FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011, AT 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Chris Savage or Adriana Stoica 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (11)-04 

CB11-96 

 Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

April 2011 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in April, down 

two of the last three months, decreased $5.5 billion or 

1.2 percent to $440.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This followed a 3.8 percent March 

increase. Excluding transportation, new orders 

decreased 0.2 percent. 

 Shipments, down following seven consecutive 

monthly increases, decreased $0.9 billion or 0.2 percent to $444.5 billion. This followed a 3.1 percent March 

increase. 

 Unfilled orders, up twelve of the last thirteen months, 

increased $2.5 billion or 0.3 percent to $850.7 billion. 

This followed a 0.7 percent March increase. The 

unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.08, up from 

5.96 in March. 

 Inventories, up eighteen of the last nineteen months, 

increased $7.7 billion or 1.3 percent to $587.8 billion. 

This followed a 1.4 percent March increase. The 

inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.32, up from 1.30 in 

March. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in April, 

down two of the last three months, decreased $7.1 

billion or 3.6 percent to $190.3 billion, unchanged from 

the previously published decrease. This followed a 4.6 

percent March increase. 

 Transportation equipment, also down two of the last 

three months, had the largest decrease, $4.8 billion or 

9.3 percent to $46.9 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $1.6 billion or 0.6 percent to $250.1 billion. 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in April, 

down following four consecutive monthly increases, 

decreased $2.5 billion or 1.3 percent to $194.4 billion, 

revised from the previously published 1.0 percent 

decrease. This followed a 3.1 percent March increase. 

 Transportation equipment, also down following four 

consecutive monthly increases, had the largest decrease, 

$1.6 billion or 3.3 percent to $46.5 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up ten 

consecutive months, increased $1.6 billion or 0.6 percent 

to $250.1 billion. This followed a 3.1 percent March 

increase. Food products, up eight consecutive months, 

led the increase, up $1.1 billion or 1.8 percent to $61.0 

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

first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 

0.9 percent March increase. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

April, up twelve of the last thirteen months, increased 

$2.5 billion or 0.3 percent to $850.7 billion, revised from 

the previously published 0.2 percent increase. This 

followed a 0.7 percent March increase. 

 

 Machinery, up fifteen consecutive months, had the 

largest increase, $2.5 billion or 2.5 percent to $104.0 

billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in April, up 

sixteen consecutive months, increased $3.3 billion or 0.9 

percent to $350.6 billion, unchanged from the previously 

published increase. This was at the highest level since 

the series was first published on a NAICS basis and 

followed a 1.7 percent March increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, also up sixteen consecutive months, had the largest increase, $0.9 billion or 0.9 

percent to $106.0 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up 

eight consecutive months, increased $4.4 billion or 1.9 

percent to $237.2 billion. This followed a 1.0 percent 

March increase. Petroleum and coal products, also up 

eight consecutive months, led the increase, up $3.2 

billion or 6.0 percent to $55.7 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, April materials and supplies 

increased 0.9 percent in durable goods and 0.5 percent in 

nondurable goods. Work in process increased 1.1 

percent in durable goods and 3.5 percent in nondurable 

goods. Finished goods increased 0.7 percent in durable 

goods and 2.2 percent in nondurable goods. 

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

manufacturing. For data, call (301) 763-4673 or go to <http://www.census.gov/m3>. The advance report on durable goods for May is scheduled for release on June 24, 2011, at 8:30 a.m. EDT and the full report on 

July 5, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. See back page for survey description. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

 All manufacturing industries.................. 444,522 445,386 431,886 -0.2 3.1 0.2 445,839 471,211 396,554 403,917 1,706,851 1,537,048 11.0

 Excluding transportation................... 398,052 397,323 386,164 0.2 2.9 0.1 401,679 416,712 353,048 360,842 1,526,241 1,363,079 12.0

 Excluding defense.............................. 434,335 434,765 421,476 -0.1 3.2 0.2 436,267 459,293 386,537 391,951 1,667,046 1,487,066 12.1

 With unfilled orders............................ 139,821 142,338 137,391 -1.8 3.6 0.0 137,237 156,045 127,011 129,621 541,853 502,296 7.9

 Durable goods industries......................... 194,400 196,879 190,921 -1.3 3.1 0.0 193,141 213,963 176,499 183,760 754,489 700,541 7.7

 Wood products....................................... 5,345 5,351 5,136 -0.1 4.2 -4.8 5,546 5,329 4,545 6,175 19,894 21,116 -5.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 7,682 7,796 7,809 -1.5 -0.2 -0.5 7,789 7,955 6,550 7,992 28,855 28,115 2.6

 Primary metals....................................... 22,471 22,519 21,706 -0.2 3.7 2.5 23,348 24,661 20,651 19,015 88,677 70,264 26.2

 Iron and steel mills............................ 11,172 11,298 10,954 -1.1 3.1 -0.3 11,562 12,523 10,385 9,815 44,887 35,882 25.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 9,737 9,652 9,204 0.9 4.9 6.5 10,190 10,437 8,822 7,843 37,626 29,244 28.7

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,562 1,569 1,548 -0.4 1.4 0.1 1,596 1,701 1,444 1,357 6,164 5,138 20.0

 Fabricated metal products....................... 24,750 24,967 24,378 -0.9 2.4 0.0 24,593 26,250 22,179 23,684 94,939 89,768 5.8

 Machinery............................................. 27,962 29,222 27,494 -4.3 6.3 1.6 28,612 32,847 25,658 26,447 111,364 99,526 11.9

 Farm machinery................................. 2,258 2,378 2,298 -5.0 3.5 13.4 2,923 2,952 2,464 2,784 10,117 9,179 10.2

 Construction machinery..................... 3,514 3,514 3,524 0.0 -0.3 1.0 3,526 3,908 3,230 2,685 13,760 9,506 44.8

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,618 1,548 1,451 4.5 6.7 -5.3 1,536 1,705 1,384 1,384 6,149 6,446 -4.6

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,042 3,337 3,054 -8.8 9.3 8.6 2,994 3,958 2,663 2,599 12,137 10,171 19.3

 Photographic equipment...................... 667 708 726 -5.8 -2.5 -2.6 602 804 630 637 2,628 2,600 1.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 2,697 2,634 2,695 2.4 -2.3 0.0 2,534 2,667 2,137 2,696 9,511 9,884 -3.8

 Metalworking machinery..................... 1,849 1,845 1,699 0.2 8.6 -3.2 1,744 2,073 1,510 1,752 6,927 6,966 -0.6

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,393 4,257 3,453 -20.3 23.3 5.1 3,408 4,362 3,289 3,076 14,164 11,467 23.5

 Material handling equipment............... 2,466 2,406 2,314 2.5 4.0 -2.0 2,364 2,720 2,227 2,043 9,461 8,324 13.7

