FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2016, AT 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Adriana Stoica 

Economic Indicators Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (16)-08 

CB 16-166 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

August 2016 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in August, up two 

consecutive months, increased $0.7 billion or 0.2 percent 

to $453.1 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 

today. This followed a 1.4 percent July increase. 

 Shipments, up five of the last six months, increased 

$0.1 billion or virtually unchanged to $458.1 billion. 

This followed a 0.4 percent July decrease. 

 Unfilled orders, down three consecutive months, 

decreased $1.6 billion or 0.1 percent to $1,123.2 billion. 

This followed a 0.2 percent July decrease. The unfilled 

orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.81, up from 6.79 in July. 

 Inventories, up two consecutive months, increased 

$1.0 billion or 0.2 percent to $622.0 billion. This 

followed a 0.2 percent July increase. The inventories-toshipments ratio was 1.36, unchanged from July. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in August, 

up two consecutive months, increased $0.3 billion or 0.1 

percent to $227.3 billion, up from the previously 

published virtually unchanged decrease. This followed a 

3.6 percent July increase. 

 Transportation equipment, also up two consecutive 

months, drove the increase, $0.6 billion or 0.7 percent to $78.2 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $0.4 billion or 0.2 percent to $225.9 billion. 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in August, 

down following two consecutive monthly increases, 

decreased $0.4 billion or 0.2 percent to $232.2 billion, 

up from the previously published 0.4 percent decrease. 

This followed a virtually unchanged July increase. 

 Transportation equipment, down three of the last four 

months, drove the decrease, $0.7 billion or 0.9 percent to 

$80.1 billion. 

 

 

 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up five 

of the last six months, increased $0.4 billion or 0.2 

percent to $225.9 billion. This followed a 0.8 percent 

July decrease. Beverage and tobacco products, up three 

consecutive months, led the increase, $0.1 billion or 1.0 

percent to $12.6 billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in August, down three consecutive months, decreased $1.6 

billion or 0.1 percent to $1,123.2 billion, virtually 

unchanged from the previously published decrease. This 

followed a 0.2 percent July decrease. 

 

 Transportation equipment, also down three 

consecutive months, drove the decrease, $1.9 billion or 

0.2 percent to $769.1 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in August, 

up two consecutive months, increased $0.6 billion or 0.2 

percent to $383.8 billion, up from the previously 

published 0.1 percent increase. This followed a 0.4 

percent July increase. 

 

 Machinery, up two of the last three months, led the 

increase, $0.3 billion or 0.5 percent to $65.7 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up five 

of the last six months, increased $0.4 billion or 0.2 

percent to $238.1 billion. This followed a virtually 

unchanged July decrease. Petroleum and coal products, up four of the last five months, led the increase, $0.4 

billion or 1.5 percent to $25.4 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, August materials and supplies 

decreased 0.4 percent in durable goods and in 

nondurable goods. Work in process increased 0.4 

percent in durable goods and increased 1.3 percent in 

nondurable goods. Finished goods increased 0.5 percent 

in durable goods and increased 0.1 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 www.census.gov/m3. The Advance Report on durable goods for September is scheduled for release on October 27, 2016 at 

8:30 a.m. EDT and the Full Report on November 3, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. See back page for survey description. To receive the latest updates on the 

Nation's key economic indicators, download the America's Economy app for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. To learn more about this release 

and the other indicators the U.S. Census Bureau publishes, join us for the Investigating Economic Indicators Webinar Series. For more information, 

visit www.census.gov/econ/webinar. 

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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Aug. July June 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2016p 2015 2015

 All manufacturing industries.................. 458,056 458,002 459,724 0.0 -0.4 0.6 480,345 436,303 490,264 477,743 3,658,059 3,760,302 -2.7

 Excluding transportation................... 377,974 377,223 378,668 0.2 -0.4 0.5 396,105 368,746 400,567 393,672 3,016,093 3,124,002 -3.5

 Excluding defense.............................. 445,436 445,391 447,298 0.0 -0.4 0.6 467,976 425,020 476,363 465,378 3,562,410 3,667,177 -2.9

 With unfilled orders............................ 165,028 165,699 165,483 -0.4 0.1 0.3 172,289 152,814 181,906 170,249 1,314,045 1,326,575 -0.9

 Durable goods industries......................... 232,178 232,559 232,448 -0.2 0.0 0.4 243,745 213,250 254,143 240,804 1,856,584 1,872,002 -0.8

 Wood products....................................... 8,290 8,266 8,148 0.3 1.4 -0.3 9,001 8,542 9,082 8,252 67,033 64,962 3.2

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 9,880 9,843 9,947 0.4 -1.0 1.0 11,203 10,111 10,960 10,372 79,447 75,640 5.0

 Primary metals....................................... 17,757 17,882 17,862 -0.7 0.1 1.4 18,964 17,210 18,795 19,289 144,293 159,799 -9.7

 Iron and steel mills............................ 8,024 8,154 8,137 -1.6 0.2 1.4 8,669 7,906 8,466 9,010 65,205 74,987 -13.0

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 8,269 8,273 8,239 0.0 0.4 1.8 8,738 7,957 8,649 8,565 66,953 71,556 -6.4

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,464 1,455 1,486 0.6 -2.1 -0.7 1,557 1,347 1,680 1,714 12,135 13,256 -8.5

 Fabricated metal products....................... 30,215 30,086 29,826 0.4 0.9 -0.5 32,606 29,060 31,889 30,759 240,928 238,391 1.1

 Machinery............................................. 29,851 29,713 29,992 0.5 -0.9 -0.5 30,314 27,821 32,755 31,992 243,577 260,057 -6.3

 Farm machinery................................. 1,712 1,749 1,834 -2.1 -4.6 1.4 1,574 1,642 1,807 1,999 15,260 17,751 -14.0

 Construction machinery..................... 2,460 2,429 2,708 1.3 -10.3 -6.8 2,462 2,261 2,896 3,420 22,214 30,005 -26.0

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 880 830 862 6.0 -3.7 -3.9 900 777 903 1,558 7,841 14,517 -46.0

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,499 2,425 2,331 3.1 4.0 1.1 2,357 2,250 2,677 2,301 18,931 18,314 3.4

 Photographic equipment...................... 421 421 425 0.0 -0.9 -4.5 426 371 468 420 3,307 3,279 0.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,555 3,449 3,338 3.1 3.3 0.3 3,875 3,677 4,234 3,743 28,317 28,829 -1.8

 Metalworking machinery..................... 3,064 3,116 3,056 -1.7 2.0 -0.2 3,240 2,743 3,271 2,986 23,825 21,267 12.0

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,961 4,095 4,073 -3.3 0.5 -2.8 4,053 3,944 4,188 4,490 32,577 36,176 -9.9

