Manufacturers' Shipments,

 Inventories, and Orders: December 2004 Issued February 2005

 M3-1(04)-12

 For Wire Transmission 10:00 a.m. E.S.T., February 3, 2005 Current 

 Industrial

 Reports

For data, call 301-763-4673. For inquiries, contact Chris Savage or Patrick Kent, Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories and Orders Branch, Manufacturing and 

Construction Divison (MCD), Washington, DC 20233-6900 or call 301-763-4832.

The advance report on durable goods for January is scheduled for February 24, 2005 at 8:30 a.m. and the full report onMarch 4, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 20402 

Our Internet address is : http://www.census.gov/m3

Total Manufacturing Shipments

and Three Month Moving Average

300

320

340

360

380

400

Dec-02

Feb-03Apr-03

Jun-03

Aug-03

Oct-03

Dec-03

Feb-04Apr-04

Jun-04

Aug-04

Oct-04

Dec-04

300

320

340

360

380

400

 Shipments Average

Billions Of Dollars

Total Manufacturing Inventories

and Three Month Moving Average

420

440

460

480

500

Dec-02

Feb-03Apr-03

Jun-03

Aug-03

Oct-03

Dec-03

Feb-04Apr-04

Jun-04

Aug-04

Oct-04

Dec-04

420

440

460

480

500

 Inventories Average

Billions Of Dollars
 2

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

for semiconductor manufacturing.

Summary

New orders for manufactured goods in December, up

seven of the last eight months, increased $1.0 billion or

0.3 percent to $379.1 billion, the Department of

Commerce, Census Bureau reported today. This was at

the highest level since the series was first stated on a

NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.4 percent

November increase. Year to date, new orders for 2004

were 11.1 percent above the same period a year ago.

Shipments, up seven of the last eight months, increased

$3.5 billion or 0.9 percent to $382.7 billion. This was

also at the highest level since the series began in 1992 and

followed a 0.4 percent November increase. Year to date,

shipments for 2004 were 10.8 percent above the same

period a year ago.

Unfilled orders, up sixteen of the last seventeen

months, increased $3.4 billion or 0.6 percent to $552.6

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

began in 1992 and followed a 1.1 percent November

increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 3.97,

down from 4.02 in November.

Inventories, down following twelve consecutive

increases, decreased $0.3 billion or 0.1 percent. This

followed a 1.0 percent November increase to $470.6

billion. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.23,

down from 1.24 in November.

New Orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in

December increased $2.2 billion or 1.1 percent to $201.6

billion, revised from the previously published $1.2 billion

increase.

Computers and electronic products, up following two

consecutive decreases, had the largest increase, $2.2

billion or 6.8 percent to $34.6 billion. 

New orders for manufactured nondurable goods

decreased $1.1 billion or 0.6 percent to $177.5 billion. 

Shipments

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in

December increased $4.7 billion or 2.3 percent to $205.2

billion, revised from the previously published $4.2 billion

increase. This was also at the highest level since the

series began in 1992 and followed a 0.2 percent

November increase.

Transportation equipment, up following three 

consecutive decreases, had the largest increase, $1.7 

billion or 3.3 percent to $54.6 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods

decreased $1.1 billion or 0.6 percent to $177.5 billion. 

Petroleum and coal products had the largest decrease,

$1.5 billion or 4.6 percent to $30.7 billion. 

Unfilled Orders

 Unfilled orders of manufactured durable goods in

December, up sixteen of the last seventeen months,

increased $3.4 billion or 0.6 percent to $552.6 billion,

revised from the previously published $2.8 billion

increase. This was also at the highest level since the

series began in 1992 and followed a 1.1 percent

November increase.

 Transportation equipment, up two consecutive

months, had the largest increase, $1.8 billion or 0.7

percent to $264.3 billion. This was at the highest level

since May 2001 and followed a 1.8 percent November

increase.

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in

December, down following twelve consecutive

increases, decreased $0.3 billion or 0.1 percent to

$282.3 billion, revised from the previously published

$0.1 billion decrease.

Transportation equipment, down following two

consecutive increases, had the largest decrease, $0.6

billion or 0.9 percent to $69.1 billion. 

Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down

following two consecutive increases, decreased slightly

to $188.2 billion. Petroleum and coal products had the

largest decrease, $1.5 billion or 8.0 percent to $17.5

billion. This decrease offset a $1.2 billion or 2.1

percent increase in basic chemicals. 

By stage of fabrication, December materials and

supplies decreased 0.3 percent in durable goods and 0.5

percent in nondurable goods. Work in process

decreased 0.3 percent in durable goods and increased

0.2 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods

increased 0.4 percent in durable goods and 0.2 percent

in nondurable goods.

SEE BACK PAGE FOR SURVEY DESCRIPTION

Our internet address is: http://www.census.gov/m3

For data, call 301-763-4673. For inquiries, contact Chris Savage or Patrick Kent, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Branch,

Manufacturing and Construction Division (MCD), Washington, DC 20233-6900, or call 301-763-4832.

The advance report on durable goods for January is scheduled for February 24, 2005 at 8:30 A.M. EST and the full report on March 4, 2005 at

10:00 A.M. EST. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.
 3 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2004/

2004p 2004r 2004 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 2004p 2003 2003

 All manufacturing industries .................. 382,691 379,147 377,457 0.9 0.4 1.6 380,669 373,088 386,445 345,976 4,429,298 3,999,124 10.8

 Excluding transportation ................... 328,069 326,272 324,276 0.6 0.6 2.1 327,970 320,682 330,501 295,181 3,780,818 3,380,454 11.8

 Excluding defense .............................. 373,325 369,611 367,677 1.0 0.5 1.5 369,988 363,373 376,928 335,226 4,312,527 3,891,182 10.8

 With unfilled orders ........................... 139,138 136,764 137,392 1.7 -0.5 0.8 142,445 134,335 139,055 129,448 1,614,097 1,456,316 10.8

 Durable goods industries ........................ 205,193 200,500 200,030 2.3 0.2 0.3 207,694 197,014 204,073 189,282 2,372,535 2,150,638 10.3

 Wood products................................. ...... 9,537 8,957 8,942 6.5 0.2 -5.2 8,559 8,555 9,339 7,558 110,314 93,238 18.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 8,062 7,894 7,613 2.1 3.7 1.9 7,152 7,788 8,165 6,294 91,269 87,500 4.3

 Primary metals............................ .......... 15,117 14,885 14,478 1.6 2.8 -0.7 13,501 14,158 14,805 10,278 165,650 131,307 26.2

 Iron and steel mills............................ 7,358 7,221 6,996 1.9 3.2 -0.4 6,609 6,816 7,070 4,660 77,967 59,400 31.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 6,102 6,019 5,864 1.4 2.6 -1.7 5,412 5,776 6,044 4,439 69,046 56,503 22.2

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,657 1,645 1,618 0.7 1.7 1.8 1,480 1,566 1,691 1,179 18,637 15,404 21.0

 Fabricated metal products...................... 23,366 23,366 22,903 0.0 2.0 -1.3 21,959 22,990 23,947 19,569 272,480 245,469 11.0

 Machinery............................................. 26,442 25,077 26,063 5.4 -3.8 2.7 26,261 23,151 25,661 22,509 294,253 253,516 16.1

