Manufacturers' Shipments,

 Inventories, and Orders: December 2003 Issued February 2004

 M3-1(03)-12

 For Wire Transmission 10:00 a.m. E.S.T., February 4, 2004 Current 

 Industrial

 Reports

For data, call 301-763-4673. For inquiries, contact Dan Sansbury or Derrick Roy, Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories and Orders Branch, Manufacturing and 

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

The advance report on durable goods for January is scheduled for February 26, 2004 at 8:30 a.m. and the full report on March 4, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. 

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

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

Total Manufacturing Shipments

and Three Month Moving Average

300

320

340

360

380

Dec-01

Feb-02Apr-02

Jun-02

Aug-02

Oct-02

Dec-02

Feb-03Apr-03

Jun-03

Aug-03

Oct-03

Dec-03

300

320

340

360

380

 Shipments Average

Billions Of Dollars

Total Manufacturing Inventories

and Three Month Moving Average

420

440

460

480

500

Dec-01

Feb-02Apr-02

Jun-02

Aug-02

Oct-02

Dec-02

Feb-03Apr-03

Jun-03

Aug-03

Oct-03

Dec-03

420

440

460

480

500

 Inventories Average

Billions Of Dollars
 2

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

for semiconductor manufacturing.

Summary

New orders for manufactured goods in December

increased $3.7 billion or 1.1 percent to $342.4 billion, the

Department of Commerce, Census Bureau reported today. 

This was the highest level since December 2000 and

followed a 0.9 percent November decrease. Year to date,

new orders for 2003 were 3.9 percent above the same

period a year ago.

Shipments, up four consecutive months, increased $5.1

billion or 1.5 percent to $346.5 billion. This was the

highest level since February 2001 and followed a 0.5

percent November increase. Year to date, shipments for

2003 were 2.7 percent above the same period a year ago. 

Unfilled orders, up five consecutive months, increased

$1.9 billion or 0.4 percent to $505.8 billion. This

followed a 0.7 percent November increase. The unfilled

orders-to-shipments ratio was 4.06, unchanged from

November.

Inventories, down seven of the last eight months,

decreased slightly to $438.1 billion, following a 0.1

percent November decrease. The inventories-toshipments ratio was 1.26, down from 1.28 in November.

New Orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in

December increased $0.5 billion or 0.3 percent to $181.9

billion, revised from the previously published $0.1 billion

decrease.

Transportation equipment had the largest increase, $1.0

billion or 1.9 percent to $55.5 billion, led by nondefense

aircraft and parts, which increased $1.4 billion. 

Transportation equipment was at the highest level since

August 2002.

New orders for manufactured nondurable goods

increased $3.1 billion or 2.0 percent to $160.5 billion.

Shipments

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in

December, up four consecutive months, increased $1.9

billion or 1.1 percent to $186.0 billion, revised from the

previously published 0.6 percent increase.

Machinery had the largest increase, $0.9 billion or

4.4 percent to $22.2 billion. This was the largest

percent increase since January 2002.

Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods

increased $3.1 billion or 2.0 percent to $160.5 billion. 

Petroleum and coal products had the largest increase,

$1.8 billion or 8.1 percent to $24.0 billion.

Unfilled Orders

Unfilled orders of manufactured durable goods in

December, up five consecutive months, increased $1.9

billion or 0.4 percent to $505.8 billion, unrevised from

the previously published level.

Transportation equipment, up nine of the last eleven

months, had the largest increase, $2.3 billion or 0.9

percent to $251.9 billion, led by nondefense aircraft and

parts, which increased $0.9 billion.

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in

December increased $0.9 billion or 0.3 percent to

$262.3 billion, revised from the previously published

0.2 percent increase.

Computers and electronic products had the largest

increase, $0.5 billion or 1.1 percent to $47.7 billion. 

This was the largest percent increase since January

2001.

Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, 

decreased $0.9 billion or 0.5 percent to $175.8 billion. 

Basic chemicals had the largest decrease, $0.4 billion or

0.7 percent to $52.8 billion.

By stage of fabrication, December materials and

supplies decreased 0.2 percent in durable goods and 1.5

percent in nondurable goods. Work in process

increased 0.8 percent in durable goods and decreased

2.7 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods

increased 0.3 percent in durable goods and 1.0 percent

in nondurable goods. 

SEE BACK PAGE FOR SURVEY DESCRIPTION

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

For data, call 301-763-4673. For inquiries, contact Dan Sansbury or Derrick Roy, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Branch,

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

The advance report on durable goods for January is scheduled for February 26, 2004 at 8:30 A.M. EST and the full report on March 4, 2004 at

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

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2003/

2003p 2003r 2003 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2003p 2003r 2003 2002 2003p 2002 2002

 All manufacturing industries .................. 346,533 341,454 339,825 1.5 0.5 0.7 344,042 333,414 356,009 316,560 3,997,190 3,891,753 2.7

 Excluding transportation ................... 293,253 288,209 287,433 1.8 0.3 1.0 293,260 281,395 298,468 270,875 3,378,533 3,267,624 3.4

 Excluding defense .............................. 337,382 332,655 330,758 1.4 0.6 0.8 333,548 324,312 347,039 307,567 3,889,504 3,797,000 2.4

 With unfilled orders ........................... 124,464 124,212 123,619 0.2 0.5 0.5 127,328 121,357 127,694 119,345 1,454,196 1,465,665 -0.8

 Durable goods industries ........................ 186,015 184,074 183,740 1.1 0.2 0.7 187,119 179,050 192,632 171,128 2,148,475 2,131,404 0.8

 Wood products................................. ...... 8,373 8,578 8,518 -2.4 0.7 2.5 7,583 8,135 9,060 6,561 93,263 87,652 6.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 7,300 7,145 7,631 2.2 -6.4 1.7 6,241 6,664 8,475 6,130 87,447 88,222 -0.9

 Primary metals............................ .......... 11,350 11,069 10,968 2.5 0.9 1.7 10,138 10,370 11,636 9,722 131,167 135,930 -3.5

 Iron and steel mills............................ 5,077 4,928 4,841 3.0 1.8 1.1 4,566 4,534 5,084 4,598 59,306 61,999 -4.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 4,949 4,838 4,839 2.3 0.0 2.6 4,420 4,630 5,146 4,089 56,484 58,019 -2.6

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,324 1,303 1,288 1.6 1.2 0.7 1,152 1,206 1,406 1,035 15,377 15,912 -3.4

 Fabricated metal products...................... 20,773 20,423 20,532 1.7 -0.5 0.5 19,316 19,744 22,013 19,139 245,216 252,232 -2.8

 Machinery............................................. 22,186 21,260 21,492 4.4 -1.1 0.5 22,028 19,826 21,515 20,615 253,035 255,651 -1.0

 Farm machinery................................. 1,520 1,393 1,399 9.1 -0.4 -0.2 1,264 1,037 1,268 1,151 16,689 16,016 4.2

 Construction machinery..................... 1,910 1,921 1,947 -0.6 -1.3 7.5 1,803 1,665 1,926 1,645 21,132 20,193 4.7

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery......................... 728 727 709 0.1 2.5 -8.8 816 696 648 768 8,526 7,719 10.5

