FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012, AT 10:00 A.M. EST 

Chris Savage or Adriana Stoica 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (12)-1 

CB12-37 

 Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

January 2012 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in January, down 

following two consecutive monthly increases, decreased 

$4.8 billion or 1.0 percent to $462.6 billion, the U.S. 

Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.4 

percent December increase. Excluding transportation, 

new orders decreased 0.3 percent. 

 Shipments, up eight consecutive months, increased 

$4.1 billion or 0.9 percent to $463.6 billion. This 

followed a 0.8 percent December increase. 

 Unfilled orders, up twenty-one of the last twenty-two 

months, increased $5.4 billion or 0.6 percent to $917.9 

billion. This followed a 1.5 percent December increase. 

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

6.04 in December. 

 Inventories, up twenty-seven of the last twenty-eight 

months, increased $3.9 billion or 0.6 percent to $614.7 

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

first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 

0.2 percent December increase. The inventories-toshipments ratio was 1.33, unchanged from December. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

January, down following three consecutive monthly 

increases, decreased $8.0 billion or 3.7 percent to $206.9 

billion, revised from the previously published 4.0 

percent decrease. This followed a 3.3 percent December 

increase. 

 Machinery, also down following three consecutive 

monthly increases, had the largest decrease, $3.6 billion 

or 10.5 percent to $30.5 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $3.3 billion or 1.3 percent to $255.7 billion. 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in January, 

up two consecutive months, increased $0.8 billion or 0.4 

percent to $208.0 billion, unchanged from the previously 

published increase. This followed a 2.0 percent 

December increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, also up two consecutive 

months, had the largest increase, $2.9 billion or 6.1 

percent to $50.6 billion. 

 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up two 

of the last three months, increased $3.3 billion or 1.3 

percent to $255.7 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent 

December decrease. Petroleum and coal products, also 

up two of the last three months, led the increase, up $2.5 

billion or 3.5 percent to $74.1 billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

January, up twenty-one of the last twenty-two months, 

increased $5.4 billion or 0.6 percent to $917.9 billion, 

revised from the previously published 0.5 percent 

increase. This followed a 1.5 percent December 

increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up twelve of the last 

thirteen months, had the largest increase, $4.8 billion or 

0.9 percent to $534.9 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in January, 

up twenty-five consecutive months, increased $2.4 

billion or 0.6 percent to $372.5 billion, revised from the 

previously published 0.7 percent increase. This was at 

the highest level since the series was first published on a 

NAICS basis and followed a 0.3 percent December 

increase. 

 

 Machinery, up twenty-two consecutive months, had 

the largest increase, $0.9 billion or 1.5 percent to $61.5 

billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up four 

of the last five months, increased $1.5 billion or 0.6 

percent to $242.2 billion. This followed a slight 

December decrease. Petroleum and coal products, up 

five consecutive months, led the increase, up $1.2 billion 

or 2.1 percent to $57.1 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, January materials and supplies 

increased 1.1 percent in durable goods and 1.0 percent in 

nondurable goods. Work in process increased 0.4 

percent in durable goods and 1.4 percent in nondurable 

goods. Finished goods increased 0.4 percent in durable 

goods and a slight increase 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 February is scheduled for release on March 28, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. EDT and the full report on April 3, 2012, 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

Jan. Dec. Nov. Dec. - Nov. - Oct. - Jan. Dec. Nov. Jan. 2012/

2012p 2011r 2011 Jan. Dec. Nov. 2012p 2011r 2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011

 All manufacturing industries.................. 463,648 459,581 456,023 0.9 0.8 0.2 426,286 445,867 442,815 393,247 426,286 393,247 8.4

 Excluding transportation ................... 413,004 411,840 408,780 0.3 0.7 0.6 382,694 396,764 395,994 354,802 382,694 354,802 7.9

 Excluding defense.............................. 453,552 449,625 446,651 0.9 0.7 0.2 418,237 434,667 433,388 384,949 418,237 384,949 8.6

 With unfilled orders ............................ 150,405 151,193 146,553 -0.5 3.2 0.3 134,265 150,946 140,292 121,560 134,265 121,560 10.5

 Durable goods industries ......................... 207,997 207,200 203,104 0.4 2.0 -0.2 188,064 203,777 195,531 170,886 188,064 170,886 10.1

 Wood products................................. ...... 5,655 5,431 5,411 4.1 0.4 -0.1 4,796 4,757 5,122 4,474 4,796 4,474 7.2

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 8,193 8,210 8,109 -0.2 1.2 0.0 7,032 6,916 7,837 6,561 7,032 6,561 7.2

 Primary metals............................ ........... 27,554 28,360 26,906 -2.8 5.4 5.2 26,269 24,159 24,284 20,017 26,269 20,017 31.2

 Iron and steel mills............................ 11,741 12,040 11,794 -2.5 2.1 4.2 11,283 10,384 10,243 10,417 11,283 10,417 8.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 13,942 14,417 13,315 -3.3 8.3 6.5 13,243 12,103 12,368 8,177 13,243 8,177 62.0

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,871 1,903 1,797 -1.7 5.9 3.0 1,743 1,672 1,673 1,423 1,743 1,423 22.5

 Fabricated metal products....................... 26,420 26,184 25,550 0.9 2.5 1.3 24,227 23,949 24,574 21,917 24,227 21,917 10.5

 Machinery............................................. 29,787 31,663 30,493 -5.9 3.8 0.7 26,707 32,641 28,270 24,247 26,707 24,247 10.1

 Farm machinery................................. 2,688 2,565 2,583 4.8 -0.7 -7.3 2,362 2,047 1,932 1,778 2,362 1,778 32.8

 Construction machinery..................... 4,494 4,441 4,415 1.2 0.6 3.3 4,085 4,504 4,340 3,096 4,085 3,096 31.9

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,545 1,582 1,580 -2.3 0.1 -1.7 1,480 1,834 1,519 1,524 1,480 1,524 -2.9

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,019 3,181 3,325 -5.1 -4.3 -7.3 2,553 4,050 2,782 2,522 2,553 2,522 1.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 604 622 622 -2.9 0.0 -2.0 480 704 661 592 480 592 -18.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 2,399 2,368 2,379 1.3 -0.5 -1.3 1,968 2,384 2,188 2,173 1,968 2,173 -9.4

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,183 2,259 2,154 -3.4 4.9 4.9 1,933 2,513 2,098 1,600 1,933 1,600 20.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,444 5,203 4,091 -33.8 27.2 13.0 3,297 5,160 4,074 3,105 3,297 3,105 6.2

 Material handling equipment............... 2,693 2,816 2,661 -4.4 5.8 -1.8 2,435 2,900 2,563 2,150 2,435 2,150 13.3