 Farm machinery................................. 1,971 1,870 2,010 5.4 -7.0 9.4 1,632 1,339 1,829 1,270 21,199 16,695 27.0

 Construction machinery..................... 2,965 2,791 2,657 6.2 5.0 0.3 2,816 2,411 2,614 1,832 29,204 21,161 38.0

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery......................... 939 963 980 -2.5 -1.7 1.8 1,027 898 912 881 10,590 8,591 23.3

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,211 2,781 3,887 15.5 -28.5 17.3 3,839 2,280 3,829 3,303 39,291 34,641 13.4

 Photographic equipment...................... 937 907 864 3.3 5.0 3.0 1,049 962 915 1,007 10,807 10,057 7.5

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,026 2,975 2,890 1.7 2.9 -1.6 2,907 2,780 2,710 2,982 33,824 30,732 10.1

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,629 2,048 1,946 28.4 5.2 -8.2 2,490 2,284 2,141 1,930 24,986 20,295 23.1

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,230 3,216 3,350 0.4 -4.0 1.5 3,242 3,031 3,313 2,707 37,733 31,882 18.4

 Material handling equipment............... 1,626 1,607 1,554 1.2 3.4 1.6 1,713 1,512 1,568 1,467 18,243 16,212 12.5

 Computers and electronic products ......... 40,298 40,281 40,217 0.0 0.2 3.4 48,613 40,183 39,282 45,005 469,710 418,651 12.2

 Computers........................................ 6,196 6,095 6,447 1.7 -5.5 11.3 6,996 5,683 7,534 5,880 68,345 58,807 16.2

 Computer storage devices................... 1,685 1,548 1,507 8.9 2.7 -2.5 3,123 1,167 983 2,984 18,330 16,604 10.4

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,549 1,642 1,611 -5.7 1.9 9.3 2,297 1,639 1,391 2,226 19,035 18,038 5.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 6,068 6,431 6,362 -5.6 1.1 -0.4 7,777 6,745 5,801 8,436 76,793 71,596 7.3

 Defense communications equipment... 714 456 734 56.6 -37.9 46.2 746 412 695 471 6,451 5,165 24.9

 Audio and video equipment.................. 839 811 763 3.5 6.3 8.5 951 1,018 941 810 8,625 8,308 3.8

 Semiconductors ................................. 6,979 7,308 7,236 -4.5 1.0 5.9 7,294 7,698 7,390 6,370 85,134 70,863 20.1

 Electronic components........................ 4,980 4,892 4,575 1.8 6.9 0.2 5,656 5,333 4,505 4,859 55,296 50,155 10.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 934 942 941 -0.8 0.1 0.2 1,017 926 889 1,019 10,951 10,154 7.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,770 2,836 2,753 -2.3 3.0 -0.4 3,246 2,934 2,666 3,052 32,268 29,514 9.3

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,003 6,781 6,743 3.3 0.6 -1.8 8,931 5,997 5,852 8,345 81,952 73,276 11.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 8,938 9,061 8,940 -1.4 1.4 0.2 9,311 9,173 8,867 9,057 106,461 101,415 5.0

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,070 1,093 1,078 -2.1 1.4 -2.2 1,213 1,110 1,047 1,215 12,895 12,511 3.1

 Household appliances........................ 2,186 2,114 2,056 3.4 2.8 -2.8 2,434 2,188 1,979 2,300 24,736 23,867 3.6

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,630 2,710 2,700 -3.0 0.4 3.4 2,749 2,587 2,621 2,667 31,681 29,748 6.5

 Batteries........................................... 489 513 514 -4.7 -0.2 -1.2 489 673 586 482 6,056 5,663 6.9

 Transportation equipment...................... 54,622 52,875 53,181 3.3 -0.6 -1.1 52,699 52,406 55,944 50,795 648,480 618,670 4.8

 Automobiles..................................... 7,642 7,291 7,074 4.8 3.1 -5.9 6,884 7,117 7,767 6,730 89,999 86,454 4.1

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 12,253 11,337 11,136 8.1 1.8 -0.7 11,325 11,076 12,324 10,309 136,436 128,639 6.1

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,410 1,429 1,296 -1.3 10.3 -3.2 1,248 1,311 1,442 1,043 15,107 13,008 16.1

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 18,303 17,882 17,927 2.4 -0.3 -1.6 16,200 17,630 19,241 15,928 220,141 214,739 2.5

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 5,841 5,502 6,253 6.2 -12.0 -0.8 7,014 5,675 5,763 6,534 71,143 67,305 5.7

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,151 3,373 3,487 -6.6 -3.3 1.8 3,784 3,428 3,393 4,153 43,666 39,856 9.6

 Ships and boats................................. 2,470 2,448 2,441 0.9 0.3 5.3 2,317 2,536 2,656 2,076 28,769 25,817 11.4

 Furniture and related products................. 6,621 6,441 6,331 2.8 1.7 2.6 6,406 6,376 6,586 5,673 75,338 69,870 7.8

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 12,190 11,663 11,362 4.5 2.6 -1.5 13,233 12,234 11,477 12,544 138,580 131,002 5.8

 Nondurable goods industries................... 177,498 178,647 177,427 -0.6 0.7 3.1 172,975 176,074 182,372 156,694 2,056,763 1,848,486 11.3

 Food products....................................... 41,263 41,082 41,478 0.4 -1.0 2.3 41,876 42,093 43,417 39,508 487,288 461,064 5.7

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 3,055 2,437 3,260 25.4 -25.2 1.0 2,960 2,586 3,345 3,398 39,035 48,979 -20.3

 Dairy products.................................. 6,562 6,577 6,380 -0.2 3.1 3.8 6,498 6,636 6,244 5,843 76,601 65,893 16.3

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 13,212 13,139 13,067 0.6 0.6 0.8 13,167 13,229 13,581 11,136 148,177 134,105 10.5

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 9,318 9,126 9,169 2.1 -0.5 -0.7 8,987 8,884 9,107 8,454 109,032 105,310 3.5

 Beverages......................................... 6,053 6,072 6,078 -0.3 -0.1 -0.8 5,722 5,830 6,016 5,477 71,861 68,453 5.0

 Tobacco............................................ 3,265 3,054 3,091 6.9 -1.2 -0.6 3,265 3,054 3,091 2,977 37,171 36,857 0.9

 Textile mills........................................... 3,477 3,423 3,394 1.6 0.9 -2.6 3,180 3,324 3,579 3,011 41,426 39,775 4.2

 Textile products................................... 3,105 3,149 3,162 -1.4 -0.4 1.0 2,711 3,171 3,322 2,968 37,906 35,247 7.5

 Apparel................................................ 4,866 4,713 4,683 3.2 0.6 -0.9 4,281 4,734 5,362 3,997 56,614 52,970 6.9

 Leather and allied products..................... 808 852 847 -5.2 0.6 -2.9 828 913 883 932 10,504 10,903 -3.7

 Paper products...................................... 14,697 14,670 14,450 0.2 1.5 0.3 14,463 14,445 14,681 13,448 172,469 159,611 8.1

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,257 6,172 6,112 1.4 1.0 0.9 6,070 6,070 6,215 5,495 72,102 68,539 5.2

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,117 4,064 3,946 1.3 3.0 0.4 3,915 3,954 4,103 3,471 46,544 43,716 6.5

