376 20,188 19,691 2.5

 Beverage and tobacco products........................ 5,349 5,374 5,407 -0.5 -0.6 -1.8 5,475 5,506 5,568 6,048 -9.5

 Textiles.............................................. 1,191 1,174 1,167 1.4 0.6 0.8 1,189 1,167 1,158 1,168 1.8

 Textile products................................... 1,160 1,167 1,180 -0.6 -1.1 0.3 1,171 1,163 1,186 1,214 -3.5

 Apparel............................................. 551 531 533 3.8 -0.4 0.9 542 527 534 529 2.5

 Leather and allied products.................... 268 272 259 -1.5 5.0 -2.3 261 266 256 272 -4.0

 Paper products.................................... 7,692 7,698 7,715 -0.1 -0.2 1.1 7,715 7,744 7,808 7,525 2.5

 Printing ............................................. 2,606 2,623 2,645 -0.6 -0.8 0.1 2,607 2,609 2,612 2,680 -2.7

 Petroleum and coal products................. 12,775 12,511 11,838 2.1 5.7 9.2 13,704 12,909 11,628 10,060 36.2

 Chemical products................................ 32,596 32,502 32,180 0.3 1.0 0.8 32,831 32,816 32,333 31,327 4.8

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 11,033 10,873 10,756 1.5 1.1 -0.3 11,016 10,924 10,848 10,812 1.9

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 207,954 206,539 205,596 0.7 0.5 -1.6 207,901 207,661 204,490 203,442 2.2

 Durable goods industries.......................... 161,030 159,457 159,137 1.0 0.2 -2.1 160,988 160,270 158,083 158,253 1.7

 Wood products................................... 2,086 2,086 2,099 0.0 -0.6 1.2 2,143 2,137 2,126 1,759 21.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 1,376 1,363 1,384 1.0 -1.5 -0.9 1,430 1,410 1,396 1,455 -1.7

 Primary metals.................................... 10,081 9,611 9,458 4.9 1.6 -0.8 10,060 9,634 9,388 10,256 -1.9

 Fabricated metal products.......................... 13,150 13,094 12,983 0.4 0.9 0.5 13,253 13,146 12,921 13,662 -3.0

 Machinery.......................................... 20,678 20,340 20,217 1.7 0.6 -0.8 20,631 20,514 19,811 20,157 2.4

 Computers and electronic products........ 12,388 12,370 12,413 0.1 -0.3 -1.1 12,514 12,589 12,455 13,036 -4.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 4,192 4,186 4,298 0.1 -2.6 2.3 4,198 4,211 4,261 4,201 -0.1

 Transportation equipment..................... 92,056 91,401 91,294 0.7 0.1 -3.4 91,769 91,595 90,773 88,861 3.3

 Furniture and related products............... 1,129 1,140 1,143 -1.0 -0.3 -1.8 1,127 1,150 1,137 1,149 -1.9

 Miscellaneous products......................... 3,894 3,866 3,848 0.7 0.5 1.3 3,863 3,884 3,815 3,717 3.9

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 46,924 47,082 46,459 -0.3 1.3 0.0 46,913 47,391 46,407 45,189 3.8

 Food products.................................... 4,324 4,463 4,489 -3.1 -0.6 -0.2 4,185 4,520 4,646 4,495 -6.9

 Beverage and tobacco products........................ 8,448 8,356 8,337 1.1 0.2 -5.3 8,489 8,586 8,580 9,131 -7.0

 Textiles.............................................. 583 584 592 -0.2 -1.4 -1.2 582 584 584 625 -6.9

 Textile products................................... 323 323 329 0.0 -1.8 -2.9 329 329 333 354 -7.1

 Apparel............................................. 294 291 287 1.0 1.4 0.0 289 291 282 307 -5.9

 Leather and allied products.................... 92 90 112 2.2 -19.6 25.8 92 90 114 87 5.7

 Paper products.................................... 1,461 1,452 1,434 0.6 1.3 -0.1 1,457 1,436 1,422 1,390 4.8

