FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008, AT 10:00 A.M. EST 

Chris Savage or Jessica Young 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (08)-09 

CB08-165 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

September 2008 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in September, 

down two consecutive months, decreased $11.2 billion 

or 2.5 percent to $432.0 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This followed a 4.3 percent August 

decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders 

decreased 3.7 percent. This was the largest percent 

decrease since the series was first stated on a NAICS 

basis in 1992. 

 Shipments, also down two consecutive months, 

decreased $12.5 billion or 2.8 percent to $432.9 billion. 

This followed a 3.7 percent August decrease. 

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

months, increased $3.0 billion or 0.4 percent to $829.5 billion. This was at the highest level since the series was 

first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.3 

percent August increase. The unfilled orders-toshipments ratio was unchanged from 5.50 in August. 

 Inventories, down following four consecutive monthly 

increases, decreased $4.1 billion or 0.7 percent to $558.7 

billion. This followed a 0.7 percent August increase. 

The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.29, up from 

1.26 in August. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

September, up four of the last five months, increased 

$1.8 billion or 0.9 percent to $207.9 billion, revised from 

the previously published 0.8 percent increase. This 

followed a 5.5 percent August decrease. 

 Transportation equipment, up two of the last three 

months, had the largest increase, $3.4 billion or 6.5 

percent to $55.3 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

decreased $13.0 billion or 5.5 percent to $224.1 billion. 

 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in 

September, up three of the last four months, increased 

$0.5 billion or 0.3 percent to $208.9 billion, revised from 

the previously published 0.2 percent increase. This 

followed a 4.2 percent August decrease. 

 Machinery, up following two consecutive monthly 

decreases, had the largest increase, $1.3 billion or 4.3 

percent to $30.2 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

two consecutive months, decreased $13.0 billion or 5.5 

percent to $224.1 billion. This was the largest percent 

decrease in nondurable goods shipments since 

September 2006 and followed a 3.2 percent August 

decrease. This decrease was led by petroleum and coal 

products, which decreased $10.9 billion or 16.9 percent 

to $53.7 billion. This was the largest decrease in 

petroleum and coal products since September 2006. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

September, up thirty-one of the last thirty-two months, 

increased $3.0 billion or 0.4 percent to $829.5 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This was also at the highest level since the series was first 

stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.3 

percent August increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up twenty-seven of the last 

twenty-eight months, had the largest increase, $4.4 

billion or 0.9 percent to $470.8 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in 

September, up fourteen of the last fifteen months, 

increased $1.2 billion or 0.4 percent to $340.3 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This was also at the highest level since the series was first 

stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.8 

percent August increase. 

 

 Machinery, up seventeen of the last eighteen months, 

had the largest increase, $0.3 billion or 0.5 percent to 

$54.7 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

following four consecutive monthly increases, decreased 

$5.3 billion or 2.4 percent to $218.4 billion. This was 

the largest percent decrease since the series was first 

stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.4 

percent August increase. Petroleum and coal products 

led the decrease, down $3.6 billion or 8.3 percent to 

$39.8 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, September materials and 

supplies increased 0.4 percent in durable goods and 

decreased 0.8 percent in nondurable goods. Work in 

process increased 0.5 percent in durable goods and 

decreased 3.3 percent in nondurable goods. Finished 

goods increased 0.2 percent in durable goods and 

decreased 3.1 percent in nondurable goods. 

Figures in text are in seasonally adjusted current dollars. 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 October is scheduled for release on November 26, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. EST and the full report on December 4, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. EST. See back page for survey description and 2009 release dates. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Sept. Aug. July 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

 All manufacturing industries .................. 432,943 445,455 462,379 -2.8 -3.7 1.4 448,925 456,897 448,540 431,529 4,011,036 3,788,586 5.9

 Excluding transportation ................... 382,074 395,690 408,195 -3.4 -3.1 1.3 395,523 405,764 406,273 373,052 3,535,168 3,267,433 8.2

 Excluding defense .............................. 420,899 433,775 450,281 -3.0 -3.7 1.4 436,228 445,417 437,474 421,447 3,907,928 3,704,714 5.5

 With unfilled orders ........................... 150,806 150,376 156,983 0.3 -4.2 1.7 159,478 152,372 145,033 156,110 1,373,637 1,342,221 2.3

 Durable goods industries ........................208,865 208,339 217,549 0.3 -4.2 2.2 220,046 210,847 199,721 220,448 1,913,316 1,925,782 -0.6

 Wood products................................. ...... 8,009 8,109 8,249 -1.2 -1.7 -0.6 8,608 8,693 8,493 8,998 74,391 77,882 -4.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 9,236 9,226 9,433 0.1 -2.2 0.4 9,652 9,883 9,856 9,814 84,516 91,362 -7.5

 Primary metals............................ .......... 22,364 23,118 23,933 -3.3 -3.4 3.5 22,829 23,845 23,312 19,902 205,103 183,654 11.7

 Iron and steel mills............................ 11,670 12,374 12,944 -5.7 -4.4 4.8 11,910 12,684 12,521 9,288 105,681 87,083 21.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 8,754 8,848 9,087 -1.1 -2.6 1.7 8,863 9,198 8,947 8,880 82,531 81,213 1.6

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,940 1,896 1,902 2.3 -0.3 3.5 2,056 1,963 1,844 1,734 16,891 15,358 10.0

 Fabricated metal products...................... 27,956 27,943 28,578 0.0 -2.2 2.0 29,254 29,590 28,286 27,704 252,811 248,081 1.9

 Machinery............................................. 30,206 28,955 29,143 4.3 -0.6 -1.1 30,772 27,975 28,204 28,461 264,600 248,857 6.3

 Farm machinery................................. 3,035 2,721 2,501 11.5 8.8 11.5 2,904 2,345 2,442 1,717 22,423 17,724 26.5

 Construction machinery..................... 2,496 2,443 2,445 2.2 -0.1 2.4 2,432 2,368 2,352 2,197 21,775 19,818 9.9

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery........................ 1,659 1,617 1,616 2.6 0.1 1.4 1,775 1,599 1,520 1,536 13,946 12,779 9.1

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,775 2,772 2,762 0.1 0.4 -4.5 2,899 2,436 2,903 3,357 26,269 29,201 -10.0

 Photographic equipment...................... 577 546 566 5.7 -3.5 14.1 616 513 538 608 4,801 5,513 -12.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,820 3,888 4,013 -1.7 -3.1 0.2 4,151 4,059 4,145 3,876 36,821 32,830 12.2

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,414 2,380 2,578 1.4 -7.7 8.9 2,538 2,416 2,426 2,313 21,862 20,530 6.5

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 4,383 3,567 3,521 22.9 1.3 -20.9 4,339 3,513 3,183 4,115 34,302 30,921 10.9