 Computers and electronic products2.......... 30,953 29,787 30,250 3.9 -1.5 -2.5 30,947 31,248 26,676 30,556 118,373 113,901 3.9

 Computers........................................ 4,035 4,014 3,934 0.5 2.0 -2.1 4,083 3,905 3,159 3,682 14,860 12,543 18.5

 Computer storage devices..................... 689 680 622 1.3 9.3 -1.9 463 1,002 440 429 2,413 2,171 11.1

 Other peripheral equipment................ 853 937 802 -9.0 16.8 -1.1 663 1,205 583 692 2,964 2,802 5.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 2,759 2,640 2,878 4.5 -8.3 -3.5 2,367 3,041 2,370 2,691 10,126 11,773 -14.0

 Defense communications equipment.... 482 492 491 -2.0 0.2 -5.2 480 519 477 647 1,934 2,165 -10.7

 Audio and video equipment.................... 257 273 277 -5.9 -1.4 3.4 182 256 229 184 902 854 5.6

 Electronic components......................... 3,394 3,395 3,368 0.0 0.8 -0.8 3,091 3,733 3,081 3,193 12,960 12,895 0.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,147 1,219 1,115 -5.9 9.3 2.8 1,003 1,463 1,062 939 4,448 4,185 6.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,728 2,768 2,705 -1.4 2.3 -0.8 2,599 3,073 2,623 2,948 10,564 12,293 -14.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,502 7,386 7,467 1.6 -1.1 -0.5 6,921 8,297 6,695 6,445 28,552 26,461 7.9

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,950 10,238 9,885 -2.8 3.6 -0.5 9,828 11,040 9,127 9,613 38,699 35,964 7.6

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,007 992 1,002 1.5 -1.0 -0.7 980 1,031 963 954 3,891 3,774 3.1

 Household appliances........................ 1,574 1,612 1,579 -2.4 2.1 1.9 1,654 1,838 1,388 1,794 6,109 6,254 -2.3

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,580 3,798 3,495 -5.7 8.7 -2.1 3,379 4,189 3,337 3,293 14,047 12,592 11.6

 Batteries........................................... 896 887 859 1.0 3.3 2.0 815 859 715 778 3,090 2,992 3.3

 Transportation equipment........................ 46,470 48,063 45,722 -3.3 5.1 0.6 44,160 54,499 43,506 43,075 180,610 173,969 3.8

 Automobiles..................................... 5,174 5,573 5,013 -7.2 11.2 2.3 4,812 6,050 4,711 4,743 20,021 19,108 4.8

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 7,978 8,351 8,163 -4.5 2.3 4.4 7,200 9,662 7,863 6,069 31,406 25,353 23.9

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,733 1,612 1,504 7.5 7.2 3.3 1,736 1,805 1,493 1,560 6,400 6,445 -0.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 14,192 14,982 13,867 -5.3 8.0 -2.1 14,329 16,458 13,557 13,526 57,133 51,973 9.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 6,836 6,959 6,788 -1.8 2.5 2.7 6,130 8,652 6,042 5,893 25,704 24,254 6.0

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,186 4,412 4,281 -5.1 3.1 0.7 3,819 4,984 3,971 4,867 16,058 20,338 -21.0

 Ships and boats................................. 2,281 2,348 2,338 -2.9 0.4 3.2 2,312 2,584 2,361 2,429 9,223 9,556 -3.5

 Furniture and related products.................. 5,516 5,615 5,401 -1.8 4.0 -1.0 5,365 5,732 5,254 4,954 21,398 19,616 9.1

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,301 13,321 13,140 -0.2 1.4 -0.4 12,953 14,402 12,353 12,249 51,680 48,302 7.0

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 250,122 248,507 240,965 0.6 3.1 0.3 252,698 257,248 220,055 220,157 952,362 836,507 13.8

 Food products....................................... 60,973 59,905 59,398 1.8 0.9 1.7 59,218 61,784 57,281 52,707 234,170 213,147 9.9

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 8,369 7,979 8,002 4.9 -0.3 -1.9 7,796 8,346 7,809 6,466 32,047 28,527 12.3

 Dairy products.................................. 9,389 9,103 8,939 3.1 1.8 5.7 9,115 9,412 8,287 7,788 34,794 30,621 13.6

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 17,245 17,188 16,930 0.3 1.5 3.7 17,078 17,275 16,538 15,678 66,464 61,881 7.4

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 11,957 12,101 11,398 -1.2 6.2 0.9 11,932 12,146 10,432 10,576 44,704 39,098 14.3

 Beverages......................................... 9,423 9,423 9,038 0.0 4.3 -0.6 9,398 9,468 8,072 7,988 34,927 29,351 19.0

 Tobacco............................................ 2,534 2,678 2,360 -5.4 13.5 7.0 2,534 2,678 2,360 2,588 9,777 9,747 0.3

 Textile mills........................................... 2,605 2,629 2,626 -0.9 0.1 1.9 2,669 2,724 2,562 2,525 10,396 9,704 7.1

 Textile products................................... 1,829 1,880 1,843 -2.7 2.0 3.9 1,906 1,955 1,786 1,885 7,221 7,159 0.9

 Apparel................................................ 1,282 1,271 1,243 0.9 2.3 -1.6 1,189 1,255 1,204 1,122 4,740 4,546 4.3

 Leather and allied products...................... 316 317 309 -0.3 2.6 0.0 302 332 329 295 1,215 1,235 -1.6

 Paper products...................................... 14,531 14,618 14,561 -0.6 0.4 -0.5 14,178 14,978 13,576 13,880 56,933 54,847 3.8

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,710 6,753 6,779 -0.6 -0.4 -0.5 6,564 6,919 6,308 6,462 26,515 25,522 3.9

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,443 4,473 4,412 -0.7 1.4 -0.1 4,347 4,620 4,076 4,101 17,270 16,164 6.8

 Printing................................................. 7,065 7,177 6,967 -1.6 3.0 -0.8 7,075 7,460 6,358 7,184 27,454 27,106 1.3

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 72,395 71,740 67,579 0.9 6.2 -0.6 74,568 70,216 56,620 54,946 262,426 198,126 32.5

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 68,520 68,045 63,987 0.7 6.3 -0.6 70,838 66,714 53,720 51,787 249,683 187,080 33.5

 Chemical products..................................... 61,195 60,902 59,394 0.5 2.5 0.3 63,466 67,577 55,588 59,349 241,436 222,713 8.4

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 4,516 4,757 5,038 -5.1 -5.6 2.3 6,641 7,388 5,111 6,271 22,981 18,871 21.8

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 15,818 15,994 15,425 -1.1 3.7 -0.2 15,464 16,953 14,129 15,410 60,951 61,063 -0.2

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,347 2,459 2,467 -4.6 -0.3 2.1 2,497 2,688 2,237 2,799 9,423 9,681 -2.7

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 15,974 15,967 15,647 0.0 2.0 -0.4 16,195 16,821 14,319 15,688 61,667 58,826 4.8

p

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

1

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

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

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

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

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

 aggregate totals. 