 Printing ............................................. 1,119 1,163 1,186 -3.8 -1.9 1.9 1,129 1,181 1,154 1,267 -10.9

 Petroleum and coal products................. 9,129 8,959 8,324 1.9 7.6 8.4 9,393 9,125 8,040 6,370 47.5

 Chemical products................................ 17,994 18,293 18,261 -1.6 0.2 -0.9 17,771 18,084 18,145 18,269 -2.7

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 3,157 3,108 3,108 1.6 0.0 -0.7 3,197 3,165 3,107 2,894 10.5

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 253,560 251,498 250,349 0.8 0.5 1.1 254,230 254,104 249,659 248,402 2.3

 Durable goods industries.......................... 120,053 118,574 118,159 1.2 0.4 1.6 120,823 120,796 117,996 120,588 0.2

 Wood products................................... 4,714 4,699 4,639 0.3 1.3 2.0 5,117 5,033 4,782 5,059 1.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 6,659 6,726 6,756 -1.0 -0.4 -1.4 6,867 6,878 6,779 7,467 -8.0

 Primary metals.................................... 13,039 13,178 12,961 -1.1 1.7 2.9 13,387 13,395 13,089 12,968 3.2

 Fabricated metal products.......................... 19,792 19,612 19,433 0.9 0.9 0.3 20,117 19,897 19,478 20,199 -0.4

 Machinery.......................................... 21,831 22,235 22,300 -1.8 -0.3 -0.1 22,304 22,644 21,990 23,741 -6.1

 Computers and electronic products........ 11,187 11,091 11,141 0.9 -0.4 0.2 10,754 11,166 11,024 10,934 -1.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 7,058 6,887 6,842 2.5 0.7 -1.4 7,174 7,035 6,878 6,955 3.1

 Transportation equipment..................... 20,226 18,662 18,602 8.4 0.3 6.4 19,644 19,181 18,539 18,383 6.9

 Furniture and related products............... 2,565 2,551 2,550 0.5 0.0 -0.5 2,526 2,553 2,552 2,667 -5.3

 Miscellaneous products......................... 12,982 12,933 12,935 0.4 0.0 3.8 12,933 13,014 12,885 12,215 5.9

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 133,507 132,924 132,190 0.4 0.6 0.7 133,407 133,308 131,663 127,814 4.4

 Food products.................................... 31,568 31,375 31,384 0.6 0.0 -0.4 30,874 31,181 31,065 30,110 2.5

 Beverage and tobacco products........................ 11,166 11,188 11,199 -0.2 -0.1 1.6 11,142 11,126 10,988 10,449 6.6

 Textiles.............................................. 1,327 1,312 1,317 1.1 -0.4 -1.2 1,319 1,317 1,334 1,384 -4.7

 Textile products................................... 2,106 2,091 2,142 0.7 -2.4 -2.1 2,124 2,108 2,189 2,313 -8.2

 Apparel............................................. 926 950 950 -2.5 0.0 -0.2 887 927 931 930 -4.6

 Leather and allied products.................... 452 450 439 0.4 2.5 -1.6 445 444 446 482 -7.7

 Paper products.................................... 5,980 5,973 5,954 0.1 0.3 -0.7 5,993 6,002 5,998 6,078 -1.4

 Printing ............................................. 1,661 1,702 1,723 -2.4 -1.2 -0.1 1,653 1,705 1,705 1,755 -5.8

 Petroleum and coal products................. 16,540 15,884 15,294 4.1 3.9 3.8 16,160 15,379 15,202 14,070 14.9

 Chemical products................................ 49,320 49,315 48,959 0.0 0.7 0.5 49,966 50,034 48,976 46,812 6.7

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 12,461 12,684 12,829 -1.8 -1.1 1.3 12,844 13,085 12,829 13,431 -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 noncalendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates 

are not adjusted for price changes. 