 Material handling equipment............... 2,374 2,372 2,463 0.1 -3.7 0.2 2,395 2,370 2,365 2,361 22,788 20,882 9.1

 Computers and electronic products ......... 30,572 31,283 33,147 -2.3 -5.6 6.0 34,451 29,516 29,928 35,920 284,860 284,811 0.0

 Computers........................................ 2,809 2,873 3,020 -2.2 -4.9 -2.5 2,994 2,676 3,021 3,950 27,443 29,467 -6.9

 Computer storage devices................... 676 606 660 11.6 -8.2 -1.6 1,069 476 370 997 5,922 6,090 -2.8

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,309 1,284 1,265 1.9 1.5 -11.2 1,641 1,171 950 1,704 11,865 11,839 0.2

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 4,988 4,880 5,278 2.2 -7.5 -3.0 6,331 4,557 4,227 6,603 45,027 45,630 -1.3

 Defense communications equipment... 672 629 733 6.8 -14.2 11.1 702 654 661 572 5,908 4,740 24.6

 Audio and video equipment.................. 625 609 660 2.6 -7.7 -3.2 597 556 548 720 5,508 6,431 -14.4

 Semiconductors ................................. 3,933 4,552 5,595 -13.6 -18.6 38.9 3,495 4,259 6,208 4,408 44,169 48,197 -8.4

 Electronic components....................... 3,782 3,868 3,903 -2.2 -0.9 -1.9 4,153 3,825 3,508 4,514 35,393 36,331 -2.6

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 932 944 939 -1.3 0.5 -5.4 1,066 929 861 1,069 8,804 8,782 0.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,694 2,672 2,628 0.8 1.7 -3.6 2,738 2,628 2,507 2,664 24,217 23,437 3.3

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,620 7,827 7,919 -2.6 -1.2 13.4 9,072 7,266 6,585 8,108 65,950 59,234 11.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,546 10,554 11,063 -0.1 -4.6 3.4 11,312 10,823 10,581 11,331 96,294 95,583 0.7

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,017 1,029 1,034 -1.2 -0.5 1.9 1,142 1,032 969 1,204 9,246 10,249 -9.8

 Household appliances........................ 1,806 1,845 1,994 -2.1 -7.5 4.6 1,994 1,913 1,893 2,218 17,149 17,918 -4.3

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,503 3,492 3,674 0.3 -5.0 2.4 3,769 3,487 3,500 3,707 32,229 31,074 3.7

 Batteries........................................... 906 875 892 3.5 -1.9 10.4 938 862 820 706 7,189 5,744 25.2

 Transportation equipment...................... 50,869 49,765 54,184 2.2 -8.2 2.3 53,402 51,133 42,267 58,477 475,868 521,153 -8.7

 Automobiles..................................... 6,912 6,719 7,327 2.9 -8.3 8.0 7,273 7,132 5,027 7,995 63,270 72,843 -13.1

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 7,760 7,480 7,862 3.7 -4.9 -5.1 8,246 7,802 5,035 11,499 77,549 103,517 -25.1

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,390 1,265 1,318 9.9 -4.0 -2.2 1,446 1,218 1,218 1,397 12,683 14,705 -13.8

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 15,171 14,688 16,660 3.3 -11.8 1.0 15,573 15,675 12,956 18,330 147,831 173,924 -15.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 7,835 8,130 9,183 -3.6 -11.5 8.6 7,979 7,946 7,607 8,815 74,119 73,772 0.5

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 5,151 4,707 5,053 9.4 -6.8 8.7 5,547 4,669 4,443 3,612 40,537 29,008 39.7

 Ships and boats................................. 2,068 2,237 2,284 -7.6 -2.1 -6.9 2,127 2,224 1,940 2,346 20,845 19,763 5.5

 Furniture and related products................. 6,401 6,419 6,539 -0.3 -1.8 -1.1 6,500 6,892 6,558 6,933 58,739 62,013 -5.3

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 12,706 12,967 13,280 -2.0 -2.4 1.4 13,266 12,497 12,236 12,908 116,134 112,386 3.3

 Nondurable goods industries................... 224,078 237,116 244,830 -5.5 -3.2 0.8 228,879 246,050 248,819 211,081 2,097,720 1,862,804 12.6

 Food products....................................... 52,133 51,751 52,436 0.7 -1.3 2.0 53,501 53,033 51,102 49,920 456,005 422,221 8.0

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 6,281 6,147 6,307 2.2 -2.5 2.0 6,500 6,106 6,461 5,211 53,325 43,946 21.3

 Dairy products.................................. 7,065 7,064 7,291 0.0 -3.1 0.8 7,114 7,208 7,376 7,570 65,405 62,971 3.9

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 15,921 15,731 15,620 1.2 0.7 1.0 15,851 16,559 15,485 14,527 137,766 129,551 6.3

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 11,621 11,681 11,805 -0.5 -1.1 2.0 11,625 12,260 12,001 10,852 103,268 98,565 4.8

 Beverages......................................... 7,877 7,819 7,822 0.7 0.0 1.3 7,881 8,398 8,018 7,442 70,041 66,309 5.6

 Tobacco............................................ 3,744 3,862 3,983 -3.1 -3.0 3.5 3,744 3,862 3,983 3,410 33,227 32,256 3.0

 Textile mills........................................... 2,838 2,864 2,918 -0.9 -1.9 2.7 2,888 3,002 2,815 3,113 26,185 27,923 -6.2

 Textile products................................... 2,156 2,226 2,296 -3.1 -3.0 -2.3 2,147 2,408 2,334 2,534 21,085 23,378 -9.8

 Apparel................................................ 2,658 2,653 2,712 0.2 -2.2 0.8 2,752 2,849 2,707 2,624 23,471 21,851 7.4

 Leather and allied products..................... 498 477 474 4.4 0.6 2.2 561 524 451 595 4,399 4,781 -8.0

 Paper products...................................... 14,775 14,759 14,606 0.1 1.0 2.2 14,976 14,983 14,577 13,969 130,573 126,174 3.5

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 7,089 7,106 6,988 -0.2 1.7 2.5 7,141 7,238 7,050 6,680 62,987 60,707 3.8

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,119 4,121 4,155 0.0 -0.8 1.3 4,187 4,252 4,179 3,945 36,908 35,744 3.3

 Printing................................................. 8,087 8,125 8,341 -0.5 -2.6 1.1 8,395 8,262 7,894 8,730 72,978 74,723 -2.3

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 53,698 64,621 70,255 -16.9 -8.0 -0.2 56,101 69,916 74,957 47,741 564,525 406,200 39.0

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 50,593 61,328 67,151 -17.5 -8.7 -0.5 52,647 66,067 71,350 44,948 538,144 382,277 40.8

 Chemical products.................................. 57,656 60,213 60,730 -4.2 -0.9 0.4 57,787 60,380 61,489 53,727 532,520 497,535 7.0

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 3,994 3,986 3,835 0.2 3.9 -0.9 3,472 3,585 3,591 2,357 34,539 25,711 34.3

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 14,629 14,080 14,404 3.9 -2.2 -0.5 14,498 14,050 14,631 13,686 128,831 133,805 -3.7

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,675 2,772 2,769 -3.5 0.1 1.6 2,718 2,940 2,936 2,844 25,618 25,997 -1.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 17,958 17,746 18,257 1.2 -2.8 0.7 18,146 18,433 18,492 17,276 162,711 159,453 2.0

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
 3

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

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Sept. Aug. July 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

All manufacturing industries 2................... 431,989 443,200 462,993 -2.5 -4.3 0.7 442,723 450,987 444,258 430,097 4,012,297 3,811,748 5.3

 Excluding transportation 2

................... 376,705 391,266 405,680 -3.7 -3.6 0.5 387,703 398,402 402,353 369,074 3,509,511 3,237,307 8.4

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 416,736 430,776 450,930 -3.3 -4.5 1.2 427,745 440,220 435,476 421,153 3,905,377 3,730,045 4.7

 With unfilled orders 2.......................... 153,785 152,673 163,192 0.7 -6.4 0.7 156,771 150,721 146,959 159,086 1,419,067 1,413,580 0.4

 Durable goods industries 2..................... 207,911 206,084 218,163 0.9 -5.5 0.7 213,844 204,937 195,439 219,016 1,914,577 1,948,944 -1.8

 Primary metals............................ ............ 20,382 21,371 24,418 -4.6 -12.5 2.9 19,869 22,223 23,505 19,246 203,277 182,570 11.3

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 9,880 10,786 13,661 -8.4 -21.0 6.5 9,411 11,367 13,108 8,852 104,652 86,285 21.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 8,538 8,645 8,806 -1.2 -1.8 -2.9 8,422 8,905 8,497 8,705 81,689 80,959 0.9

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,964 1,940 1,951 1.2 -0.6 6.7 2,036 1,951 1,900 1,689 16,936 15,326 10.5

 Fabricated metal products...................... 27,703 27,731 28,241 -0.1 -1.8 0.7 28,269 28,545 27,574 27,093 254,561 251,375 1.3

 Machinery............................................. 30,854 30,578 32,740 0.9 -6.6 3.8 30,295 28,759 31,694 29,040 279,349 255,948 9.1

 Construction machinery....................... 3,006 2,780 3,153 8.1 -11.8 19.2 2,424 2,574 2,644 1,610 25,413 20,641 23.1

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 1,896 1,861 1,970 1.9 -5.5 -1.0 1,923 1,903 1,890 1,471 16,458 12,517 31.5

 Industrial machinery............................ 2,828 2,826 3,395 0.1 -16.8 19.5 2,632 1,949 3,882 2,840 27,742 30,335 -8.5

 Photographic equipment...................... 551 514 596 7.2 -13.8 19.0 578 483 571 684 4,959 5,545 -10.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,610 4,375 5,286 -17.5 -17.2 5.2 3,920 4,690 5,771 5,042 40,541 36,223 11.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,491 2,536 2,572 -1.8 -1.4 1.6 2,545 2,488 2,396 2,677 22,850 21,321 7.2

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 4,318 3,465 3,601 24.6 -3.8 -19.8 3,997 3,380 3,274 3,857 34,854 30,249 15.2

 Material handling equipment............... 2,347 2,675 2,602 -12.3 2.8 9.8 2,570 2,405 2,168 2,601 22,791 21,620 5.4

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 27,116 27,626 27,099 -1.8 1.9 -4.5 31,789 25,042 22,887 33,257 243,131 242,214 0.4

 Computers........................................ 2,773 2,954 2,886 -6.1 2.4 -16.2 2,958 2,757 2,887 4,048 27,594 30,068 -8.2

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,751 5,577 5,485 -14.8 1.7 12.4 6,299 4,835 4,256 7,299 45,337 46,781 -3.1

 Defense communications equipment... 641 628 407 2.1 54.3 -61.6 798 474 375 759 6,444 5,423 18.8

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components....................... 3,867 3,999 3,785 -3.3 5.7 -6.7 4,092 4,172 3,366 4,228 36,040 36,750 -1.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 1,099 1,156 1,156 -4.9 0.0 -21.4 1,395 1,119 1,056 1,658 10,094 9,901 1.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,089 2,687 2,358 15.0 14.0 -13.8 3,306 2,146 1,866 2,975 23,658 23,147 2.2

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,754 7,587 7,890 2.2 -3.8 6.8 9,041 6,817 6,731 8,258 66,015 61,151 8.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,387 10,302 10,658 0.8 -3.3 -8.3 10,700 10,300 10,535 10,639 97,708 97,399 0.3

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,100 967 957 13.8 1.0 -20.8 1,093 923 922 1,013 9,559 10,737 -11.0

 Household appliances.......................... 1,846 1,833 1,892 0.7 -3.1 -2.6 1,990 1,949 1,874 2,123 17,268 18,229 -5.3

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,401 3,371 3,430 0.9 -1.7 -17.4 3,484 3,252 3,432 3,627 33,099 32,954 0.4

 Transportation equipment........................ 55,284 51,934 57,313 6.5 -9.4 2.7 55,020 52,585 41,905 61,023 502,786 574,441 -12.5

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 15,054 14,652 16,535 2.7 -11.4 0.6 15,150 15,276 13,296 17,819 146,035 171,834 -15.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 9,936 7,658 12,294 29.7 -37.7 22.3 8,773 7,868 8,624 14,373 99,064 127,182 -22.1

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 5,713 5,189 5,881 10.1 -11.8 24.5 5,545 4,557 4,799 3,609 42,424 26,699 58.9

 Ships and boats................................. 3,772 1,955 2,028 92.9 -3.6 -29.4 3,713 1,706 1,167 1,740 21,565 20,558 4.9

 Furniture and related products................. 6,212 6,485 6,569 -4.2 -1.3 -1.5 6,354 6,655 6,591 7,033 59,332 62,647 -5.3

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 224,078 237,116 244,830 -5.5 -3.2 0.8 228,879 246,050 248,819 211,081 2,097,720 1,862,804 12.6

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: M3-3(07), "Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: 2004-2007."

Year to date
 4 

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

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. Sept.

2008p 2008r 2008 Sept. Aug. July 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 08/07

All manufacturing industries 1................... 829,508 826,529 824,232 0.4 0.3 0.8 817,246 819,953 821,604 729,237 12.1

 Excluding transportation 1................... 358,667 360,103 359,975 -0.4 0.0 0.9 353,533 357,858 360,961 327,510 7.9

 Excluding defense 1............................. 670,478 670,708 669,155 0.0 0.2 0.9 662,125 667,113 668,051 584,757 13.2

 Durable goods industries 1..................... 829,508 826,529 824,232 0.4 0.3 0.8 817,246 819,953 821,604 729,237 12.1

 Primary metals........................................ 26,377 28,359 30,106 -7.0 -5.8 1.6 25,437 28,397 30,019 25,861 -1.6

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 15,923 17,713 19,301 -10.1 -8.2 3.9 15,421 17,920 19,237 15,372 0.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,384 7,600 7,803 -2.8 -2.6 -3.5 7,035 7,476 7,769 7,548 -6.8

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 3,070 3,046 3,002 0.8 1.5 1.7 2,981 3,001 3,013 2,941 1.4

 Fabricated metal products...................... 61,681 61,934 62,146 -0.4 -0.3 -0.5 61,169 62,154 63,199 58,543 4.5

 Machinery............................................. 107,435 106,787 105,164 0.6 1.5 3.5 105,136 105,613 104,829 85,475 23.0

 Construction machinery....................... 15,653 15,143 14,806 3.4 2.3 5.0 14,714 14,722 14,516 11,584 27.0

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 7,410 7,173 6,929 3.3 3.5 5.4 7,343 7,195 6,891 4,019 82.7

 Industrial machinery............................ 16,939 16,886 16,832 0.3 0.3 3.9 16,384 16,651 17,138 14,141 15.9

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,668 1,694 1,726 -1.5 -1.9 1.8 1,664 1,702 1,732 1,652 0.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 17,026 17,236 16,749 -1.2 2.9 8.2 17,218 17,449 16,818 11,976 43.8

 Metalworking machinery....................... 8,798 8,721 8,565 0.9 1.8 -0.1 8,667 8,660 8,588 7,143 21.3

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 14,309 14,374 14,476 -0.5 -0.7 0.6 14,080 14,422 14,555 12,302 14.5

 Material handling equipment............... 10,178 10,205 9,902 -0.3 3.1 1.4 9,909 9,734 9,699 9,486 4.5

 Computers and electronic products 1...... 125,361 124,884 123,989 0.4 0.7 -0.4 124,207 123,374 123,589 120,353 3.2

 Computers......................................... 3,868 3,904 3,823 -0.9 2.1 -3.4 3,868 3,904 3,823 4,086 -5.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 29,296 29,533 28,836 -0.8 2.4 0.7 29,037 29,069 28,791 29,426 -1.3

 Defense communications equipment... 8,204 8,235 8,236 -0.4 0.0 -3.8 8,226 8,130 8,310 7,458 10.3

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 10,875 10,790 10,659 0.8 1.2 -1.1 10,903 10,964 10,617 10,419 4.6

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 7,848 7,681 7,469 2.2 2.8 3.0 7,891 7,562 7,372 6,670 18.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 37,319 36,924 36,909 1.1 0.0 -0.7 36,642 36,074 36,556 35,630 2.8

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 27,951 27,817 28,057 0.5 -0.9 -0.1 27,640 27,671 28,120 26,664 3.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 24,784 24,943 25,195 -0.6 -1.0 -1.6 24,478 25,090 25,613 23,666 3.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 2,692 2,609 2,671 3.2 -2.3 -2.8 2,669 2,718 2,827 2,482 7.5

 Household appliances.......................... 712 672 684 6.0 -1.8 -13.0 691 695 659 821 -15.8

 Electrical equipment............................ 15,715 15,817 15,938 -0.6 -0.8 -1.5 15,599 15,884 16,119 14,915 4.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 470,841 466,426 464,257 0.9 0.5 0.7 463,713 462,095 460,643 401,727 15.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 17,228 17,345 17,381 -0.7 -0.2 -0.7 16,769 17,192 17,591 18,343 -8.6

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 309,037 306,936 307,408 0.7 -0.2 1.0 305,560 304,766 304,844 250,668 21.9

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 46,394 45,832 45,350 1.2 1.1 1.9 45,189 45,191 45,303 39,838 13.4

 Ships and boats................................. 21,527 19,823 20,105 8.6 -1.4 -1.3 20,723 19,137 19,655 20,357 1.8

 Furniture and related products................. 7,280 7,469 7,403 -2.5 0.9 0.4 7,357 7,503 7,740 7,301 0.8

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

 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 Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. Sept.

2008p 2008r 2008 Sept. Aug. July 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 08/07

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 558,691 562,781 559,070 -0.7 0.7 0.6 559,390 567,598 563,051 522,192 7.1

 Excluding transportation ...................... 469,997 474,001 470,752 -0.8 0.7 0.5 470,537 477,724 474,064 444,082 6.0

 Excluding defense ............................. 534,424 538,235 534,444 -0.7 0.7 0.6 535,046 542,938 538,358 500,018 7.0

 With unfilled orders ............................. 273,244 272,575 269,939 0.2 1.0 1.2 272,232 274,853 271,641 247,720 9.9

 Durable goods industries ........................ 340,258 339,033 336,185 0.4 0.8 0.9 338,966 341,870 338,279 313,357 8.2

 Wood products................................. ....... 10,587 10,547 10,505 0.4 0.4 1.4 10,638 10,534 10,401 11,385 -6.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 12,042 11,975 11,881 0.6 0.8 0.0 11,830 11,907 11,951 11,431 3.5

 Primary metals............................ ............ 35,264 35,073 34,040 0.5 3.0 1.6 35,233 35,367 34,420 31,045 13.5

 Iron and steel mills............................... 20,351 20,053 19,030 1.5 5.4 2.8 20,539 20,296 19,291 16,919 21.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 12,122 12,288 12,324 -1.4 -0.3 -0.5 12,013 12,402 12,474 11,661 3.0

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,791 2,732 2,686 2.2 1.7 2.4 2,681 2,669 2,655 2,465 8.8

 Fabricated metal products......................... 45,054 44,791 44,332 0.6 1.0 1.8 44,826 44,907 44,731 41,315 8.5

 Machinery.............................................. 54,727 54,435 54,246 0.5 0.3 0.7 54,292 54,576 54,090 51,252 5.9

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,172 3,138 3,059 1.1 2.6 0.6 2,947 2,942 2,942 2,442 20.7

 Construction machinery........................ 5,797 5,647 5,640 2.7 0.1 1.4 5,747 5,549 5,594 5,050 13.8

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 4,577 4,467 4,426 2.5 0.9 4.2 4,548 4,515 4,495 4,065 11.9

 Industrial machinery............................. 6,933 6,895 6,867 0.6 0.4 1.5 6,915 7,029 6,821 6,593 4.9

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,313 1,348 1,378 -2.6 -2.2 0.5 1,310 1,356 1,390 1,521 -13.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,842 4,797 4,777 0.9 0.4 -0.8 4,766 4,813 4,774 4,759 0.1