Year to date
 3

Table 2. Value of Manufacturers' New Orders for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

All manufacturing industries2...................... 440,372 445,836 429,658 -1.2 3.8 -0.3 437,930 478,410 397,022 397,702 1,711,120 1,530,771 11.8

 Excluding transportation2...................... 393,457 394,108 382,871 -0.2 2.9 0.0 395,621 418,067 353,473 355,002 1,521,953 1,356,268 12.2

 Excluding defense2.............................. 429,670 435,085 420,064 -1.2 3.6 0.5 428,698 463,734 387,096 387,554 1,663,827 1,477,919 12.6

 With unfilled orders2

............................. 142,340 148,388 141,357 -4.1 5.0 -1.7 138,032 167,636 133,090 131,731 573,295 520,244 10.2

 Durable goods industries2........................ 190,250 197,329 188,693 -3.6 4.6 -1.1 185,232 221,162 176,967 177,545 758,758 694,264 9.3

 Primary metals........................................ 21,780 22,311 20,808 -2.4 7.2 -8.3 22,364 25,148 20,325 19,329 90,397 75,157 20.3

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 10,113 10,911 9,810 -7.3 11.2 -19.8 10,282 12,675 9,670 10,141 45,126 39,803 13.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,040 9,707 9,366 3.4 3.6 5.7 10,417 10,685 9,089 7,777 38,675 29,970 29.0

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,627 1,693 1,632 -3.9 3.7 2.0 1,665 1,788 1,566 1,411 6,596 5,384 22.5

 Fabricated metal products........................ 24,893 25,143 25,649 -1.0 -2.0 4.2 25,071 27,758 24,239 24,438 99,873 93,859 6.4

 Machinery............................................. 30,478 31,371 28,934 -2.8 8.4 -1.1 31,910 35,377 27,395 27,230 122,770 103,647 18.5

 Construction machinery....................... 3,801 3,760 3,740 1.1 0.5 -2.4 3,913 4,083 3,643 2,759 15,298 9,816 55.8

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 2,070 2,051 1,991 0.9 3.0 13.1 1,932 2,165 2,042 1,106 7,776 5,899 31.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,727 3,727 2,976 0.0 25.2 24.0 3,981 4,171 2,555 2,795 13,404 11,113 20.6

 Photographic equipment...................... 636 656 718 -3.0 -8.6 -3.2 586 750 641 679 2,645 2,688 -1.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,244 3,010 3,125 7.8 -3.7 -9.4 3,391 3,587 2,159 3,000 12,436 11,529 7.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 1,909 1,910 2,086 -0.1 -8.4 10.8 1,840 2,127 1,985 1,783 7,774 7,041 10.4

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 3,598 4,659 3,310 -22.8 40.8 -9.0 3,598 4,782 3,164 3,158 14,986 11,160 34.3

 Material handling equipment.................. 2,632 2,567 2,227 2.5 15.3 -14.0 2,527 2,921 2,255 2,154 10,131 8,806 15.0

 Computers and electronic products2......... 24,154 23,818 24,657 1.4 -3.4 1.3 21,663 27,230 22,435 22,206 92,676 90,288 2.6

 Computers........................................ 3,953 4,098 3,759 -3.5 9.0 -2.9 4,001 3,989 2,984 3,622 14,539 12,337 17.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 2,377 2,537 2,717 -6.3 -6.6 0.5 2,072 2,722 2,580 2,925 9,469 11,532 -17.9

 Defense communications equipment...... 408 284 419 43.7 -32.2 -20.3 328 577 369 504 1,833 2,621 -30.1

 Electronic components......................... 3,603 3,398 3,254 6.0 4.4 -1.4 3,376 3,635 3,124 3,368 13,226 13,765 -3.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,285 929 1,275 38.3 -27.1 6.0 1,161 1,067 1,287 974 4,642 4,167 11.4

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,439 2,390 3,261 2.1 -26.7 19.4 2,053 3,134 3,530 2,952 10,981 11,982 -8.4

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,852 7,909 7,874 -0.7 0.4 0.2 6,973 9,281 6,963 6,175 30,230 26,523 14.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,048 10,669 10,349 -5.8 3.1 3.4 9,858 11,330 10,160 9,698 40,943 38,178 7.2

 Electric lighting equipment................... 977 984 986 -0.7 -0.2 -5.2 987 1,032 948 1,035 3,938 3,843 2.5

 Household appliances.......................... 1,458 1,728 1,653 -15.6 4.5 16.7 1,502 1,836 1,609 1,770 6,244 6,384 -2.2

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,716 4,095 3,628 -9.3 12.9 -6.2 3,633 4,403 3,632 3,424 15,358 13,677 12.3

 Transportation equipment........................ 46,915 51,728 46,787 -9.3 10.6 -2.4 42,309 60,343 43,549 42,700 189,167 174,503 8.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 14,114 14,943 13,922 -5.5 7.3 -1.3 14,266 16,191 13,729 13,496 57,120 51,646 10.6

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 7,213 10,301 10,069 -30.0 2.3 39.9 4,655 12,823 7,795 7,927 30,083 25,117 19.8

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 4,169 4,500 4,206 -7.4 7.0 -13.8 3,379 5,774 3,925 4,005 18,393 21,616 -14.9

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,744 3,053 433 -10.1 605.1 -89.7 2,819 3,599 1,129 1,678 12,337 9,472 30.2

 Furniture and related products................. 5,664 5,856 5,445 -3.3 7.5 0.7 5,779 6,325 5,437 5,134 22,567 20,611 9.5

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 250,122 248,507 240,965 0.6 3.1 0.3 252,698 257,248 220,055 220,157 952,362 836,507 13.8

p

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

1

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

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

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

adjusted for price changes.

2

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

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

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

calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>.

Year to date
 4 

Table 3. Value of Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. Apr.

2011p 2011r 2011 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

All manufacturing industries2...................... 850,721 848,202 842,152 0.3 0.7 0.5 860,900 860,105 848,514 816,621 5.4

 Excluding transportation2...................... 357,153 355,079 352,694 0.6 0.7 0.8 363,083 360,437 354,690 322,173 12.7

 Excluding defense2............................. 683,893 681,889 675,969 0.3 0.9 0.7 690,008 688,873 680,040 649,788 6.2

 Durable goods industries2

........................ 850,721 848,202 842,152 0.3 0.7 0.5 860,900 860,105 848,514 816,621 5.4

 Primary metals........................................ 32,411 33,102 33,310 -2.1 -0.6 -2.6 33,381 34,365 33,878 28,594 16.7

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 19,175 20,234 20,621 -5.2 -1.9 -5.3 19,761 21,041 20,889 17,270 14.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 9,985 9,682 9,627 3.1 0.6 1.7 10,309 10,082 9,834 8,584 20.1

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 3,251 3,186 3,062 2.0 4.0 2.8 3,311 3,242 3,155 2,740 20.8

 Fabricated metal products......................... 62,785 62,642 62,466 0.2 0.3 2.1 64,222 63,744 62,236 62,746 2.4

 Machinery.............................................. 104,014 101,498 99,349 2.5 2.2 1.5 105,684 102,386 99,856 80,403 31.4

 Construction machinery....................... 9,128 8,841 8,595 3.2 2.9 2.6 9,486 9,099 8,924 6,399 48.2

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 10,374 9,922 9,419 4.6 5.3 6.1 10,313 9,917 9,457 6,072 69.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 14,806 14,121 13,731 4.9 2.8 -0.6 15,155 14,168 13,955 11,737 29.1

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,875 1,906 1,958 -1.6 -2.7 -0.4 1,896 1,912 1,966 2,309 -17.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 19,681 19,134 18,758 2.9 2.0 2.3 20,005 19,148 18,228 15,243 31.2

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,005 4,945 4,880 1.2 1.3 8.6 5,115 5,019 4,965 4,190 22.1

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 15,360 15,155 14,753 1.4 2.7 -1.0 15,507 15,317 14,897 10,448 48.4

 Material handling equipment.................. 8,086 7,920 7,759 2.1 2.1 -1.1 8,233 8,070 7,869 6,863 20.0

 Computers and electronic products2......... 123,992 124,122 124,491 -0.1 -0.3 0.5 125,347 125,927 125,553 121,253 3.4

 Computers......................................... 3,333 3,415 3,331 -2.4 2.5 -5.0 3,333 3,415 3,331 3,338 -0.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 22,370 22,752 22,855 -1.7 -0.5 -0.7 22,587 22,882 23,201 23,169 -2.5

 Defense communications equipment...... 6,062 6,136 6,344 -1.2 -3.3 -1.1 6,246 6,398 6,340 6,617 -5.6

 Electronic components.......................... 11,631 11,422 11,419 1.8 0.0 -1.0 11,697 11,412 11,510 11,464 2.0

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 8,691 8,553 8,843 1.6 -3.3 1.8 8,719 8,561 8,957 8,976 -2.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 43,759 44,048 44,426 -0.7 -0.9 1.3 44,447 44,993 44,932 42,206 5.3

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 28,146 27,796 27,273 1.3 1.9 1.5 28,318 28,266 27,282 25,483 11.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 25,225 25,127 24,696 0.4 1.7 1.9 25,496 25,466 25,176 20,845 22.3

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,066 1,096 1,104 -2.7 -0.7 -1.4 1,064 1,057 1,056 1,035 2.8

 Household appliances.......................... 815 931 815 -12.5 14.2 10.0 839 991 993 674 24.5

 Electrical equipment............................. 14,260 14,124 13,827 1.0 2.1 1.0 14,348 14,094 13,880 11,799 21.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 493,568 493,123 489,458 0.1 0.7 0.2 497,817 499,668 493,824 494,448 0.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 13,465 13,543 13,582 -0.6 -0.3 0.4 13,783 13,846 14,113 13,573 1.5

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 340,880 340,503 337,161 0.1 1.0 1.0 341,795 343,270 339,099 331,942 3.0

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 53,211 53,228 53,140 0.0 0.2 -0.1 54,440 54,880 54,090 52,349 4.0

 Ships and boats.................................. 18,965 18,502 17,797 2.5 4.0 -9.7 20,050 19,543 18,528 22,847 -12.2

 Furniture and related products................. 7,172 7,024 6,783 2.1 3.6 0.7 7,399 6,985 6,392 6,758 9.5

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 Percent

Industry Change

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. Apr.

2011p 2011r 2011 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

 All manufacturing industries..................... 587,754 580,076 571,854 1.3 1.4 1.2 591,067 578,111 572,993 525,424 12.5

 Excluding transportation...................... 481,736 474,968 469,171 1.4 1.2 1.2 483,634 473,190 469,985 433,325 11.6

 Excluding defense............................. 561,875 554,163 546,841 1.4 1.3 1.2 565,024 552,077 547,908 499,960 13.0

 With unfilled orders............................. 286,886 283,901 278,388 1.1 2.0 1.1 289,243 282,882 279,895 254,465 13.7

 Durable goods industries........................ 350,572 347,292 341,416 0.9 1.7 1.2 353,204 346,474 344,068 313,068 12.8

 Wood products........................................ 8,644 8,612 8,674 0.4 -0.7 1.2 8,542 8,732 8,907 8,224 3.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 10,637 10,548 10,484 0.8 0.6 0.6 10,911 10,784 10,725 10,431 4.6

 Primary metals......................................... 33,124 32,589 31,890 1.6 2.2 1.9 33,433 32,096 31,623 28,192 18.6

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 20,425 20,018 19,470 2.0 2.8 2.3 20,594 19,524 19,177 16,859 22.2

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,758 10,646 10,526 1.1 1.1 1.1 10,855 10,604 10,488 9,544 13.7

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,941 1,925 1,894 0.8 1.6 2.7 1,984 1,968 1,958 1,789 10.9

 Fabricated metal products......................... 43,901 43,442 42,855 1.1 1.4 0.9 44,193 43,644 43,185 40,240 9.8

 Machinery.............................................. 56,119 55,560 54,491 1.0 2.0 1.1 56,653 56,013 55,566 50,111 13.1

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,155 3,100 3,052 1.8 1.6 1.0 3,260 3,371 3,352 2,575 26.6

 Construction machinery........................ 5,061 5,054 4,920 0.1 2.7 1.9 5,167 5,155 5,006 4,117 25.5

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 6,884 6,754 6,539 1.9 3.3 3.0 6,939 6,759 6,514 5,991 15.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 6,427 6,451 6,420 -0.4 0.5 0.6 6,429 6,498 6,471 6,026 6.7

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,526 1,545 1,529 -1.2 1.0 -1.2 1,491 1,488 1,545 1,381 8.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,188 4,171 3,967 0.4 5.1 0.2 4,418 4,239 4,016 4,173 5.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,386 4,288 4,185 2.3 2.5 0.6 4,452 4,269 4,193 4,044 10.1

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 7,067 6,917 6,764 2.2 2.3 1.2 7,016 6,740 6,932 5,729 22.5

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,385 3,363 3,326 0.7 1.1 0.4 3,393 3,358 3,367 3,163 7.3

 Computers and electronic products2......... 47,794 47,294 46,477 1.1 1.8 1.2 47,572 46,484 47,044 43,014 10.6

 Computers......................................... 3,050 2,712 2,721 12.5 -0.3 -0.6 2,869 2,599 2,795 2,602 10.3

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,275 1,294 1,310 -1.5 -1.2 0.3 1,320 1,227 1,332 1,278 3.3

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,409 1,418 1,428 -0.6 -0.7 1.1 1,439 1,375 1,451 1,434 0.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 7,017 6,988 6,696 0.4 4.4 3.3 6,976 6,835 6,882 6,237 11.8

 Defense communications equipment...... 2,627 2,596 2,523 1.2 2.9 1.0 2,627 2,596 2,523 2,324 13.0

 Audio and video equipment.................. 529 515 513 2.7 0.4 2.0 486 453 479 498 -2.4

 Electronic components.......................... 7,247 7,252 7,242 -0.1 0.1 0.3 7,301 7,081 7,292 6,379 14.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,260 3,228 3,174 1.0 1.7 1.1 3,260 3,214 3,131 3,012 8.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,822 2,871 2,784 -1.7 3.1 0.9 2,876 2,871 2,807 2,975 -3.3

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 12,564 12,407 12,243 1.3 1.3 0.7 12,585 12,286 12,495 11,402 10.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,392 15,247 15,121 1.0 0.8 1.3 15,561 15,246 15,265 14,039 10.8

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,687 1,664 1,665 1.4 -0.1 -1.0 1,724 1,655 1,663 1,643 4.9

 Household appliances.......................... 2,244 2,258 2,249 -0.6 0.4 -1.2 2,236 2,216 2,266 1,820 22.9

 Electrical equipment............................. 4,915 4,802 4,820 2.4 -0.4 3.1 4,945 4,796 4,979 4,549 8.7

 Batteries............................................ 1,060 1,087 1,106 -2.5 -1.7 3.3 1,078 1,088 1,076 1,039 3.8

 Transportation equipment......................... 106,018 105,108 102,683 0.9 2.4 1.3 107,433 104,921 103,008 92,099 16.6

 Automobiles....................................... 2,882 2,864 2,871 0.6 -0.2 10.2 2,901 2,755 2,993 2,494 16.3

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 2,771 2,834 2,894 -2.2 -2.1 2.4 2,866 2,917 2,894 2,371 20.9

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,526 1,476 1,431 3.4 3.1 0.2 1,492 1,415 1,427 1,340 11.3

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 17,348 17,262 17,156 0.5 0.6 0.8 17,619 17,253 17,390 16,070 9.6

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 56,485 55,454 53,686 1.9 3.3 1.3 57,388 55,360 53,538 44,555 28.8

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 14,222 14,371 13,853 -1.0 3.7 -0.1 14,232 14,329 13,810 14,151 0.6

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,575 3,418 3,333 4.6 2.6 3.9 3,659 3,544 3,444 2,998 22.0

 Furniture and related products................. 6,712 6,736 6,747 -0.4 -0.2 0.0 6,668 6,635 6,687 6,118 9.0

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 22,231 22,156 21,994 0.3 0.7 0.6 22,238 21,919 22,058 20,600 8.0

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 237,182 232,784 230,438 1.9 1.0 1.2 237,863 231,637 228,925 212,356 12.0

 Food products........................................ 44,024 43,954 43,520 0.2 1.0 0.3 43,096 42,998 43,308 40,017 7.7

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,683 5,698 5,796 -0.3 -1.7 -3.9 5,562 5,599 5,919 4,768 16.7

 Dairy products.................................... 5,573 5,670 5,528 -1.7 2.6 2.2 5,771 5,653 5,436 5,439 6.1

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 8,474 8,486 8,493 -0.1 -0.1 1.2 8,428 8,392 8,433 7,791 8.2

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 16,429 16,398 16,383 0.2 0.1 0.3 16,534 16,600 16,771 16,371 1.0

 Beverages......................................... 12,969 12,910 12,832 0.5 0.6 0.6 13,046 13,019 13,025 12,681 2.9

 Tobacco............................................ 3,460 3,488 3,551 -0.8 -1.8 -0.6 3,488 3,581 3,746 3,690 -5.5

 Textile mills............................................ 3,448 3,390 3,333 1.7 1.7 0.8 3,485 3,389 3,370 2,974 17.2

 Textile products...................................... 2,938 2,931 2,911 0.2 0.7 -0.1 2,973 2,924 2,923 2,636 12.8

 Apparel................................................. 2,415 2,408 2,377 0.3 1.3 1.0 2,321 2,311 2,330 1,867 24.3

 Leather and allied products...................... 891 877 850 1.6 3.2 1.4 873 855 858 719 21.4

 Paper products....................................... 13,918 13,952 13,894 -0.2 0.4 0.5 13,980 14,000 14,027 13,607 2.7

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 5,941 5,955 5,937 -0.2 0.3 0.4 5,973 5,996 6,019 5,866 1.8

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,023 4,019 3,971 0.1 1.2 1.6 4,035 4,040 4,034 3,816 5.7

 Printing.................................................. 5,662 5,645 5,567 0.3 1.4 -0.4 5,622 5,629 5,598 5,220 7.7

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 55,670 52,514 50,841 6.0 3.3 3.8 56,498 51,786 47,907 42,038 34.4

 Petroleum refineries............................. 52,435 49,375 47,657 6.2 3.6 4.1 53,195 48,666 44,747 39,124 36.0

 Chemical products..................................... 71,576 70,809 70,766 1.1 0.1 0.7 72,033 71,021 71,529 67,799 6.2

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 3,871 3,720 3,655 4.1 1.8 1.3 4,047 4,113 4,252 3,629 11.5

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 25,441 25,096 25,662 1.4 -2.2 0.8 25,480 24,926 25,663 25,616 -0.5

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,163 3,124 3,091 1.2 1.1 0.0 3,232 3,208 3,192 2,870 12.6

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 20,211 19,906 19,996 1.5 -0.5 0.8 20,448 20,124 20,304 19,108 7.0

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

1

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

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

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

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

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

 Topical Series1, 2

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date Percent

Industry Change6

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries................... 444,522 445,386 431,886 -0.2 3.1 0.2 445,839 471,211 396,554 403,917 1,706,851 1,537,048 11.0

 Construction materials and supplies...... 36,513 36,763 36,221 -0.7 1.5 -0.8 36,479 37,500 31,361 37,023 136,051 133,316 2.1

 Information technology......................... 24,450 24,449 24,364 0.0 0.3 -1.3 22,754 27,050 21,338 22,469 92,430 89,733 3.0

 Computers and related products........... 5,577 5,631 5,358 -1.0 5.1 -2.0 5,209 6,112 4,182 4,803 20,237 17,516 15.5

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 29,077 30,518 28,547 -4.7 6.9 0.7 28,077 33,975 27,624 25,898 114,960 102,879 11.7