 Computers and electronic products 2

.......... 29,803 30,054 30,317 -0.8 -0.9 -3.0 28,018 32,567 29,704 29,502 28,018 29,502 -5.0

 Computers........................................ 3,571 3,964 4,087 -9.9 -3.0 -12.3 3,104 4,378 3,666 3,713 3,104 3,713 -16.4

 Computer storage devices..................... 730 757 768 -3.6 -1.4 2.1 522 1,322 628 508 522 508 2.8

 Other peripheral equipment................ 977 949 956 3.0 -0.7 -6.6 618 1,526 900 513 618 513 20.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 2,431 2,501 2,338 -2.8 7.0 -4.3 1,935 3,300 2,414 2,348 1,935 2,348 -17.6

 Defense communications equipment.... 397 680 517 -41.6 31.5 10.7 340 702 541 458 340 458 -25.8

 Audio and video equipment.................... 247 257 245 -3.9 4.9 6.1 219 389 364 235 219 235 -6.8

 Electronic components......................... 3,243 3,278 3,286 -1.1 -0.2 1.0 2,895 3,588 3,228 3,055 2,895 3,055 -5.2

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,161 1,249 1,156 -7.0 8.0 0.8 1,001 1,279 1,131 920 1,001 920 8.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,813 2,762 2,673 1.8 3.3 3.6 2,365 3,038 2,791 2,269 2,365 2,269 4.2

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,170 7,259 7,122 -1.2 1.9 -0.2 6,392 8,411 6,875 6,639 6,392 6,639 -3.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,359 10,211 10,079 1.4 1.3 -1.0 9,209 9,979 9,953 8,704 9,209 8,704 5.8

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,032 1,000 979 3.2 2.1 -0.5 953 1,037 981 917 953 917 3.9

 Household appliances........................ 1,540 1,551 1,508 -0.7 2.9 -1.9 1,235 1,501 1,534 1,229 1,235 1,229 0.5

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,773 3,711 3,690 1.7 0.6 -2.2 3,351 3,679 3,448 3,142 3,351 3,142 6.7

 Batteries........................................... 893 892 908 0.1 -1.8 2.9 750 885 1,082 701 750 701 7.0

 Transportation equipment........................ 50,644 47,741 47,243 6.1 1.1 -2.5 43,592 49,103 46,821 38,445 43,592 38,445 13.4

 Automobiles..................................... 5,716 5,718 5,444 0.0 5.0 -3.4 5,373 5,323 5,388 4,448 5,373 4,448 20.8

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 8,065 7,597 7,950 6.2 -4.4 -2.5 7,317 7,625 8,030 6,681 7,317 6,681 9.5

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,180 2,198 2,195 -0.8 0.1 5.3 2,012 2,157 2,125 1,366 2,012 1,366 47.3

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 14,823 14,708 14,341 0.8 2.6 -0.2 13,823 12,969 13,957 12,789 13,823 12,789 8.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 9,140 7,787 7,708 17.4 1.0 -11.6 6,676 10,087 7,858 4,880 6,676 4,880 36.8

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,609 4,004 3,791 15.1 5.6 2.3 3,475 4,856 3,719 3,284 3,475 3,284 5.8

 Ships and boats................................. 2,291 2,304 2,248 -0.6 2.5 0.9 2,010 2,238 2,181 1,966 2,010 1,966 2.2

 Furniture and related products.................. 5,634 5,548 5,427 1.6 2.2 -0.2 5,257 5,392 5,205 5,047 5,257 5,047 4.2

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,948 13,798 13,569 1.1 1.7 -0.8 12,957 14,314 13,761 11,972 12,957 11,972 8.2

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 255,651 252,381 252,919 1.3 -0.2 0.6 238,222 242,090 247,284 222,361 238,222 222,361 7.1

 Food products....................................... 62,874 62,615 62,530 0.4 0.1 -0.2 60,072 62,161 64,373 55,887 60,072 55,887 7.5

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 8,128 8,084 8,450 0.5 -4.3 -1.3 8,021 8,059 8,811 8,096 8,021 8,096 -0.9

 Dairy products.................................. 9,260 9,220 9,239 0.4 -0.2 -0.5 8,737 9,065 9,557 7,980 8,737 7,980 9.5

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 17,719 17,565 17,528 0.9 0.2 -0.1 16,853 17,196 17,731 15,573 16,853 15,573 8.2

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 12,506 12,731 12,449 -1.8 2.3 2.3 11,276 12,509 12,674 10,194 11,276 10,194 10.6

 Beverages......................................... 10,240 10,304 9,663 -0.6 6.6 1.1 9,010 10,082 9,888 7,989 9,010 7,989 12.8

 Tobacco............................................ 2,266 2,427 2,786 -6.6 -12.9 6.7 2,266 2,427 2,786 2,205 2,266 2,205 2.8

 Textile mills........................................... 2,533 2,512 2,516 0.8 -0.2 -1.3 2,374 2,195 2,389 2,441 2,374 2,441 -2.7

 Textile products................................... 1,931 1,917 1,893 0.7 1.3 1.4 1,718 1,678 1,814 1,574 1,718 1,574 9.1

 Apparel................................................ 1,521 1,456 1,455 4.5 0.1 2.7 1,353 1,357 1,659 1,092 1,353 1,092 23.9

 Leather and allied products...................... 318 310 308 2.6 0.6 0.7 262 292 293 252 262 252 4.0

 Paper products...................................... 14,148 14,227 14,230 -0.6 0.0 -0.3 13,840 13,817 13,979 14,201 13,840 14,201 -2.5

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,640 6,691 6,712 -0.8 -0.3 -0.1 6,595 6,576 6,505 6,724 6,595 6,724 -1.9

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,198 4,241 4,243 -1.0 0.0 0.2 4,055 4,022 4,150 4,227 4,055 4,227 -4.1

 Printing................................................. 6,823 6,820 6,886 0.0 -1.0 0.2 6,401 6,913 7,119 6,561 6,401 6,561 -2.4

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 74,052 71,579 72,556 3.5 -1.3 1.3 67,686 68,259 68,963 61,022 67,686 61,022 10.9

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 69,566 67,359 68,246 3.3 -1.3 1.1 64,287 65,111 65,062 58,411 64,287 58,411 10.1

 Chemical products..................................... 62,071 61,450 61,618 1.0 -0.3 0.7 57,645 57,720 58,334 54,805 57,645 54,805 5.2

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 5,789 5,318 5,777 8.9 -7.9 2.1 4,589 4,150 4,318 3,841 4,589 3,841 19.5

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 15,238 15,255 15,385 -0.1 -0.8 3.1 14,385 15,292 15,938 14,405 14,385 14,405 -0.1

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,788 2,733 2,640 2.0 3.5 0.9 2,393 2,178 2,292 2,001 2,393 2,001 19.6