 Material handling equipment............... 2,952 2,989 3,021 -1.2 -1.1 2.7 3,150 2,784 3,151 2,818 23,658 20,371 16.1

 Computers and electronic products2

.......... 27,338 27,279 26,645 0.2 2.4 0.4 27,636 25,538 30,084 26,214 208,667 201,599 3.5

 Computers........................................ 599 603 560 -0.7 7.7 -6.2 568 553 739 760 4,650 6,213 -25.2

 Computer storage devices..................... 607 693 570 -12.4 21.6 -3.4 476 443 918 435 4,216 4,046 4.2

 Other peripheral equipment................ 641 652 620 -1.7 5.2 -7.0 564 535 874 637 5,059 6,325 -20.0

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 3,108 3,077 3,276 1.0 -6.1 6.0 3,043 2,704 4,052 3,011 23,934 23,950 -0.1

 Defense communications equipment.... 338 294 282 15.0 4.3 -1.1 330 271 280 308 2,275 2,465 -7.7

 Audio and video equipment.................... 371 365 359 1.6 1.7 -0.6 352 323 345 314 2,581 1,783 44.8

 Electronic components......................... 4,905 4,788 4,666 2.4 2.6 -1.7 5,317 4,869 5,346 4,727 37,911 33,725 12.4

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,370 1,395 1,367 -1.8 2.0 3.2 1,421 1,183 1,528 1,323 10,771 9,781 10.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,564 2,676 2,575 -4.2 3.9 0.7 2,600 2,477 2,850 2,653 19,777 19,543 1.2

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 9,287 9,245 9,019 0.5 2.5 -0.5 8,976 8,366 10,262 8,238 70,304 65,806 6.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,548 9,520 9,453 0.3 0.7 0.2 10,081 9,072 10,290 10,260 75,475 81,526 -7.4

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,093 1,098 1,079 -0.5 1.8 0.6 1,150 1,070 1,072 1,085 8,402 7,961 5.5

 Household appliances........................ 1,374 1,364 1,382 0.7 -1.3 0.0 1,437 1,267 1,501 1,520 11,000 12,406 -11.3

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,883 2,881 2,911 0.1 -1.0 -0.2 2,997 2,654 3,384 3,174 23,496 25,908 -9.3

 Batteries........................................... 820 795 790 3.1 0.6 1.3 865 680 813 823 6,073 6,398 -5.1

 Transportation equipment........................ 80,082 80,779 81,056 -0.9 -0.3 1.3 84,240 67,557 89,697 84,071 641,966 636,300 0.9

 Automobiles..................................... 9,516 9,436 9,603 0.8 -1.7 3.6 10,195 7,189 10,552 10,805 78,153 84,719 -7.8

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 15,246 14,999 14,610 1.6 2.7 1.7 16,731 11,793 15,676 16,018 120,638 115,195 4.7

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,033 2,099 2,221 -3.1 -5.5 -2.5 2,142 2,000 2,453 2,674 18,239 21,602 -15.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 28,264 28,223 28,575 0.1 -1.2 3.2 30,602 24,136 30,502 27,285 225,216 205,542 9.6

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 12,992 14,028 13,862 -7.4 1.2 -4.7 12,737 11,999 16,843 14,552 105,446 109,661 -3.8

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,417 4,052 4,156 9.0 -2.5 -3.3 4,208 3,472 4,926 4,935 32,658 36,872 -11.4

 Ships and boats................................. 3,126 3,152 2,853 -0.8 10.5 -4.1 3,107 2,947 3,037 2,836 24,085 21,898 10.0

 Furniture and related products.................. 6,290 6,269 6,272 0.3 0.0 -0.5 6,796 6,328 6,481 6,658 50,543 48,438 4.3

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 12,927 12,922 13,247 0.0 -2.5 -0.7 12,904 12,011 14,110 12,937 104,655 105,290 -0.6

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 225,878 225,443 227,276 0.2 -0.8 0.8 236,600 223,053 236,121 236,939 1,801,475 1,888,300 -4.6

 Food products....................................... 64,998 64,960 64,993 0.1 -0.1 0.2 66,306 62,056 64,228 65,288 510,378 508,270 0.4

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 7,890 8,087 8,229 -2.4 -1.7 1.7 8,327 7,550 7,809 8,303 62,792 62,290 0.8

 Dairy products.................................. 9,286 9,151 8,959 1.5 2.1 -0.7 9,573 8,919 8,861 9,331 72,056 72,770 -1.0

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 17,756 17,791 18,031 -0.2 -1.3 0.0 18,064 17,577 18,503 18,618 142,334 149,430 -4.7

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 12,601 12,472 12,345 1.0 1.0 2.9 13,136 12,543 13,126 12,440 97,949 97,121 0.9

 Beverages......................................... 9,517 9,444 9,271 0.8 1.9 1.4 10,052 9,515 10,052 9,404 74,331 72,111 3.1

 Tobacco............................................ 3,084 3,028 3,074 1.8 -1.5 7.6 3,084 3,028 3,074 3,036 23,618 25,010 -5.6

 Textile mills........................................... 2,536 2,499 2,511 1.5 -0.5 -0.4 2,676 2,459 2,691 2,686 20,478 20,922 -2.1

 Textile products................................... 2,018 1,982 1,981 1.8 0.1 0.1 2,124 2,019 2,120 2,165 16,184 16,683 -3.0

 Apparel................................................ 1,079 1,075 1,076 0.4 -0.1 -1.3 1,200 1,073 1,012 1,126 8,119 7,618 6.6

 Leather and allied products...................... 337 331 338 1.8 -2.1 -0.9 345 326 358 376 2,732 3,234 -15.5

 Paper products...................................... 15,055 15,027 15,190 0.2 -1.1 -0.2 15,860 14,913 15,636 15,624 121,881 121,869 0.0

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,664 6,699 6,753 -0.5 -0.8 -0.1 7,062 6,720 6,895 7,064 54,307 54,961 -1.2

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,631 4,579 4,632 1.1 -1.1 -0.3 4,934 4,577 4,857 4,770 37,473 37,059 1.1

 Printing................................................. 7,174 7,111 7,147 0.9 -0.5 -0.3 7,404 6,621 7,073 7,207 56,564 56,328 0.4

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 35,079 34,977 36,232 0.3 -3.5 2.9 38,445 38,160 40,003 44,096 276,473 377,792 -26.8

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 31,260 31,122 32,478 0.4 -4.2 3.0 33,784 33,960 35,696 40,220 246,966 350,523 -29.5

 Chemical products..................................... 65,833 65,799 66,259 0.1 -0.7 0.4 68,628 63,878 69,223 66,301 535,524 523,409 2.3

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 4,248 4,135 4,066 2.7 1.7 1.4 3,684 3,334 4,244 3,296 35,858 33,502 7.0

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 21,430 21,481 21,574 -0.2 -0.4 0.0 22,389 20,672 22,265 20,469 172,628 149,976 15.1

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 3,641 3,615 3,612 0.7 0.1 -1.3 3,931 3,687 3,997 3,616 30,148 27,976 7.8

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 19,168 19,210 19,204 -0.2 0.0 0.7 20,476 19,005 20,651 19,630 155,193 155,054 0.1

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 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 % Change

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Aug. July June 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2016p 2015 2015

All manufacturing industries2........................ 453,135 452,391 446,331 0.2 1.4 -1.8 466,880 430,190 477,376 461,892 3,609,139 3,705,893 -2.6

 Excluding transportation2

...................... 374,931 374,758 375,014 0.0 -0.1 0.4 389,585 364,865 395,571 387,004 2,999,624 3,099,679 -3.2

 Excluding defense2

.............................. 438,812 440,164 435,955 -0.3 1.0 -1.6 455,233 420,532 462,786 454,153 3,513,787 3,623,502 -3.0

 With unfilled orders2............................. 163,391 163,299 155,169 0.1 5.2 -6.2 162,531 150,254 171,631 157,824 1,290,049 1,297,650 -0.6

 Durable goods industries2

......................... 227,257 226,948 219,055 0.1 3.6 -4.3 230,280 207,137 241,255 224,953 1,807,664 1,817,593 -0.5

 Primary metals........................................ 17,891 17,818 17,599 0.4 1.2 -1.0 18,555 17,028 18,410 18,608 146,040 159,172 -8.3

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 8,254 8,129 7,943 1.5 2.3 -4.5 8,478 7,641 8,278 8,412 67,170 74,819 -10.2

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 8,185 8,295 8,224 -1.3 0.9 4.0 8,590 8,070 8,582 8,577 66,430 71,239 -6.8

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,452 1,394 1,432 4.2 -2.7 -8.0 1,487 1,317 1,550 1,619 12,440 13,114 -5.1

 Fabricated metal products........................ 30,196 30,296 29,889 -0.3 1.4 0.0 31,980 29,351 31,352 29,630 244,187 238,501 2.4

 Machinery............................................. 29,538 29,671 29,390 -0.4 1.0 0.3 29,853 27,645 31,336 31,233 240,879 255,324 -5.7

 Construction machinery........................ 2,306 2,385 2,507 -3.3 -4.9 -4.8 2,376 2,082 2,509 3,432 20,768 27,175 -23.6

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 839 791 533 6.1 48.4 223.0 906 701 662 1,290 5,637 13,118 -57.0

 Industrial machinery............................ 2,381 2,234 2,195 6.6 1.8 -6.8 2,127 2,079 2,571 2,239 18,401 17,975 2.4

 Photographic equipment....................... 439 414 391 6.0 5.9 -8.6 468 379 345 458 3,235 3,504 -7.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,264 3,620 3,370 -9.8 7.4 1.8 3,470 3,799 4,097 3,636 28,089 29,265 -4.0

 Metalworking machinery....................... 3,163 3,199 3,129 -1.1 2.2 3.1 3,304 2,843 3,232 2,869 24,626 21,027 17.1

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment........... 4,015 4,045 4,074 -0.7 -0.7 -0.3 4,012 3,952 4,277 4,224 32,493 34,005 -4.4

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,044 3,071 3,012 -0.9 2.0 -4.3 3,089 2,622 3,119 2,610 23,992 21,513 11.5

 Computers and electronic products2

........... 24,310 24,464 23,865 -0.6 2.5 -1.2 22,959 21,917 27,571 22,603 187,627 181,951 3.1

 Computers........................................ 583 595 552 -2.0 7.8 -8.5 552 545 731 751 4,582 6,314 -27.4

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 3,369 3,382 3,423 -0.4 -1.2 -0.9 2,862 2,871 3,985 3,096 25,788 26,624 -3.1

 Defense communications equipment....... 282 265 313 6.4 -15.3 7.9 261 239 364 312 2,313 2,563 -9.8

 Electronic components......................... 4,833 4,923 4,590 -1.8 7.3 -2.8 5,320 5,075 5,113 4,820 38,146 34,288 11.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,463 1,500 1,464 -2.5 2.5 6.2 1,465 1,306 1,714 1,517 11,549 11,716 -1.4

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,583 2,413 2,514 7.0 -4.0 -6.7 2,285 1,982 2,900 2,324 20,405 18,819 8.4

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments..................... 9,314 9,396 9,188 -0.9 2.3 0.7 8,540 8,337 10,350 8,015 70,723 66,995 5.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,612 9,837 9,491 -2.3 3.6 1.1 10,089 9,135 10,320 10,191 76,860 81,578 -5.8

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,077 1,081 1,070 -0.4 1.0 -0.7 1,135 1,043 1,069 1,093 8,453 7,978 6.0

 Household appliances.......................... 1,398 1,452 1,443 -3.7 0.6 9.7 1,474 1,296 1,490 1,413 11,029 12,258 -10.0

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,841 2,907 2,848 -2.3 2.1 -0.9 2,891 2,737 3,300 3,203 23,581 26,579 -11.3

 Transportation equipment........................ 78,204 77,633 71,317 0.7 8.9 -11.5 77,295 65,325 81,805 74,888 609,515 606,214 0.5

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 28,245 28,048 28,329 0.7 -1.0 2.1 30,851 23,595 29,780 27,425 223,142 204,566 9.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 8,806 11,394 6,591 -22.7 72.9 -59.7 5,310 11,710 9,228 10,663 76,878 94,688 -18.8

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 5,641 4,444 3,643 26.9 22.0 -7.5 4,062 3,419 5,634 3,210 34,715 29,983 15.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,420 2,965 2,667 15.3 11.2 2.7 3,076 2,556 3,362 1,367 22,358 18,806 18.9

 Furniture and related products................... 6,406 6,192 6,161 3.5 0.5 -2.6 6,438 6,066 6,308 6,245 51,407 48,959 5.0

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 225,878 225,443 227,276 0.2 -0.8 0.8 236,600 223,053 236,121 236,939 1,801,475 1,888,300 -4.6

p

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

1

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

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

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

adjusted for price changes.