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,979 2,630 2,861 13.3 -8.1 -4.0 3,484 2,295 2,953 3,034 34,822 32,132 8.4

 Photographic equipment...................... 923 896 909 3.0 -1.4 11.7 1,016 930 1,009 905 10,066 9,730 3.5

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,149 2,550 2,550 23.5 0.0 0.1 2,983 2,397 2,435 2,366 30,733 30,659 0.2

 Metalworking machinery..................... 1,430 1,417 1,496 0.9 -5.3 -2.2 1,403 1,583 1,678 1,902 19,768 24,701 -20.0

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 2,704 2,795 2,682 -3.3 4.2 4.0 2,717 2,701 2,655 2,390 31,892 37,173 -14.2

 Material handling equipment............... 1,442 1,410 1,405 2.3 0.4 3.0 1,450 1,287 1,490 1,328 16,195 16,076 0.7

 Computers and electronic products ......... 36,501 36,348 36,529 0.4 -0.5 2.6 43,908 36,224 35,956 37,948 417,554 392,026 6.5

 Computers........................................ 5,039 5,394 5,731 -6.6 -5.9 11.9 5,878 4,897 6,443 5,090 58,805 50,000 17.6

 Computer storage devices................... 1,792 1,188 1,234 50.8 -3.7 -16.0 2,921 1,026 864 1,781 16,541 14,508 14.0

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,534 1,590 1,485 -3.5 7.1 -0.2 2,193 1,558 1,305 1,715 18,005 16,941 6.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 6,157 6,218 6,297 -1.0 -1.3 2.8 8,492 6,414 5,663 7,450 71,652 74,980 -4.4

 Defense communications equipment... 439 449 473 -2.2 -5.1 7.5 457 422 455 367 5,151 4,427 16.4

 Audio and video equipment.................. 737 723 738 1.9 -2.0 7.4 807 918 885 847 8,305 8,730 -4.9

 Semiconductors ................................. 6,049 6,290 6,270 -3.8 0.3 11.7 6,396 6,599 6,405 5,656 70,889 58,982 20.2

 Electronic components........................ 4,442 4,308 4,196 3.1 2.7 2.0 4,866 4,636 4,376 4,576 50,162 55,132 -9.0

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 940 776 842 21.1 -7.8 -2.1 1,019 764 804 888 10,154 10,111 0.4

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,424 2,568 2,536 -5.6 1.3 3.6 2,812 2,614 2,474 2,619 29,274 25,877 13.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 6,389 6,288 6,191 1.6 1.6 -8.1 7,525 5,722 5,658 6,451 72,456 65,387 10.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 8,623 8,627 8,562 0.0 0.8 1.2 9,054 8,545 8,583 8,777 101,412 103,673 -2.2

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,062 1,059 1,051 0.3 0.8 -0.7 1,239 1,058 1,030 1,207 12,535 12,414 1.0

 Household appliances........................ 2,147 2,107 2,044 1.9 3.1 -0.3 2,301 2,040 2,016 2,056 23,868 22,886 4.3

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,480 2,457 2,546 0.9 -3.5 3.3 2,667 2,341 2,461 2,637 29,748 30,626 -2.9

 Batteries........................................... 468 489 480 -4.3 1.9 2.3 482 635 545 475 5,663 5,998 -5.6

 Transportation equipment...................... 53,280 53,245 52,392 0.1 1.6 -1.3 50,782 52,019 57,541 45,685 618,657 624,129 -0.9

 Automobiles..................................... 7,576 7,217 7,258 5.0 -0.6 -2.0 6,730 6,811 8,631 5,819 86,454 87,592 -1.3

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 11,700 11,226 11,194 4.2 0.3 -0.8 10,332 10,494 13,180 8,552 128,662 127,134 1.2

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,194 1,128 1,125 5.9 0.3 -1.0 1,043 1,014 1,278 871 13,008 13,375 -2.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 18,155 18,020 18,258 0.7 -1.3 0.2 15,819 17,209 20,461 13,925 214,630 222,035 -3.3

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 5,358 5,861 5,486 -8.6 6.8 -2.7 6,536 6,330 4,904 7,493 67,307 76,599 -12.1

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,455 3,016 3,380 14.6 -10.8 -3.8 4,146 3,257 3,375 3,212 39,849 35,127 13.4

 Ships and boats................................. 2,282 2,322 2,193 -1.7 5.9 -5.5 2,178 2,395 2,291 2,092 25,919 22,004 17.8

 Furniture and related products................. 5,826 6,021 5,927 -3.2 1.6 1.2 5,574 5,977 6,255 5,644 69,771 69,999 -0.3

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 11,803 11,358 11,189 3.9 1.5 1.8 12,495 11,546 11,598 10,907 130,953 121,890 7.4

 Nondurable goods industries................... 160,518 157,380 156,085 2.0 0.8 0.6 156,923 154,364 163,377 145,432 1,848,715 1,760,349 5.0

 Food products....................................... 39,233 38,759 39,147 1.2 -1.0 -0.2 40,127 39,922 41,352 38,317 461,683 450,183 2.6

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 4,158 4,348 4,318 -4.4 0.7 1.4 4,055 4,549 4,550 3,895 49,636 47,345 4.8

 Dairy products.................................. 5,753 5,739 5,820 0.2 -1.4 1.4 5,830 5,847 5,895 5,151 65,880 60,872 8.2

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 11,296 11,040 11,508 2.3 -4.1 0.0 11,173 11,274 11,672 10,742 134,142 131,558 2.0

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 8,512 8,601 8,816 -1.0 -2.4 1.4 8,273 8,343 8,840 8,253 105,129 109,832 -4.3

 Beverages......................................... 5,706 5,712 5,754 -0.1 -0.7 0.9 5,467 5,454 5,778 5,463 68,443 67,513 1.4

 Tobacco............................................ 2,806 2,889 3,062 -2.9 -5.6 2.4 2,806 2,889 3,062 2,790 36,686 42,319 -13.3

 Textile mills........................................... 3,267 3,324 3,364 -1.7 -1.2 2.9 2,978 3,252 3,562 3,091 39,742 43,170 -7.9

 Textile products................................... 3,240 3,089 3,028 4.9 2.0 2.2 2,923 3,005 3,113 2,578 35,202 34,232 2.8

 Apparel................................................ 4,613 4,526 4,492 1.9 0.8 1.6 3,948 4,635 5,176 3,727 52,921 53,621 -1.3

 Leather and allied products..................... 966 920 880 5.0 4.5 0.1 1,059 963 925 947 11,030 10,408 6.0

 Paper products...................................... 13,353 13,355 13,266 0.0 0.7 1.0 13,159 12,905 13,861 12,764 159,322 151,530 5.1

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 5,477 5,553 5,581 -1.4 -0.5 0.7 5,337 5,351 5,824 5,731 68,381 69,946 -2.2

 Paperboard containers........................ 3,682 3,616 3,559 1.8 1.6 -0.2 3,470 3,422 3,819 3,407 43,715 44,276 -1.3

 Printing................................................. 7,962 7,773 7,692 2.4 1.1 -1.9 8,243 8,204 8,340 8,425 95,134 97,968 -2.9

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 23,959 22,154 19,901 8.1 11.3 -0.7 22,778 21,132 20,941 18,002 244,352 206,879 18.1