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 16,874 16,764 16,478 0.7 1.7 0.6 15,595 15,189 15,687 14,332 15,595 14,332 8.8

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

Jan. Dec. Nov. Dec. - Nov. - Oct. - Jan. Dec. Nov. Jan. 2012/

2012p 2011r 2011 Jan. Dec. Nov. 2012p 2011r 2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011

All manufacturing industries 2...................... 462,576 467,341 460,931 -1.0 1.4 2.2 430,029 467,743 444,953 397,758 430,029 397,758 8.1

 Excluding transportation 2

...................... 407,130 408,541 405,590 -0.3 0.7 0.5 380,271 395,163 390,775 354,792 380,271 354,792 7.2

 Excluding defense 2

.............................. 454,093 459,706 452,457 -1.2 1.6 2.3 421,590 455,137 437,452 384,299 421,590 384,299 9.7

 With unfilled orders 2

............................. 155,841 164,856 158,164 -5.5 4.2 6.0 146,143 176,897 149,063 134,537 146,143 134,537 8.6

 Durable goods industries 2........................ 206,925 214,960 208,012 -3.7 3.3 4.2 191,807 225,653 197,669 175,397 191,807 175,397 9.4

 Primary metals............................ ............ 27,056 28,978 27,892 -6.6 3.9 5.8 26,978 25,543 25,323 22,560 26,978 22,560 19.6

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 11,235 12,653 12,619 -11.2 0.3 8.2 11,829 11,354 11,065 12,499 11,829 12,499 -5.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 13,934 14,328 13,435 -2.7 6.6 4.8 13,287 12,382 12,521 8,484 13,287 8,484 56.6

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,887 1,997 1,838 -5.5 8.7 -1.6 1,862 1,807 1,737 1,577 1,862 1,577 18.1

 Fabricated metal products........................ 26,450 26,205 25,943 0.9 1.0 0.3 24,801 23,637 24,610 22,805 24,801 22,805 8.8

 Machinery............................................. 30,532 34,100 32,020 -10.5 6.5 1.2 29,292 34,286 28,985 28,088 29,292 28,088 4.3

 Construction machinery....................... 4,766 4,472 4,383 6.6 2.0 -8.1 4,700 4,577 4,382 3,659 4,700 3,659 28.5

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,689 2,212 1,151 -23.6 92.2 -16.5 1,735 2,069 1,184 1,637 1,735 1,637 6.0

 Industrial machinery............................ 2,724 3,310 3,188 -17.7 3.8 13.3 2,731 3,925 2,566 2,697 2,731 2,697 1.3

 Photographic equipment...................... 591 554 645 6.7 -14.1 3.5 551 529 665 668 551 668 -17.5

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 2,130 2,487 2,760 -14.4 -9.9 6.0 1,892 2,497 1,966 3,299 1,892 3,299 -42.6

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,255 2,363 2,199 -4.6 7.5 2.1 2,152 2,569 2,105 1,822 2,152 1,822 18.1

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 4,112 5,878 5,547 -30.0 6.0 5.2 3,953 6,236 5,593 3,442 3,953 3,442 14.8

 Material handling equipment.................. 2,799 2,978 2,609 -6.0 14.1 -2.0 2,617 3,142 2,424 2,428 2,617 2,428 7.8

 Computers and electronic products 2

......... 23,485 23,299 23,336 0.8 -0.2 -6.4 20,595 28,961 21,934 21,348 20,595 21,348 -3.5

 Computers........................................ 3,331 3,893 4,214 -14.4 -7.6 -9.0 2,864 4,307 3,793 3,565 2,864 3,565 -19.7

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 2,560 2,592 2,504 -1.2 3.5 -9.7 2,075 3,693 2,105 2,095 2,075 2,095 -1.0

 Defense communications equipment...... 278 315 338 -11.7 -6.8 -8.4 285 445 258 559 285 559 -49.0

 Electronic components......................... 3,219 3,281 3,312 -1.9 -0.9 -3.0 2,991 3,506 3,167 3,091 2,991 3,091 -3.2

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,249 1,285 1,375 -2.8 -6.5 1.9 1,198 1,183 1,472 1,127 1,198 1,127 6.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,870 2,442 2,279 17.5 7.2 -12.4 2,433 3,701 2,225 2,264 2,433 2,264 7.5

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,469 7,033 6,879 6.2 2.2 -5.7 6,898 8,330 6,489 7,013 6,898 7,013 -1.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,584 10,617 10,682 -0.3 -0.6 0.2 10,357 9,911 10,430 9,595 10,357 9,595 7.9

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,015 969 951 4.7 1.9 -4.2 956 953 915 971 956 971 -1.5

 Household appliances.......................... 1,466 1,648 1,561 -11.0 5.6 1.4 1,385 1,454 1,613 1,297 1,385 1,297 6.8

 Electrical equipment............................ 4,106 3,940 4,126 4.2 -4.5 5.4 4,007 3,561 3,930 3,690 4,007 3,690 8.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 55,446 58,800 55,341 -5.7 6.3 16.6 49,758 72,580 54,178 42,966 49,758 42,966 15.8

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 14,703 14,868 14,477 -1.1 2.7 1.9 13,827 13,657 14,275 12,934 13,827 12,934 6.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 16,068 19,847 16,400 -19.0 21.0 88.1 12,979 31,359 16,238 4,810 12,979 4,810 169.8

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 3,885 3,882 4,147 0.1 -6.4 8.5 3,900 6,118 3,802 5,315 3,900 5,315 -26.6

 Ships and boats.................................. 1,672 1,495 1,464 11.8 2.1 -17.7 2,076 1,503 1,396 4,790 2,076 4,790 -56.7

 Furniture and related products................. 5,631 5,550 5,582 1.5 -0.6 3.0 5,296 4,776 5,362 5,026 5,296 5,026 5.4

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 255,651 252,381 252,919 1.3 -0.2 0.6 238,222 242,090 247,284 222,361 238,222 222,361 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.

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

Jan. Dec. Nov. Dec. - Nov. - Oct. - Jan. Dec. Nov. Jan. Jan.