 Printing................................................. 7,850 7,834 7,871 0.2 -0.5 -0.7 8,097 8,236 8,511 8,145 94,946 95,036 -0.1

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 30,726 32,212 31,776 -4.6 1.4 9.3 29,548 30,579 32,280 22,523 337,637 244,097 38.3

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 28,169 29,724 29,411 -5.2 1.1 9.7 27,569 28,207 29,633 21,002 310,761 223,425 39.1

 Basic chemicals...................................... 43,752 44,078 43,555 -0.7 1.2 4.6 42,807 43,149 43,705 38,978 506,073 459,110 10.2

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 1,791 1,801 1,836 -0.6 -1.9 0.8 1,585 1,405 1,384 1,464 20,712 18,737 10.5

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 9,510 10,004 9,937 -4.9 0.7 13.4 9,409 10,513 10,409 9,365 116,888 117,690 -0.7

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,550 2,510 2,472 1.6 1.5 -1.6 2,285 2,328 2,439 2,049 30,463 28,485 6.9

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 17,636 17,508 17,042 0.7 2.7 -0.4 16,197 16,546 17,525 14,730 202,868 185,363 9.4

p Preliminary r

 Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Year to date
 4

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2004/

2004p 2004r 2004 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 2004p 2003 2003

All manufacturing industries 2................... 379,085 378,047 372,953 0.3 1.4 0.9 381,622 371,179 379,886 346,693 4,388,767 3,949,998 11.1

 Excluding transportation 2................... 322,693 320,452 320,300 0.7 0.0 1.0 321,715 314,483 326,073 288,749 3,727,637 3,324,463 12.1

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 370,197 368,191 359,250 0.5 2.5 0.4 366,913 361,613 367,425 329,995 4,265,027 3,828,644 11.4

 With unfilled orders 2

.......................... 142,511 142,972 140,124 -0.3 2.0 -0.8 150,692 140,124 139,886 136,535 1,658,700 1,478,053 12.2

 Durable goods industries 2........................ 201,587 199,400 195,526 1.1 2.0 -1.0 208,647 195,105 197,514 189,999 2,332,004 2,101,512 11.0

 Primary metals............................ ............ 15,014 14,927 14,199 0.6 5.1 -1.7 13,721 14,142 13,606 10,737 168,484 132,850 26.8

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 7,208 7,168 6,597 0.6 8.7 -3.2 6,630 6,833 5,892 4,948 79,089 60,867 29.9

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 6,147 6,076 5,980 1.2 1.6 -0.5 5,599 5,690 6,004 4,609 70,365 56,440 24.7

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,659 1,683 1,622 -1.4 3.8 0.1 1,492 1,619 1,710 1,180 19,030 15,543 22.4

 Fabricated metal products...................... 23,757 23,619 23,740 0.6 -0.5 2.2 21,895 22,945 24,593 19,699 279,228 246,590 13.2

 Machinery............................................. 26,787 25,848 26,977 3.6 -4.2 3.0 26,158 24,022 26,667 23,142 301,507 253,978 18.7

 Construction machinery....................... 2,966 2,984 2,925 -0.6 2.0 4.1 3,020 2,762 2,879 2,029 31,368 21,858 43.5

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery......................... 992 1,075 962 -7.7 11.7 1.8 1,080 1,010 894 826 11,030 8,755 26.0

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,112 2,811 3,992 10.7 -29.6 2.0 3,347 2,357 4,210 3,111 40,885 34,507 18.5

 Photographic equipment...................... 960 915 896 4.9 2.1 5.4 1,036 968 957 1,015 10,889 10,330 5.4

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,159 3,009 2,848 5.0 5.7 -3.1 2,995 2,797 2,606 2,821 34,132 30,983 10.2

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,749 2,086 1,976 31.8 5.6 -7.3 2,529 2,313 2,292 1,888 25,664 20,612 24.5

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 3,440 3,184 3,280 8.0 -2.9 0.7 3,506 2,939 3,163 3,634 38,339 30,490 25.7

 Material handling equipment............... 1,582 1,763 1,647 -10.3 7.0 1.8 1,774 1,688 1,589 1,645 18,623 16,184 15.1

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 34,616 32,398 34,382 6.8 -5.8 -6.8 43,455 31,961 33,954 38,337 396,411 358,127 10.7

 Computers........................................ 6,958 6,141 5,699 13.3 7.8 -15.7 7,691 6,015 6,779 5,814 68,815 59,488 15.7

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 5,477 5,689 6,192 -3.7 -8.1 0.8 6,805 6,123 6,228 5,610 74,006 76,171 -2.8

 Defense communications equipment... 1,734 418 4,030 314.8 -89.6 17.5 1,766 374 3,991 558 13,538 5,612 141.2

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components........................ 5,187 4,634 4,090 11.9 13.3 -6.0 5,897 4,782 3,885 5,104 56,148 48,600 15.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 1,116 1,032 700 8.1 47.4 -38.6 1,257 918 688 855 11,507 10,246 12.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,497 2,910 2,851 -14.2 2.1 -7.6 4,162 3,023 2,446 4,451 34,631 31,954 8.4

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 6,993 7,034 6,394 -0.6 10.0 -17.4 8,927 6,271 5,987 9,372 85,246 76,935 10.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 8,761 9,336 8,896 -6.2 4.9 -3.1 8,728 9,506 8,904 8,534 107,985 101,038 6.9

 Electric lighting equipment................... 937 1,232 1,154 -23.9 6.8 -3.5 1,064 1,206 1,124 1,116 13,352 12,313 8.4

 Household appliances.......................... 2,061 2,182 1,961 -5.5 11.3 -5.8 2,128 2,446 1,849 2,106 24,736 23,735 4.2

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,657 2,727 2,744 -2.6 -0.6 0.4 2,572 2,564 2,783 2,405 32,213 29,950 7.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 56,392 57,595 52,653 -2.1 9.4 0.1 59,907 56,696 53,813 57,944 661,130 625,535 5.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 18,236 17,744 17,407 2.8 1.9 -5.1 16,608 17,721 18,493 16,590 221,246 216,226 2.3

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 7,999 9,614 5,837 -16.8 64.7 5.0 10,846 9,608 4,589 8,602 83,206 60,882 36.7

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 2,168 3,180 3,303 -31.8 -3.7 37.2 3,862 2,848 2,621 5,838 35,666 44,662 -20.1

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,660 3,061 2,529 19.6 21.0 38.0 4,326 3,089 2,975 2,705 29,340 25,630 14.5

 Furniture and related products................. 6,486 6,564 6,363 -1.2 3.2 2.3 5,854 6,657 6,597 5,302 75,883 69,972 8.4

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 177,498 178,647 177,427 -0.6 0.7 3.1 172,975 176,074 182,372 156,694 2,056,763 1,848,486 11.3

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

 New orders are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations. 2

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

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

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

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

Current Industrial Reports: M3-1(02), "Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: 1992-2002."

Year to date
 5 

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. Dec.