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 22,087 20,301 18,122 8.8 12.0 -1.2 21,317 19,444 18,897 16,780 223,740 187,493 19.3

 Basic chemicals...................................... 39,569 39,239 39,731 0.8 -1.2 1.5 39,137 37,419 40,554 35,703 459,269 424,143 8.3

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 1,664 1,868 1,838 -10.9 1.6 9.0 1,478 1,365 1,278 1,313 18,751 18,979 -1.2

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 8,994 9,556 9,946 -5.9 -3.9 1.9 9,445 9,889 10,639 10,093 117,770 116,732 0.9

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,339 2,391 2,468 -2.2 -3.1 -1.9 2,024 2,151 2,485 2,098 28,460 28,196 0.9

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 15,844 15,640 15,768 1.3 -0.8 1.2 14,298 14,584 16,713 13,625 184,931 178,383 3.7

p Preliminary r

 Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Year to date
 4

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2003/

2003p 2003r 2003 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2003p 2003r 2003 2002 2003p 2002 2002

All manufacturing industries 2................... 342,383 338,726 341,856 1.1 -0.9 2.4 344,296 330,467 356,785 313,957 3,947,601 3,800,930 3.9

 Excluding transportation 2

................... 286,843 284,211 287,232 0.9 -1.1 1.6 286,573 278,096 298,300 264,507 3,322,287 3,183,832 4.3

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 331,847 327,830 330,563 1.2 -0.8 1.8 327,907 320,207 346,566 300,175 3,826,556 3,703,304 3.3

 With unfilled orders 2

.......................... 126,363 127,774 131,920 -1.1 -3.1 5.5 133,978 125,009 134,875 122,398 1,475,496 1,433,824 2.9

 Durable goods industries 2........................ 181,865 181,346 185,771 0.3 -2.4 3.9 187,373 176,103 193,408 168,525 2,098,886 2,040,581 2.9

 Primary metals............................ ............ 11,578 11,811 11,948 -2.0 -1.1 9.8 10,753 11,018 12,200 9,706 132,866 134,089 -0.9

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 5,321 5,553 5,734 -4.2 -3.2 18.6 5,024 5,135 5,619 4,487 60,943 61,884 -1.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 4,967 4,937 4,871 0.6 1.4 3.6 4,581 4,661 5,083 4,194 56,412 56,545 -0.2

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,290 1,321 1,343 -2.3 -1.6 -0.5 1,148 1,222 1,498 1,025 15,511 15,660 -1.0

 Fabricated metal products...................... 21,043 21,089 21,191 -0.2 -0.5 2.1 19,286 20,465 22,338 18,292 246,177 249,408 -1.3

 Machinery............................................. 23,053 22,269 21,705 3.5 2.6 1.4 22,303 20,893 21,779 19,538 253,139 244,559 3.5

 Construction machinery....................... 1,865 2,273 1,947 -17.9 16.7 4.1 1,862 2,063 1,964 1,754 21,691 20,074 8.1

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery......................... 710 840 751 -15.5 11.9 -2.2 798 809 690 661 8,727 7,561 15.4

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,004 2,612 2,798 15.0 -6.6 -10.0 3,207 2,279 3,139 2,774 34,603 32,186 7.5

 Photographic equipment...................... 955 923 918 3.5 0.5 8.1 1,006 960 1,016 907 10,321 9,821 5.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,011 2,495 2,599 20.7 -4.0 0.7 2,771 2,372 2,423 2,261 30,933 30,392 1.8

 Metalworking machinery....................... 1,444 1,519 1,593 -4.9 -4.6 -1.5 1,275 1,764 1,836 1,792 19,999 24,531 -18.5

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 3,620 3,138 2,632 15.4 19.2 9.7 3,611 3,062 2,552 1,990 30,467 27,202 12.0

 Material handling equipment............... 1,474 1,470 1,395 0.3 5.4 -3.5 1,567 1,304 1,416 1,382 16,106 15,760 2.2

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 29,136 29,471 33,685 -1.1 -12.5 2.5 37,278 29,924 33,673 33,999 357,068 325,378 9.7

 Computers........................................ 5,271 5,361 5,490 -1.7 -2.3 3.2 5,812 5,204 6,171 5,778 59,486 50,949 16.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 3,594 4,573 8,876 -21.4 -48.5 16.3 5,811 5,469 8,961 6,728 76,372 69,868 9.3

 Defense communications equipment... 593 549 676 8.0 -18.8 67.3 611 522 658 412 5,665 4,327 30.9

 Semiconductors 2................................ (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA)

 Electronic components........................ 4,648 4,640 4,488 0.2 3.4 5.3 5,146 4,795 4,628 4,558 48,642 52,709 -7.7

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 782 808 887 -3.2 -8.9 4.5 855 824 856 886 10,246 9,726 5.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,443 2,795 2,881 -12.6 -3.0 6.8 4,165 2,844 2,611 4,226 31,668 24,616 28.6

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,183 6,688 6,394 7.4 4.6 -15.3 8,415 6,110 6,110 6,560 75,978 66,053 15.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 8,358 8,464 8,665 -1.3 -2.3 0.8 8,625 8,389 8,877 8,661 101,129 103,013 -1.8

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,020 1,004 930 1.6 8.0 -13.8 1,216 967 918 1,168 12,413 12,541 -1.0

 Household appliances.......................... 1,986 2,070 2,088 -4.1 -0.9 4.2 2,107 2,119 2,074 2,105 23,736 22,600 5.0

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,362 2,348 2,651 0.6 -11.4 1.5 2,406 2,203 2,696 2,544 29,951 29,891 0.2

 Transportation equipment........................ 55,540 54,515 54,624 1.9 -0.2 6.4 57,723 52,371 58,485 49,450 625,314 617,098 1.3

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 18,229 18,297 18,759 -0.4 -2.5 0.3 16,293 17,760 20,823 14,378 215,929 222,082 -2.8

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 6,296 4,930 5,625 27.7 -12.4 20.6 8,604 5,111 4,635 8,275 60,884 65,295 -6.8

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 4,020 3,733 3,931 7.7 -5.0 7.2 5,814 3,126 3,131 4,665 44,638 40,087 11.4

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,221 3,371 1,494 -34.1 125.6 -2.4 2,807 3,500 1,729 2,304 25,732 22,423 14.8

 Furniture and related products................. 5,677 6,106 5,981 -7.0 2.1 0.6 5,082 6,158 6,289 5,261 69,752 68,959 1.1

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 160,518 157,380 156,085 2.0 0.8 0.6 156,923 154,364 163,377 145,432 1,848,715 1,760,349 5.0

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

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

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

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

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

Year to date
 5 

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

2003p 2003r 2003 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2003p 2003r 2003 2002 03/02

All manufacturing industries 1................... 505,768 503,869 500,307 0.4 0.7 1.7 501,979 495,329 491,677 480,679 4.4

 Excluding transportation 1................... 253,822 254,183 251,891 -0.1 0.9 2.5 250,906 251,197 247,897 236,263 6.2

 Excluding defense 1

............................. 347,046 346,532 345,067 0.1 0.4 1.8 344,075 343,320 340,826 336,134 2.4

 Durable goods industries 1

........................ 505,768 503,869 500,307 0.4 0.7 1.7 501,979 495,329 491,677 480,679 4.4

 Primary metals........................................ 16,612 16,384 15,642 1.4 4.7 6.7 16,158 15,543 14,895 14,459 11.8

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 9,768 9,524 8,899 2.6 7.0 11.2 9,437 8,979 8,378 7,800 21.0

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 4,513 4,495 4,396 0.4 2.3 0.7 4,409 4,248 4,217 4,481 -1.6

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,331 2,365 2,347 -1.4 0.8 2.4 2,312 2,316 2,300 2,178 6.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 38,409 38,139 37,473 0.7 1.8 1.8 37,861 37,891 37,170 36,900 2.6

 Machinery.............................................. 43,530 42,663 41,654 2.0 2.4 0.5 42,524 42,249 41,182 42,420 0.2

 Construction machinery....................... 2,596 2,641 2,289 -1.7 15.4 0.0 2,568 2,509 2,111 2,009 27.8

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery......................... 1,099 1,117 1,004 -1.6 11.3 4.4 1,099 1,117 1,004 898 22.4

 Industrial machinery............................ 7,600 7,575 7,593 0.3 -0.2 -0.8 7,253 7,530 7,546 7,472 -2.9

 Photographic equipment...................... 843 811 784 3.9 3.4 1.2 809 819 789 554 46.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,400 4,538 4,593 -3.0 -1.2 1.1 4,196 4,408 4,433 3,996 5.0

 Metalworking machinery....................... 3,935 3,921 3,819 0.4 2.7 2.6 3,874 4,002 3,821 3,643 6.3

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 9,331 8,415 8,072 10.9 4.2 -0.6 9,305 8,411 8,050 10,730 -13.3

 Material handling equipment............... 4,796 4,764 4,704 0.7 1.3 -0.2 4,800 4,683 4,666 4,889 -1.8

 Computers and electronic products 1...... 129,686 131,002 131,589 -1.0 -0.4 2.7 129,220 129,454 129,155 118,817 8.8

 Computers......................................... 8,883 8,651 8,684 2.7 -0.4 -2.7 8,805 8,871 8,564 8,124 8.4

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 46,995 49,558 51,203 -5.2 -3.2 5.3 46,525 49,206 50,151 41,805 11.3

 Defense communications equipment... 3,456 3,302 3,202 4.7 3.1 6.8 3,456 3,302 3,202 2,942 17.5

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

 Electronic components.......................... 14,140 13,934 13,602 1.5 2.4 2.2 13,964 13,684 13,525 15,484 -9.8

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 4,657 4,815 4,783 -3.3 0.7 0.9 4,581 4,745 4,685 4,489 2.0

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 35,651 35,632 35,405 0.1 0.6 1.0 36,028 34,675 34,445 33,634 7.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 15,904 15,110 14,710 5.3 2.7 1.4 15,861 14,971 14,583 12,339 28.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 13,732 13,997 14,160 -1.9 -1.2 0.7 13,509 13,938 14,094 13,792 -2.1

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,366 1,408 1,463 -3.0 -3.8 -7.6 1,333 1,356 1,447 1,455 -8.4

 Household appliances.......................... 766 927 964 -17.4 -3.8 4.8 767 961 882 899 -14.7

 Electrical equipment............................ 8,407 8,525 8,634 -1.4 -1.3 1.2 8,274 8,535 8,673 8,071 2.5

 Transportation equipment........................ 251,946 249,686 248,416 0.9 0.5 0.9 251,073 244,132 243,780 244,416 2.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 13,378 13,304 13,027 0.6 2.1 4.0 13,432 12,958 12,407 12,133 10.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 104,838 103,900 104,831 0.9 -0.9 0.1 105,071 103,003 104,222 111,494 -5.8

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 62,405 61,840 61,123 0.9 1.2 0.9 60,753 59,085 59,216 55,964 8.6

 Ships and boats.................................. 20,221 20,282 19,233 -0.3 5.5 -3.5 20,461 19,832 18,727 20,648 -0.9

 Furniture and related products................. 5,454 5,603 5,518 -2.7 1.5 1.0 5,235 5,727 5,546 5,254 -0.4

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

2003p 2003r 2003 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2003p 2003r 2003 2002 03/02

 All manufacturing industries..................... 438,106 438,126 438,680 0.0 -0.1 0.1 427,737 439,491 441,907 433,756 -1.4

 Excluding transportation...................... 370,796 371,108 371,125 -0.1 0.0 0.0 362,632 371,927 373,263 367,987 -1.5

 Excluding defense............................. 413,747 414,543 415,244 -0.2 -0.2 0.0 404,073 415,944 418,245 412,689 -2.1

 With unfilled orders............................. 205,094 204,731 205,379 0.2 -0.3 0.3 200,041 205,635 206,365 209,343 -4.4

 Durable goods industries........................ 262,284 261,414 262,351 0.3 -0.4 0.3 255,424 262,264 263,266 264,446 -3.4

 Wood products........................................ 9,666 9,610 9,473 0.6 1.4 1.5 9,585 9,701 9,535 9,566 0.2

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 9,142 9,244 9,613 -1.1 -3.8 -1.2 8,954 8,995 9,297 9,306 -3.8

 Primary metals........................................ 17,284 17,276 17,162 0.0 0.7 -1.3 17,443 17,343 17,124 19,144 -8.9

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 9,056 9,151 9,191 -1.0 -0.4 -1.6 9,230 9,236 9,188 11,032 -16.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 6,584 6,468 6,306 1.8 2.6 -0.8 6,594 6,490 6,319 6,405 3.0

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,644 1,657 1,665 -0.8 -0.5 -1.3 1,619 1,617 1,617 1,707 -5.2

 Fabricated metal products......................... 30,819 30,995 31,038 -0.6 -0.1 0.4 30,287 30,778 30,820 31,227 -3.0

 Machinery.............................................. 41,449 41,220 41,465 0.6 -0.6 0.2 40,384 41,579 41,599 42,296 -4.5

 Farm machinery.................................. 2,152 2,183 2,175 -1.4 0.4 0.6 2,208 2,172 2,032 2,217 -0.4

 Construction machinery........................ 3,472 3,471 3,477 0.0 -0.2 0.0 3,442 3,498 3,469 3,431 0.3

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................. 2,241 2,263 2,242 -1.0 0.9 0.1 2,145 2,270 2,247 2,163 -0.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 6,618 6,578 6,528 0.6 0.8 -0.8 6,458 6,679 6,479 7,064 -8.6

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,399 1,388 1,410 0.8 -1.6 0.6 1,303 1,408 1,452 1,316 -1.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,140 4,162 4,175 -0.5 -0.3 1.1 3,897 4,162 4,176 3,788 2.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,410 4,409 4,355 0.0 1.2 1.7 4,182 4,394 4,464 4,574 -8.6

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 4,328 3,984 4,220 8.6 -5.6 1.9 4,185 4,162 4,402 4,401 -4.9

 Material handling equipment............... 2,264 2,340 2,315 -3.2 1.1 -1.2 2,222 2,358 2,297 2,274 -2.3