 Capital goods...................................... 74,111 75,565 72,939 -1.9 3.6 0.5 71,909 84,291 67,128 69,578 286,486 273,955 4.6

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 66,125 67,097 64,758 -1.4 3.6 0.3 64,273 74,860 59,073 59,821 254,798 232,946 9.4

 Excluding aircraft............................. 62,185 63,151 60,872 -1.5 3.7 -0.2 60,756 69,836 55,662 56,333 240,657 218,837 10.0

 Defense capital goods4....................... 7,986 8,468 8,181 -5.7 3.5 2.2 7,636 9,431 8,055 9,757 31,688 41,009 -22.7

 Consumer goods.................................. 198,027 197,822 190,743 0.1 3.7 0.6 196,975 203,087 174,301 167,957 749,441 648,541 15.6

 Consumer durable goods..................... 25,693 26,675 25,636 -3.7 4.1 2.4 24,677 29,966 24,649 23,133 101,208 91,739 10.3

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 172,334 171,147 165,107 0.7 3.7 0.3 172,298 173,121 149,652 144,824 648,233 556,802 16.4

 All manufacturing industries5.................. 440,372 445,836 429,658 -1.2 3.8 -0.3 437,930 478,410 397,022 397,702 1,711,120 1,530,771 11.8

 Construction materials and supplies...... 37,055 37,053 37,226 0.0 -0.5 -1.5 37,669 39,103 32,212 37,931 141,538 136,697 3.5

 Information technology......................... 24,188 24,051 25,344 0.6 -5.1 3.0 21,794 27,545 23,208 22,208 94,408 90,493 4.3

 Computers and related products........... 5,495 5,715 5,183 -3.8 10.3 -2.5 5,127 6,196 4,007 4,743 19,916 17,310 15.1

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 28,999 30,479 28,602 -4.9 6.6 1.1 28,014 33,708 27,796 25,868 114,947 102,552 12.1

 Capital goods...................................... 76,358 81,655 76,970 -6.5 6.1 -0.4 72,259 93,906 71,640 70,816 308,583 281,277 9.7

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 67,820 72,979 69,496 -7.1 5.0 4.8 64,694 82,031 63,622 62,298 269,614 238,429 13.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 64,055 65,571 62,204 -2.3 5.4 -0.1 63,010 72,739 58,740 56,693 252,263 223,173 13.0

 Defense capital goods4....................... 8,538 8,676 7,474 -1.6 16.1 -32.0 7,565 11,875 8,018 8,518 38,969 42,848 -9.1

 Consumer goods.................................. 197,970 197,971 190,852 0.0 3.7 0.8 196,938 203,193 174,663 168,281 749,975 649,668 15.4

 Consumer durable goods..................... 25,636 26,824 25,745 -4.4 4.2 3.8 24,640 30,072 25,011 23,457 101,742 92,866 9.6

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 172,334 171,147 165,107 0.7 3.7 0.3 172,298 173,121 149,652 144,824 648,233 556,802 16.4

 All manufacturing industries5

.................. 850,721 848,202 842,152 0.3 0.7 0.5 860,900 860,105 848,514 816,621 (X) (X) 5.4

 Construction materials and supplies...... 56,784 56,242 55,952 1.0 0.5 1.8 57,919 56,729 55,126 52,253 (X) (X) 10.8

 Information technology......................... 123,320 123,582 123,980 -0.2 -0.3 0.8 124,791 125,751 125,256 119,435 (X) (X) 4.5

 Computers and related products........... 3,333 3,415 3,331 -2.4 2.5 -5.0 3,333 3,415 3,331 3,338 (X) (X) -0.1

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 13,465 13,543 13,582 -0.6 -0.3 0.4 13,783 13,846 14,113 13,573 (X) (X) 1.5

 Capital goods...................................... 644,032 641,785 635,695 0.4 1.0 0.6 650,309 649,959 640,344 617,523 (X) (X) 5.3

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 495,559 493,864 487,982 0.3 1.2 1.0 498,356 497,935 490,764 468,323 (X) (X) 6.4

 Excluding aircraft............................. 195,356 193,486 191,066 1.0 1.3 0.7 197,700 195,446 192,543 173,957 (X) (X) 13.6

 Defense capital goods4....................... 148,473 147,921 147,713 0.4 0.1 -0.5 151,953 152,024 149,580 149,200 (X) (X) 1.8

 Consumer goods.................................. 4,941 4,998 4,849 -1.1 3.1 2.3 5,144 5,181 5,075 5,104 (X) (X) 0.8

 Consumer durable goods..................... 4,941 4,998 4,849 -1.1 3.1 2.3 5,144 5,181 5,075 5,104 (X) (X) 0.8

 All manufacturing industries................... 587,754 580,076 571,854 1.3 1.4 1.2 591,067 578,111 572,993 525,424 (X) (X) 12.5

 Construction materials and supplies...... 55,880 55,454 54,826 0.8 1.1 0.9 56,443 55,877 55,575 53,053 (X) (X) 6.4

 Information technology......................... 42,003 41,442 40,620 1.4 2.0 1.1 41,930 40,842 41,122 38,487 (X) (X) 8.9

 Computers and related products........... 5,734 5,424 5,459 5.7 -0.6 0.1 5,628 5,201 5,578 5,314 (X) (X) 5.9

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 24,527 24,436 24,352 0.4 0.3 2.0 24,878 24,340 24,704 22,275 (X) (X) 11.7

 Capital goods...................................... 178,419 176,148 171,874 1.3 2.5 1.1 179,847 175,920 173,265 156,110 (X) (X) 15.2

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 157,848 155,538 152,086 1.5 2.3 1.2 159,122 155,147 153,362 135,684 (X) (X) 17.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 109,488 108,225 106,568 1.2 1.6 1.1 109,945 107,810 108,025 99,029 (X) (X) 11.0

 Defense capital goods4

....................... 20,571 20,610 19,788 -0.2 4.2 0.3 20,725 20,773 19,903 20,426 (X) (X) 1.5

 Consumer goods.................................. 182,273 178,688 176,992 2.0 1.0 1.5 182,066 176,623 174,779 160,834 (X) (X) 13.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 26,323 26,289 26,314 0.1 -0.1 1.3 26,210 26,001 26,795 23,484 (X) (X) 11.6

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 155,950 152,399 150,678 2.3 1.1 1.5 155,856 150,622 147,984 137,350 (X) (X) 13.5

X Not Applicable p Preliminary r Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment.

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

estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes.

2

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories.

3

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

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

material handling equipment; all other machinery; electronic computers; computer storage devices; other computer peripheral equipment; communications equipment; search and navigation

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

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

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

and search and navigation equipment.

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 

6

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

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

NEW ORDERS 

UNFILLED ORDERS 

TOTAL INVENTORIES 
 7

Table 6. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories, by Stage of Fabrication, by Industry Group1 

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. Apr.