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,276 5,292 5,274 -0.3 0.3 -0.1 5,384 5,429 5,338 5,007 7.5

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 6,033 6,089 6,097 -0.9 -0.1 1.1 6,056 6,253 6,103 5,664 6.9

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,456 3,454 3,453 0.1 0.0 -0.1 3,393 3,422 3,407 3,089 9.8

 Computers and electronic products ......... 47,199 46,999 46,523 0.4 1.0 0.4 46,961 47,923 46,924 44,069 6.6

 Computers......................................... 1,273 1,312 1,280 -3.0 2.5 -6.2 1,370 1,412 1,238 1,585 -13.6

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,604 1,597 1,616 0.4 -1.2 -1.2 1,514 1,690 1,640 1,383 9.5

 Other peripheral equipment................... 2,162 2,122 2,110 1.9 0.6 1.3 2,102 2,209 2,156 1,920 9.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 8,130 8,401 8,176 -3.2 2.8 -1.5 8,029 8,500 8,085 7,939 1.1

 Defense communications equipment...... 1,621 1,550 1,445 4.6 7.3 2.5 1,621 1,550 1,445 1,208 34.2

 Audio and video equipment.................. 914 919 918 -0.5 0.1 -2.3 998 962 920 923 8.1

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

 Electronic components.......................... 6,756 6,808 6,813 -0.8 -0.1 3.3 6,715 6,880 6,935 6,320 6.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 5,135 5,000 4,890 2.7 2.2 2.5 5,197 5,030 5,008 4,412 17.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 3,601 3,543 3,534 1.6 0.3 1.2 3,580 3,583 3,544 3,288 8.9

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 10,680 10,534 10,593 1.4 -0.6 0.6 10,511 10,739 10,632 10,070 4.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,357 15,262 15,145 0.6 0.8 -0.6 14,891 15,199 15,206 13,869 7.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,785 1,782 1,785 0.2 -0.2 -0.3 1,727 1,804 1,826 1,635 5.6

 Household appliances.......................... 2,068 2,004 1,962 3.2 2.1 -1.2 2,026 1,991 1,992 1,915 5.8

 Electrical equipment............................. 5,295 5,398 5,297 -1.9 1.9 0.7 4,997 5,317 5,217 4,420 13.1

 Batteries............................................ 650 660 684 -1.5 -3.5 -15.9 669 691 706 763 -12.3

 Transportation equipment......................... 88,694 88,780 88,318 -0.1 0.5 1.2 88,853 89,874 88,987 78,110 13.8

 Automobiles....................................... 2,563 2,504 2,489 2.4 0.6 0.6 2,610 2,594 2,674 2,683 -2.7

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 2,568 2,592 2,676 -0.9 -3.1 -7.4 2,678 2,687 2,635 3,431 -21.9

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,639 1,581 1,553 3.7 1.8 -0.1 1,692 1,646 1,592 1,420 19.2

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 16,334 16,595 16,752 -1.6 -0.9 -0.1 16,107 16,480 16,734 17,313 -7.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 40,502 40,036 39,178 1.2 2.2 3.7 40,656 40,720 39,539 30,604 32.8

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 13,925 14,197 14,306 -1.9 -0.8 -1.4 14,015 14,308 14,391 12,715 10.2

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,882 2,926 2,894 -1.5 1.1 1.9 2,892 2,901 2,838 3,018 -4.2

 Furniture and related products................. 7,904 7,927 7,941 -0.3 -0.2 0.5 7,872 8,010 8,112 8,094 -2.7

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 23,430 23,244 23,254 0.8 0.0 0.3 23,570 23,573 23,457 22,787 3.4

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 218,433 223,748 222,885 -2.4 0.4 0.2 220,424 225,728 224,772 208,835 5.5

 Food products........................................ 37,070 37,390 37,858 -0.9 -1.2 -0.4 37,629 37,472 37,325 37,576 0.1

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 4,661 4,907 5,110 -5.0 -4.0 -2.6 4,628 4,775 4,927 4,931 -6.1

 Dairy products.................................... 4,418 4,457 4,454 -0.9 0.1 -0.2 4,449 4,560 4,653 4,781 -6.9

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 7,644 7,687 7,676 -0.6 0.1 -0.2 7,690 7,667 7,618 7,196 6.9

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 15,175 15,089 15,042 0.6 0.3 -0.4 15,263 14,592 14,451 15,031 1.5

 Beverages......................................... 11,363 11,300 11,242 0.6 0.5 -0.4 11,517 11,021 10,880 11,287 2.0

 Tobacco............................................ 3,812 3,789 3,800 0.6 -0.3 -0.3 3,746 3,571 3,571 3,744 0.1

 Textile mills............................................ 3,682 3,666 3,669 0.4 -0.1 1.8 3,682 3,678 3,682 3,771 -2.4

 Textile products...................................... 3,295 3,295 3,290 0.0 0.2 2.1 3,314 3,320 3,325 3,374 -1.8

 Apparel................................................. 4,443 4,495 4,534 -1.2 -0.9 0.7 4,614 4,684 4,697 4,496 2.6

 Leather and allied products...................... 1,026 1,014 1,012 1.2 0.2 0.9 1,042 1,032 1,027 1,065 -2.2

 Paper products....................................... 15,484 15,493 15,391 -0.1 0.7 -0.5 15,386 15,472 15,408 14,931 3.0

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 6,801 6,819 6,818 -0.3 0.0 -1.0 6,724 6,804 6,830 6,539 2.8

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,292 4,273 4,194 0.4 1.9 -0.1 4,276 4,259 4,192 4,113 4.0

 Printing.................................................. 6,763 6,675 6,744 1.3 -1.0 -1.5 7,061 6,931 7,000 7,056 0.1

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 39,829 43,443 43,394 -8.3 0.1 -1.5 41,409 44,985 45,379 34,870 18.8

 Petroleum refineries............................. 37,263 40,863 40,935 -8.8 -0.2 -1.8 38,778 42,291 42,844 32,451 19.5

 Chemical products..................................... 68,670 69,952 69,069 -1.8 1.3 1.2 68,238 70,484 69,758 65,440 4.3

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 3,335 3,262 3,207 2.2 1.7 2.2 2,914 2,905 2,970 2,518 15.7

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 23,887 24,125 23,747 -1.0 1.6 0.3 24,146 24,786 24,310 24,017 0.5

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,167 3,135 3,101 1.0 1.1 -1.3 3,105 3,149 3,139 3,010 3.2

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 22,996 23,236 22,882 -1.0 1.5 2.0 22,786 23,078 22,720 21,225 7.4

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.
 6 

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

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Sept. Aug. July 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 432,943 445,455 462,379 -2.8 -3.7 1.4 448,925 456,897 448,540 431,529 4,011,036 3,788,586 5.9