2012p 2011r 2011 Jan. Dec. Nov. 2012p 2011r 2011 2011 12/11

All manufacturing industries 2...................... 917,943 912,507 898,844 0.6 1.5 1.3 922,241 910,363 884,412 842,435 9.5

 Excluding transportation 2

...................... 383,039 382,405 379,801 0.2 0.7 0.9 381,614 375,902 373,428 348,654 9.5

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 751,340 744,291 728,307 0.9 2.2 1.7 754,728 743,240 718,695 673,870 12.0

 Durable goods industries 2

........................ 917,943 912,507 898,844 0.6 1.5 1.3 922,241 910,363 884,412 842,435 9.5

 Primary metals........................................ 34,021 34,519 33,901 -1.4 1.8 3.0 34,286 33,577 32,193 34,204 0.2

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 19,083 19,589 18,976 -2.6 3.2 4.5 19,179 18,633 17,663 21,604 -11.2

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 11,201 11,209 11,298 -0.1 -0.8 1.1 11,297 11,253 10,974 9,567 18.1

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 3,737 3,721 3,627 0.4 2.6 1.1 3,810 3,691 3,556 3,033 25.6

 Fabricated metal products......................... 66,398 66,368 66,347 0.0 0.0 0.6 65,285 64,711 65,023 60,176 8.5

 Machinery.............................................. 121,830 121,085 118,648 0.6 2.1 1.3 121,519 118,934 117,289 98,119 23.8

 Construction machinery....................... 10,891 10,619 10,588 2.6 0.3 -0.3 11,054 10,439 10,366 8,511 29.9

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 13,245 13,101 12,471 1.1 5.1 -3.3 13,146 12,891 12,656 8,799 49.4

 Industrial machinery............................ 13,528 13,823 13,694 -2.1 0.9 -1.0 13,645 13,467 13,592 14,063 -3.0

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,925 1,938 2,006 -0.7 -3.4 1.2 1,906 1,835 2,010 1,955 -2.5

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 20,190 20,459 20,340 -1.3 0.6 1.9 19,665 19,741 19,628 18,206 8.0

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,886 5,814 5,710 1.2 1.8 0.8 5,896 5,677 5,621 4,490 31.3

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 25,032 24,364 23,689 2.7 2.8 6.5 25,217 24,561 23,485 15,022 67.9

 Material handling equipment.................. 8,771 8,665 8,503 1.2 1.9 -0.6 8,742 8,560 8,318 7,841 11.5

 Computers and electronic products 2......... 123,879 123,689 124,541 0.2 -0.7 -0.2 124,161 123,449 122,980 124,183 0.0

 Computers......................................... 3,204 3,444 3,515 -7.0 -2.0 3.7 3,204 3,444 3,515 3,506 -8.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 23,075 22,946 22,855 0.6 0.4 0.7 23,197 23,057 22,664 22,991 0.9

 Defense communications equipment...... 5,047 5,166 5,531 -2.3 -6.6 -3.1 5,034 5,089 5,346 6,448 -21.9

 Electronic components.......................... 11,778 11,802 11,799 -0.2 0.0 0.2 11,733 11,637 11,719 11,467 2.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 9,571 9,483 9,447 0.9 0.4 2.4 9,621 9,424 9,520 8,732 10.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 43,276 43,219 43,539 0.1 -0.7 -0.9 43,443 43,375 42,712 44,025 -1.3

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 27,928 27,629 27,855 1.1 -0.8 -0.9 27,929 27,423 27,504 27,014 3.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 28,421 28,196 27,790 0.8 1.5 2.2 28,428 27,280 27,348 24,143 17.7

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,000 1,017 1,048 -1.7 -3.0 -2.6 947 944 1,028 1,071 -11.6

 Household appliances.......................... 901 975 878 -7.6 11.0 6.4 967 817 864 772 25.3

 Electrical equipment............................. 15,664 15,331 15,102 2.2 1.5 3.0 15,565 14,909 15,027 13,585 14.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 534,904 530,102 519,043 0.9 2.1 1.6 540,627 534,461 510,984 493,781 9.5

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 13,916 14,036 13,876 -0.9 1.2 1.0 14,409 14,405 13,717 13,941 3.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 383,414 376,486 364,426 1.8 3.3 2.4 387,694 381,391 360,119 337,346 14.9

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 54,828 55,552 55,674 -1.3 -0.2 0.6 55,649 55,224 53,962 54,136 2.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 16,542 17,161 17,970 -3.6 -4.5 -4.2 16,291 16,225 16,960 19,760 -17.6

 Furniture and related products................. 6,866 6,869 6,867 0.0 0.0 2.3 6,311 6,272 6,888 6,209 1.6

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

1

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

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

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

adjusted for price changes.

2

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

See note at end of Table 2 relating to survey error and revision.
 5

Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Jan. Dec. Nov. Dec. - Nov. - Oct. - Jan. Dec. Nov. Jan. Jan.

2012p 2011r 2011 Jan. Dec. Nov. 2012p 2011r 2011 2011 12/11

 All manufacturing industries..................... 614,719 610,815 609,632 0.6 0.2 0.4 609,750 593,137 609,246 561,832 8.5

 Excluding transportation...................... 497,851 494,481 494,952 0.7 -0.1 0.3 493,845 480,908 494,435 460,998 7.1

 Excluding defense............................. 589,402 585,481 583,610 0.7 0.3 0.4 584,468 568,059 583,269 536,924 8.9

 With unfilled orders............................. 305,421 303,235 302,239 0.7 0.3 0.6 303,510 294,533 302,852 274,750 10.5

 Durable goods industries........................ 372,483 370,100 368,843 0.6 0.3 0.5 370,537 359,494 369,485 336,950 10.0

 Wood products........................................ 8,726 8,842 8,818 -1.3 0.3 2.1 8,866 8,762 8,840 8,663 2.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 11,242 11,246 11,170 0.0 0.7 0.6 11,239 11,014 10,861 10,428 7.8

 Primary metals......................................... 34,606 34,511 34,373 0.3 0.4 0.1 33,884 33,589 34,038 30,994 9.3

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 21,627 21,538 21,440 0.4 0.5 0.2 20,967 20,745 21,196 18,770 11.7

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,893 10,880 10,840 0.1 0.4 -0.1 10,825 10,768 10,737 10,369 4.4

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 2,086 2,093 2,093 -0.3 0.0 0.4 2,092 2,076 2,105 1,855 12.8

 Fabricated metal products......................... 46,073 46,070 46,365 0.0 -0.6 0.2 46,045 45,288 45,905 42,583 8.1

 Machinery.............................................. 61,511 60,601 60,341 1.5 0.4 0.9 61,508 58,649 60,928 54,143 13.6

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,573 3,581 3,536 -0.2 1.3 4.0 3,746 3,577 3,396 3,177 17.9

 Construction machinery........................ 6,214 6,107 5,940 1.8 2.8 4.8 6,167 5,954 5,960 4,776 29.1

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 7,861 7,707 7,540 2.0 2.2 2.5 7,753 7,333 7,493 6,275 23.6

 Industrial machinery............................ 7,061 7,333 6,952 -3.7 5.5 0.7 6,893 7,089 7,043 6,234 10.6

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,525 1,521 1,605 0.3 -5.2 -4.2 1,539 1,448 1,694 1,586 -3.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,931 3,909 3,967 0.6 -1.5 -2.7 3,775 3,559 3,925 3,864 -2.3