2011p 2011r 2011 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 193,452 191,970 190,268 0.8 0.9 1.2 193,743 191,197 190,501 175,468 10.4

 Durable goods industries........................ 113,143 112,099 110,901 0.9 1.1 0.6 113,113 111,227 111,388 103,750 9.0

 Wood products................................... 3,230 3,210 3,185 0.6 0.8 2.0 3,012 3,159 3,272 2,874 4.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,240 4,168 4,113 1.7 1.3 0.8 4,257 4,185 4,137 4,081 4.3

 Primary metals.................................... 13,482 13,600 13,125 -0.9 3.6 1.2 13,338 13,190 12,800 11,350 17.5

 Fabricated metal products.................. 15,658 15,459 15,350 1.3 0.7 -0.1 15,635 15,448 15,463 14,234 9.8

 Machinery.......................................... 21,030 20,849 20,481 0.9 1.8 1.0 21,173 20,817 20,540 18,516 14.3

 Computers and electronic products...... 18,275 17,924 17,583 2.0 1.9 1.0 18,166 17,601 17,661 15,876 14.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 6,449 6,376 6,262 1.1 1.8 1.4 6,498 6,459 6,270 6,058 7.3

 Transportation equipment.................. 20,536 20,341 20,665 1.0 -1.6 -0.3 20,784 20,256 21,074 21,278 -2.3

 Furniture and related products............ 3,217 3,183 3,201 1.1 -0.6 -0.8 3,221 3,177 3,209 2,939 9.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,026 6,989 6,936 0.5 0.8 0.9 7,029 6,935 6,962 6,544 7.4

 Nondurable goods industries................. 80,309 79,871 79,367 0.5 0.6 2.1 80,630 79,970 79,113 71,718 12.4

 Food products................................... 14,424 14,403 14,498 0.1 -0.7 1.1 14,377 14,326 14,606 13,670 5.2

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,333 4,329 4,373 0.1 -1.0 0.2 4,363 4,414 4,537 4,485 -2.7

 Textiles.............................................. 1,244 1,242 1,222 0.2 1.6 0.4 1,264 1,247 1,227 1,095 15.4

 Textile products.................................. 1,329 1,330 1,333 -0.1 -0.2 1.0 1,340 1,318 1,322 1,183 13.3

 Apparel............................................. 824 800 773 3.0 3.5 3.2 815 786 764 556 46.6

 Leather and allied products................ 312 307 295 1.6 4.1 2.1 307 299 296 249 23.3

 Paper products................................... 6,686 6,731 6,692 -0.7 0.6 0.7 6,664 6,763 6,734 6,468 3.0

 Printing ............................................ 2,733 2,720 2,706 0.5 0.5 0.2 2,685 2,711 2,697 2,447 9.7

 Petroleum and coal products............... 17,624 17,284 17,034 2.0 1.5 5.2 17,937 17,260 16,096 12,804 40.1

 Chemical products............................. 22,394 22,433 22,265 -0.2 0.8 1.9 22,481 22,515 22,584 21,145 6.3

 Plastics and rubber products............... 8,406 8,292 8,176 1.4 1.4 1.9 8,397 8,331 8,250 7,616 10.3

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 182,662 179,552 175,835 1.7 2.1 1.2 184,270 179,133 176,199 158,919 16.0

 Durable goods industries........................ 135,639 134,135 130,592 1.1 2.7 1.2 136,873 133,578 131,123 116,745 17.2

 Wood products................................... 1,530 1,545 1,546 -1.0 -0.1 0.8 1,549 1,572 1,541 1,523 1.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,160 1,150 1,141 0.9 0.8 -3.1 1,216 1,205 1,182 1,183 2.8

 Primary metals.................................... 9,761 9,376 9,240 4.1 1.5 1.9 9,934 9,170 9,200 8,362 18.8

 Fabricated metal products.................. 12,051 11,933 11,706 1.0 1.9 1.0 12,030 11,865 11,725 11,059 8.8

 Machinery.......................................... 14,470 14,456 14,324 0.1 0.9 0.6 14,490 14,472 14,549 13,413 8.0

 Computers and electronic products...... 18,160 18,044 17,496 0.6 3.1 1.3 18,118 17,766 17,720 16,835 7.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 3,609 3,542 3,506 1.9 1.0 0.7 3,713 3,537 3,560 3,187 16.5

 Transportation equipment.................. 70,623 69,791 67,315 1.2 3.7 1.5 71,533 69,728 67,315 57,085 25.3

 Furniture and related products............ 1,040 1,048 1,024 -0.8 2.3 2.1 1,041 1,046 1,027 966 7.8

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,235 3,250 3,294 -0.5 -1.3 -0.3 3,249 3,217 3,304 3,132 3.7

 Nondurable goods industries................. 47,023 45,417 45,243 3.5 0.4 1.1 47,397 45,555 45,076 42,174 12.4

 Food products................................... 3,555 3,457 3,487 2.8 -0.9 2.3 3,280 3,331 3,585 2,845 15.3

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 5,574 5,542 5,517 0.6 0.5 0.4 5,534 5,635 5,760 5,524 0.2

 Textiles.............................................. 809 774 762 4.5 1.6 2.0 811 767 763 698 16.2

 Textile products.................................. 475 477 466 -0.4 2.4 -1.7 484 479 472 427 13.3

 Apparel............................................. 352 358 367 -1.7 -2.5 4.3 348 343 358 316 10.1

 Leather and allied products................ 85 82 81 3.7 1.2 5.2 87 84 86 74 17.6

 Paper products................................... 1,247 1,242 1,240 0.4 0.2 0.1 1,247 1,235 1,244 1,228 1.5

 Printing ............................................ 1,264 1,255 1,222 0.7 2.7 -1.4 1,263 1,260 1,290 1,224 3.2

 Petroleum and coal products............... 17,050 15,353 15,018 11.1 2.2 3.6 17,726 15,661 14,470 12,826 38.2

 Chemical products............................. 14,682 14,953 14,952 -1.8 0.0 -0.7 14,665 14,798 14,863 14,949 -1.9

 Plastics and rubber products............... 1,930 1,924 2,131 0.3 -9.7 -1.2 1,952 1,962 2,185 2,063 -5.4

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 211,640 208,554 205,751 1.5 1.4 1.1 213,054 207,781 206,293 191,037 11.5

 Durable goods industries........................ 101,790 101,058 99,923 0.7 1.1 1.7 103,218 101,669 101,557 92,573 11.5

 Wood products................................... 3,884 3,857 3,943 0.7 -2.2 0.7 3,981 4,001 4,094 3,827 4.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,237 5,230 5,230 0.1 0.0 1.3 5,438 5,394 5,406 5,167 5.2