 Computers and electronic products......... 47,652 47,130 47,174 1.1 -0.1 0.5 45,855 47,613 47,360 49,287 -7.0

 Computers......................................... 2,548 2,427 2,451 5.0 -1.0 -5.3 2,444 2,490 2,382 2,572 -5.0

 Computer storage devices................... 1,190 1,195 1,208 -0.4 -1.1 -0.6 1,022 1,297 1,243 1,008 1.4

 Other peripheral equipment................ 2,362 2,399 2,409 -1.5 -0.4 2.0 2,173 2,491 2,503 2,395 -9.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 9,675 9,842 9,733 -1.7 1.1 0.7 9,275 10,092 9,683 11,212 -17.3

 Defense communications equipment...... 1,366 1,250 1,270 9.3 -1.6 -7.5 1,366 1,250 1,270 1,245 9.7

 Audio and video equipment.................. 967 966 973 0.1 -0.7 -0.4 886 1,037 1,124 1,015 -12.7

 Semiconductors1

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

 Electronic components.......................... 7,464 7,400 7,485 0.9 -1.1 7.1 7,246 7,325 7,533 7,946 -8.8

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,514 2,522 2,561 -0.3 -1.5 -1.5 2,441 2,543 2,584 2,728 -10.5

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,960 2,829 2,892 4.6 -2.2 4.4 2,857 2,810 2,902 2,847 0.4

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 10,225 10,344 10,242 -1.2 1.0 -0.4 10,020 10,413 10,233 10,542 -5.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 12,393 12,372 12,290 0.2 0.7 0.0 11,964 12,253 12,164 12,234 -2.2

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,388 1,393 1,409 -0.4 -1.1 -1.9 1,318 1,388 1,410 1,467 -10.2

 Household appliances.......................... 2,103 2,105 2,065 -0.1 1.9 1.5 1,917 2,065 2,020 1,895 1.2

 Electrical equipment............................ 4,160 4,099 4,033 1.5 1.6 0.4 4,121 4,115 4,024 3,910 5.4

 Batteries............................................ 552 575 592 -4.0 -2.9 0.2 507 552 597 500 1.4

 Transportation equipment...................... 67,310 67,018 67,555 0.4 -0.8 0.5 65,105 67,564 68,644 65,769 -1.0

 Automobiles....................................... 1,907 1,793 1,835 6.4 -2.3 -3.0 1,743 1,750 1,813 1,778 -2.0

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 2,220 2,285 2,301 -2.8 -0.7 4.5 1,979 2,336 2,352 2,050 -3.5

 Heavy duty trucks .............................. 768 746 738 2.9 1.1 0.1 732 756 756 799 -8.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 15,192 15,230 15,150 -0.2 0.5 -0.1 15,147 15,295 15,233 15,629 -3.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 23,979 24,173 24,822 -0.8 -2.6 -0.9 22,997 24,652 25,525 25,368 -9.3

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 11,672 11,169 11,029 4.5 1.3 1.7 11,276 11,135 11,190 9,610 17.3

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,001 2,901 2,946 3.4 -1.5 4.8 2,948 2,896 2,954 2,645 11.5

 Furniture and related products................. 7,590 7,665 7,688 -1.0 -0.3 -0.1 7,402 7,636 7,687 7,632 -3.0

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 18,979 18,884 18,893 0.5 0.0 0.4 18,445 18,802 19,036 17,985 2.6

 Nondurable goods industries................... 175,822 176,712 176,329 -0.5 0.2 -0.2 172,313 177,227 178,641 169,310 1.8

 Food products........................................ 33,638 33,584 33,478 0.2 0.3 0.3 33,685 35,041 35,734 32,534 3.5

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 3,658 3,628 3,703 0.8 -2.0 1.2 3,881 3,811 3,981 3,773 2.9

 Dairy products.................................... 3,605 3,594 3,519 0.3 2.1 0.6 3,338 3,428 3,498 3,327 0.3

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 6,189 6,212 6,162 -0.4 0.8 0.3 6,037 6,380 6,411 5,704 5.8

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 14,638 14,808 14,805 -1.1 0.0 -0.3 14,846 15,147 15,280 14,717 0.9

 Beverages......................................... 9,929 10,051 10,025 -1.2 0.3 0.2 9,934 10,224 10,370 9,636 3.1

 Tobacco........................................... 4,709 4,757 4,780 -1.0 -0.5 -1.3 4,912 4,923 4,910 5,081 -3.3

 Textile mills........................................... 5,003 5,025 5,028 -0.4 -0.1 -1.6 4,815 4,941 4,940 4,759 1.2

 Textile products...................................... 5,132 5,106 5,043 0.5 1.2 0.4 4,900 4,972 4,989 4,691 4.5

 Apparel................................................. 7,213 7,206 7,234 0.1 -0.4 -0.7 6,930 6,844 7,104 6,784 2.2

 Leather and allied products..................... 1,614 1,697 1,668 -4.9 1.7 1.3 1,548 1,680 1,676 1,580 -2.0

 Paper products....................................... 14,496 14,660 14,765 -1.1 -0.7 -0.7 14,369 14,593 14,588 14,621 -1.7

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 6,537 6,641 6,697 -1.6 -0.8 -0.3 6,498 6,599 6,551 6,432 1.0

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,032 4,065 4,071 -0.8 -0.1 -1.3 4,040 4,041 4,049 4,308 -6.2

 Printing.................................................. 6,128 6,213 6,170 -1.4 0.7 -1.0 5,713 6,252 6,390 5,985 -4.5

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 14,908 15,113 15,558 -1.4 -2.9 -0.3 13,747 14,870 15,751 14,302 -3.9

 Petroleum refineries............................. 13,376 13,511 14,082 -1.0 -4.1 -0.1 12,363 13,302 14,299 12,969 -4.7

 Basic chemicals...................................... 52,765 53,121 52,489 -0.7 1.2 0.0 51,955 53,081 52,349 50,363 3.2

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,268 2,218 2,242 2.3 -1.1 -1.4 2,364 2,189 2,106 2,639 -10.4

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 21,197 21,200 21,044 0.0 0.7 0.7 20,747 21,443 21,310 18,949 9.5

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 2,748 2,740 2,717 0.3 0.8 -2.7 2,632 2,648 2,673 2,620 0.5

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 20,287 20,179 20,091 0.5 0.4 -0.3 19,805 19,806 19,840 18,974 4.4

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

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

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

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

 Topical Series 1

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted2

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date Percent

Industry Change6

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2003/

2003p 2003r 2003 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2003p 2003r 2003 2002 2003p 2002 2002

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 346,533 341,454 339,825 1.5 0.5 0.7 344,042 333,414 356,009 316,560 3,997,190 3,891,753 2.7

 Construction materials and supplies...... 36,391 35,837 36,450 1.5 -1.7 1.5 32,897 33,889 39,142 31,242 421,597 419,040 0.6

 Information technology......................... 29,399 29,161 29,413 0.8 -0.9 1.0 36,027 28,390 28,715 31,023 336,167 319,391 5.3

 Computers and related products .......... 8,365 8,172 8,450 2.4 -3.3 4.6 10,992 7,481 8,612 8,586 93,351 81,449 14.6

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 38,625 37,591 37,835 2.8 -0.6 -0.6 33,924 35,528 43,550 29,167 442,754 450,136 -1.6