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,188 5,139 5,111 1.0 0.5 0.7 5,064 4,958 5,185 4,101 23.5

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 7,855 7,235 7,470 8.6 -3.1 -1.0 7,920 6,954 7,841 6,775 16.9

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,613 3,543 3,638 2.0 -2.6 -0.9 3,648 3,467 3,722 3,354 8.8

 Computers and electronic products 2

......... 47,672 47,324 47,908 0.7 -1.2 -0.4 47,546 46,108 48,662 45,861 3.7

 Computers......................................... 3,169 3,145 3,236 0.8 -2.8 -0.7 2,999 3,018 3,419 2,611 14.9

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,332 1,350 1,339 -1.3 0.8 -3.2 1,294 1,241 1,400 1,270 1.9

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,537 1,500 1,519 2.5 -1.3 1.2 1,493 1,376 1,580 1,362 9.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 7,151 6,967 7,118 2.6 -2.1 -1.1 7,277 6,888 7,421 6,626 9.8

 Defense communications equipment...... 2,032 2,010 2,366 1.1 -15.0 -5.3 2,032 2,010 2,366 2,499 -18.7

 Audio and video equipment.................. 518 528 517 -1.9 2.1 1.0 498 507 564 486 2.5

 Electronic components.......................... 7,302 7,229 7,079 1.0 2.1 -0.5 7,443 6,989 7,197 7,331 1.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,313 3,350 3,324 -1.1 0.8 0.9 3,275 3,278 3,294 3,101 5.6

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,692 2,655 2,821 1.4 -5.9 3.0 2,657 2,554 2,779 2,723 -2.4

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 12,491 12,561 12,670 -0.6 -0.9 -0.4 12,537 12,213 12,890 12,248 2.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,865 15,419 15,430 2.9 -0.1 -0.2 15,712 14,748 15,382 14,889 5.5

 Electric lighting equipment................... 2,021 1,795 1,794 12.6 0.1 -0.1 1,998 1,711 1,786 1,669 19.7

 Household appliances.......................... 2,091 2,098 2,106 -0.3 -0.4 -0.8 2,070 1,889 2,066 2,249 -8.0

 Electrical equipment............................. 4,942 4,886 4,857 1.1 0.6 0.9 4,927 4,853 4,976 4,769 3.3

 Batteries............................................ 1,054 1,057 1,059 -0.3 -0.2 -0.1 1,026 975 1,014 1,034 -0.8

 Transportation equipment......................... 116,868 116,334 114,680 0.5 1.4 1.2 115,905 112,229 114,811 100,834 14.9

 Automobiles....................................... 3,147 3,324 3,314 -5.3 0.3 -2.1 3,237 3,133 3,357 2,770 16.9

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 3,496 3,318 3,228 5.4 2.8 -3.5 3,225 2,778 3,360 2,575 25.2

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,395 1,385 1,423 0.7 -2.7 -1.7 1,368 1,310 1,470 1,416 -3.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 18,845 18,651 18,462 1.0 1.0 0.7 19,078 18,275 18,435 17,241 10.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 64,479 64,191 62,924 0.4 2.0 1.8 63,525 61,747 62,838 52,341 21.4

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 14,612 14,648 14,823 -0.2 -1.2 3.6 14,492 14,418 14,800 13,783 5.1

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,474 3,510 3,459 -1.0 1.5 -3.2 3,511 3,508 3,455 3,248 8.1

 Furniture and related products................. 6,696 6,736 6,709 -0.6 0.4 -0.1 6,666 6,571 6,741 6,741 -1.1

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 23,224 23,017 23,049 0.9 -0.1 -0.1 23,166 22,536 23,317 21,814 6.2

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 242,236 240,715 240,789 0.6 0.0 0.3 239,213 233,643 239,761 224,882 6.4

 Food products........................................ 45,111 45,039 44,717 0.2 0.7 -0.2 45,018 44,921 46,705 43,362 3.8

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,226 5,292 5,204 -1.2 1.7 0.4 5,435 5,422 5,301 6,265 -13.2

 Dairy products.................................... 6,037 6,127 6,083 -1.5 0.7 0.3 5,807 5,647 5,835 5,223 11.2

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 8,451 8,424 8,387 0.3 0.4 -1.0 8,391 8,403 8,796 8,239 1.8

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 16,885 16,814 16,690 0.4 0.7 0.5 17,183 16,764 16,998 16,587 3.6

 Beverages......................................... 13,421 13,375 13,257 0.3 0.9 0.7 13,512 13,213 13,478 12,823 5.4

 Tobacco............................................ 3,464 3,439 3,433 0.7 0.2 -0.4 3,671 3,551 3,520 3,764 -2.5

 Textile mills............................................ 3,618 3,621 3,623 -0.1 -0.1 -0.4 3,616 3,579 3,592 3,337 8.4

 Textile products...................................... 3,064 3,125 3,097 -2.0 0.9 1.4 3,057 3,006 3,032 2,912 5.0

 Apparel................................................. 2,779 2,735 2,734 1.6 0.0 0.0 2,790 2,596 2,645 2,349 18.8

 Leather and allied products...................... 897 908 908 -1.2 0.0 0.6 922 879 905 864 6.7

 Paper products....................................... 13,844 13,790 13,886 0.4 -0.7 -0.9 13,872 13,751 13,926 13,863 0.1

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 5,968 5,920 5,958 0.8 -0.6 -1.1 6,004 5,949 5,977 5,945 1.0

 Paperboard containers......................... 3,971 3,959 3,998 0.3 -1.0 -1.0 4,021 3,957 3,971 3,961 1.5

 Printing.................................................. 5,322 5,321 5,396 0.0 -1.4 -1.2 5,195 5,056 5,459 5,465 -4.9

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 57,141 55,963 55,546 2.1 0.8 2.7 54,298 52,097 53,147 46,140 17.7

 Petroleum refineries............................. 53,241 52,101 51,721 2.2 0.7 2.8 50,432 48,387 49,423 42,970 17.4

 Chemical products..................................... 72,796 72,689 73,468 0.1 -1.1 -0.7 72,511 70,890 72,898 70,137 3.4

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 4,096 4,147 4,051 -1.2 2.4 -0.3 4,560 4,250 3,792 4,001 14.0

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 24,981 24,975 25,153 0.0 -0.7 0.4 24,595 23,947 25,080 25,104 -2.0

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,071 3,057 3,066 0.5 -0.3 0.3 3,073 2,876 2,940 3,091 -0.6

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 20,779 20,710 20,724 0.3 -0.1 -0.5 20,751 20,104 20,454 19,866 4.5

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

1

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

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

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

2 Estimates of inventories for the semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products and all other applicable 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