2004p 2004r 2004 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 04/03

All manufacturing industries 1................... 552,557 549,184 542,976 0.6 1.1 0.5 547,019 538,772 532,983 502,416 8.9

 Excluding transportation 1

................... 288,247 286,644 285,156 0.6 0.5 1.2 283,088 282,049 280,550 251,135 12.7

 Excluding defense 1

............................. 386,626 382,775 376,887 1.0 1.6 -0.3 382,093 377,874 371,936 344,459 10.9

 Durable goods industries 1

........................ 552,557 549,184 542,976 0.6 1.1 0.5 547,019 538,772 532,983 502,416 8.9

 Primary metals........................................ 19,667 19,770 19,728 -0.5 0.2 -1.4 18,836 18,616 18,632 16,002 17.7

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 10,847 10,997 11,050 -1.4 -0.5 -3.5 10,389 10,368 10,351 9,267 12.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 6,070 6,025 5,968 0.7 1.0 2.0 5,737 5,550 5,636 4,418 29.9

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,750 2,748 2,710 0.1 1.4 0.1 2,710 2,698 2,645 2,317 17.0

 Fabricated metal products...................... 46,311 45,920 45,667 0.9 0.6 1.9 44,769 44,833 44,878 38,021 17.7

 Machinery.............................................. 51,332 50,987 50,216 0.7 1.5 1.9 50,136 50,239 49,368 42,882 16.9

 Construction machinery....................... 4,950 4,949 4,756 0.0 4.1 6.0 4,870 4,666 4,315 2,706 80.0

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery......................... 1,502 1,449 1,337 3.7 8.4 -1.3 1,502 1,449 1,337 1,062 41.4

 Industrial machinery............................ 9,334 9,433 9,403 -1.0 0.3 1.1 8,932 9,424 9,347 7,338 21.7

 Photographic equipment...................... 949 926 918 2.5 0.9 3.6 909 922 916 827 9.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,790 4,657 4,623 2.9 0.7 -0.9 4,555 4,467 4,450 4,247 7.3

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,746 4,626 4,588 2.6 0.8 0.7 4,638 4,599 4,570 3,960 17.1

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 10,035 9,825 9,857 2.1 -0.3 -0.7 9,944 9,680 9,772 9,338 6.5

 Material handling equipment............... 5,176 5,220 5,064 -0.8 3.1 1.9 5,241 5,180 5,004 4,861 7.8

 Computers and electronic products 1

...... 141,919 140,622 141,197 0.9 -0.4 1.0 140,991 138,855 139,379 129,156 9.2

 Computers......................................... 9,119 8,357 8,311 9.1 0.6 -8.3 9,275 8,580 8,248 8,805 5.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 44,364 44,955 45,697 -1.3 -1.6 -0.4 43,593 44,565 45,187 46,380 -6.0

 Defense communications equipment... 10,476 9,456 9,494 10.8 -0.4 53.2 10,476 9,456 9,494 3,389 209.1

 Semiconductors 1................................ (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)

 Electronic components.......................... 15,077 14,870 15,128 1.4 -1.7 -3.1 14,781 14,540 15,091 13,929 6.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 5,204 5,022 4,932 3.6 1.8 -4.7 5,137 4,897 4,905 4,581 12.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 38,394 38,667 38,593 -0.7 0.2 0.3 38,437 37,521 37,432 36,074 6.6

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 19,285 19,295 19,042 -0.1 1.3 -1.8 19,292 19,296 19,022 15,998 20.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 15,343 15,520 15,245 -1.1 1.8 -0.3 14,939 15,522 15,189 13,415 11.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,779 1,912 1,773 -7.0 7.8 4.5 1,714 1,863 1,767 1,257 36.4

 Household appliances.......................... 804 929 861 -13.5 7.9 -9.9 767 1,073 815 767 0.0

 Electrical equipment............................ 8,999 8,972 8,955 0.3 0.2 0.5 8,805 8,982 9,005 8,273 6.4

 Transportation equipment........................ 264,310 262,540 257,820 0.7 1.8 -0.2 263,931 256,723 252,433 251,281 5.0

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 14,742 14,809 14,947 -0.5 -0.9 -3.4 14,725 14,317 14,226 13,620 8.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 116,478 114,320 110,208 1.9 3.7 -0.4 117,134 113,302 109,369 105,071 11.5

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 53,902 54,885 55,078 -1.8 -0.4 -0.3 52,770 52,692 53,272 60,770 -13.2

 Ships and boats.................................. 20,989 19,799 19,186 6.0 3.2 0.5 21,032 19,023 18,470 20,461 2.8

 Furniture and related products................. 6,159 6,294 6,171 -2.1 2.0 0.5 5,901 6,453 6,172 5,356 10.2

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. Dec.

2004p 2004r 2004 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 04/03

 All manufacturing industries..................... 470,553 470,877 466,386 -0.1 1.0 0.9 459,484 472,196 469,939 428,176 7.3

 Excluding transportation...................... 401,419 401,138 397,684 0.1 0.9 1.0 392,808 401,848 400,585 363,030 8.2

 Excluding defense............................. 445,737 446,380 442,147 -0.1 1.0 0.9 435,176 447,699 445,569 404,528 7.6

 With unfilled orders............................. 221,532 220,908 218,656 0.3 1.0 0.9 216,383 222,219 219,790 200,434 8.0

 Durable goods industries........................ 282,318 282,599 280,101 -0.1 0.9 0.8 275,050 283,797 281,044 255,969 7.5

 Wood products........................................ 10,106 10,156 10,201 -0.5 -0.4 -0.8 9,889 10,180 10,184 9,598 3.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 9,509 9,564 9,612 -0.6 -0.5 2.1 9,323 9,343 9,320 9,051 3.0

 Primary metals........................................ 21,639 21,322 20,823 1.5 2.4 3.3 21,907 21,528 20,932 17,420 25.8

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 12,491 12,259 11,947 1.9 2.6 4.8 12,788 12,477 12,086 9,206 38.9

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,235 7,146 6,976 1.2 2.4 1.2 7,255 7,170 6,995 6,596 10.0

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,913 1,917 1,900 -0.2 0.9 1.8 1,864 1,881 1,851 1,618 15.2

 Fabricated metal products......................... 35,492 35,102 34,664 1.1 1.3 0.9 34,962 34,813 34,587 30,504 14.6

 Machinery.............................................. 46,001 45,682 44,994 0.7 1.5 0.2 44,832 46,082 45,126 40,512 10.7

 Farm machinery.................................. 2,528 2,586 2,451 -2.2 5.5 1.0 2,577 2,555 2,275 2,206 16.8

 Construction machinery........................ 4,300 4,224 4,178 1.8 1.1 1.0 4,259 4,251 4,180 3,444 23.7

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................. 2,334 2,281 2,256 2.3 1.1 -0.3 2,229 2,275 2,263 2,154 3.5

 Industrial machinery............................ 7,067 7,061 6,912 0.1 2.2 -2.5 6,884 7,149 6,849 6,471 6.4

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,442 1,422 1,395 1.4 1.9 -2.5 1,347 1,438 1,438 1,305 3.2

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,596 4,554 4,504 0.9 1.1 0.4 4,338 4,561 4,522 3,925 10.5

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,516 4,446 4,402 1.6 1.0 0.7 4,327 4,429 4,497 4,219 2.6

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 5,192 5,052 4,879 2.8 3.5 1.4 5,057 5,304 5,074 4,191 20.7

 Material handling equipment............... 2,630 2,660 2,630 -1.1 1.1 4.0 2,601 2,726 2,634 2,256 15.3

 Computers and electronic products......... 49,021 49,502 49,648 -1.0 -0.3 1.1 47,334 50,146 50,070 45,945 3.0

 Computers......................................... 2,693 2,671 2,672 0.8 0.0 -3.1 2,691 2,781 2,613 2,443 10.2

 Computer storage devices................... 1,347 1,337 1,329 0.7 0.6 2.9 1,155 1,459 1,384 1,022 13.0

 Other peripheral equipment................ 2,341 2,388 2,411 -2.0 -1.0 0.8 2,147 2,514 2,549 2,174 -1.2

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 9,752 9,823 9,869 -0.7 -0.5 2.6 9,398 10,186 9,928 9,352 0.5

 Defense communications equipment...... 1,307 1,150 1,185 13.7 -3.0 0.2 1,307 1,150 1,185 1,327 -1.5

 Audio and video equipment.................. 1,148 1,130 1,091 1.6 3.6 -1.3 1,087 1,237 1,272 889 22.3

 Semiconductors1

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

 Electronic components.......................... 7,995 7,990 8,045 0.1 -0.7 4.0 7,708 7,842 8,126 7,240 6.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,615 2,562 2,538 2.1 0.9 0.8 2,557 2,585 2,571 2,441 4.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,864 2,840 2,854 0.8 -0.5 -1.6 2,791 2,816 2,886 2,860 -2.4

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 10,382 10,466 10,435 -0.8 0.3 1.3 10,164 10,578 10,415 10,058 1.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 12,942 12,928 12,993 0.1 -0.5 -0.5 12,421 12,798 12,859 11,949 4.0

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,500 1,496 1,482 0.3 0.9 0.3 1,416 1,482 1,472 1,319 7.4

 Household appliances.......................... 2,334 2,286 2,360 2.1 -3.1 -0.7 2,113 2,242 2,331 1,906 10.9

 Electrical equipment............................ 4,494 4,499 4,456 -0.1 1.0 -0.9 4,424 4,504 4,405 4,121 7.4

 Batteries............................................ 615 632 646 -2.7 -2.2 -0.3 559 607 653 507 10.3

 Transportation equipment...................... 69,134 69,739 68,702 -0.9 1.5 0.2 66,676 70,348 69,354 65,146 2.3

 Automobiles....................................... 2,098 2,159 2,200 -2.8 -1.9 -2.4 1,886 2,095 2,163 1,743 8.2

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 2,544 2,603 2,525 -2.3 3.1 -3.3 2,244 2,662 2,555 1,985 13.0

 Heavy duty trucks .............................. 868 834 836 4.1 -0.2 1.1 836 843 858 732 14.2

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 16,164 16,398 16,394 -1.4 0.0 0.8 15,827 16,449 16,313 15,144 4.5

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 23,178 23,665 23,044 -2.1 2.7 -0.2 22,168 24,171 23,641 22,997 -3.6

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 12,237 11,903 11,840 2.8 0.5 0.9 12,005 11,886 11,927 11,296 6.3

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,296 3,316 3,210 -0.6 3.3 -1.4 3,258 3,313 3,202 2,971 9.7

 Furniture and related products................. 8,537 8,488 8,476 0.6 0.1 1.6 8,332 8,489 8,507 7,375 13.0

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 19,937 20,116 19,988 -0.9 0.6 0.7 19,374 20,070 20,105 18,469 4.9

 Nondurable goods industries................... 188,235 188,278 186,285 0.0 1.1 1.0 184,434 188,399 188,895 172,207 7.1

 Food products........................................ 33,883 33,742 33,790 0.4 -0.1 0.1 33,819 35,203 36,174 33,082 2.2

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 2,671 2,724 2,790 -1.9 -2.4 -4.3 2,770 2,825 2,984 3,400 -18.5

 Dairy products.................................... 3,950 3,914 3,928 0.9 -0.4 -1.0 3,646 3,717 3,893 3,333 9.4

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 6,368 6,248 6,251 1.9 0.0 -1.4 6,180 6,382 6,512 5,939 4.1

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 14,746 14,853 14,977 -0.7 -0.8 -1.1 14,863 15,160 15,466 14,725 0.9

 Beverages......................................... 10,243 10,311 10,386 -0.7 -0.7 -0.6 10,170 10,464 10,735 9,813 3.6

 Tobacco............................................ 4,503 4,542 4,591 -0.9 -1.1 -2.1 4,693 4,696 4,731 4,912 -4.5

 Textile mills........................................... 4,769 4,769 4,777 0.0 -0.2 -0.7 4,600 4,688 4,695 4,817 -4.5

 Textile products...................................... 5,267 5,263 5,258 0.1 0.1 0.5 5,063 5,151 5,221 4,951 2.3

 Apparel................................................. 7,320 7,295 7,299 0.3 -0.1 0.4 7,116 7,012 7,242 6,901 3.1

 Leather and allied products..................... 1,688 1,671 1,642 1.0 1.8 2.3 1,642 1,659 1,642 1,673 -1.9

 Paper products....................................... 14,914 14,930 14,917 -0.1 0.1 1.6 14,805 14,921 14,826 14,352 3.2

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 6,355 6,308 6,322 0.7 -0.2 0.3 6,349 6,296 6,246 6,489 -2.2

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,512 4,534 4,516 -0.5 0.4 4.9 4,513 4,524 4,504 4,036 11.8

 Printing.................................................. 6,822 6,788 6,796 0.5 -0.1 1.6 6,393 6,862 7,105 5,754 11.1

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 17,532 19,063 18,445 -8.0 3.4 6.6 16,246 18,621 18,695 13,973 16.3

 Petroleum refineries............................. 15,695 17,257 16,665 -9.1 3.6 6.9 14,580 16,846 16,952 12,542 16.2

 Basic chemicals...................................... 57,870 56,685 55,586 2.1 2.0 0.2 56,791 56,233 55,208 51,917 9.4

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,495 2,433 2,384 2.5 2.1 1.1 2,595 2,387 2,215 2,366 9.7

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 23,231 22,614 22,173 2.7 2.0 -1.7 22,442 22,539 22,225 20,737 8.2

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 2,930 2,896 2,850 1.2 1.6 0.2 2,821 2,811 2,806 2,635 7.1

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 23,424 23,219 22,798 0.9 1.8 1.9 23,096 22,889 22,621 20,062 15.1

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

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

See note at end of Table 2 relating to survey error and revision.
 7 

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

 Topical Series 1

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted2

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date Percent

Industry Change6

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2004/

2004p 2004r 2004 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 2004p 2003 2003

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 382,691 379,147 377,457 0.9 0.4 1.6 380,669 373,088 386,445 345,976 4,429,298 3,999,124 10.8

 Construction materials and supplies...... 40,903 39,991 39,254 2.3 1.9 -1.5 37,271 38,751 41,123 33,203 471,400 421,903 11.7

 Information technology......................... 31,839 31,619 31,862 0.7 -0.8 3.1 39,138 30,729 30,936 37,176 371,180 337,316 10.0

 Computers and related products .......... 9,430 9,285 9,565 1.6 -2.9 8.5 12,416 8,489 9,908 11,090 105,710 93,449 13.1

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 39,608 37,939 37,433 4.4 1.4 -2.2 35,657 37,134 40,774 34,010 461,683 442,840 4.3

 Capital goods...................................... 74,540 72,363 74,127 3.0 -2.4 2.4 83,778 69,675 72,576 76,896 860,245 775,078 11.0

 Nondefense capital goods 3.................. 66,492 64,211 65,798 3.6 -2.4 2.2 74,784 61,346 64,408 67,929 760,599 683,195 11.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 63,678 62,144 63,207 2.5 -1.7 2.4 70,813 59,164 62,244 64,516 730,804 652,339 12.0

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,048 8,152 8,329 -1.3 -2.1 3.5 8,994 8,329 8,168 8,967 99,646 91,883 8.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 145,565 145,411 144,424 0.1 0.7 3.0 142,669 145,256 150,328 129,981 1,686,369 1,529,699 10.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 37,167 35,313 34,421 5.3 2.6 -1.3 35,690 35,409 36,827 33,070 421,822 400,023 5.4

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 108,398 110,098 110,003 -1.5 0.1 4.4 106,979 109,847 113,501 96,911 1,264,547 1,129,676 11.9

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 379,085 378,047 372,953 0.3 1.4 0.9 381,622 371,179 379,886 346,693 4,388,767 3,949,998 11.1

 Construction materials and supplies...... 41,258 40,227 39,868 2.6 0.9 0.6 37,224 38,681 41,526 33,021 476,205 422,639 12.7

 Information technology......................... 33,006 31,361 33,711 5.2 -7.0 -6.4 41,069 30,764 33,588 36,673 382,780 349,234 9.6

 Computers and related products .......... 10,192 9,331 8,817 9.2 5.8 -9.8 13,111 8,821 9,153 11,024 106,180 94,130 12.8

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 39,541 37,801 36,913 4.6 2.4 -3.9 36,065 37,225 40,026 34,672 462,788 444,327 4.2

 Capital goods...................................... 76,409 78,330 77,539 -2.5 1.0 -0.3 90,385 75,494 75,791 82,675 893,291 794,164 12.5

 Nondefense capital goods 3.................. 68,747 69,919 64,911 -1.7 7.7 -3.2 77,517 67,196 64,065 67,808 783,922 689,340 13.7

 Excluding aircraft............................. 64,535 63,206 62,482 2.1 1.2 -4.0 70,474 60,547 62,821 63,025 741,669 663,352 11.8

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 7,662 8,411 12,628 -8.9 -33.4 18.1 12,868 8,298 11,726 14,867 109,369 104,824 4.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 145,440 146,325 144,580 -0.6 1.2 2.9 142,172 146,442 150,367 129,594 1,687,735 1,530,443 10.3

 Consumer durable goods..................... 37,042 36,227 34,577 2.2 4.8 -1.6 35,193 36,595 36,866 32,683 423,188 400,767 5.6

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 108,398 110,098 110,003 -1.5 0.1 4.4 106,979 109,847 113,501 96,911 1,264,547 1,129,676 11.9

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 552,557 549,184 542,976 0.6 1.1 0.5 547,019 538,772 532,983 502,416 (X) (X) 8.9

 Construction materials and supplies...... 38,106 37,751 37,515 0.9 0.6 1.7 36,674 36,721 36,791 31,869 (X) (X) 15.1

 Information technology......................... 131,552 130,385 130,643 0.9 -0.2 1.4 130,772 128,841 128,806 119,172 (X) (X) 9.7

 Computers and related products .......... 9,119 8,357 8,311 9.1 0.6 -8.3 9,275 8,580 8,248 8,805 (X) (X) 5.3

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 14,742 14,809 14,947 -0.5 -0.9 -3.4 14,725 14,317 14,226 13,620 (X) (X) 8.1

 Capital goods...................................... 392,909 391,040 385,073 0.5 1.5 0.9 390,843 384,236 378,417 357,797 (X) (X) 9.2

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................244,484 242,229 236,521 0.9 2.4 -0.4 242,870 240,137 234,287 219,547 (X) (X) 10.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 152,419 151,562 150,500 0.6 0.7 -0.5 150,149 150,488 149,105 139,284 (X) (X) 7.8

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 148,425 148,811 148,552 -0.3 0.2 3.0 147,973 144,099 144,130 138,250 (X) (X) 7.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 14,264 14,389 13,475 -0.9 6.8 1.2 13,977 14,474 13,288 12,611 (X) (X) 10.8

 Consumer durable goods..................... 14,264 14,389 13,475 -0.9 6.8 1.2 13,977 14,474 13,288 12,611 (X) (X) 10.8 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 470,553 470,877 466,386 -0.1 1.0 0.9 459,484 472,196 469,939 428,176 (X) (X) 7.3

 Construction materials and supplies...... 51,424 51,155 50,821 0.5 0.7 0.8 50,198 50,671 50,373 45,350 (X) (X) 10.7

 Information technology......................... 40,308 40,239 40,277 0.2 -0.1 0.6 38,955 41,132 40,701 38,432 (X) (X) 1.4

 Computers and related products .......... 6,381 6,396 6,412 -0.2 -0.2 -0.4 5,993 6,754 6,546 5,639 (X) (X) 6.3

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 21,674 21,994 21,955 -1.5 0.2 0.0 20,793 22,049 21,889 19,604 (X) (X) 6.1

 Capital goods...................................... 130,420 130,746 129,087 -0.2 1.3 0.3 126,812 132,579 129,927 121,399 (X) (X) 4.5

 Nondefense capital goods 3

..................110,563 110,918 109,534 -0.3 1.3 0.3 107,154 112,737 110,408 102,129 (X) (X) 4.9

 Excluding aircraft............................. 93,968 93,874 92,985 0.1 1.0 0.5 91,324 95,206 93,347 85,879 (X) (X) 6.3

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 19,857 19,828 19,553 0.1 1.4 0.5 19,658 19,842 19,519 19,270 (X) (X) 2.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 142,923 143,792 142,833 -0.6 0.7 0.5 139,140 144,585 146,084 131,660 (X) (X) 5.7

 Consumer durable goods..................... 29,860 29,887 29,832 -0.1 0.2 0.1 28,496 29,760 30,020 25,932 (X) (X) 9.9

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 113,063 113,905 113,001 -0.7 0.8 0.6 110,644 114,825 116,064 105,728 (X) (X) 4.6

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable.

1

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories. 2

 Shipments and new orders are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations. 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

and search and navigation equipment. 5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 6

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

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

NEW ORDERS

UNFILLED ORDERS

TOTAL INVENTORIES
 8

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

 

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. Dec.

2004p 2004r 2004 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 04/03

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 154,461 155,058 153,856 -0.4 0.8 1.3 153,848 155,416 154,523 141,532 8.7

 Durable goods industries ........................ 93,411 93,672 92,714 -0.3 1.0 1.5 93,141 94,263 93,121 83,441 11.6

 Wood products................................... 3,724 3,789 3,885 -1.7 -2.5 -0.5 3,912 4,090 4,173 3,977 -1.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 3,337 3,370 3,378 -1.0 -0.2 0.6 3,345 3,394 3,394 3,255 2.8

 Primary metals.................................... 8,544 8,321 8,035 2.7 3.6 2.4 8,844 8,563 8,234 5,961 48.4

 Fabricated metal products..................... 13,773 13,653 13,352 0.9 2.3 1.8 13,868 13,559 13,262 11,090 25.0

 Machinery.......................................... 13,917 13,852 13,577 0.5 2.0 1.5 13,723 13,899 13,658 12,206 12.4

 Computers and electronic products ...... 17,164 17,415 17,302 -1.4 0.7 2.8 16,871 17,355 17,208 16,161 4.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 4,933 4,875 4,881 1.2 -0.1 1.3 4,906 4,855 4,840 4,670 5.1

 Transportation equipment.................. 17,619 17,890 17,879 -1.5 0.1 0.4 17,409 18,045 17,920 16,908 3.0

 Furniture and related products............ 3,649 3,652 3,659 -0.1 -0.2 0.4 3,633 3,651 3,637 3,167 14.7

 Miscellaneous products........................ 6,751 6,855 6,766 -1.5 1.3 1.2 6,630 6,852 6,795 6,046 9.7

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 61,050 61,386 61,142 -0.5 0.4 0.9 60,707 61,153 61,402 58,091 4.5

 Food products.................................... 9,570 9,638 9,746 -0.7 -1.1 1.0 9,626 9,804 10,014 10,353 -7.0

 Beverage and tobacco products............ 5,218 5,361 5,352 -2.7 0.2 -1.0 5,444 5,242 5,229 5,487 -0.8

 Textiles.............................................. 1,346 1,330 1,293 1.2 2.9 -3.4 1,330 1,309 1,269 1,324 0.5

 Textile products.................................. 1,934 1,913 1,909 1.1 0.2 1.2 1,895 1,868 1,899 1,740 8.9

 Apparel............................................. 1,606 1,618 1,639 -0.7 -1.3 -1.5 1,601 1,616 1,639 1,626 -1.5

 Leather and allied products................... 467 464 465 0.6 -0.2 3.3 462 462 466 450 2.7

 Paper products................................... 6,315 6,431 6,468 -1.8 -0.6 -0.3 6,370 6,456 6,505 6,750 -5.6

 Printing ............................................. 3,068 2,996 2,924 2.4 2.5 0.2 2,978 3,017 3,032 2,610 14.1

 Petroleum and coal products............... 5,543 5,940 5,745 -6.7 3.4 4.5 5,221 5,801 5,748 4,361 19.7

 Basic chemicals................................... 17,748 17,572 17,688 1.0 -0.7 1.6 17,539 17,519 17,674 16,112 8.9

 Plastics and rubber products............... 8,235 8,123 7,913 1.4 2.7 0.8 8,241 8,059 7,927 7,278 13.2

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 133,316 133,583 132,070 -0.2 1.1 1.0 128,766 135,356 134,411 123,571 4.2

 Durable goods industries ........................ 101,554 101,896 100,605 -0.3 1.3 0.8 97,798 102,940 101,605 93,427 4.7

 Wood products................................... 1,952 1,982 2,027 -1.5 -2.2 1.0 1,945 1,977 2,023 1,912 1.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,140 1,151 1,168 -1.0 -1.5 -0.4 1,083 1,082 1,109 1,158 -6.5

 Primary metals.................................... 6,828 6,920 6,832 -1.3 1.3 3.1 6,807 6,951 6,874 5,832 16.7

 Fabricated metal products..................... 10,197 10,081 9,886 1.2 2.0 1.4 9,952 10,072 9,925 9,199 8.2

 Machinery.......................................... 15,835 15,878 15,618 -0.3 1.7 -0.3 15,119 16,241 15,851 13,974 8.2

 Computers and electronic products ...... 19,283 19,653 19,890 -1.9 -1.2 1.4 18,218 20,078 20,123 17,793 2.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 3,010 3,008 2,933 0.1 2.6 -2.5 2,862 2,954 2,873 2,755 3.9

 Transportation equipment.................. 38,344 38,287 37,416 0.1 2.3 0.5 37,041 38,632 37,987 36,392 1.8

 Furniture and related products............ 1,583 1,610 1,594 -1.7 1.0 1.7 1,576 1,610 1,585 1,478 6.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,382 3,326 3,241 1.7 2.6 2.3 3,195 3,343 3,255 2,934 8.9

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 31,762 31,687 31,465 0.2 0.7 1.6 30,968 32,416 32,806 30,144 2.7

 Food products.................................... 3,461 3,456 3,382 0.1 2.2 3.0 3,679 3,971 4,071 3,201 14.9

 Beverage and tobacco products............ 4,669 4,737 4,856 -1.4 -2.5 -2.1 4,900 5,110 5,337 5,038 -2.7

 Textiles.............................................. 1,240 1,260 1,271 -1.6 -0.9 0.7 1,205 1,246 1,258 1,259 -4.3

 Textile products.................................. 663 664 679 -0.2 -2.2 2.0 614 659 678 643 -4.5

 Apparel............................................. 1,077 1,099 1,132 -2.0 -2.9 -3.0 1,002 1,096 1,106 1,118 -10.4

 Leather and allied products................... 161 159 166 1.3 -4.2 0.0 159 163 170 183 -13.1

 Paper products................................... 1,284 1,310 1,310 -2.0 0.0 3.4 1,293 1,290 1,278 1,118 15.7

 Printing ............................................. 1,806 1,835 1,938 -1.6 -5.3 4.6 1,514 1,889 2,103 1,492 1.5

 Petroleum and coal products............... 3,432 3,906 3,923 -12.1 -0.4 13.0 3,066 3,812 4,080 3,803 -19.4

 Basic chemicals................................... 11,241 10,551 10,211 6.5 3.3 -0.6 10,862 10,444 10,108 9,891 9.8

 Plastics and rubber products............... 2,728 2,710 2,597 0.7 4.4 -0.5 2,674 2,736 2,617 2,398 11.5

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 182,776 182,236 180,460 0.3 1.0 0.5 176,870 181,424 181,005 163,073 8.5

 Durable goods industries ........................ 87,353 87,031 86,782 0.4 0.3 0.0 84,111 86,594 86,318 79,101 6.3

 Wood products................................... 4,430 4,385 4,289 1.0 2.2 -2.0 4,032 4,113 3,988 3,709 8.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,032 5,043 5,066 -0.2 -0.5 3.8 4,895 4,867 4,817 4,638 5.5

 Primary metals.................................... 6,267 6,081 5,956 3.1 2.1 4.7 6,256 6,014 5,824 5,627 11.2

 Fabricated metal products..................... 11,522 11,368 11,426 1.4 -0.5 -0.4 11,142 11,182 11,400 10,215 9.1

 Machinery.......................................... 16,249 15,952 15,799 1.9 1.0 -0.5 15,990 15,942 15,617 14,332 11.6

 Computers and electronic products ...... 12,574 12,434 12,456 1.1 -0.2 -1.5 12,245 12,713 12,739 11,991 2.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 4,999 5,045 5,179 -0.9 -2.6 -1.0 4,653 4,989 5,146 4,524 2.9

 Transportation equipment.................. 13,171 13,562 13,407 -2.9 1.2 -0.8 12,226 13,671 13,447 11,846 3.2

 Furniture and related products............ 3,305 3,226 3,223 2.4 0.1 3.0 3,123 3,228 3,285 2,730 14.4

 Miscellaneous products........................ 9,804 9,935 9,981 -1.3 -0.5 -0.1 9,549 9,875 10,055 9,489 0.6

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 95,423 95,205 93,678 0.2 1.6 0.9 92,759 94,830 94,687 83,972 10.5