Note: Estimates of manufacturers' shipments, inventories and orders are subject to survey error and revision. One major component of survey error is nonsampling error, which includes errors of coverage, response, and nonreporting. Since the survey 

panel is not a probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, March Full Report, May 4, 2021. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.
Table 7. Ratios of Manufacturers' Inventories to Shipments and Unfilled Orders 

 to Shipments, by Industry Group 1

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

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio2

Industry Mar Feb Jan Dec Mar Feb Jan Dec

2021p 2021r 2021 2020 2021p 2021r 2021 2020

All manufacturing industries3

.................................... 1.38 1.40 1.36 1.38 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries3

........................................ 1.68 1.71 1.63 1.66 6.21 6.30 6.11 6.25

 Wood products........................................................... 1.12 1.16 1.13 1.17 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products............................. 1.15 1.17 1.12 1.14 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals............................................................ 1.74 1.75 1.71 1.73 1.72 1.73 1.68 1.68

 Fabricated metal products...................................... 1.63 1.65 1.61 1.64 2.58 2.57 2.49 2.52

 Machinery..................................................................... 2.13 2.17 2.11 2.18 3.45 3.48 3.40 3.52

 Computers and electronic products3

................... 1.40 1.40 1.39 1.41 5.08 5.11 5.05 5.11

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.................................................... 1.72 1.72 1.70 1.81 2.26 2.25 2.20 2.28

 Transportation equipment..................................... 1.81 1.87 1.70 1.73 13.99 14.32 13.41 13.76

 Furniture and related products............................ 1.11 1.11 1.12 1.10 1.44 1.44 1.46 1.41

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

Nondurable goods industries................................... 1.08 1.09 1.08 1.09 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Beverage and tobacco products........................... 1.81 1.87 1.86 1.84 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................................................... 1.33 1.35 1.32 1.36 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products......................................................... 1.85 1.88 1.88 1.93 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel........................................................................ 1.91 1.96 1.93 1.86 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products................................ 1.83 1.91 1.95 1.95 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.......................................................... 0.87 0.88 0.88 0.89 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing........................................................................ 0.75 0.78 0.79 0.78 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............................... 0.76 0.77 0.74 0.74 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products................................................... 1.40 1.41 1.38 1.39 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products................................ 1.30 1.32 1.30 1.31 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Mar3 Mar3 Mar3 Mar3

Industry 2020- 2020- 2020- 2020-

Mar2 Feb Mar2 Feb Mar2 Feb Mar2 Feb

2021 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021 2021

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

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

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

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Primary metals............................................. 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.8 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2

 Fabricated metal products.................... 0.5 0.6 0.4 1.2 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.2

 Machinery...................................................... 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.8 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1

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

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components..................................... 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.9 0.1 0.3 -0.1 0.2

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.9 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.7 (X) 0.9 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.4

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

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

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Textiles.......................................................... (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

 Textile products......................................... (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Apparel......................................................... (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

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

 Printing.......................................................... (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

 Plastics and rubber products................ (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

X

 Not Applicable 

p

 Preliminary 

r

 Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment. 

2

 Excludes the following industries with no unfilled orders: Wood products; nonmetallic mineral products; medical equipment and supplies; office supplies; 

other miscellaneous manufacturing; cutlery and handtools; farm and garden machinery; computer storage and peripheral devices; audio and video 

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

miscellaneous furniture. 

3

 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing. 

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

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

error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, March Full Report, May 4, 2021. Information on data sources 

and methodology can be found on our website at <www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>. 

X Not Applicable 

NA Not Available 

1

 Estimates of shipments and new orders are for the duration of the period, while estimates of unfilled orders and total inventories are for the 

end of the period. Not seasonally adjusted estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally 

adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, 

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

2

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

3

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

monthly averages are the simple averages of the absolute values of the differences for the months specified. The advance to final percent 

change revisions for the durable goods industries are shown in the advance report for the month. 

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

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

estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see 

<http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, March Full Report, May 4, 2021. Information on 

data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes 1

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

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories