FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2008, AT 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Chris Savage or Jessica Young 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (08)-04 

CB08-85 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

April 2008 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in April, up two 

consecutive months, increased $5.0 billion or 1.1 percent 

to $445.2 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 

today. This followed a 1.5 percent March increase. 

 Shipments, up three of the last four months, increased 

$9.6 billion or 2.2 percent to $443.9 billion. This was at 

the highest level since the series was first stated on a 

NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.1 percent March 

increase. 

 Unfilled orders, up twenty-six of the last twenty-seven 

months, increased $7.3 billion or 0.9 percent to $804.4 billion. This was also at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed 

a 1.3 percent March increase. The unfilled orders-toshipments ratio was 5.29, down from 5.30 in March. 

 Inventories, down slightly following seven consecutive 

monthly increases, decreased $0.1 billion to $545.7 

billion. This followed a 0.9 percent March increase. 

The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.23, down from 

1.26 in March. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in April, 

down three of the last four months, decreased $1.2 

billion or 0.6 percent to $214.4 billion, revised from the 

previously published 0.5 percent decrease. This 

followed a 0.2 percent March decrease. 

 Transportation equipment, down three of the last four 

months, had the largest decrease, $4.8 billion or 7.9 

percent to $56.1 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $6.2 billion or 2.8 percent to $230.8 billion. 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in April, up 

following two consecutive monthly decreases, increased 

$3.4 billion or 1.6 percent to $213.1 billion, revised from 

the previously published 1.2 percent increase. This 

followed a 0.9 percent March decrease. 

 

 Computers and electronic products, up following two 

consecutive monthly decreases, had the largest increase, 

$1.6 billion or 5.1 percent to $33.1 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up two 

consecutive months, increased $6.2 billion or 2.8 percent 

to $230.8 billion. This was also at the highest level 

since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 

1992 and followed a 3.1 percent March increase. This 

increase was led by petroleum and coal products, which 

increased $3.6 billion or 6.2 percent to $62.0 billion. 

Petroleum and coal products was also at the highest level 

since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 

1992. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

April, up twenty-six of the last twenty-seven months, 

increased $7.3 billion or 0.9 percent to $804.4 billion, revised from the previously published 1.0 percent 

increase. This was also at the highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and 

followed a 1.3 percent March increase. 

 

 Machinery, up ten of the last eleven months, had the 

largest increase, $3.1 billion or 3.3 percent to $97.5 

billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in April, up 

nine of the last ten months, increased $2.0 billion or 0.6 

percent to $329.1 billion, revised from the previously 

published 0.5 percent increase. This was also at the 

highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS 

basis in 1992 and followed a 1.0 percent March increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up nineteen of the last 

twenty months, had the largest increase, $0.7 billion or 

0.8 percent to $85.5 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

following five consecutive monthly increases, decreased $2.1 billion or 1.0 percent to $216.6 billion. This 

followed a 0.9 percent March increase. Petroleum and 

coal products drove the decrease, down $2.6 billion or 

6.4 percent to $38.9 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, April materials and supplies 

increased 0.6 percent in durable goods and decreased 0.1 

percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 1.3 percent in durable goods and decreased 3.2 percent 

in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 0.2 

percent in durable goods and 0.7 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 May is scheduled for release on June 25, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. EDT and the full report on July 2, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. See back page for survey description. 
 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

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

 All manufacturing industries .................. 443,941 434,378 429,531 2.2 1.1 -1.9 444,955 447,025 417,428 414,836 1,714,345 1,619,780 5.8

 Excluding transportation ................... 389,822 380,974 373,829 2.3 1.9 -1.6 391,972 389,673 360,824 359,668 1,497,120 1,392,483 7.5

 Excluding defense .............................. 432,074 423,061 418,313 2.1 1.1 -2.1 433,826 434,507 406,568 406,083 1,671,095 1,583,870 5.5

 With unfilled orders ........................... 151,966 150,445 150,254 1.0 0.1 -0.7 150,894 160,637 146,327 145,990 594,264 576,871 3.0

 Durable goods industries ........................213,129 209,778 211,772 1.6 -0.9 -1.9 212,605 222,176 207,105 210,551 836,950 831,452 0.7

 Wood products................................. ...... 8,099 8,081 8,094 0.2 -0.2 -0.6 8,316 7,958 7,658 8,574 30,869 31,751 -2.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 9,219 9,174 9,160 0.5 0.2 -0.5 9,590 9,009 8,414 10,357 35,242 38,867 -9.3

 Primary metals............................ .......... 21,991 21,346 21,012 3.0 1.6 1.3 23,305 22,113 21,228 20,809 87,196 80,127 8.8

 Iron and steel mills............................ 11,106 10,439 10,203 6.4 2.3 2.1 11,943 10,905 10,478 9,983 43,349 38,706 12.0

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 9,124 9,127 9,082 0.0 0.5 0.5 9,488 9,385 9,051 9,133 36,801 34,789 5.8

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,761 1,780 1,727 -1.1 3.1 0.6 1,874 1,823 1,699 1,693 7,046 6,632 6.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 27,699 27,249 26,815 1.7 1.6 -0.8 28,436 27,404 26,066 27,292 107,177 105,903 1.2

 Machinery............................................. 28,665 29,040 29,216 -1.3 -0.6 4.1 30,058 31,856 28,313 28,991 116,119 106,898 8.6

 Farm machinery................................. 2,193 2,137 2,030 2.6 5.3 -5.9 2,996 2,683 2,280 2,525 9,851 8,373 17.7

 Construction machinery..................... 2,394 2,264 2,362 5.7 -4.1 1.9 2,564 2,458 2,374 2,085 9,476 8,231 15.1

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery........................ 1,526 1,431 1,517 6.6 -5.7 2.8 1,498 1,557 1,459 1,400 5,889 5,546 6.2

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,000 3,128 2,994 -4.1 4.5 -7.4 3,073 3,389 2,597 4,377 12,246 12,634 -3.1

 Photographic equipment...................... 568 557 552 2.0 0.9 0.5 550 577 500 622 2,074 2,501 -17.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,896 4,272 4,812 -8.8 -11.2 30.3 3,683 4,561 4,326 3,448 15,672 13,141 19.3

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,459 2,337 2,389 5.2 -2.2 -3.5 2,309 2,518 2,244 2,198 9,459 8,818 7.3

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,681 3,585 3,481 2.7 3.0 4.8 4,050 3,816 3,510 3,365 14,563 12,754 14.2

 Material handling equipment............... 2,514 2,901 2,671 -13.3 8.6 13.1 2,389 3,385 2,670 2,093 10,604 8,831 20.1

 Computers and electronic products ......... 33,090 31,476 31,733 5.1 -0.8 -8.8 30,220 35,514 29,690 30,137 125,421 123,860 1.3

 Computers........................................ 2,855 3,304 3,449 -13.6 -4.2 -1.7 2,646 3,762 3,025 3,279 12,515 12,996 -3.7

 Computer storage devices................... 717 721 709 -0.6 1.7 -0.1 373 1,067 494 307 2,363 2,107 12.1

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,487 1,390 1,354 7.0 2.7 -2.0 1,129 1,739 1,190 1,069 5,033 4,810 4.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 4,893 5,109 5,054 -4.2 1.1 -1.4 4,158 6,046 4,495 4,492 18,607 19,001 -2.1

 Defense communications equipment... 645 691 662 -6.7 4.4 12.6 653 758 657 514 2,595 2,042 27.1

 Audio and video equipment.................. 789 672 680 17.4 -1.2 -7.0 652 641 624 669 2,592 2,946 -12.0

 Semiconductors ................................. 5,981 4,416 4,672 35.4 -5.5 -31.2 6,339 4,272 4,878 6,417 22,152 23,184 -4.5

 Electronic components....................... 4,103 4,037 3,999 1.6 1.0 -2.9 3,697 4,510 3,789 3,661 15,622 15,619 0.0

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 938 954 946 -1.7 0.8 -17.5 889 1,063 924 1,016 3,872 3,725 3.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,604 2,719 2,660 -4.2 2.2 -4.1 2,546 2,927 2,640 2,569 10,461 10,389 0.7

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,501 6,912 7,022 8.5 -1.6 -5.4 6,644 8,172 6,472 5,680 27,599 24,978 10.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,625 10,540 10,548 0.8 -0.1 -1.5 10,566 10,976 10,112 10,630 41,246 40,895 0.9

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,029 1,013 1,027 1.6 -1.4 -1.1 1,025 1,058 1,023 1,132 4,011 4,450 -9.9

 Household appliances........................ 1,968 1,949 1,951 1.0 -0.1 -4.0 1,936 1,993 1,770 2,279 7,280 7,566 -3.8

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,494 3,479 3,549 0.4 -2.0 0.0 3,412 3,712 3,471 3,243 13,927 13,261 5.0

 Batteries........................................... 827 788 774 4.9 1.8 -0.9 790 766 664 570 2,957 2,451 20.6

 Transportation equipment...................... 54,119 53,404 55,702 1.3 -4.1 -3.2 52,983 57,352 56,604 55,168 217,225 227,297 -4.4

 Automobiles..................................... 6,727 6,849 7,641 -1.8 -10.4 -3.8 6,730 7,248 8,060 7,546 29,711 32,259 -7.9

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 8,964 9,247 10,662 -3.1 -13.3 -1.1 8,604 9,547 11,041 11,211 38,703 44,278 -12.6

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,602 1,505 1,346 6.4 11.8 -6.1 1,589 1,544 1,353 1,447 5,905 7,643 -22.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 16,421 16,966 17,117 -3.2 -0.9 -2.4 17,310 17,450 18,032 19,230 69,234 78,402 -11.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 8,681 7,908 8,209 9.8 -3.7 -17.4 7,901 9,310 7,832 7,093 32,200 29,972 7.4

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,639 4,500 4,593 3.1 -2.0 31.4 4,141 5,111 4,215 2,945 16,250 12,184 33.4

 Ships and boats................................. 2,351 2,321 2,386 1.3 -2.7 -2.2 2,429 2,493 2,409 2,133 9,396 8,628 8.9

 Furniture and related products................. 6,495 6,479 6,504 0.2 -0.4 -0.6 6,412 6,391 6,539 6,673 25,532 27,026 -5.5

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,127 12,989 12,988 1.1 0.0 -0.7 12,719 13,603 12,481 11,920 50,923 48,828 4.3

 Nondurable goods industries................... 230,812 224,600 217,759 2.8 3.1 -1.8 232,350 224,849 210,323 204,285 877,395 788,328 11.3

 Food products....................................... 50,870 49,771 49,254 2.2 1.0 -1.1 48,919 50,131 48,625 44,670 195,924 180,209 8.7

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 5,826 5,805 5,600 0.4 3.7 -0.2 5,581 5,892 5,642 4,565 22,614 18,871 19.8

 Dairy products.................................. 7,410 7,292 7,557 1.6 -3.5 -1.1 7,063 7,227 7,128 6,419 28,970 25,459 13.8

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 15,324 14,816 14,428 3.4 2.7 -1.6 14,938 14,611 14,435 14,013 58,031 55,527 4.5

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 11,496 11,285 10,696 1.9 5.5 -3.3 11,398 11,144 10,163 10,602 42,772 40,368 6.0

 Beverages......................................... 7,739 7,764 7,396 -0.3 5.0 -4.3 7,641 7,623 6,863 7,094 28,863 26,826 7.6

 Tobacco............................................ 3,757 3,521 3,300 6.7 6.7 -0.9 3,757 3,521 3,300 3,508 13,909 13,542 2.7

 Textile mills........................................... 2,880 2,894 2,872 -0.5 0.8 -2.2 2,941 2,974 2,951 3,069 11,600 12,376 -6.3

 Textile products................................... 2,352 2,344 2,351 0.3 -0.3 -1.4 2,377 2,392 2,348 2,577 9,242 10,132 -8.8

 Apparel................................................ 2,574 2,587 2,535 -0.5 2.1 -2.2 2,431 2,574 2,636 2,307 9,926 9,443 5.1

 Leather and allied products..................... 508 488 485 4.1 0.6 -2.2 476 510 538 489 1,938 2,080 -6.8

 Paper products...................................... 14,386 14,314 14,133 0.5 1.3 -2.1 14,289 14,310 13,909 13,625 56,868 54,932 3.5

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,994 6,846 6,768 2.2 1.2 -3.8 6,959 6,901 6,743 6,566 27,685 26,395 4.9

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,125 4,107 4,027 0.4 2.0 -0.8 4,063 4,057 3,855 3,897 15,979 15,532 2.9

 Printing................................................. 8,425 8,310 8,086 1.4 2.8 -2.7 8,261 8,426 7,687 8,192 32,193 32,585 -1.2

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 62,027 58,381 53,001 6.2 10.2 -3.4 62,493 55,610 49,478 45,187 217,736 161,327 35.0

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 59,444 55,919 50,523 6.3 10.7 -3.4 59,893 53,387 47,395 42,692 208,701 152,159 37.2

 Chemical products.................................. 57,829 56,771 56,770 1.9 0.0 -0.8 60,570 59,180 55,068 55,851 229,711 216,479 6.1

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 3,196 3,203 3,246 -0.2 -1.3 4.4 4,926 4,249 3,227 3,692 15,065 12,009 25.4

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 14,581 14,157 14,623 3.0 -3.2 2.6 14,814 14,411 14,016 15,092 57,392 60,556 -5.2

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,855 2,767 2,791 3.2 -0.9 -2.1 3,025 2,819 2,636 2,932 11,015 10,788 2.1

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 17,465 17,455 17,576 0.1 -0.7 -0.3 18,195 17,598 16,920 17,716 69,485 68,397 1.6

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

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

All manufacturing industries 2................... 445,234 440,216 433,860 1.1 1.5 -0.4 443,957 456,231 423,205 419,451 1,736,733 1,642,564 5.7

 Excluding transportation 2

................... 389,154 379,303 369,652 2.6 2.6 -1.6 392,171 390,280 359,720 356,006 1,498,254 1,388,146 7.9

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 434,257 428,590 421,463 1.3 1.7 -0.8 435,440 440,689 411,073 412,506 1,689,236 1,605,200 5.2

 With unfilled orders 2.......................... 159,240 160,699 159,255 -0.9 0.9 2.1 156,235 174,115 156,982 157,022 638,804 622,839 2.6

 Durable goods industries 2..................... 214,422 215,616 216,101 -0.6 -0.2 1.1 211,607 231,382 212,882 215,166 859,338 854,236 0.6

 Primary metals............................ ............ 22,432 21,855 21,331 2.6 2.5 1.4 23,880 22,928 22,041 21,820 90,574 82,590 9.7

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 11,486 10,887 10,312 5.5 5.6 -1.8 12,455 11,655 10,865 10,898 46,062 40,744 13.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 9,160 9,198 9,244 -0.4 -0.5 4.3 9,538 9,476 9,375 9,236 37,323 35,078 6.4

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,786 1,770 1,775 0.9 -0.3 6.1 1,887 1,797 1,801 1,686 7,189 6,768 6.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 28,040 28,368 26,969 -1.2 5.2 0.3 29,091 30,040 26,843 27,952 111,796 109,752 1.9

 Machinery............................................. 31,765 30,526 28,126 4.1 8.5 -8.3 33,883 33,382 27,646 29,114 125,860 113,438 11.0

 Construction machinery....................... 2,870 3,832 1,907 -25.1 100.9 -30.4 3,080 4,216 2,083 2,166 12,466 9,743 27.9

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 2,163 1,456 1,566 48.6 -7.0 -2.9 2,140 1,530 1,607 1,456 6,797 5,176 31.3

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,248 3,144 3,128 3.3 0.5 -11.3 3,789 3,257 2,898 4,675 14,176 14,911 -4.9

 Photographic equipment...................... 558 498 508 12.0 -2.0 -30.4 565 544 457 669 2,280 2,525 -9.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,939 3,661 3,900 34.9 -6.1 -12.4 4,934 3,822 2,679 3,189 16,017 14,248 12.4

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,885 2,413 2,355 19.6 2.5 -3.3 2,805 2,516 2,408 2,119 10,293 9,382 9.7

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 3,710 4,178 3,711 -11.2 12.6 9.3 4,018 4,492 3,872 3,245 15,543 12,710 22.3

 Material handling equipment............... 2,489 2,775 2,687 -10.3 3.3 0.1 2,283 3,296 2,974 1,939 11,068 9,256 19.6

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 27,235 27,889 27,640 -2.3 0.9 1.5 23,657 32,465 26,384 23,692 106,171 103,195 2.9

 Computers........................................ 2,737 3,533 3,603 -22.5 -1.9 22.8 2,528 3,991 3,179 3,104 12,204 12,889 -5.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 5,117 4,988 5,151 2.6 -3.2 6.8 4,720 5,887 5,269 4,758 19,941 19,880 0.3

 Defense communications equipment... 768 822 639 -6.6 28.6 0.5 571 1,215 528 268 2,779 1,966 41.4

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components....................... 4,112 4,278 4,171 -3.9 2.6 1.9 3,669 4,615 4,142 3,577 16,209 15,907 1.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 1,030 747 1,007 37.9 -25.8 -10.9 911 860 1,050 876 4,028 4,105 -1.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,538 2,767 2,565 -8.3 7.9 -15.8 2,115 3,458 2,808 2,825 11,116 10,600 4.9

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,363 7,420 7,235 -0.8 2.6 0.0 6,495 8,435 6,598 5,775 27,896 25,922 7.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 11,890 9,279 11,429 28.1 -18.8 2.5 12,056 9,390 11,664 11,129 43,836 43,508 0.8

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,200 1,006 1,173 19.3 -14.2 27.6 1,268 1,069 1,191 1,177 4,422 4,925 -10.2

 Household appliances.......................... 2,034 2,054 1,976 -1.0 3.9 3.0 1,961 1,986 1,892 2,444 7,483 8,000 -6.5

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,574 2,419 4,174 47.7 -42.0 -1.6 3,637 2,483 4,461 3,394 14,838 14,604 1.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 56,080 60,913 64,208 -7.9 -5.1 7.2 51,786 65,951 63,485 63,445 238,479 254,418 -6.3

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 16,304 17,012 16,749 -4.2 1.6 -2.0 17,200 17,104 17,789 18,920 68,520 78,426 -12.6

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 12,098 16,000 14,721 -24.4 8.7 12.4 9,351 17,084 12,709 14,768 51,404 52,632 -2.3

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 4,410 4,638 4,344 -4.9 6.8 11.7 3,621 6,071 3,981 1,752 17,850 10,165 75.6

 Ships and boats................................. 2,217 2,565 3,296 -13.6 -22.2 92.7 1,834 2,797 3,333 1,596 10,442 10,073 3.7

 Furniture and related products................. 6,561 6,653 6,499 -1.4 2.4 0.7 6,655 6,767 6,609 6,996 26,131 27,806 -6.0

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 230,812 224,600 217,759 2.8 3.1 -1.8 232,350 224,849 210,323 204,285 877,395 788,328 11.3

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

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

2008p 2008r 2008 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 08/07

All manufacturing industries 1................... 804,388 797,114 786,860 0.9 1.3 1.2 816,356 811,015 797,537 703,846 16.0

 Excluding transportation 1................... 351,122 345,809 343,064 1.5 0.8 0.1 358,307 351,769 346,890 328,286 9.1

 Excluding defense 1............................. 652,623 644,459 634,514 1.3 1.6 1.2 660,800 652,847 642,393 555,743 18.9

 Durable goods industries 1..................... 804,388 797,114 786,860 0.9 1.3 1.2 816,356 811,015 797,537 703,846 16.0

 Primary metals........................................ 29,305 28,864 28,355 1.5 1.8 1.1 30,641 30,066 29,251 29,408 4.2

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 18,225 17,845 17,397 2.1 2.6 0.6 19,163 18,651 17,901 18,208 5.2

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 8,068 8,032 7,961 0.4 0.9 2.1 8,399 8,349 8,258 8,091 3.8

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 3,012 2,987 2,997 0.8 -0.3 1.6 3,079 3,066 3,092 3,109 -1.0

 Fabricated metal products...................... 62,837 62,496 61,377 0.5 1.8 0.3 64,038 63,383 60,747 59,098 8.4

 Machinery............................................. 97,482 94,382 92,896 3.3 1.6 -1.2 100,128 96,303 94,777 84,924 17.9

 Construction machinery....................... 13,101 12,625 11,057 3.8 14.2 -4.0 14,066 13,550 11,792 12,273 14.6

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 5,705 5,068 5,043 12.6 0.5 1.0 5,739 5,097 5,124 3,911 46.7

 Industrial machinery............................ 16,263 16,015 15,999 1.5 0.1 0.8 16,841 16,125 16,257 15,284 10.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,656 1,666 1,725 -0.6 -3.4 -2.5 1,712 1,697 1,730 1,644 4.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 13,773 12,730 13,341 8.2 -4.6 -6.4 13,843 12,592 13,331 9,690 42.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 8,334 7,908 7,832 5.4 1.0 -0.4 8,513 8,017 8,019 6,916 23.1

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 14,355 14,326 13,733 0.2 4.3 1.7 14,508 14,540 13,864 12,930 12.2

 Material handling equipment............... 10,081 10,106 10,232 -0.2 -1.2 0.2 10,370 10,476 10,565 9,173 13.0

 Computers and electronic products 1...... 123,080 122,954 122,125 0.1 0.7 0.5 124,669 124,893 123,670 117,272 6.3

 Computers......................................... 3,406 3,524 3,295 -3.3 6.9 4.9 3,406 3,524 3,295 3,378 0.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 29,389 29,165 29,286 0.8 -0.4 0.3 30,061 29,499 29,658 29,154 3.1

 Defense communications equipment... 7,787 7,664 7,533 1.6 1.7 -0.3 7,874 7,956 7,499 6,699 17.5

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 10,844 10,835 10,594 0.1 2.3 1.7 10,843 10,871 10,766 10,288 5.4

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 6,643 6,551 6,758 1.4 -3.1 0.9 6,757 6,735 6,938 5,931 13.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 37,136 37,202 37,154 -0.2 0.1 -0.3 37,856 38,287 37,756 36,131 4.8

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 27,875 28,013 27,505 -0.5 1.8 0.8 27,872 28,021 27,758 25,691 8.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 25,251 23,986 25,247 5.3 -5.0 3.6 25,654 24,164 25,750 24,463 4.9

 Electric lighting equipment................... 2,712 2,541 2,548 6.7 -0.3 6.1 2,767 2,524 2,513 2,469 12.1

 Household appliances.......................... 798 732 627 9.0 16.7 4.2 775 750 757 944 -17.9

 Electrical equipment............................ 15,486 15,406 16,466 0.5 -6.4 3.9 15,640 15,415 16,644 14,378 8.8

 Transportation equipment........................ 453,266 451,305 443,796 0.4 1.7 2.0 458,049 459,246 450,647 375,560 22.0

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 17,564 17,681 17,635 -0.7 0.3 -2.0 17,851 17,961 18,307 20,457 -12.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 298,129 294,712 286,620 1.2 2.8 2.3 299,819 298,369 290,595 219,918 36.3

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 43,666 43,895 43,757 -0.5 0.3 -0.6 44,902 45,422 44,462 40,128 11.9

 Ships and boats................................. 20,458 20,592 20,348 -0.7 1.2 4.7 21,049 21,644 21,340 21,007 0.2

 Furniture and related products................. 7,353 7,287 7,113 0.9 2.4 -0.1 7,363 7,120 6,744 7,447 -1.1

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

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

2008p 2008r 2008 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 08/07

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 545,670 545,791 540,675 0.0 0.9 0.6 548,662 544,108 542,782 517,561 6.0

 Excluding transportation ...................... 460,194 460,982 457,240 -0.2 0.8 0.5 462,490 459,676 459,080 440,398 5.0

 Excluding defense ............................. 521,173 521,688 516,661 -0.1 1.0 0.6 524,057 520,085 518,796 495,696 5.7

 With unfilled orders ............................. 263,035 260,821 257,565 0.8 1.3 0.7 264,818 259,993 259,386 248,944 6.4

 Durable goods industries ........................ 329,067 327,066 323,841 0.6 1.0 0.5 331,125 326,228 326,654 315,078 5.1

 Wood products................................. ....... 10,344 10,502 10,768 -1.5 -2.5 -2.8 10,239 10,621 10,967 11,539 -11.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 11,994 11,972 11,880 0.2 0.8 0.2 12,294 12,248 12,138 11,932 3.0

 Primary metals............................ ............ 32,253 31,693 30,979 1.8 2.3 0.6 32,374 31,552 30,935 31,232 3.7

 Iron and steel mills............................... 17,562 17,185 16,689 2.2 3.0 0.6 17,479 16,965 16,579 16,873 3.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 12,157 11,946 11,688 1.8 2.2 0.9 12,300 11,944 11,684 11,755 4.6

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,534 2,562 2,602 -1.1 -1.5 -0.2 2,595 2,643 2,672 2,604 -0.3

 Fabricated metal products......................... 42,850 42,443 42,288 1.0 0.4 -0.1 43,325 42,828 42,922 42,461 2.0

 Machinery.............................................. 53,689 53,549 52,839 0.3 1.3 0.5 54,175 53,897 53,730 50,921 6.4

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,014 2,960 2,897 1.8 2.2 0.3 3,088 3,215 3,226 2,514 22.8

 Construction machinery........................ 5,483 5,391 5,358 1.7 0.6 1.0 5,576 5,490 5,446 5,129 8.7

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 4,290 4,256 4,234 0.8 0.5 0.6 4,336 4,258 4,239 3,991 8.6

 Industrial machinery............................. 6,739 6,646 6,512 1.4 2.1 -0.2 6,691 6,662 6,612 6,581 1.7

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,248 1,264 1,290 -1.3 -2.0 0.2 1,272 1,246 1,303 1,644 -22.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,968 4,916 4,891 1.1 0.5 0.6 5,210 4,979 4,961 4,964 5.0

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,183 5,213 5,104 -0.6 2.1 1.2 5,161 5,173 5,065 4,744 8.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 6,023 6,250 5,997 -3.6 4.2 0.6 5,953 6,097 6,020 5,347 11.3

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,403 3,327 3,279 2.3 1.5 1.1 3,448 3,329 3,343 3,060 12.7

 Computers and electronic products ......... 46,324 46,045 45,503 0.6 1.2 0.8 46,145 44,906 45,859 45,098 2.3

 Computers......................................... 1,463 1,522 1,466 -3.9 3.8 1.4 1,367 1,489 1,439 1,302 5.0

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,682 1,678 1,558 0.2 7.7 2.6 1,707 1,556 1,602 1,415 20.6