 Construction materials and supplies...... 43,758 44,070 44,885 -0.7 -1.8 1.1 46,539 47,259 46,018 45,656 401,156 407,094 -1.5

 Information technology......................... 26,748 26,722 27,684 0.1 -3.5 2.0 30,888 25,474 24,149 31,102 240,580 236,394 1.8

 Computers and related products .......... 4,794 4,763 4,945 0.7 -3.7 -4.8 5,704 4,323 4,341 6,651 45,230 47,396 -4.6

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 31,233 30,152 33,167 3.6 -9.1 0.8 32,538 31,827 24,236 39,221 301,333 364,989 -17.4

 Capital goods...................................... 76,846 75,853 78,153 1.3 -2.9 1.1 82,304 73,646 71,448 80,318 686,175 660,340 3.9

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 67,803 66,795 69,045 1.5 -3.3 1.2 72,942 64,611 62,991 72,205 606,683 591,516 2.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 63,731 62,504 63,850 2.0 -2.1 0.3 68,837 60,457 58,971 67,285 566,986 550,375 3.0

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 9,043 9,058 9,108 -0.2 -0.5 0.4 9,362 9,035 8,457 8,113 79,492 68,824 15.5

 Consumer goods.................................. 175,460 185,131 193,506 -5.2 -4.3 0.8 180,377 192,849 190,338 171,238 1,654,915 1,501,292 10.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 28,972 28,746 30,268 0.8 -5.0 1.0 30,391 29,272 23,775 35,026 273,260 313,138 -12.7

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 146,488 156,385 163,238 -6.3 -4.2 0.7 149,986 163,577 166,563 136,212 1,381,655 1,188,154 16.3

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 431,989 443,200 462,993 -2.5 -4.3 0.7 442,723 450,987 444,258 430,097 4,012,297 3,811,748 5.3

 Construction materials and supplies...... 43,312 44,202 45,938 -2.0 -3.8 0.8 45,574 46,892 47,074 46,551 405,954 412,710 -1.6

 Information technology......................... 26,934 27,397 27,397 -1.7 0.0 -3.3 31,470 24,667 23,579 32,883 242,643 240,744 0.8

 Computers and related products .......... 4,758 4,844 4,811 -1.8 0.7 -13.1 5,668 4,404 4,207 6,749 45,381 47,997 -5.5

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 31,116 30,116 33,042 3.3 -8.9 0.6 32,115 31,428 24,576 38,710 299,537 362,899 -17.5

 Capital goods...................................... 80,975 78,537 83,583 3.1 -6.0 0.4 82,988 73,472 72,356 83,659 726,290 721,792 0.6

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 69,210 68,694 74,498 0.8 -7.8 3.5 71,728 64,772 65,996 77,066 644,177 655,660 -1.8

 Excluding aircraft............................. 63,789 64,774 66,300 -1.5 -2.3 0.3 67,596 60,479 60,988 66,918 581,876 564,089 3.2

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 11,765 9,843 9,085 19.5 8.3 -19.6 11,260 8,700 6,360 6,593 82,113 66,132 24.2

 Consumer goods.................................. 175,474 184,744 193,526 -5.0 -4.5 0.7 180,373 192,421 190,594 171,179 1,654,201 1,502,143 10.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 28,986 28,359 30,288 2.2 -6.4 0.9 30,387 28,844 24,031 34,967 272,546 313,989 -13.2

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 146,488 156,385 163,238 -6.3 -4.2 0.7 149,986 163,577 166,563 136,212 1,381,655 1,188,154 16.3

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 829,508 826,529 824,232 0.4 0.3 0.8 817,246 819,953 821,604 729,237 (X) (X) 12.1

 Construction materials and supplies...... 55,368 55,814 55,682 -0.8 0.2 1.9 55,366 56,331 56,698 49,460 (X) (X) 11.9

 Information technology......................... 121,819 121,633 120,958 0.2 0.6 -0.2 120,487 119,905 120,712 117,034 (X) (X) 3.0

 Computers and related products .......... 3,868 3,904 3,823 -0.9 2.1 -3.4 3,868 3,904 3,823 4,086 (X) (X) -5.3

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 17,228 17,345 17,381 -0.7 -0.2 -0.7 16,769 17,192 17,591 18,343 (X) (X) -8.6

 Capital goods...................................... 625,719 621,590 618,906 0.7 0.4 0.9 615,572 614,888 615,062 537,824 (X) (X) 14.5

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................482,974 481,567 479,668 0.3 0.4 1.1 476,309 477,523 477,362 407,939 (X) (X) 16.8

 Excluding aircraft............................. 206,955 206,897 204,627 0.0 1.1 1.2 203,674 204,915 204,893 186,736 (X) (X) 9.1

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 142,745 140,023 139,238 1.9 0.6 0.0 139,263 137,365 137,700 129,885 (X) (X) 7.2

 Consumer goods.................................. 8,492 8,478 8,865 0.2 -4.4 0.2 8,450 8,454 8,882 9,628 (X) (X) -12.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 8,492 8,478 8,865 0.2 -4.4 0.2 8,450 8,454 8,882 9,628 (X) (X) -12.2 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 558,691 562,781 559,070 -0.7 0.7 0.6 559,390 567,598 563,051 522,192 (X) (X) 7.1

 Construction materials and supplies...... 61,251 60,901 60,415 0.6 0.8 1.1 60,954 61,137 60,832 59,034 (X) (X) 3.3

 Information technology......................... 42,462 42,214 41,799 0.6 1.0 0.2 42,207 42,929 41,983 39,865 (X) (X) 5.9

 Computers and related products .......... 5,039 5,031 5,006 0.2 0.5 -1.5 4,986 5,311 5,034 4,888 (X) (X) 2.0

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 23,104 23,272 23,470 -0.7 -0.8 -0.9 23,087 23,407 23,635 24,847 (X) (X) -7.1

 Capital goods...................................... 159,367 158,991 157,838 0.2 0.7 1.3 158,694 160,623 158,374 141,649 (X) (X) 12.0

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................140,526 139,920 138,532 0.4 1.0 1.4 139,866 141,549 139,086 124,049 (X) (X) 12.8

 Excluding aircraft............................. 108,896 108,517 107,802 0.3 0.7 0.6 108,006 109,601 108,082 101,237 (X) (X) 6.7

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 18,841 19,071 19,306 -1.2 -1.2 0.4 18,828 19,074 19,288 17,600 (X) (X) 7.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 163,403 167,403 167,433 -2.4 0.0 -0.6 166,168 169,792 169,338 159,142 (X) (X) 4.4

 Consumer durable goods..................... 28,689 28,471 28,408 0.8 0.2 -0.5 28,874 28,893 28,692 29,216 (X) (X) -1.2

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 134,714 138,932 139,025 -3.0 -0.1 -0.6 137,294 140,899 140,646 129,926 (X) (X) 5.7

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
 7

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

Sept. Aug. July Aug. - July - June - Sept. Aug. July Sept. Sept.