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 % Change

Industry August

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Aug. July June 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2015

All manufacturing industries2...................... 1,123,200 1,124,837 1,127,237 -0.1 -0.2 -0.9 1,115,704 1,125,462 1,128,022 1,138,644 -2.0

 Excluding transportation2...................... 354,147 353,906 353,160 0.1 0.2 -0.2 353,297 356,110 356,438 352,637 0.2

 Excluding defense2

............................. 948,810 952,150 954,166 -0.4 -0.2 -0.9 942,784 951,820 952,755 966,250 -2.4

 Durable goods industries2........................ 1,123,200 1,124,837 1,127,237 -0.1 -0.2 -0.9 1,115,704 1,125,462 1,128,022 1,138,644 -2.0

 Primary metals........................................ 32,546 32,412 32,476 0.4 -0.2 -0.8 32,360 32,769 32,951 32,488 -0.4

 Iron and steel mills............................... 18,374 18,144 18,169 1.3 -0.1 -1.1 18,325 18,516 18,781 17,061 7.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............. 10,406 10,490 10,468 -0.8 0.2 -0.1 10,293 10,441 10,328 11,848 -13.1

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 3,766 3,778 3,839 -0.3 -1.6 -1.4 3,742 3,812 3,842 3,579 4.6

 Fabricated metal products......................... 74,053 74,072 73,862 0.0 0.3 0.1 74,706 75,332 75,041 74,224 0.6

 Machinery.............................................. 92,470 92,783 92,825 -0.3 0.0 -0.6 92,258 92,719 92,895 98,984 -6.8

 Construction machinery......................... 4,137 4,291 4,335 -3.6 -1.0 -4.4 3,949 4,035 4,214 6,040 -34.6

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 5,911 5,952 5,991 -0.7 -0.7 -5.2 5,966 5,960 6,036 10,229 -41.7

 Industrial machinery............................. 7,389 7,507 7,698 -1.6 -2.5 -1.7 7,387 7,617 7,788 8,707 -15.2

 Photographic equipment........................ 1,187 1,169 1,176 1.5 -0.6 -2.8 1,203 1,161 1,153 1,371 -12.3

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment................ 6,231 6,522 6,351 -4.5 2.7 0.5 6,100 6,505 6,383 6,044 0.9

 Metalworking machinery........................ 7,419 7,320 7,237 1.4 1.1 1.0 7,420 7,356 7,256 6,922 7.2

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment............ 25,629 25,575 25,625 0.2 -0.2 0.0 25,608 25,649 25,641 25,457 0.6

 Material handling equipment................... 12,086 11,994 11,912 0.8 0.7 -0.1 11,967 12,028 12,190 11,018 8.6

 Computers and electronic products2............. 129,075 128,819 128,423 0.2 0.3 0.2 128,075 129,045 129,113 122,205 4.8

 Computers......................................... 2,379 2,395 2,403 -0.7 -0.3 -0.3 2,379 2,395 2,403 2,381 -0.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 32,855 32,594 32,289 0.8 0.9 0.5 32,379 32,560 32,393 29,388 10.2

 Defense communications equipment........ 2,245 2,301 2,330 -2.4 -1.2 1.3 2,275 2,344 2,376 2,387 -4.7

 Electronic components.......................... 12,098 12,170 12,035 -0.6 1.1 -0.6 12,189 12,186 11,980 11,960 1.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 17,834 17,741 17,636 0.5 0.6 0.6 17,903 17,859 17,736 16,747 6.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 28,257 28,238 28,501 0.1 -0.9 -0.2 27,983 28,298 28,793 27,097 3.3

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments...................... 33,407 33,380 33,229 0.1 0.5 0.5 32,967 33,403 33,432 32,245 2.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 17,705 17,641 17,324 0.4 1.8 0.2 17,688 17,680 17,617 16,804 5.3

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,307 1,323 1,340 -1.2 -1.3 -0.7 1,319 1,334 1,361 1,290 2.2

 Household appliances........................... 1,218 1,194 1,106 2.0 8.0 5.8 1,180 1,143 1,114 1,072 10.1

 Electrical equipment............................. 7,907 7,949 7,923 -0.5 0.3 -0.8 7,948 8,054 7,971 8,088 -1.7

 Transportation equipment......................... 769,053 770,931 774,077 -0.2 -0.4 -1.2 762,407 769,352 771,584 786,007 -3.0

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 21,975 21,994 22,169 -0.1 -0.8 -1.1 21,485 21,236 21,777 23,019 -6.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 586,876 591,062 593,696 -0.7 -0.4 -1.2 582,068 589,495 589,784 600,926 -3.1

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 71,973 70,749 70,357 1.7 0.6 -0.7 70,675 70,821 70,874 63,117 12.0

 Ships and boats.................................. 16,829 16,535 16,722 1.8 -1.1 -1.1 16,863 16,894 17,285 25,298 -33.3

 Furniture and related products................... 8,046 7,930 8,007 1.5 -1.0 -1.4 7,958 8,316 8,578 7,691 3.5

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

1

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

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

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

adjusted for price changes.

2

 Data on 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 % Change

Industry August

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Aug. July June 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2015

 All manufacturing industries...................... 621,952 620,953 619,472 0.2 0.2 0.0 627,284 625,169 616,964 641,370 -2.2

 Excluding transportation........................ 498,395 497,184 496,325 0.2 0.2 0.2 502,797 500,543 495,096 514,482 -2.3

 Excluding defense............................. 596,500 595,074 594,381 0.2 0.1 0.1 601,716 598,956 591,612 613,990 -2.0

 With unfilled orders............................. 311,531 311,123 309,757 0.1 0.4 -0.5 314,750 314,148 308,053 323,874 -2.8

 Durable goods industries........................ 383,821 383,221 381,715 0.2 0.4 -0.1 387,258 386,083 378,959 395,748 -2.1

 Wood products........................................ 11,414 11,284 11,217 1.2 0.6 0.7 11,302 11,111 10,984 11,194 1.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products..................... 13,124 13,032 12,991 0.7 0.3 0.2 13,023 13,041 13,093 12,776 1.9

 Primary metals......................................... 31,911 31,648 31,253 0.8 1.3 0.1 32,034 31,751 30,828 35,305 -9.3

 Iron and steel mills............................... 17,467 17,251 16,924 1.3 1.9 -0.2 17,525 17,278 16,571 20,235 -13.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............ 12,385 12,321 12,244 0.5 0.6 0.5 12,453 12,406 12,191 12,985 -4.1

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,059 2,076 2,085 -0.8 -0.4 -0.8 2,056 2,067 2,066 2,085 -1.4

 Fabricated metal products......................... 49,119 49,107 48,788 0.0 0.7 0.5 49,166 49,503 48,691 49,442 -0.6

 Machinery.............................................. 65,662 65,350 65,649 0.5 -0.5 0.4 66,598 65,865 65,157 69,204 -3.8

 Farm machinery.................................. 2,941 2,893 2,912 1.7 -0.7 -2.4 2,879 2,823 2,972 3,383 -14.9

 Construction machinery......................... 5,580 5,481 5,441 1.8 0.7 1.2 5,546 5,419 5,410 6,549 -15.3

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 7,382 7,233 7,189 2.1 0.6 1.0 7,509 7,277 7,256 7,974 -5.8

 Industrial machinery............................. 6,431 6,383 6,419 0.8 -0.6 1.6 6,483 6,319 6,392 6,420 1.0

 Photographic equipment....................... 1,571 1,583 1,586 -0.8 -0.2 -0.2 1,637 1,623 1,547 1,605 2.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,380 4,339 4,384 0.9 -1.0 -0.9 4,408 4,404 4,433 4,683 -5.9

 Metalworking machinery........................ 5,715 5,684 5,624 0.5 1.1 0.1 5,831 5,740 5,599 5,847 -0.3

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment............ 9,284 9,377 9,663 -1.0 -3.0 0.8 9,612 9,592 9,263 10,104 -4.9

 Material handling equipment.................. 4,624 4,613 4,637 0.2 -0.5 -1.4 4,812 4,763 4,671 4,492 7.1

 Computers and electronic products2

............ 42,563 42,568 42,708 0.0 -0.3 0.0 43,406 43,156 42,379 43,942 -1.2

 Computers......................................... 1,633 1,589 1,570 2.8 1.2 3.1 1,732 1,691 1,590 1,550 11.7

 Computer storage devices.................... 981 984 986 -0.3 -0.2 -2.8 1,028 1,009 957 1,168 -12.0

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,035 1,034 1,031 0.1 0.3 -0.5 1,067 1,055 1,007 1,165 -8.4

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 3,994 3,972 3,984 0.6 -0.3 -2.7 4,078 3,966 3,907 4,365 -6.6

 Defense communications equipment........ 565 602 617 -6.1 -2.4 3.7 565 602 617 755 -25.2

 Audio and video equipment.................... 792 793 787 -0.1 0.8 1.8 854 806 737 805 6.1

 Electronic components.......................... 7,687 7,685 7,746 0.0 -0.8 1.6 7,704 7,805 7,679 7,630 1.0

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,063 3,055 3,071 0.3 -0.5 -0.2 3,118 3,095 3,046 3,154 -1.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,955 2,955 2,976 0.0 -0.7 2.2 2,976 3,055 3,000 2,889 3.0

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments...................... 13,994 14,053 14,097 -0.4 -0.3 0.1 14,463 14,248 13,991 14,969 -3.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 16,177 16,350 16,175 -1.1 1.1 -0.7 16,475 16,639 16,180 17,050 -3.4

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 2,005 2,001 1,999 0.2 0.1 0.2 2,036 2,058 1,998 1,961 3.8

 Household appliances........................... 2,238 2,220 2,230 0.8 -0.4 -1.2 2,333 2,288 2,246 2,341 -0.3

 Electrical equipment............................. 4,869 4,863 4,890 0.1 -0.6 -0.5 4,896 4,909 4,848 5,107 -4.1

 Batteries............................................ 1,300 1,315 1,329 -1.1 -1.1 -1.4 1,399 1,386 1,354 1,524 -8.2

 Transportation equipment......................... 123,557 123,769 123,147 -0.2 0.5 -0.8 124,487 124,626 121,868 126,888 -1.9

 Automobiles....................................... 4,383 4,682 4,933 -6.4 -5.1 18.6 4,398 4,671 4,536 4,559 -3.5

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 4,393 4,283 4,311 2.6 -0.6 8.3 4,418 4,261 4,045 4,024 9.8

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 2,055 2,091 2,093 -1.7 -0.1 -2.2 2,033 2,069 2,079 2,154 -5.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 23,929 23,857 23,613 0.3 1.0 0.7 24,072 24,034 23,266 24,046 0.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 62,365 62,128 62,356 0.4 -0.4 -2.3 62,825 62,538 61,957 63,753 -1.5

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 11,292 11,547 10,742 -2.2 7.5 -3.5 11,303 11,629 10,744 12,180 -7.2

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,948 2,950 2,946 -0.1 0.1 0.1 2,931 2,931 2,998 2,815 4.1

 Furniture and related products.................... 7,143 7,137 7,148 0.1 -0.2 -0.3 7,302 7,338 7,343 7,226 1.1

 Miscellaneous durable goods..................... 23,151 22,976 22,639 0.8 1.5 0.2 23,465 23,053 22,436 22,721 3.3

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 238,131 237,732 237,757 0.2 0.0 0.1 240,026 239,086 238,005 245,622 -2.3

 Food products........................................ 53,842 53,724 53,801 0.2 -0.1 0.3 54,371 53,263 52,310 53,906 0.9

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,712 5,730 5,763 -0.3 -0.6 -1.6 5,479 5,537 5,589 5,702 -3.9

 Dairy products.................................... 7,448 7,361 7,322 1.2 0.5 0.2 7,632 7,600 7,561 7,463 2.3

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products....... 8,944 8,993 9,057 -0.5 -0.7 -1.4 9,057 9,043 8,971 9,863 -8.2

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 20,683 20,531 20,473 0.7 0.3 -1.2 20,173 19,765 19,886 20,159 0.1

 Beverages......................................... 16,890 16,748 16,687 0.8 0.4 -1.3 16,562 16,225 16,250 16,368 1.2

 Tobacco............................................ 3,793 3,783 3,786 0.3 -0.1 -0.9 3,611 3,540 3,636 3,791 -4.7

 Textile mills............................................ 3,180 3,178 3,176 0.1 0.1 0.3 3,200 3,198 3,195 3,129 2.3

 Textile products...................................... 3,070 3,069 3,067 0.0 0.1 -0.3 3,081 3,069 3,084 3,071 0.3

 Apparel................................................. 2,551 2,560 2,561 -0.4 0.0 -0.2 2,696 2,695 2,592 2,509 7.5

 Leather and allied products....................... 792 796 794 -0.5 0.3 -0.6 807 807 806 844 -4.4

 Paper products....................................... 16,119 16,194 16,132 -0.5 0.4 -0.1 16,178 16,269 16,005 16,658 -2.9

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills........... 6,646 6,669 6,613 -0.3 0.8 0.5 6,621 6,684 6,549 6,798 -2.6

 Paperboard containers......................... 5,071 5,127 5,123 -1.1 0.1 -0.8 5,081 5,128 5,077 5,289 -3.9

 Printing.................................................. 5,885 5,867 5,894 0.3 -0.5 -0.9 6,067 5,911 5,905 6,055 0.2

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 25,355 24,978 25,107 1.5 -0.5 0.7 26,505 26,472 27,111 32,614 -18.7

 Petroleum refineries............................. 20,717 20,331 20,474 1.9 -0.7 0.6 21,828 21,762 22,417 27,939 -21.9

 Chemical products..................................... 81,384 81,491 81,429 -0.1 0.1 0.4 81,740 82,248 81,723 81,353 0.5

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals........................ 4,208 4,234 4,192 -0.6 1.0 0.2 3,993 3,958 3,846 4,255 -6.2

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines.............. 32,820 32,903 32,938 -0.3 -0.1 1.0 32,848 33,276 33,541 31,347 4.8

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.............. 3,749 3,692 3,696 1.5 -0.1 0.2 3,699 3,722 3,755 3,508 5.4

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 25,270 25,344 25,323 -0.3 0.1 -0.1 25,208 25,389 25,388 25,324 -0.5

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

1

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

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

where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 2 Estimates of inventories for the semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products, and all other applicable aggregate totals. 