Jan. Dec. Nov. Dec. - Nov. - Oct. - Jan. Dec. Nov. Jan. 2012/

2012p 2011r 2011 Jan. Dec. Nov. 2012p 2011r 2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 463,648 459,581 456,023 0.9 0.8 0.2 426,286 445,867 442,815 393,247 426,286 393,247 8.4

 Construction materials and supplies...... 39,121 38,223 37,594 2.3 1.7 0.1 33,698 33,225 35,758 30,711 33,698 30,711 9.7

 Information technology......................... 23,777 24,552 23,944 -3.2 2.5 -2.5 20,388 28,485 23,412 21,288 20,388 21,288 -4.2

 Computers and related products .......... 5,278 5,670 5,811 -6.9 -2.4 -9.7 4,244 7,226 5,194 4,734 4,244 4,734 -10.4

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 30,784 30,221 29,930 1.9 1.0 -1.0 28,525 28,074 29,500 25,284 28,525 25,284 12.8

 Capital goods...................................... 78,456 79,197 76,710 -0.9 3.2 -2.0 68,013 86,405 73,809 63,158 68,013 63,158 7.7

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 70,940 71,561 69,745 -0.9 2.6 -2.2 61,881 78,194 66,738 56,592 61,881 56,592 9.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 64,933 66,965 65,156 -3.0 2.8 -0.9 57,981 71,735 61,901 54,403 57,981 54,403 6.6

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 7,516 7,636 6,965 -1.6 9.6 0.0 6,132 8,211 7,071 6,566 6,132 6,566 -6.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 202,354 199,398 200,070 1.5 -0.3 0.6 189,131 195,359 199,309 175,078 189,131 175,078 8.0

 Consumer durable goods..................... 26,684 26,026 25,999 2.5 0.1 -1.5 24,216 25,613 26,003 21,916 24,216 21,916 10.5

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 175,670 173,372 174,071 1.3 -0.4 0.9 164,915 169,746 173,306 153,162 164,915 153,162 7.7

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 462,576 467,341 460,931 -1.0 1.4 2.2 430,029 467,743 444,953 397,758 430,029 397,758 8.1

 Construction materials and supplies...... 38,828 38,142 38,046 1.8 0.3 0.8 33,866 33,066 35,456 32,554 33,866 32,554 4.0

 Information technology......................... 23,961 23,740 23,805 0.9 -0.3 -6.5 21,414 29,042 22,322 21,861 21,414 21,861 -2.0

 Computers and related products .......... 5,038 5,599 5,938 -10.0 -5.7 -7.3 4,004 7,155 5,321 4,586 4,004 4,586 -12.7

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 30,664 30,381 30,066 0.9 1.0 0.0 28,529 28,762 29,818 25,429 28,529 25,429 12.2

 Capital goods...................................... 86,331 90,060 85,583 -4.1 5.2 8.0 79,039 107,771 81,016 70,778 79,039 70,778 11.7

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 79,986 84,983 79,514 -5.9 6.9 9.3 72,643 98,825 75,738 59,267 72,643 59,267 22.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 66,427 69,157 66,793 -3.9 3.5 -1.5 62,178 72,700 62,654 57,774 62,178 57,774 7.6

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 6,345 5,077 6,069 25.0 -16.3 -6.7 6,396 8,946 5,278 11,511 6,396 11,511 -44.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 202,233 199,522 200,362 1.4 -0.4 0.7 189,329 195,204 199,669 175,181 189,329 175,181 8.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 26,563 26,150 26,291 1.6 -0.5 -0.9 24,414 25,458 26,363 22,019 24,414 22,019 10.9

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 175,670 173,372 174,071 1.3 -0.4 0.9 164,915 169,746 173,306 153,162 164,915 153,162 7.7

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 917,943 912,507 898,844 0.6 1.5 1.3 922,241 910,363 884,412 842,435 (X) (X) 9.5

 Construction materials and supplies...... 57,389 57,682 57,763 -0.5 -0.1 0.8 56,325 56,157 56,316 54,275 (X) (X) 3.8

 Information technology......................... 124,882 124,698 125,510 0.1 -0.6 -0.1 125,283 124,257 123,700 123,386 (X) (X) 1.5

 Computers and related products .......... 3,204 3,444 3,515 -7.0 -2.0 3.7 3,204 3,444 3,515 3,506 (X) (X) -8.6

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 13,916 14,036 13,876 -0.9 1.2 1.0 14,409 14,405 13,717 13,941 (X) (X) 3.4

 Capital goods...................................... 702,411 694,536 683,673 1.1 1.6 1.3 706,681 695,655 674,289 635,832 (X) (X) 11.1

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................554,911 545,865 532,443 1.7 2.5 1.9 558,636 547,874 527,243 486,215 (X) (X) 14.9

 Excluding aircraft............................. 214,986 213,492 211,300 0.7 1.0 0.8 214,704 210,507 209,542 189,465 (X) (X) 13.3

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 147,500 148,671 151,230 -0.8 -1.7 -0.6 148,045 147,781 147,046 149,617 (X) (X) -1.1

 Consumer goods.................................. 4,950 5,071 4,947 -2.4 2.5 6.3 4,951 4,753 4,908 4,713 (X) (X) 5.0

 Consumer durable goods..................... 4,950 5,071 4,947 -2.4 2.5 6.3 4,951 4,753 4,908 4,713 (X) (X) 5.0

 All manufacturing industries .................. 614,719 610,815 609,632 0.6 0.2 0.4 609,750 593,137 609,246 561,832 (X) (X) 8.5

 Construction materials and supplies...... 57,888 57,965 57,976 -0.1 0.0 0.4 57,808 56,472 57,231 54,389 (X) (X) 6.3

 Information technology......................... 41,891 41,543 42,499 0.8 -2.2 -0.7 41,655 40,219 43,325 40,081 (X) (X) 3.9

 Computers and related products .......... 6,038 5,995 6,094 0.7 -1.6 -0.8 5,786 5,635 6,399 5,243 (X) (X) 10.4

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 26,883 26,678 26,427 0.8 0.9 -0.3 26,908 25,496 26,622 24,002 (X) (X) 12.1

 Capital goods...................................... 192,194 190,422 190,118 0.9 0.2 0.9 190,728 184,604 191,621 169,262 (X) (X) 12.7

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................172,124 170,378 169,518 1.0 0.5 0.8 170,573 164,586 171,043 149,471 (X) (X) 14.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 116,880 115,340 115,451 1.3 -0.1 0.4 116,274 111,758 117,130 105,194 (X) (X) 10.5

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 20,070 20,044 20,600 0.1 -2.7 1.8 20,155 20,018 20,578 19,791 (X) (X) 1.8

 Consumer goods.................................. 185,951 184,697 183,917 0.7 0.4 0.7 183,201 178,311 184,157 171,742 (X) (X) 6.7

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,506 27,536 27,396 -0.1 0.5 -0.8 27,716 26,376 27,766 26,291 (X) (X) 5.4

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 158,445 157,161 156,521 0.8 0.4 0.9 155,485 151,935 156,391 145,451 (X) (X) 6.9

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

Jan. Dec. Nov. Dec. - Nov. - Oct. - Jan. Dec. Nov. Jan. Jan.