2008p 2008r 2008 Sept. Aug. July 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 08/07

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 192,458 192,667 192,147 -0.1 0.3 0.9 192,866 193,676 193,574 181,901 6.0

 Durable goods industries........................ 116,327 115,897 115,462 0.4 0.4 1.7 116,633 116,742 116,464 108,197 7.8

 Wood products................................... 4,280 4,297 4,307 -0.4 -0.2 2.2 4,442 4,318 4,214 4,714 -5.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,907 4,890 4,896 0.3 -0.1 1.4 4,903 4,899 4,913 4,584 7.0

 Primary metals.................................... 13,712 13,404 12,991 2.3 3.2 3.1 13,971 13,579 13,104 11,475 21.8

 Fabricated metal products..................... 17,237 16,853 16,599 2.3 1.5 3.1 17,254 16,858 16,774 15,223 13.3

 Machinery.......................................... 21,027 20,994 21,007 0.2 -0.1 1.4 20,949 21,102 21,129 19,644 6.6

 Computers and electronic products ...... 15,704 15,508 15,473 1.3 0.2 0.0 15,851 15,794 15,578 15,929 -0.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,189 6,247 6,173 -0.9 1.2 0.1 6,048 6,204 6,162 5,439 11.2

 Transportation equipment..................... 21,854 22,250 22,540 -1.8 -1.3 2.0 21,826 22,422 22,944 20,145 8.3

 Furniture and related products............... 3,806 3,920 3,906 -2.9 0.4 0.7 3,784 3,934 3,982 3,762 0.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,611 7,534 7,570 1.0 -0.5 0.8 7,605 7,632 7,664 7,282 4.4

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 76,131 76,770 76,685 -0.8 0.1 -0.2 76,233 76,934 77,110 73,704 3.4

 Food products.................................... 13,589 13,854 14,303 -1.9 -3.1 -0.5 13,344 13,443 14,023 13,681 -2.5

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,454 4,417 4,422 0.8 -0.1 0.0 4,408 4,232 4,255 4,364 1.0

 Textiles.............................................. 1,160 1,178 1,206 -1.5 -2.3 1.5 1,158 1,176 1,201 1,187 -2.4

 Textile products.................................. 1,324 1,314 1,305 0.8 0.7 1.5 1,337 1,322 1,328 1,264 5.8

 Apparel............................................. 1,069 1,071 1,077 -0.2 -0.6 -0.9 1,073 1,069 1,085 1,055 1.7

 Leather and allied products................... 365 359 365 1.7 -1.6 -2.1 368 362 370 422 -12.8

 Paper products.................................... 7,433 7,449 7,413 -0.2 0.5 0.2 7,411 7,425 7,385 7,126 4.0

 Printing ............................................. 3,090 3,050 3,081 1.3 -1.0 -0.4 3,204 3,131 3,167 3,112 3.0

 Petroleum and coal products................ 12,202 13,346 13,204 -8.6 1.1 -5.3 12,632 13,887 13,847 13,081 -3.4

 Chemical products................................ 22,193 21,467 21,000 3.4 2.2 2.0 22,057 21,504 21,080 19,847 11.1

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 9,252 9,265 9,309 -0.1 -0.5 3.0 9,241 9,383 9,369 8,565 7.9

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 166,384 167,162 165,830 -0.5 0.8 1.3 166,445 168,855 166,990 145,288 14.6

 Durable goods industries........................ 125,112 124,479 123,189 0.5 1.0 0.9 124,827 125,890 123,950 109,516 14.0

 Wood products................................... 1,961 1,938 1,926 1.2 0.6 1.0 1,955 1,955 1,936 2,044 -4.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,350 1,314 1,304 2.7 0.8 -1.4 1,323 1,304 1,316 1,280 3.4

 Primary metals.................................... 10,895 10,909 10,872 -0.1 0.3 1.4 10,753 11,040 11,105 9,852 9.1

 Fabricated metal products..................... 13,357 13,502 13,455 -1.1 0.3 1.2 13,469 13,722 13,600 12,785 5.4

 Machinery.......................................... 15,783 15,146 14,795 4.2 2.4 0.6 15,830 15,375 14,886 14,383 10.1

 Computers and electronic products ...... 21,319 21,198 21,072 0.6 0.6 1.0 21,027 21,538 21,306 18,176 15.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,182 3,133 3,100 1.6 1.1 -2.4 3,049 3,156 3,174 2,809 8.5

 Transportation equipment..................... 52,476 52,625 51,855 -0.3 1.5 1.2 52,629 53,030 51,740 43,414 21.2

 Furniture and related products............... 1,296 1,220 1,262 6.2 -3.3 -3.5 1,289 1,224 1,287 1,317 -2.1

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,493 3,494 3,548 0.0 -1.5 -0.9 3,503 3,546 3,600 3,456 1.4

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 41,272 42,683 42,641 -3.3 0.1 2.7 41,618 42,965 43,040 35,772 16.3

 Food products.................................... 2,290 2,288 2,283 0.1 0.2 -2.6 2,167 2,073 2,037 2,449 -11.5

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,279 4,291 4,213 -0.3 1.9 -0.3 4,264 3,894 3,788 4,389 -2.8

 Textiles.............................................. 906 921 899 -1.6 2.4 4.5 915 931 910 954 -4.1

 Textile products.................................. 414 419 409 -1.2 2.4 2.3 416 418 412 451 -7.8

 Apparel............................................. 654 669 674 -2.2 -0.7 0.7 658 684 681 699 -5.9

 Leather and allied products................... 96 91 88 5.5 3.4 -2.2 97 93 89 89 9.0

 Paper products.................................... 1,548 1,536 1,491 0.8 3.0 -1.9 1,559 1,572 1,510 1,422 9.6

 Printing ............................................. 1,716 1,690 1,699 1.5 -0.5 -4.4 1,887 1,794 1,801 2,050 -8.0

 Petroleum and coal products................ 12,180 13,455 13,599 -9.5 -1.1 8.0 12,431 13,751 14,149 7,878 57.8

 Chemical products................................ 14,600 14,781 14,763 -1.2 0.1 1.3 14,669 15,231 15,162 12,957 13.2

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 2,589 2,542 2,523 1.8 0.8 1.6 2,555 2,524 2,501 2,434 5.0

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 199,849 202,952 201,093 -1.5 0.9 -0.2 200,079 205,067 202,487 195,003 2.6

 Durable goods industries........................ 98,819 98,657 97,534 0.2 1.2 0.1 97,506 99,238 97,865 95,644 1.9