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

Industry % Change6

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Aug. July June 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2016p 2015 2015

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries................... 458,056 458,002 459,724 0.0 -0.4 0.6 480,345 436,303 490,264 477,743 3,658,059 3,760,302 -2.7

 Construction materials and supplies....... 46,602 46,326 46,356 0.6 -0.1 -0.4 51,286 47,087 51,188 48,659 376,477 368,658 2.1

 Information technology......................... 22,948 23,083 22,616 -0.6 2.1 0.3 22,670 20,888 26,113 22,139 175,643 174,522 0.6

 Computers and related products........... 1,847 1,948 1,750 -5.2 11.3 -5.6 1,608 1,531 2,531 1,832 13,925 16,584 -16.0

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 55,059 54,757 55,009 0.6 -0.5 2.6 59,670 45,118 59,183 56,782 442,246 427,058 3.6

 Capital goods...................................... 80,541 82,021 81,898 -1.8 0.2 -0.8 81,010 74,832 91,649 85,516 643,901 673,288 -4.4

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 70,217 71,442 71,701 -1.7 -0.4 -1.3 70,768 65,276 80,514 75,546 565,346 598,984 -5.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 62,147 62,204 62,642 -0.1 -0.7 -0.4 62,620 57,492 69,366 65,127 498,862 525,498 -5.1

 Defense capital goods4........................ 10,324 10,579 10,197 -2.4 3.7 3.1 10,242 9,556 11,135 9,970 78,555 74,304 5.7

 Consumer goods.................................. 184,473 183,924 185,051 0.3 -0.6 1.2 193,117 176,568 192,092 194,471 1,460,866 1,536,329 -4.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 37,846 37,562 37,374 0.8 0.5 1.5 40,073 31,107 40,007 39,759 303,764 303,695 0.0

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 146,627 146,362 147,677 0.2 -0.9 1.1 153,044 145,461 152,085 154,712 1,157,102 1,232,634 -6.1

 All manufacturing industries5

................... 453,135 452,391 446,331 0.2 1.4 -1.8 466,880 430,190 477,376 461,892 3,609,139 3,705,893 -2.6

 Construction materials and supplies....... 46,181 46,230 46,265 -0.1 -0.1 -0.4 50,288 47,052 50,748 47,958 377,951 370,400 2.0

 Information technology......................... 23,392 23,557 23,006 -0.7 2.4 -0.9 21,831 20,600 26,451 21,900 180,440 179,532 0.5

 Computers and related products........... 1,831 1,940 1,742 -5.6 11.4 -6.3 1,592 1,523 2,523 1,823 13,857 16,685 -16.9

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 55,040 54,582 54,763 0.8 -0.3 2.1 59,919 44,577 58,461 56,922 440,172 426,082 3.3

 Capital goods...................................... 79,006 79,627 71,926 -0.8 10.7 -12.4 73,988 72,390 83,088 76,086 622,570 651,956 -4.5

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 67,152 70,020 64,987 -4.1 7.7 -10.9 63,925 64,851 73,114 70,107 543,624 584,599 -7.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 63,523 62,931 62,437 0.9 0.8 0.5 62,419 57,273 68,292 62,984 502,711 523,569 -4.0

 Defense capital goods4........................ 11,854 9,607 6,939 23.4 38.4 -24.3 10,063 7,539 9,974 5,979 78,946 67,357 17.2

 Consumer goods.................................. 184,500 184,019 185,084 0.3 -0.6 1.2 193,053 176,639 191,845 194,354 1,460,920 1,535,981 -4.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 37,873 37,657 37,407 0.6 0.7 1.7 40,009 31,178 39,760 39,642 303,818 303,347 0.2

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 146,627 146,362 147,677 0.2 -0.9 1.1 153,044 145,461 152,085 154,712 1,157,102 1,232,634 -6.1

 All manufacturing industries5

................... 1,123,200 1,124,837 1,127,237 -0.1 -0.2 -0.9 1,115,704 1,125,462 1,128,022 1,138,644 (X) (X) -2.0

 Construction materials and supplies....... 45,484 45,905 46,001 -0.9 -0.2 -0.2 45,781 46,779 46,814 45,850 (X) (X) -0.2

 Information technology......................... 125,437 124,993 124,519 0.4 0.4 0.3 124,330 125,169 125,457 117,970 (X) (X) 5.4

 Computers and related products........... 2,379 2,395 2,403 -0.7 -0.3 -0.3 2,379 2,395 2,403 2,381 (X) (X) -0.1

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 21,975 21,994 22,169 -0.1 -0.8 -1.1 21,485 21,236 21,777 23,019 (X) (X) -6.7

 Capital goods...................................... 833,585 835,120 837,514 -0.2 -0.3 -1.2 829,545 836,567 839,009 861,278 (X) (X) -3.7

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 696,353 699,418 700,840 -0.4 -0.2 -0.9 692,750 699,593 700,018 722,264 (X) (X) -4.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 222,341 220,965 220,238 0.6 0.3 -0.1 221,535 221,736 221,955 223,850 (X) (X) -1.0

 Defense capital goods4

........................ 137,232 135,702 136,674 1.1 -0.7 -2.3 136,795 136,974 138,991 139,014 (X) (X) -1.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 4,449 4,422 4,327 0.6 2.2 0.8 4,246 4,310 4,239 3,980 (X) (X) 6.7

 Consumer durable goods..................... 4,449 4,422 4,327 0.6 2.2 0.8 4,246 4,310 4,239 3,980 (X) (X) 6.7

 All manufacturing industries................... 621,952 620,953 619,472 0.2 0.2 0.0 627,284 625,169 616,964 641,370 (X) (X) -2.2

 Construction materials and supplies....... 65,643 65,296 64,913 0.5 0.6 0.3 65,553 65,561 64,829 65,466 (X) (X) 0.1

 Information technology......................... 36,550 36,773 36,631 -0.6 0.4 -0.1 37,538 37,348 36,327 38,758 (X) (X) -3.1

 Computers and related products........... 3,649 3,607 3,587 1.2 0.6 0.4 3,827 3,755 3,554 3,883 (X) (X) -1.4

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 34,760 34,913 34,950 -0.4 -0.1 3.6 34,921 35,035 33,926 34,783 (X) (X) 0.4