 Primary metals.................................... 9,881 9,613 9,525 2.8 0.9 3.0 10,161 9,736 9,623 8,480 19.8

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,192 16,050 15,799 0.9 1.6 1.8 16,528 16,331 15,997 14,947 10.6

 Machinery.......................................... 20,619 20,255 19,686 1.8 2.9 1.5 20,990 20,724 20,477 18,182 15.4

 Computers and electronic products...... 11,359 11,326 11,398 0.3 -0.6 1.5 11,288 11,117 11,663 10,303 9.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,334 5,329 5,353 0.1 -0.4 1.6 5,350 5,250 5,435 4,794 11.6

 Transportation equipment.................. 14,859 14,976 14,703 -0.8 1.9 2.8 15,116 14,937 14,619 13,736 10.0

 Furniture and related products............ 2,455 2,505 2,522 -2.0 -0.7 0.1 2,406 2,412 2,451 2,213 8.7

 Miscellaneous products........................ 11,970 11,917 11,764 0.4 1.3 0.6 11,960 11,767 11,792 10,924 9.5

 Nondurable goods industries................. 109,850 107,496 105,828 2.2 1.6 0.6 109,836 106,112 104,736 98,464 11.5

 Food products................................... 26,045 26,094 25,535 -0.2 2.2 -0.4 25,439 25,341 25,117 23,502 8.2

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 6,522 6,527 6,493 -0.1 0.5 0.4 6,637 6,551 6,474 6,362 4.3

 Textiles.............................................. 1,395 1,374 1,349 1.5 1.9 0.4 1,410 1,375 1,380 1,181 19.4

 Textile products.................................. 1,134 1,124 1,112 0.9 1.1 -0.6 1,149 1,127 1,129 1,026 12.0

 Apparel............................................. 1,239 1,250 1,237 -0.9 1.1 -1.2 1,158 1,182 1,208 995 16.4

 Leather and allied products................ 494 488 474 1.2 3.0 0.4 479 472 476 396 21.0

 Paper products................................... 5,985 5,979 5,962 0.1 0.3 0.3 6,069 6,002 6,049 5,911 2.7

 Printing ............................................ 1,665 1,670 1,639 -0.3 1.9 -0.5 1,674 1,658 1,611 1,549 8.1

 Petroleum and coal products............... 20,996 19,877 18,789 5.6 5.8 2.6 20,835 18,865 17,341 16,408 27.0

 Chemical products............................. 34,500 33,423 33,549 3.2 -0.4 0.5 34,887 33,708 34,082 31,705 10.0

 Plastics and rubber products............... 9,875 9,690 9,689 1.9 0.0 0.4 10,099 9,831 9,869 9,429 7.1

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 revisions.
 8

Table 7. Ratios of Manufacturers' Inventories to Shipments and Unfilled Orders 

 to Shipments, by Industry Group3

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

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Apr Mar Feb Jan Apr Mar Feb Jan

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

All manufacturing industries2

............................ 1.32 1.30 1.32 1.31 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

.................................. 1.80 1.76 1.79 1.77 6.08 5.96 6.13 6.10

 Wood products.............................................. 1.62 1.61 1.69 1.59 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.38 1.35 1.34 1.33 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.47 1.45 1.47 1.48 1.44 1.47 1.53 1.62

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.77 1.74 1.76 1.74 2.62 2.59 2.65 2.59

 Machinery..................................................... 2.01 1.90 1.98 1.99 4.16 3.89 4.06 4.02

 Computers and electronic products2

................ 1.54 1.59 1.54 1.48 5.62 5.66 5.67 5.57

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.55 1.49 1.53 1.50 2.79 2.69 2.74 2.66

 Transportation equipment.............................. 2.28 2.19 2.25 2.23 15.63 15.16 15.77 15.62

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.22 1.20 1.25 1.24 1.51 1.46 1.45 1.42

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

Nondurable goods industries............................. 0.95 0.94 0.96 0.95 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.72 0.73 0.73 0.74 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.37 1.36 1.44 1.45 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.32 1.29 1.27 1.28 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.61 1.56 1.58 1.64 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 1.88 1.89 1.91 1.86 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.82 2.77 2.75 2.71 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 0.96 0.95 0.95 0.95 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing......................................................... 0.80 0.79 0.80 0.80 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.77 0.73 0.75 0.72 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.17 1.16 1.19 1.19 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.27 1.25 1.28 1.26 (X) (X) (X) (X)

X Not Applicable p

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

1

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

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

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

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

trucks; and miscellaneous furniture.

2 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing.

Apr2 Apr2 Apr2 Apr2

Industry 2010- 2010- 2010- 2010-

Apr1 Mar Apr1 Mar Apr1 Mar Apr1 Mar

2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011

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

Durable goods industries....................... -0.3 0.4 0.0 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2

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

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

 Primary metals.................................... -0.5 0.8 -0.8 2.4 -0.1 1.5 -0.1 0.4

 Fabricated metal products.................... -0.2 0.4 0.1 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

 Machinery.......................................... -0.2 0.9 0.6 2.2 0.3 0.5 0.0 0.3

 Computers and electronic products..... 0.4 0.9 0.7 1.1 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. -0.8 0.8 -0.9 1.0 0.0 0.4 0.1 0.4

 Transportation equipment.................... -0.3 0.7 0.2 1.4 0.1 0.1 -0.1 0.3

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.6 (X) 1.2 (X) 0.7 (X) 0.4

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

Nondurable goods industries................... (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

 Textile products.................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

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

 Leather and allied products.................... (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

 Petroleum and coal products................. (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.2

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

 Plastics and rubber products................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

 publication.

2

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

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

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

3

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

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

reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, 

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

for price changes.

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes3

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

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
9 

Survey Description 

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

and Orders (M3) survey. This survey provides statistics on manufacturers' value of shipments, new 

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

(at current cost or market value), and inventories by stage of fabrication (materials and supplies, work-inprocess, and finished goods). The M3 includes approximately 4,300 reporting units. Units may be 

divisions of diversified large companies, large homogenous companies, or single-unit manufacturers in 89 

industry categories. Due to the small monthly sample, these 89 categories have been combined into 65 

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

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

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

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

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

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

The data presented in this release are based on data obtained from a panel of 4,300 reporting units and 

provide an indication of the activity within the manufacturing sector. The results differ from what would 

be obtained from a complete enumeration of all manufacturing companies. In addition, a different panel 

of 4,300 companies would yield different results. The M3 panel is comprised of companies with $500 

million or more in shipments and a limited number of smaller companies. From a statistical perspective, 

the panel is not a probability sample; therefore, the sampling errors that are normally provided with 

sample surveys cannot be measured. Nonsampling errors are attributable to many sources. The use of 

company or divisional reports to estimate the monthly change for establishments is one source of 

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

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

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

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

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