 Wood products................................... 4,346 4,312 4,272 0.8 0.9 0.8 4,241 4,261 4,251 4,627 -8.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,785 5,771 5,681 0.2 1.6 -0.8 5,604 5,704 5,722 5,567 0.7

 Primary metals.................................... 10,657 10,760 10,177 -1.0 5.7 -0.2 10,509 10,748 10,211 9,718 8.1

 Fabricated metal products..................... 14,460 14,436 14,278 0.2 1.1 0.9 14,103 14,327 14,357 13,307 6.0

 Machinery.......................................... 17,917 18,295 18,444 -2.1 -0.8 0.0 17,513 18,099 18,075 17,225 1.7

 Computers and electronic products ...... 10,176 10,293 9,978 -1.1 3.2 -0.1 10,083 10,591 10,040 9,964 1.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 5,986 5,882 5,872 1.8 0.2 -0.4 5,794 5,839 5,870 5,621 3.1

 Transportation equipment..................... 14,364 13,905 13,923 3.3 -0.1 -0.4 14,398 14,422 14,303 14,551 -1.1

 Furniture and related products............... 2,802 2,787 2,773 0.5 0.5 2.0 2,799 2,852 2,843 3,015 -7.2

 Miscellaneous products........................ 12,326 12,216 12,136 0.9 0.7 0.3 12,462 12,395 12,193 12,049 3.4

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 101,030 104,295 103,559 -3.1 0.7 -0.6 102,573 105,829 104,622 99,359 3.2

 Food products.................................... 21,191 21,248 21,272 -0.3 -0.1 -0.1 22,118 21,956 21,265 21,446 3.1

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 6,442 6,381 6,407 1.0 -0.4 -0.7 6,591 6,466 6,408 6,278 5.0

 Textiles.............................................. 1,616 1,567 1,564 3.1 0.2 0.5 1,609 1,571 1,571 1,630 -1.3

 Textile products.................................. 1,557 1,562 1,576 -0.3 -0.9 2.6 1,561 1,580 1,585 1,659 -5.9

 Apparel............................................. 2,720 2,755 2,783 -1.3 -1.0 1.3 2,883 2,931 2,931 2,742 5.1

 Leather and allied products................... 565 564 559 0.2 0.9 3.5 577 577 568 554 4.2

 Paper products.................................... 6,503 6,508 6,487 -0.1 0.3 -1.0 6,416 6,475 6,513 6,383 0.5

 Printing ............................................. 1,957 1,935 1,964 1.1 -1.5 -0.7 1,970 2,006 2,032 1,894 4.0

 Petroleum and coal products................ 15,447 16,642 16,591 -7.2 0.3 -5.2 16,346 17,347 17,383 13,911 17.5

 Chemical products................................ 31,877 33,704 33,306 -5.4 1.2 0.7 31,512 33,749 33,516 32,636 -3.4

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 11,155 11,429 11,050 -2.4 3.4 1.3 10,990 11,171 10,850 10,226 7.5

p

 Preliminary r Revised

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 Group

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Sep Aug Jul Jun Sep Aug Jul Jun

2008p 2008r 2008 2008 2008p 2008r 2008 2008

 All manufacturing industries2

...... 1.29 1.26 1.21 1.22 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

................... 1.63 1.63 1.55 1.56 5.50 5.50 5.25 5.30

 Wood products................................ 1.32 1.30 1.27 1.25 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Primary metals................................. 1.58 1.52 1.42 1.45 1.18 1.23 1.26 1.28

 Fabricated metal products............... 1.61 1.60 1.55 1.55 2.28 2.29 2.25 2.30

 Machinery....................................... 1.81 1.88 1.86 1.83 4.05 4.17 4.04 3.81

 Computers and electronic products 2

.. 1.54 1.50 1.40 1.48 5.34 5.27 5.08 5.21

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 1.46 1.45 1.37 1.42 2.57 2.58 2.48 2.59

 Transportation equipment................. 1.74 1.78 1.63 1.65 13.53 13.60 12.32 12.62

 Furniture and related products........... 1.23 1.23 1.21 1.20 1.29 1.33 1.29 1.27

 Miscellaneous products.................... 1.84 1.79 1.75 1.77 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries.............. 0.97 0.94 0.91 0.92 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products................................... 0.71 0.72 0.72 0.74 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products......... 1.31 1.29 1.27 1.31 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................... 1.30 1.28 1.26 1.27 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................... 1.53 1.48 1.43 1.37 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel.......................................... 1.67 1.69 1.67 1.67 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............... 2.06 2.13 2.14 2.16 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products................................ 1.05 1.05 1.05 1.08 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing.......................................... 0.84 0.82 0.81 0.83 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............ 0.74 0.67 0.62 0.63 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products............................. 1.19 1.16 1.14 1.13 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products.............. 1.28 1.31 1.25 1.24 (X) (X) (X) (X)

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable

1

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

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

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

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

trucks; and miscellaneous furniture.

2 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing.

Sep2 Sep2 Sep2 Sep2

Industry 2007- 2007- 2007- 2007-

Sep1 Aug Sep1 Aug Sep1 Aug Sep1 Aug

2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008

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

Durable goods industries...................... 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Primary metals.................................... -0.1 0.4 -0.1 0.9 -0.1 0.6 0.0 0.2

 Fabricated metal products................... 0.2 0.4 0.8 0.8 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.2

 Machinery.......................................... 0.0 0.3 0.4 1.0 0.0 0.4 -0.1 0.2

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

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.1 0.4 -0.7 3.1 -0.3 1.4 -0.2 0.5

 Transportation equipment................... 0.2 0.6 0.2 1.2 -0.1 0.1 -0.1 0.1

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.6 (X) 0.9 (X) 1.0 (X) 0.2

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

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

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

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

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 1.2 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.9

 Paper products................................... (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.2

 Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 1.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

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

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

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

 publication.

2

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

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

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

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-in-process, 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 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-tomonth 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 61 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-tomonth movement of all companies is another potential source. Any corrections in the data 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.

2009 Release Dates for M3 Survey 

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

November 2008 Dec. 24, 2008 Jan. 6, 2009 

December 2008 Jan. 29, 2009 Feb. 5, 2009 

January 2009 Feb. 26, 2009 Mar. 5, 2009 

February 2009 Mar. 25, 2009 Apr. 2, 2009 

March 2009 Apr. 24, 2009 May 1, 2009 

April 2009 May 28, 2009 Jun. 3, 2009 

May 2009 Jun. 24, 2009 Jul. 2, 2009 

June 2009 Jul. 29, 2009 Aug. 5, 2009 

July 2009 Aug. 26, 2009 Sep. 2, 2009 

August 2009 Sep. 25, 2009 Oct. 2, 2009 

September 2009 Oct. 28, 2009 Nov. 3, 2009 

October 2009 Nov. 25, 2009 Dec. 4, 2009 

November 2009 Dec. 24, 2009