 Capital goods...................................... 190,365 190,460 189,734 0.0 0.4 -0.9 193,012 192,393 189,235 199,218 (X) (X) -3.1

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 169,654 169,334 169,427 0.2 -0.1 -0.7 172,196 171,015 168,669 176,742 (X) (X) -2.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 118,556 118,394 118,167 0.1 0.2 0.2 120,754 119,620 117,483 123,853 (X) (X) -2.5

 Defense capital goods4

........................ 20,711 21,126 20,307 -2.0 4.0 -2.3 20,816 21,378 20,566 22,476 (X) (X) -7.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 177,708 177,222 177,652 0.3 -0.2 0.8 179,541 178,038 177,180 183,093 (X) (X) -1.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 29,760 29,786 30,067 -0.1 -0.9 3.5 30,165 29,797 29,178 29,478 (X) (X) 2.3

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 147,948 147,436 147,585 0.3 -0.1 0.3 149,376 148,241 148,002 153,615 (X) (X) -2.8

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 % Change

Industry August

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Aug. July June 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2015

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries....................... 208,754 209,615 207,339 -0.4 1.1 0.2 209,742 210,588 205,725 211,221 -0.7

 Durable goods industries.......................... 130,349 130,872 128,776 -0.4 1.6 0.5 131,489 131,610 127,158 132,216 -0.5

 Wood products................................... 4,696 4,643 4,603 1.1 0.9 1.1 4,721 4,585 4,386 4,693 0.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 5,240 5,216 5,270 0.5 -1.0 -0.5 5,239 5,224 5,294 5,258 -0.4

 Primary metals.................................... 12,859 12,535 12,459 2.6 0.6 1.7 12,837 12,464 12,230 13,142 -2.3

 Fabricated metal products........................ 18,081 17,995 17,750 0.5 1.4 0.4 18,122 18,113 17,668 18,115 0.0

 Machinery.......................................... 23,624 23,783 23,992 -0.7 -0.9 -0.5 24,002 24,294 23,954 26,149 -8.2

 Computers and electronic products........ 17,540 17,642 17,532 -0.6 0.6 0.2 17,738 17,835 17,311 17,207 3.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,453 6,537 6,490 -1.3 0.7 -0.7 6,556 6,641 6,450 7,075 -7.3

 Transportation equipment..................... 30,724 31,426 29,702 -2.2 5.8 1.5 30,995 31,211 28,843 29,473 5.2

 Furniture and related products............... 3,644 3,642 3,603 0.1 1.1 -0.2 3,676 3,695 3,644 3,657 0.5

 Miscellaneous products......................... 7,488 7,453 7,375 0.5 1.1 0.2 7,603 7,548 7,378 7,447 2.1

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 78,405 78,743 78,563 -0.4 0.2 -0.3 78,253 78,978 78,567 79,005 -1.0

 Food products.................................... 18,132 18,271 18,365 -0.8 -0.5 -1.8 17,862 18,076 18,056 17,890 -0.2

 Beverage and tobacco products................. 5,047 5,053 5,022 -0.1 0.6 0.1 4,801 4,787 4,843 4,792 0.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,162 1,165 1,155 -0.3 0.9 0.6 1,171 1,168 1,163 1,185 -1.2

 Textile products................................... 1,060 1,066 1,070 -0.6 -0.4 0.1 1,063 1,068 1,080 1,069 -0.6

 Apparel............................................. 685 690 686 -0.7 0.6 -1.9 704 705 696 756 -6.9

 Leather and allied products.................... 236 238 239 -0.8 -0.4 0.4 242 243 238 252 -4.0

 Paper products.................................... 8,252 8,254 8,217 0.0 0.5 -0.3 8,258 8,255 8,129 8,456 -2.3

 Printing ............................................. 2,676 2,675 2,710 0.0 -1.3 -1.9 2,731 2,715 2,732 2,909 -6.1

 Petroleum and coal products................. 5,849 5,963 5,974 -1.9 -0.2 3.7 6,062 6,255 6,466 7,144 -15.1

 Chemical products................................ 25,250 25,336 25,104 -0.3 0.9 -0.1 25,315 25,622 25,136 24,412 3.7

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 10,056 10,032 10,021 0.2 0.1 -0.2 10,044 10,084 10,028 10,140 -0.9

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 191,677 190,486 191,821 0.6 -0.7 -1.2 192,919 192,178 191,652 201,409 -4.2

 Durable goods industries.......................... 143,046 142,480 143,367 0.4 -0.6 -1.9 144,567 144,379 143,387 151,973 -4.9

 Wood products................................... 2,214 2,196 2,193 0.8 0.1 -0.2 2,190 2,187 2,208 2,149 1.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 1,492 1,468 1,450 1.6 1.2 -0.3 1,488 1,478 1,476 1,432 3.9

 Primary metals.................................... 9,255 9,151 9,052 1.1 1.1 -2.9 9,410 9,328 9,061 11,086 -15.1

 Fabricated metal products........................ 12,870 12,865 12,882 0.0 -0.1 0.8 12,991 12,979 12,845 13,045 -0.4

 Machinery.......................................... 19,201 19,321 19,273 -0.6 0.2 3.6 19,597 19,435 19,000 19,275 1.7

 Computers and electronic products........ 13,163 13,023 13,107 1.1 -0.6 -2.3 13,431 13,365 13,318 14,723 -8.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,427 3,518 3,453 -2.6 1.9 0.3 3,487 3,557 3,457 3,581 -2.6

 Transportation equipment..................... 76,388 75,977 77,061 0.5 -1.4 -3.6 76,854 77,057 77,096 81,829 -6.1

 Furniture and related products............... 1,094 1,068 1,090 2.4 -2.0 2.0 1,104 1,083 1,103 1,020 8.2

 Miscellaneous products......................... 3,942 3,893 3,806 1.3 2.3 0.1 4,015 3,910 3,823 3,833 4.7

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 48,631 48,006 48,454 1.3 -0.9 0.9 48,352 47,799 48,265 49,436 -2.2

 Food products.................................... 6,130 6,081 6,128 0.8 -0.8 1.6 5,670 5,632 5,531 5,646 0.4

 Beverage and tobacco products................. 7,639 7,549 7,525 1.2 0.3 -1.4 7,136 6,962 7,105 7,115 0.3

 Textiles.............................................. 660 671 691 -1.6 -2.9 -0.3 667 679 690 692 -3.6

 Textile products................................... 443 442 444 0.2 -0.5 0.0 446 443 442 434 2.8

 Apparel............................................. 335 326 318 2.8 2.5 -1.5 356 349 339 355 0.3

 Leather and allied products.................... 109 108 106 0.9 1.9 0.0 109 109 105 110 -0.9

 Paper products.................................... 1,233 1,254 1,260 -1.7 -0.5 -0.2 1,255 1,269 1,267 1,338 -6.2