 Capital goods...................................... 66,812 66,183 66,523 1.0 -0.5 0.1 75,326 64,186 65,637 67,947 773,508 753,048 2.7

 Nondefense capital goods 3.................. 59,068 58,684 58,607 0.7 0.1 0.3 66,618 56,457 57,776 60,553 681,884 673,223 1.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 56,562 55,823 56,200 1.3 -0.7 0.8 63,202 53,325 55,836 56,798 651,025 634,549 2.6

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 7,744 7,499 7,916 3.3 -5.3 -1.0 8,708 7,729 7,861 7,394 91,624 79,825 14.8

 Consumer goods.................................. 133,382 130,514 128,943 2.2 1.2 0.2 130,587 129,748 137,801 120,196 1,530,305 1,472,647 3.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 35,386 34,370 34,216 3.0 0.5 -0.1 33,135 33,445 38,209 29,606 400,088 396,590 0.9

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 97,996 96,144 94,727 1.9 1.5 0.3 97,452 96,303 99,592 90,590 1,130,217 1,076,057 5.0

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 342,383 338,726 341,856 1.1 -0.9 2.4 344,296 330,467 356,785 313,957 3,947,601 3,800,930 3.9

 Construction materials and supplies...... 36,448 36,203 36,817 0.7 -1.7 1.3 32,659 34,291 39,184 30,591 422,277 418,315 0.9

 Information technology......................... 27,965 28,307 32,631 -1.2 -13.3 2.3 35,552 28,554 32,705 32,717 348,113 314,473 10.7

 Computers and related products .......... 8,597 8,139 8,209 5.6 -0.9 -0.8 10,926 7,788 8,340 9,274 94,032 82,398 14.1

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 38,699 37,868 38,336 2.2 -1.2 -0.5 34,398 36,079 43,912 29,620 444,053 450,183 -1.4

 Capital goods...................................... 68,038 67,084 71,007 1.4 -5.5 4.7 80,811 65,104 70,139 72,397 792,300 727,158 9.0

 Nondefense capital goods 3.................. 58,726 57,862 61,672 1.5 -6.2 2.4 66,229 56,343 61,593 60,328 687,761 647,894 6.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 55,980 55,553 59,002 0.8 -5.8 1.4 61,443 54,051 59,798 55,116 661,770 617,878 7.1

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 9,312 9,222 9,335 1.0 -1.2 23.2 14,582 8,761 8,546 12,069 104,539 79,264 31.9

 Consumer goods.................................. 133,177 130,993 129,622 1.7 1.1 0.6 130,161 130,436 138,480 119,956 1,531,010 1,471,270 4.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 35,181 34,849 34,895 1.0 -0.1 1.7 32,709 34,133 38,888 29,366 400,793 395,213 1.4

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 97,996 96,144 94,727 1.9 1.5 0.3 97,452 96,303 99,592 90,590 1,130,217 1,076,057 5.0

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 505,768 503,869 500,307 0.4 0.7 1.7 501,979 495,329 491,677 480,679 (X) (X) 4.4

 Construction materials and supplies...... 32,358 32,301 31,935 0.2 1.1 1.2 31,813 32,051 31,649 31,133 (X) (X) 2.2

 Information technology......................... 119,582 121,016 121,870 -1.2 -0.7 2.7 119,200 119,675 119,511 107,254 (X) (X) 11.1

 Computers and related products .......... 8,883 8,651 8,684 2.7 -0.4 -2.7 8,805 8,871 8,564 8,124 (X) (X) 8.4

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 13,378 13,304 13,027 0.6 2.1 4.0 13,432 12,958 12,407 12,133 (X) (X) 10.7

 Capital goods...................................... 359,205 357,979 357,078 0.3 0.3 1.3 357,503 352,018 351,100 338,711 (X) (X) 5.5

 Nondefense capital goods 3

..................220,947 221,289 222,111 -0.2 -0.4 1.4 219,279 219,668 219,782 213,402 (X) (X) 2.8

 Excluding aircraft............................. 140,917 141,499 141,769 -0.4 -0.2 2.0 139,016 140,775 140,049 128,271 (X) (X) 8.4

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 138,258 136,690 134,967 1.1 1.3 1.1 138,224 132,350 131,318 125,309 (X) (X) 10.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 12,709 12,914 12,435 -1.6 3.9 5.8 12,572 12,998 12,310 11,867 (X) (X) 5.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 12,709 12,914 12,435 -1.6 3.9 5.8 12,572 12,998 12,310 11,867 (X) (X) 5.9 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 438,106 438,126 438,680 0.0 -0.1 0.1 427,737 439,491 441,907 433,756 (X) (X) -1.4

 Construction materials and supplies...... 45,934 46,120 46,351 -0.4 -0.5 -0.1 44,933 45,759 45,897 46,196 (X) (X) -2.7

 Information technology......................... 39,871 39,818 39,815 0.1 0.0 -0.2 38,353 40,415 39,983 41,802 (X) (X) -8.3

 Computers and related products .......... 6,100 6,021 6,068 1.3 -0.8 -1.6 5,639 6,278 6,128 5,975 (X) (X) -5.6

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 20,087 20,054 20,024 0.2 0.1 0.1 19,601 20,137 20,154 20,256 (X) (X) -3.2

 Capital goods...................................... 124,968 124,473 124,708 0.4 -0.2 0.2 121,244 125,836 125,624 126,811 (X) (X) -4.4

 Nondefense capital goods 3

..................105,317 105,252 105,724 0.1 -0.4 -0.2 101,940 106,691 106,596 109,106 (X) (X) -6.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 88,371 88,210 88,141 0.2 0.1 0.0 85,690 89,143 88,397 90,539 (X) (X) -5.4

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 19,651 19,221 18,984 2.2 1.2 2.3 19,304 19,145 19,028 17,705 (X) (X) 9.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 135,133 135,515 135,945 -0.3 -0.3 0.2 131,995 136,694 139,011 129,445 (X) (X) 2.0

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,065 26,983 27,151 0.3 -0.6 0.6 25,879 26,861 27,308 26,289 (X) (X) -1.6

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 108,068 108,532 108,794 -0.4 -0.2 0.1 106,116 109,833 111,703 103,156 (X) (X) 2.9

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable.

1

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories. 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

and supplies.

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

and search and navigation equipment.

