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

January 2023 - March 2023

[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

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. Mar.

2023 2023 2023 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2023 2023 2023 2022 2023/

2022

All manufacturing industries2...................... 1,279,679 1,275,522 1,276,988 0.3 -0.1 0.4 1,290,767 1,280,601 1,278,146 1,232,263 4.7

 Excluding transportation2...................... 498,578 498,532 498,921 0.0 -0.1 -0.2 502,858 499,993 497,096 499,940 0.6

 Excluding defense2............................. 1,044,719 1,041,089 1,042,800 0.3 -0.2 0.3 1,051,818 1,045,455 1,042,766 1,004,489 4.7

 Durable goods industries2...................... 1,279,679 1,275,522 1,276,988 0.3 -0.1 0.4 1,290,767 1,280,601 1,278,146 1,232,263 4.7

 Primary metals........................................ 37,733 37,789 37,868 -0.1 -0.2 -0.9 38,876 38,744 38,013 40,791 -4.7

 Iron and steel mills............................... 22,525 22,532 22,516 0.0 0.1 -1.2 23,166 22,963 22,439 23,713 -2.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,667 10,711 10,803 -0.4 -0.9 0.0 11,086 11,118 10,969 12,595 -12.0

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 4,541 4,546 4,549 -0.1 -0.1 -1.5 4,624 4,663 4,605 4,483 3.1

 Fabricated metal products......................... 129,055 129,226 129,499 -0.1 -0.2 -0.3 129,570 127,956 127,268 131,158 -1.2

 Machinery.............................................. 140,233 140,460 140,669 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 141,434 141,916 141,083 137,435 2.9

 Construction machinery......................... 10,710 10,766 11,208 -0.5 -3.9 -3.4 11,298 11,384 11,612 12,622 -10.5

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 5,293 5,355 5,326 -1.2 0.5 0.3 5,293 5,355 5,326 5,023 5.4

 Industrial machinery............................. 12,551 12,649 12,597 -0.8 0.4 2.9 12,626 12,758 12,791 10,865 16.2

 Photographic equipment........................ 4,067 3,996 3,887 1.8 2.8 0.5 4,097 4,093 3,856 3,585 14.3

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment................ 13,676 13,445 13,466 1.7 -0.2 0.3 13,947 13,530 13,434 11,085 25.8

 Metalworking machinery........................ 9,978 10,046 10,011 -0.7 0.3 -0.2 9,991 10,228 9,912 10,520 -5.0

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment............ 31,843 31,979 31,951 -0.4 0.1 -0.6 31,843 31,979 31,951 32,439 -1.8

 Material handling equipment................... 19,344 19,342 19,293 0.0 0.3 0.7 19,514 19,636 19,535 18,004 8.4

 Computers and electronic products2......... 134,674 134,161 134,215 0.4 0.0 -0.1 135,700 134,250 134,374 134,529 0.9

 Computers.......................................... 1,314 1,298 1,304 1.2 -0.5 1.6 1,314 1,298 1,304 1,312 0.2

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 17,330 17,364 17,418 -0.2 -0.3 0.1 17,556 17,531 17,520 17,893 -1.9

 Defense communications equipment...... 226 234 238 -3.4 -1.7 -2.9 241 249 249 279 -13.6

 Electronic components...................... 17,057 17,128 17,247 -0.4 -0.7 -1.0 17,140 17,356 17,496 17,964 -4.6

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment.................................... 30,815 30,669 30,581 0.5 0.3 0.1 30,816 30,601 30,518 29,371 4.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 35,879 35,441 35,440 1.2 0.0 -0.1 36,297 35,192 35,278 36,017 0.8

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................ 32,053 32,027 31,987 0.1 0.1 0.1 32,336 32,023 32,009 31,693 2.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 43,403 43,329 43,110 0.2 0.5 -0.3 43,749 43,671 43,137 41,578 5.2

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 3,753 3,700 3,673 1.4 0.7 -0.9 3,806 3,718 3,677 3,350 13.6

 Household appliances........................... 4,764 4,687 4,501 1.6 4.1 0.0 4,748 4,589 4,610 4,503 5.4

 Electrical equipment............................. 22,235 22,324 22,306 -0.4 0.1 -0.3 22,438 22,641 22,376 21,645 3.7

 Transportation equipment...................... 781,101 776,990 778,067 0.5 -0.1 0.8 787,909 780,608 781,050 732,323 7.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 35,051 34,996 34,662 0.2 1.0 0.1 36,323 36,551 35,486 37,406 -2.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 534,173 530,145 531,790 0.8 -0.3 0.8 536,135 531,199 532,539 489,867 9.4

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 67,746 66,870 66,953 1.3 -0.1 0.6 69,085 67,580 68,208 64,196 7.6

 Ships and boats.................................... 54,911 56,018 56,396 -2.0 -0.7 1.0 57,212 57,013 56,195 54,209 5.5

 Furniture and related products................... 11,354 11,405 11,346 -0.4 0.5 0.2 11,403 11,294 11,007 12,203 -6.6

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. 

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 

<https://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, Benchmark Report, May 12, 2023. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.

The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure avoidance protection of the confidential source data (Project No. P-6000307, Disclosure Review Board (DRB) approval number: 

CBDRB-FY23-0294).