 Printing ............................................. 1,555 1,574 1,588 -1.2 -0.9 -0.2 1,675 1,595 1,539 1,582 5.9

 Petroleum and coal products................. 8,025 7,884 8,196 1.8 -3.8 3.8 8,447 8,389 8,710 10,726 -21.2

 Chemical products................................ 19,454 19,089 19,172 1.9 -0.4 0.7 19,546 19,330 19,494 18,479 5.8

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 3,048 3,028 3,026 0.7 0.1 0.4 3,045 3,042 3,043 2,959 2.9

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 221,521 220,852 220,312 0.3 0.2 0.8 224,623 222,403 219,587 228,740 -1.8

 Durable goods industries.......................... 110,426 109,869 109,572 0.5 0.3 1.4 111,202 110,094 108,414 111,559 -0.3

 Wood products................................... 4,504 4,445 4,421 1.3 0.5 0.8 4,391 4,339 4,390 4,352 0.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 6,392 6,348 6,271 0.7 1.2 0.9 6,296 6,339 6,323 6,086 3.5

 Primary metals.................................... 9,797 9,962 9,742 -1.7 2.3 0.9 9,787 9,959 9,537 11,077 -11.6

 Fabricated metal products........................ 18,168 18,247 18,156 -0.4 0.5 0.3 18,053 18,411 18,178 18,282 -1.3

 Machinery.......................................... 22,837 22,246 22,384 2.7 -0.6 -1.3 22,999 22,136 22,203 23,780 -3.3

 Computers and electronic products........ 11,860 11,903 12,069 -0.4 -1.4 2.2 12,237 11,956 11,750 12,012 1.9

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,297 6,295 6,232 0.0 1.0 -1.2 6,432 6,441 6,273 6,394 0.6

 Transportation equipment..................... 16,445 16,366 16,384 0.5 -0.1 9.6 16,638 16,358 15,929 15,586 6.7

 Furniture and related products............... 2,405 2,427 2,455 -0.9 -1.1 -1.4 2,522 2,560 2,596 2,549 -1.1

 Miscellaneous products......................... 11,721 11,630 11,458 0.8 1.5 0.2 11,847 11,595 11,235 11,441 3.5

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 111,095 110,983 110,740 0.1 0.2 0.1 113,421 112,309 111,173 117,181 -3.2

 Food products.................................... 29,580 29,372 29,308 0.7 0.2 1.3 30,839 29,555 28,723 30,370 1.5

 Beverage and tobacco products................. 7,997 7,929 7,926 0.9 0.0 -1.8 8,236 8,016 7,938 8,252 -0.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,358 1,342 1,330 1.2 0.9 0.3 1,362 1,351 1,342 1,252 8.8

 Textile products................................... 1,567 1,561 1,553 0.4 0.5 -0.6 1,572 1,558 1,562 1,568 0.3

 Apparel............................................. 1,531 1,544 1,557 -0.8 -0.8 0.8 1,636 1,641 1,557 1,398 17.0

 Leather and allied products.................... 447 450 449 -0.7 0.2 -1.3 456 455 463 482 -5.4

 Paper products.................................... 6,634 6,686 6,655 -0.8 0.5 0.2 6,665 6,745 6,609 6,864 -2.9

 Printing ............................................. 1,654 1,618 1,596 2.2 1.4 0.2 1,661 1,601 1,634 1,564 6.2

 Petroleum and coal products................. 11,481 11,131 10,937 3.1 1.8 -2.9 11,996 11,828 11,935 14,744 -18.6

 Chemical products................................ 36,680 37,066 37,153 -1.0 -0.2 0.6 36,879 37,296 37,093 38,462 -4.1

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 12,166 12,284 12,276 -1.0 0.1 -0.1 12,119 12,263 12,317 12,225 -0.9

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 Group 1

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

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio2

Industry Aug Jul Jun May Aug Jul Jun May

2016p 2016r 2016 2016 2016p 2016r 2016 2016

All manufacturing industries3............................ 1.36 1.36 1.35 1.36 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries3.................................. 1.65 1.65 1.64 1.65 6.81 6.79 6.81 6.89

 Wood products.............................................. 1.38 1.37 1.38 1.36 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.33 1.32 1.31 1.32 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.80 1.77 1.75 1.77 1.83 1.81 1.82 1.86

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.63 1.63 1.64 1.62 2.52 2.53 2.55 2.53

 Machinery..................................................... 2.20 2.20 2.19 2.17 3.38 3.41 3.39 3.39

 Computers and electronic products3

................ 1.56 1.56 1.60 1.61 5.82 5.83 5.91 5.92

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.69 1.72 1.71 1.73 2.03 2.02 2.00 2.00

 Transportation equipment.............................. 1.54 1.53 1.52 1.55 14.43 14.21 14.17 14.48

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.14 1.14 1.14 1.14 1.51 1.50 1.53 1.53

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.79 1.78 1.71 1.69 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.05 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.83 0.83 0.83 0.83 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.64 1.65 1.66 1.73 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Textile products............................................ 1.52 1.55 1.55 1.55 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 2.36 2.38 2.38 2.36 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.35 2.40 2.35 2.34 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 1.07 1.08 1.06 1.06 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing......................................................... 0.82 0.83 0.82 0.83 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.72 0.71 0.69 0.71 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.24 1.24 1.23 1.23 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.32 1.32 1.32 1.33 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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.

Aug3 Aug3 Aug3 Aug3

Industry 2015- 2015- 2015- 2015-

Aug2 Jul Aug2 Jul Aug2 Jul Aug2 Jul

2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016

 

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

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

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Primary metals.................................... 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.8 0.0 0.3 0.1 0.4

 Fabricated metal products.................... 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.2

 Machinery.......................................... 0.0 0.6 0.1 0.7 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.2

 Computers and electronic products..... 0.2 0.4 -0.4 0.6 -0.2 0.1 0.0 0.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.9 0.1 0.4 -0.1 0.2

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.9 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.3 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.5 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.2

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

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Textile products.................................. (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Leather and allied products.................... (X) 1.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

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

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

 Plastics and rubber products................. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

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.

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
9 

Survey Description 

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 

4,800 reporting units that represent approximately 3,000 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 61 percent of the total value of shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 2012 

Economic Census, and these companies include almost two-thirds of the manufacturing companies with 

$500 million or more in shipments in the 2012 Economic Census. The companies for which shipments 

data are currently reported in the M3 survey represent approximately 54 percent of the total value of 

shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 2012 Economic Census. Statistics based on the M3 

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

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

normally provided with sample surveys cannot be measured. Nonsampling errors are attributable to many 

sources. The use of company or divisional reports to estimate the monthly change for establishments is 

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

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

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

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

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