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 6

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

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

NEW ORDERS

UNFILLED ORDERS

TOTAL INVENTORIES
 8

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

 

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

2003p 2003r 2003 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2003p 2003r 2003 2002 03/02

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 141,532 142,619 143,134 -0.8 -0.4 0.1 140,940 143,022 143,745 147,996 -4.8

 Durable goods industries ........................ 83,350 83,523 84,013 -0.2 -0.6 0.4 83,084 84,077 84,425 89,116 -6.8

 Wood products................................... 3,744 3,668 3,648 2.1 0.5 4.5 3,967 3,970 3,912 3,721 6.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 3,207 3,232 3,379 -0.8 -4.4 0.4 3,216 3,253 3,405 3,365 -4.4

 Primary metals.................................... 5,736 5,697 5,670 0.7 0.5 -2.4 5,958 5,844 5,788 6,730 -11.5

 Fabricated metal products..................... 10,946 11,051 11,031 -1.0 0.2 0.0 11,008 10,953 10,915 11,451 -3.9

 Machinery.......................................... 12,292 12,260 12,528 0.3 -2.1 0.3 12,089 12,253 12,587 13,534 -10.7

 Computers and electronic products ...... 16,403 16,393 16,633 0.1 -1.4 1.0 16,082 16,472 16,603 18,789 -14.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 4,689 4,633 4,623 1.2 0.2 0.0 4,655 4,617 4,598 4,804 -3.1

 Transportation equipment.................. 16,947 17,080 16,984 -0.8 0.6 0.4 16,862 17,255 17,114 17,193 -1.9

 Furniture and related products............ 3,169 3,258 3,230 -2.7 0.9 0.7 3,143 3,238 3,207 3,305 -4.9

 Miscellaneous products........................ 6,217 6,251 6,287 -0.5 -0.6 0.9 6,104 6,222 6,296 6,224 -1.9

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 58,182 59,096 59,121 -1.5 0.0 -0.5 57,856 58,945 59,320 58,880 -1.7

 Food products.................................... 10,540 10,871 10,594 -3.0 2.6 1.9 10,567 11,033 10,795 10,518 0.5

 Beverage and tobacco products............ 5,339 5,487 5,486 -2.7 0.0 -1.9 5,590 5,385 5,399 6,035 -7.4

 Textiles.............................................. 1,336 1,364 1,377 -2.1 -0.9 -1.1 1,323 1,353 1,357 1,492 -11.3

 Textile products.................................. 1,801 1,790 1,704 0.6 5.0 0.7 1,741 1,740 1,704 1,658 5.0

 Apparel............................................. 1,650 1,660 1,648 -0.6 0.7 -1.0 1,637 1,633 1,642 1,775 -7.8

 Leather and allied products................... 431 453 436 -4.9 3.9 0.0 422 445 438 429 -1.6

 Paper products................................... 6,669 6,733 6,815 -1.0 -1.2 -0.5 6,721 6,726 6,814 7,034 -4.4

 Printing ............................................. 2,686 2,678 2,683 0.3 -0.2 -2.3 2,596 2,695 2,774 2,725 -4.7

 Petroleum and coal products............... 4,289 4,275 4,600 0.3 -7.1 -7.7 3,980 4,180 4,672 3,548 12.2

 Basic chemicals................................... 16,157 16,534 16,517 -2.3 0.1 0.3 16,063 16,586 16,477 16,564 -3.0

 Plastics and rubber products............... 7,284 7,251 7,261 0.5 -0.1 1.3 7,216 7,169 7,248 7,102 1.6

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 127,837 127,925 127,880 -0.1 0.0 0.8 123,542 129,437 130,244 123,237 0.2

 Durable goods industries ........................ 96,760 95,973 96,225 0.8 -0.3 0.7 93,384 96,702 97,338 93,701 -0.3

 Wood products................................... 1,906 1,929 1,911 -1.2 0.9 -2.9 1,899 1,924 1,910 2,105 -9.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,212 1,195 1,191 1.4 0.3 -0.5 1,153 1,123 1,131 1,183 -2.5

 Primary metals.................................... 5,831 5,812 5,802 0.3 0.2 0.3 5,823 5,825 5,808 6,215 -6.3

 Fabricated metal products..................... 9,381 9,375 9,377 0.1 0.0 1.2 9,143 9,395 9,441 9,231 -1.0

 Machinery.......................................... 14,614 14,608 14,575 0.0 0.2 -0.4 14,007 14,932 14,807 13,706 2.2

 Computers and electronic products ...... 18,621 18,339 18,106 1.5 1.3 3.0 17,790 18,470 18,146 18,196 -2.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 2,884 2,899 2,878 -0.5 0.7 -0.4 2,760 2,847 2,845 2,877 -4.1

 Transportation equipment.................. 37,666 37,196 38,007 1.3 -2.1 0.5 36,375 37,568 38,842 35,900 1.3

 Furniture and related products............ 1,495 1,506 1,520 -0.7 -0.9 -1.9 1,483 1,497 1,510 1,487 -0.3

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,150 3,114 2,858 1.2 9.0 0.8 2,951 3,121 2,898 2,801 5.4

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 31,077 31,952 31,655 -2.7 0.9 1.2 30,158 32,735 32,906 29,536 2.1

 Food products.................................... 3,031 2,960 2,996 2.4 -1.2 0.0 3,209 3,382 3,607 2,955 8.6

 Beverage and tobacco products............ 4,784 4,732 4,690 1.1 0.9 -0.3 5,049 5,081 5,129 4,577 10.3

 Textiles.............................................. 1,292 1,284 1,287 0.6 -0.2 -0.2 1,256 1,265 1,278 1,186 5.9

 Textile products.................................. 684 684 705 0.0 -3.0 -2.5 639 681 702 677 -5.6

 Apparel............................................. 1,195 1,217 1,234 -1.8 -1.4 0.2 1,117 1,206 1,181 1,282 -12.9

 Leather and allied products................... 188 198 175 -5.1 13.1 6.7 184 198 179 180 2.2

 Paper products................................... 1,128 1,173 1,188 -3.8 -1.3 0.4 1,129 1,154 1,152 1,202 -6.1

 Printing ............................................. 1,763 1,800 1,741 -2.1 3.4 0.2 1,473 1,834 1,864 1,518 -3.0

 Petroleum and coal products............... 4,174 4,384 4,565 -4.8 -4.0 9.9 3,766 4,353 4,653 4,117 -8.5

 Basic chemicals................................... 10,369 11,048 10,621 -6.1 4.0 0.0 9,948 11,107 10,690 9,530 4.4

 Plastics and rubber products............... 2,469 2,472 2,453 -0.1 0.8 -1.5 2,388 2,474 2,471 2,312 3.3

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 168,737 167,582 167,666 0.7 -0.1 -0.5 163,255 167,032 167,918 162,523 0.5

 Durable goods industries ........................ 82,174 81,918 82,113 0.3 -0.2 -0.5 78,956 81,485 81,503 81,629 -3.3

 Wood products................................... 4,016 4,013 3,914 0.1 2.5 1.0 3,719 3,807 3,713 3,740 -0.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,723 4,817 5,043 -2.0 -4.5 -2.4 4,585 4,619 4,761 4,758 -3.6

 Primary metals.................................... 5,717 5,767 5,690 -0.9 1.4 -1.6 5,662 5,674 5,528 6,199 -8.7

 Fabricated metal products..................... 10,492 10,569 10,630 -0.7 -0.6 0.3 10,136 10,430 10,464 10,545 -3.9

 Machinery.......................................... 14,543 14,352 14,362 1.3 -0.1 0.8 14,288 14,394 14,205 15,056 -5.1

 Computers and electronic products ...... 12,628 12,398 12,435 1.9 -0.3 -3.5 11,983 12,671 12,611 12,302 -2.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 4,820 4,840 4,789 -0.4 1.1 0.4 4,549 4,789 4,721 4,553 -0.1

 Transportation equipment.................. 12,697 12,742 12,564 -0.4 1.4 0.6 11,868 12,741 12,688 12,676 -6.4