2012p 2011r 2011 Jan. Dec. Nov. 2012p 2011r 2011 2011 12/11

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 202,979 200,787 199,673 1.1 0.6 0.1 202,612 198,440 198,143 187,791 7.9

 Durable goods industries........................ 119,975 118,618 117,512 1.1 0.9 0.4 120,022 117,924 117,650 110,488 8.6

 Wood products................................... 3,344 3,370 3,311 -0.8 1.8 2.9 3,510 3,541 3,501 3,235 8.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,570 4,484 4,434 1.9 1.1 -0.2 4,556 4,446 4,405 4,063 12.1

 Primary metals.................................... 14,179 14,027 13,812 1.1 1.6 -0.7 13,963 14,037 13,867 12,811 9.0

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,337 16,298 16,472 0.2 -1.1 0.1 16,425 16,467 16,295 15,567 5.5

 Machinery.......................................... 23,010 22,791 22,578 1.0 0.9 1.1 23,125 22,190 22,682 20,410 13.3

 Computers and electronic products...... 18,665 18,346 18,237 1.7 0.6 0.4 18,701 18,221 18,456 17,430 7.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 6,808 6,640 6,576 2.5 1.0 -0.1 6,756 6,459 6,517 6,148 9.9

 Transportation equipment.................. 22,365 22,079 21,577 1.3 2.3 0.8 22,261 22,073 21,406 20,678 7.7

 Furniture and related products............ 3,296 3,302 3,246 -0.2 1.7 -1.0 3,294 3,276 3,236 3,239 1.7

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,401 7,281 7,269 1.6 0.2 -0.4 7,431 7,214 7,285 6,907 7.6

 Nondurable goods industries................. 83,004 82,169 82,161 1.0 0.0 -0.4 82,590 80,516 80,493 77,303 6.8

 Food products................................... 14,296 14,396 14,450 -0.7 -0.4 -0.7 14,656 14,570 14,807 14,755 -0.7

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,429 4,382 4,344 1.1 0.9 -0.1 4,643 4,529 4,392 4,559 1.8

 Textiles.............................................. 1,294 1,298 1,299 -0.3 -0.1 -0.6 1,284 1,279 1,269 1,220 5.2

 Textile products.................................. 1,471 1,477 1,456 -0.4 1.4 2.2 1,449 1,433 1,431 1,305 11.0

 Apparel............................................. 986 965 965 2.2 0.0 2.0 990 956 936 749 32.2

 Leather and allied products................ 293 298 298 -1.7 0.0 0.0 296 291 297 291 1.7

 Paper products................................... 6,745 6,711 6,681 0.5 0.4 -0.8 6,788 6,761 6,718 6,669 1.8

 Printing ............................................ 2,574 2,541 2,603 1.3 -2.4 -0.8 2,530 2,476 2,629 2,655 -4.7

 Petroleum and coal products............... 19,352 18,229 18,182 6.2 0.3 1.4 18,354 16,972 16,699 15,146 21.2

 Chemical products............................. 22,806 23,228 23,166 -1.8 0.3 -1.3 22,824 22,795 22,769 21,893 4.3

 Plastics and rubber products............... 8,758 8,644 8,717 1.3 -0.8 -1.5 8,776 8,454 8,546 8,061 8.9

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 192,324 191,022 190,537 0.7 0.3 0.9 190,645 185,039 191,935 172,904 10.3

 Durable goods industries........................ 145,019 144,373 144,156 0.4 0.2 1.0 143,829 139,399 144,734 128,673 11.8

 Wood products................................... 1,549 1,539 1,556 0.6 -1.1 0.1 1,539 1,497 1,555 1,515 1.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,228 1,250 1,246 -1.8 0.3 3.1 1,216 1,190 1,184 1,168 4.1

 Primary metals.................................... 10,138 10,134 10,155 0.0 -0.2 1.3 9,823 9,421 10,004 8,944 9.8

 Fabricated metal products.................. 13,397 13,305 13,176 0.7 1.0 2.0 13,389 12,966 13,270 11,582 15.6

 Machinery.......................................... 15,767 15,413 15,361 2.3 0.3 1.0 15,488 14,635 15,787 14,081 10.0

 Computers and electronic products...... 17,400 17,353 17,808 0.3 -2.6 -2.4 17,298 16,707 18,036 17,208 0.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 3,894 3,749 3,786 3.9 -1.0 1.3 3,858 3,533 3,753 3,483 10.8

 Transportation equipment.................. 77,208 77,175 76,621 0.0 0.7 1.6 76,840 75,148 76,665 66,434 15.7

 Furniture and related products............ 1,055 1,049 1,076 0.6 -2.5 1.5 1,055 1,041 1,073 1,007 4.8

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,383 3,406 3,371 -0.7 1.0 1.2 3,323 3,261 3,407 3,251 2.2

 Nondurable goods industries................. 47,305 46,649 46,381 1.4 0.6 0.5 46,816 45,640 47,201 44,231 5.8

 Food products................................... 3,613 3,527 3,508 2.4 0.5 1.3 3,840 4,087 4,458 3,653 5.1

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 5,624 5,633 5,647 -0.2 -0.2 0.5 5,882 5,996 6,037 5,756 2.2

 Textiles.............................................. 827 849 848 -2.6 0.1 0.5 828 820 850 753 10.0

 Textile products.................................. 463 475 465 -2.5 2.2 -0.9 463 449 458 473 -2.1

 Apparel............................................. 355 356 352 -0.3 1.1 -1.1 349 326 341 348 0.3

 Leather and allied products................ 103 107 110 -3.7 -2.7 3.8 107 111 110 83 28.9

 Paper products................................... 1,253 1,220 1,274 2.7 -4.2 -1.8 1,258 1,209 1,267 1,243 1.2

 Printing ............................................ 1,117 1,137 1,160 -1.8 -2.0 -4.3 1,074 1,011 1,191 1,212 -11.4

 Petroleum and coal products............... 16,787 16,733 16,441 0.3 1.8 2.4 15,821 15,578 15,777 13,580 16.5

 Chemical products............................. 15,158 14,631 14,576 3.6 0.4 -1.4 15,158 14,142 14,721 14,948 1.4