 Food products.................................... 20,852 20,648 20,662 1.0 -0.1 -0.8 20,514 21,428 22,089 19,528 5.0

 Beverage and tobacco products............ 4,859 4,755 4,769 2.2 -0.3 -0.1 4,519 4,808 4,900 4,200 7.6

 Textiles.............................................. 2,183 2,179 2,213 0.2 -1.5 0.1 2,065 2,133 2,168 2,234 -7.6

 Textile products.................................. 2,670 2,686 2,670 -0.6 0.6 -0.3 2,554 2,624 2,644 2,568 -0.5

 Apparel............................................. 4,637 4,578 4,528 1.3 1.1 1.9 4,513 4,300 4,497 4,157 8.6

 Leather and allied products................... 1,060 1,048 1,011 1.1 3.7 2.2 1,021 1,034 1,006 1,040 -1.8

 Paper products................................... 7,315 7,189 7,139 1.8 0.7 3.1 7,142 7,175 7,043 6,484 10.1

 Printing ............................................. 1,948 1,957 1,934 -0.5 1.2 0.9 1,901 1,956 1,970 1,652 15.1

 Petroleum and coal products............... 8,557 9,217 8,777 -7.2 5.0 5.3 7,959 9,008 8,867 5,809 37.0

 Basic chemicals................................... 28,881 28,562 27,687 1.1 3.2 -0.5 28,390 28,270 27,426 25,914 9.6

 Plastics and rubber products............... 12,461 12,386 12,288 0.6 0.8 3.1 12,181 12,094 12,077 10,386 17.3

p

 Preliminary r Revised

See note at end of Table 2 relating to survey error and revisions.
Table 7. Ratios of Manufacturers' Inventories to Shipments and Unfilled Orders

 to Shipments, by Industry Group

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Dec Nov Oct Sep Dec Nov Oct Sep

2004p 2004r 2004 2004 2004p 2004r 2004 2004

 All manufacturing industries2...... 1.23 1.24 1.24 1.24 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries 2

................... 1.38 1.41 1.40 1.39 3.97 4.02 3.95 3.96

 Wood products................................ 1.06 1.13 1.14 1.09 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products........... 1.18 1.21 1.26 1.26 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals................................. 1.43 1.43 1.44 1.38 1.30 1.33 1.36 1.37

 Fabricated metal products............... 1.52 1.50 1.51 1.48 2.06 2.04 2.07 2.01

 Machinery....................................... 1.74 1.82 1.73 1.77 2.16 2.26 2.15 2.16

 Computers and electronic products 2

.. 1.22 1.23 1.23 1.26 4.95 4.95 4.94 5.03

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 1.45 1.43 1.45 1.46 1.82 1.82 1.81 1.82

 Transportation equipment................. 1.27 1.32 1.29 1.27 7.93 8.00 7.66 7.66

 Furniture and related products........... 1.29 1.32 1.34 1.35 1.06 1.11 1.11 1.13

 Miscellaneous products.................... 1.64 1.72 1.76 1.72 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries.............. 1.06 1.05 1.05 1.07 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products................................... 0.82 0.82 0.81 0.83 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products......... 1.58 1.63 1.63 1.64 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................... 1.37 1.39 1.41 1.38 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................... 1.70 1.67 1.66 1.67 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel.......................................... 1.50 1.55 1.56 1.54 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............... 2.09 1.96 1.94 1.84 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products................................ 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.02 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing.......................................... 0.87 0.87 0.86 0.84 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............ 0.57 0.59 0.58 0.60 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Basic chemicals............................... 1.32 1.29 1.28 1.33 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products.............. 1.33 1.33 1.34 1.31 (X) (X) (X) (X)

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable

1

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

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

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

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

trucks; and miscellaneous furniture.

2 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing.

Dec2 Dec2 Dec2 Dec2

Industry 2003- 2003- 2003- 2003-

Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov

2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004

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

Durable goods industries ...................... 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.1 0.1 -0.1 0.1

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Primary metals.................................... 0.1 0.7 0.3 1.3 0.2 0.7 0.2 0.3

 Fabricated metal products.................... 0.9 0.4 0.7 1.4 0.0 0.6 -0.1 0.4

 Machinery.......................................... 0.0 0.8 -0.3 1.5 0.1 0.5 0.0 0.2

 Computers and electronic products ..... 0.3 0.9 0.4 1.3 0.0 0.3 -0.2 0.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.1 0.4 -0.1 0.8 -0.1 0.4 0.4 0.4

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.0 0.3 0.9 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.9 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.4

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.6 (X) 1.1 (X) 1.2 (X) 0.3

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

 Food products................................... (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

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

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

 Leather and allied products................... (X) 2.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.4

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

 Basic chemicals.................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Plastics and rubber products................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

publication.

2

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

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

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
10

Survey Description 

This report is compiled from results of the U.S.

Census Bureau’s Manufacturers’ Shipments,

Inventories, and Orders (M3) survey. This survey

provides statistics on manufacturers' value of

shipments, new orders (net of cancellations), end-ofmonth order backlog (unfilled orders), end-of-month

total inventory (at current cost or market value), and

inventories by stage of fabrication (materials and

supplies, work-in-process, and finished goods). The

M3 includes approximately 4,000 reporting units. 

Units may be divisions of diversified large

companies, large homogenous companies, or singleunit manufacturers in 89 industry categories. Due to

the small monthly sample, these 89 categories have

been combined into 59 publication levels. The

survey methodology assumes that the month-tomonth changes of the total operations of those

companies in the monthly survey effectively

represent the month-to-month movements of all

establishments that make up the category. The

current coverage levels in the survey show that

reported data in the monthly survey represent

approximately 60 percent of the shipments estimates

at the total manufacturing level. Data published

represent manufacturing in a calendar month. The

data collection is based on a voluntary survey

authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code.

The data presented in this release are based on data

obtained from a panel of 4,000 reporting units and

provide an indication of the activity within the

manufacturing sector. The results differ from what

would be obtained from a complete enumeration of

all manufacturing companies. In addition, a different

panel of 4,000 companies would yield different

results. The M3 panel is comprised of companies

with $500 million or more in shipments and a limited

number of smaller companies. From a statistical

perspective, the panel is not a probability sample;

therefore, the sampling errors that are normally

provided with sample surveys cannot be measured. 

Nonsampling errors are attributable to many sources. 

The use of company or divisional reports to estimate

the monthly change for establishments is one source

of nonsampling error. The use of primarily large

companies to represent the month-to-month

movement of all companies is another potential

source.

Additional survey documentation can be found on our

web site: http://www.census.gov/m3.

2005 Release Dates for M3 Survey

Survey Month Advance 8:30 A.M. Preliminary 10:00 A.M.

Dec 2004 January 27, 2005 February 3, 2005

Jan 2005 February 24, 2005 March 4, 2005

Feb 2005 March 24, 2005 March 31, 2005

Mar 2005 April 27, 2005 May 3, 2005

Apr 2005 May 25, 2005 June 2, 2005

May 2005 June 24, 2005 July 5, 2005

Jun 2005 July 27, 2005 August 2, 2005

Jul 2005 August 24, 2005 August 30, 2005

Aug 2005 September 28, 2005 October 4, 2005

Sep 2005 October 27, 2005 November 3, 2005

Oct 2005 November 29, 2005 December 6, 2005

Nov 2005 December 23, 2005