 Furniture and related products............ 2,926 2,901 2,938 0.9 -1.3 -0.1 2,776 2,901 2,970 2,840 -2.3

 Miscellaneous products........................ 9,612 9,519 9,748 1.0 -2.3 0.0 9,390 9,459 9,842 8,960 4.8

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 86,563 85,664 85,553 1.0 0.1 -0.4 84,299 85,547 86,415 80,894 4.2

 Food products.................................... 20,067 19,753 19,888 1.6 -0.7 -0.4 19,909 20,626 21,332 19,061 4.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............ 4,515 4,589 4,629 -1.6 -0.9 1.6 4,207 4,681 4,752 4,105 2.5

 Textiles.............................................. 2,375 2,377 2,364 -0.1 0.5 -2.7 2,236 2,323 2,305 2,081 7.4

 Textile products.................................. 2,647 2,632 2,634 0.6 -0.1 1.0 2,520 2,551 2,583 2,356 7.0

 Apparel............................................. 4,368 4,329 4,352 0.9 -0.5 -0.8 4,176 4,005 4,281 3,727 12.0

 Leather and allied products................... 995 1,046 1,057 -4.9 -1.0 1.0 942 1,037 1,059 971 -3.0

 Paper products................................... 6,699 6,754 6,762 -0.8 -0.1 -1.1 6,519 6,713 6,622 6,385 2.1

 Printing ............................................. 1,679 1,735 1,746 -3.2 -0.6 -0.3 1,644 1,723 1,752 1,742 -5.6

 Petroleum and coal products............... 6,445 6,454 6,393 -0.1 1.0 -1.1 6,001 6,337 6,426 6,637 -9.6

 Basic chemicals................................... 26,239 25,539 25,351 2.7 0.7 -0.1 25,944 25,388 25,182 24,269 6.9

 Plastics and rubber products............... 10,534 10,456 10,377 0.7 0.8 -1.2 10,201 10,163 10,121 9,560 6.7

p

 Preliminary r Revised

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

 to Shipments, by Industry Group

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio 1

Industry Dec Nov Oct Sep Dec Nov Oct Sep

2003p 2003r 2003 2003 2003p 2003r 2003 2003

 All manufacturing industries

2

...... 1.26 1.28 1.29 1.30 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries

2

................... 1.41 1.42 1.43 1.43 4.06 4.06 4.05 4.00

 Wood products................................ 1.15 1.12 1.11 1.12 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products........... 1.25 1.29 1.26 1.30 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals................................. 1.52 1.56 1.56 1.61 1.46 1.48 1.43 1.36

 Fabricated metal products............... 1.48 1.52 1.51 1.51 1.94 1.96 1.92 1.89

 Machinery....................................... 1.87 1.94 1.93 1.94 2.17 2.22 2.14 2.15

 Computers and electronic products

2

.. 1.31 1.30 1.29 1.32 5.02 5.04 5.01 4.96

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 1.44 1.43 1.44 1.45 1.68 1.72 1.75 1.76

 Transportation equipment................. 1.26 1.26 1.29 1.27 7.68 7.41 7.57 7.41

 Furniture and related products........... 1.30 1.27 1.30 1.31 1.06 1.05 1.06 1.06

 Miscellaneous products.................... 1.61 1.66 1.69 1.71 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries.............. 1.10 1.12 1.13 1.14 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products................................... 0.86 0.87 0.86 0.85 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products......... 1.72 1.72 1.68 1.71 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................... 1.53 1.51 1.49 1.56 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................... 1.58 1.65 1.67 1.70 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel.......................................... 1.56 1.59 1.61 1.65 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............... 1.67 1.84 1.90 1.87 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products................................ 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.13 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing.......................................... 0.77 0.80 0.80 0.79 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............ 0.62 0.68 0.78 0.78 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Basic chemicals............................... 1.33 1.35 1.32 1.34 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products.............. 1.28 1.29 1.27 1.29 (X) (X) (X) (X)

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable

1

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

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

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

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

trucks; and miscellaneous furniture

2 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing

Dec2 Dec2 Dec2 Dec2

Industry 2002- 2002- 2002- 2002-

Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov

2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003

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

Durable goods industries...................... 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.5 0 0.1 0.1 0.1

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products............. (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Primary metals................................... 0.5 0.6 0.8 1.2 0.4 0.7 0 0.4

 Fabricated metal products.................. 0.3 0.4 0.6 1.1 0 0.5 0.1 0.2

 Machinery.......................................... 1.3 0.3 1.8 0.7 0.4 0.3 0 0.3

 Computers and electronic products..... 1.1 0.4 1.6 1.3 0 0.3 0.6 0.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances

 and components............................. -0.3 0.5 -0.8 0.7 -0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2

 Transportation equipment.................. 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.7 0.1 0.1 -0.1 0.1

 Furniture and related products............ (X) 0.8 (X) 1.6 (X) 1.1 (X) 0.2

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.7 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.4

Nondurable goods industries.................. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Food products................................... (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Textiles............................................. (X) 1.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 2.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

 Paper products................................... (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

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

 Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 1.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.1

 Basic chemicals.................................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Plastics and rubber products............... (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

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 publ

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. T

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
10

Survey Description 

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

Census Bureau’s Manufacturers’ Shipments,

Inventories, and Orders (M3) survey. This survey

provides statistics on manufacturers' value of

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

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

inventories by stage of fabrication (materials and

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

M3 includes approximately 4,000 reporting units. 

Units may be divisions of diversified large

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

the small monthly sample, these 89 categories have

been combined into 59 publication levels. The

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

companies in the monthly survey effectively

represent the month-to-month movements of all

establishments that make up the category. The

current coverage levels in the survey show that

reported data in the monthly survey represent

approximately 60 percent of the shipments estimates

at the total manufacturing level. Data published

represent manufacturing in a calendar month. The

data collection is based on a voluntary survey

authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code.

The data presented in this release are based on data

obtained from a panel of 4,000 reporting units and

provide an indication of the activity within the

manufacturing sector. The results differ from what

would be obtained from a complete enumeration of

all manufacturing companies. In addition, a different

panel of 4,000 companies would yield different

results. The M3 panel is comprised of companies

with $500 million or more in shipments and a limited

number of smaller companies. From a statistical

perspective, the panel is not a probability sample;

therefore, the sampling errors that are normally

provided with sample surveys cannot be measured. 

Nonsampling errors are attributable to many sources. 

The use of company or divisional reports to estimate

the monthly change for establishments is one source

of nonsampling error. The use of primarily large

companies to represent the month-to-month

movement of all companies is another potential

source.

Additional survey documentation can be found on our

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

Future Release Dates for M3 Survey

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

Dec 2003 1/28/04 2/4/04

Jan 2004 2/26/04 3/4/04

Feb 2004 3/24/04 3/31/04

Mar 2004 4/23/04 5/4/04

Apr 2004 5/26/04 6/3/04

May 2004 6/24/04 7/2/04

Jun 2004 7/28/04 8/4/04

Jul 2004 8/25/04 9/2/04

Aug 2004 9/24/04 10/4/04

Sep 2004 10/27/04 11/3/04

Oct 2004 11/24/04 12/2/04

Nov 2004 12/23/04