 Plastics and rubber products............... 2,005 1,981 2,000 1.2 -1.0 1.5 2,036 1,911 1,991 2,182 -6.7

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 219,416 219,006 219,422 0.2 -0.2 0.4 216,493 209,658 219,168 201,137 7.6

 Durable goods industries........................ 107,489 107,109 107,175 0.4 -0.1 0.1 106,686 102,171 107,101 97,789 9.1

 Wood products................................... 3,833 3,933 3,951 -2.5 -0.5 2.3 3,817 3,724 3,784 3,913 -2.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,444 5,512 5,490 -1.2 0.4 0.7 5,467 5,378 5,272 5,197 5.2

 Primary metals.................................... 10,289 10,350 10,406 -0.6 -0.5 -0.1 10,098 10,131 10,167 9,239 9.3

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,339 16,467 16,717 -0.8 -1.5 -1.1 16,231 15,855 16,340 15,434 5.2

 Machinery.......................................... 22,734 22,397 22,402 1.5 0.0 0.6 22,895 21,824 22,459 19,652 16.5

 Computers and electronic products...... 11,607 11,625 11,863 -0.2 -2.0 1.3 11,547 11,180 12,170 11,223 2.9

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,163 5,030 5,068 2.6 -0.7 -1.4 5,098 4,756 5,112 5,258 -3.0

 Transportation equipment.................. 17,295 17,080 16,482 1.3 3.6 -0.1 16,804 15,008 16,740 13,722 22.5

 Furniture and related products............ 2,345 2,385 2,387 -1.7 -0.1 0.3 2,317 2,254 2,432 2,495 -7.1

 Miscellaneous products........................ 12,440 12,330 12,409 0.9 -0.6 -0.3 12,412 12,061 12,625 11,656 6.5

 Nondurable goods industries................. 111,927 111,897 112,247 0.0 -0.3 0.7 109,807 107,487 112,067 103,348 6.2

 Food products................................... 27,202 27,116 26,759 0.3 1.3 -0.2 26,522 26,264 27,440 24,954 6.3

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 6,832 6,799 6,699 0.5 1.5 0.8 6,658 6,239 6,569 6,272 6.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,497 1,474 1,476 1.6 -0.1 -0.8 1,504 1,480 1,473 1,364 10.3

 Textile products.................................. 1,130 1,173 1,176 -3.7 -0.3 1.5 1,145 1,124 1,143 1,134 1.0

 Apparel............................................. 1,438 1,414 1,417 1.7 -0.2 -1.0 1,451 1,314 1,368 1,252 15.9

 Leather and allied products................ 501 503 500 -0.4 0.6 0.2 519 477 498 490 5.9

 Paper products................................... 5,846 5,859 5,931 -0.2 -1.2 -0.8 5,826 5,781 5,941 5,951 -2.1

 Printing ............................................ 1,631 1,643 1,633 -0.7 0.6 0.7 1,591 1,569 1,639 1,598 -0.4

 Petroleum and coal products............... 21,002 21,001 20,923 0.0 0.4 4.1 20,123 19,547 20,671 17,414 15.6

 Chemical products............................. 34,832 34,830 35,726 0.0 -2.5 0.0 34,529 33,953 35,408 33,296 3.7

 Plastics and rubber products............... 10,016 10,085 10,007 -0.7 0.8 -0.1 9,939 9,739 9,917 9,623 3.3

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

1

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

estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for 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 Jan Dec Nov Oct Jan Dec Nov Oct

2012p 2011r 2011 2011 2012p 2011r 2011 2011

All manufacturing industries2

............................ 1.33 1.33 1.34 1.33 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

.................................. 1.79 1.79 1.82 1.80 6.10 6.04 6.13 6.07

 Wood products.............................................. 1.54 1.63 1.63 1.59 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.37 1.37 1.38 1.37 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.26 1.22 1.28 1.34 1.23 1.22 1.26 1.29

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.74 1.76 1.81 1.83 2.59 2.61 2.68 2.69

 Machinery..................................................... 2.07 1.91 1.98 1.98 4.60 4.25 4.35 4.36

 Computers and electronic products2

................ 1.60 1.57 1.58 1.54 5.96 5.70 5.88 5.76

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.53 1.51 1.53 1.52 3.00 3.03 3.03 2.92

 Transportation equipment.............................. 2.31 2.44 2.43 2.34 15.42 16.45 16.40 15.68

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.19 1.21 1.24 1.24 1.42 1.44 1.46 1.43

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.67 1.67 1.70 1.69 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Food products.............................................. 0.72 0.72 0.72 0.72 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.35 1.32 1.34 1.37 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.43 1.44 1.44 1.43 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.59 1.63 1.64 1.64 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 1.83 1.88 1.88 1.93 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.82 2.93 2.95 2.95 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

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

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.77 0.78 0.77 0.76 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.21 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.23 1.24 1.26 1.27 (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.

Jan2 Jan2 Jan2 Jan2

Industry 2011- 2011- 2011- 2011-

Jan1 Dec Jan1 Dec Jan1 Dec Jan1 Dec

2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011 2012 2011

 

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

Durable goods industries....................... 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.6 0.1 0.1 -0.1 0.1

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

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

 Primary metals.................................... -0.1 1.0 0.1 2.1 0.0 0.9 0.0 0.6

 Fabricated metal products.................... 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.8 0.2 0.2 -0.1 0.3

 Machinery.......................................... -0.2 0.9 -0.1 1.9 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.2

 Computers and electronic products..... -1.1 0.5 0.0 0.9 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.1 0.7 1.6 1.1 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.4

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.7 0.6 0.4 1.3 0.0 0.1 -0.1 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 1.1 (X) 0.7 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.5 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.2 (X) 0.1

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

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

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

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

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

 Petroleum and coal products................ (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Chemical products................................ (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

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

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. 

Benchmark Notice 

Revised historical data for Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders will be issued on May 18, 

2012. These revisions reflect: 

 benchmarking the shipments and inventories data to the 2010 Annual Survey of Manufactures 

(ASM) data, as well as revised ASM benchmarks for prior years; 

 incorporating the unfilled orders to shipments ratios obtained from the 2009/2010 Manufacturers’ 

Unfilled Orders Survey by applying these ratios to the respective ASM shipments data, as well as 

incorporating revised unfilled orders to shipments ratios for prior years; 

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

data; 

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

previously reported data; 

 incorporating the monthly data corrections when producing estimates for industry groups for which 

we identified companies to be tabbed separately from the link-relative estimation procedure; 

 implementing a new SAS® benchmarking program, which is based on the same benchmarking 

methodology as the previous ASCII Fortran program; and 

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

review of the seasonal adjustment models. 

An accompanying press release will include the revised 2012 January through March data. Please call 

Jessica Young on (301) 763-4832 with any questions.