 Other peripheral equipment................... 2,060 2,055 2,036 0.2 0.9 1.6 2,084 1,949 2,070 2,041 2.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 8,506 8,413 8,226 1.1 2.3 0.1 8,454 8,135 8,380 7,878 7.3

 Defense communications equipment...... 1,473 1,355 1,216 8.7 11.4 0.8 1,473 1,355 1,216 1,009 46.0

 Audio and video equipment.................. 964 993 986 -2.9 0.7 3.5 839 889 924 733 14.5

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

 Electronic components.......................... 6,572 6,648 6,672 -1.1 -0.4 2.0 6,606 6,476 6,699 6,667 -0.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 4,756 4,714 4,636 0.9 1.7 1.5 4,708 4,667 4,596 3,864 21.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 3,354 3,385 3,372 -0.9 0.4 -1.0 3,415 3,361 3,411 3,252 5.0

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 10,466 10,333 10,189 1.3 1.4 -0.1 10,449 10,158 10,373 11,195 -6.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,309 15,119 15,213 1.3 -0.6 1.2 15,602 15,261 15,560 14,640 6.6

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,792 1,695 1,762 5.7 -3.8 1.0 1,832 1,707 1,793 1,899 -3.5

 Household appliances.......................... 1,986 2,011 2,026 -1.2 -0.7 0.5 2,057 1,991 2,074 2,007 2.5

 Electrical equipment............................. 5,239 5,254 5,351 -0.3 -1.8 1.7 5,323 5,319 5,512 4,909 8.4

 Batteries............................................ 810 782 750 3.6 4.3 0.7 822 787 740 662 24.2

 Transportation equipment......................... 85,476 84,809 83,435 0.8 1.6 1.1 86,172 84,432 83,702 77,163 11.7

 Automobiles....................................... 2,429 2,723 2,770 -10.8 -1.7 -3.0 2,395 2,617 2,819 2,697 -11.2

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 2,936 2,967 2,907 -1.0 2.1 2.3 3,009 2,918 2,828 3,486 -13.7

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,531 1,432 1,387 6.9 3.2 0.7 1,516 1,416 1,369 1,361 11.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 16,843 16,904 16,915 -0.4 -0.1 -1.1 17,085 17,095 17,156 18,322 -6.8

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 36,290 35,778 34,473 1.4 3.8 1.6 36,561 35,536 34,494 28,764 27.1

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 13,985 13,770 13,742 1.6 0.2 0.9 14,011 13,699 13,681 12,436 12.7

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,117 3,033 3,014 2.8 0.6 -0.2 3,134 3,100 3,086 3,061 2.4

 Furniture and related products................. 7,903 7,994 8,009 -1.1 -0.2 -0.7 7,885 7,861 7,871 8,226 -4.1

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 22,925 22,940 22,927 -0.1 0.1 -0.4 22,914 22,622 22,970 21,866 4.8

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 216,603 218,725 216,834 -1.0 0.9 0.8 217,537 217,880 216,128 202,483 7.4

 Food products........................................ 37,605 37,425 37,284 0.5 0.4 0.7 36,768 36,710 37,365 34,267 7.3

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,093 5,000 4,918 1.9 1.7 3.9 5,023 4,996 5,087 4,228 18.8

 Dairy products.................................... 4,476 4,457 4,478 0.4 -0.5 -1.7 4,604 4,409 4,432 4,575 0.6

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 7,534 7,476 7,447 0.8 0.4 0.8 7,567 7,506 7,464 6,829 10.8

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 15,186 15,135 15,189 0.3 -0.4 0.8 15,223 15,296 15,465 15,027 1.3

 Beverages......................................... 11,355 11,314 11,274 0.4 0.4 0.5 11,378 11,399 11,338 10,948 3.9

 Tobacco............................................ 3,831 3,821 3,915 0.3 -2.4 1.7 3,845 3,897 4,127 4,079 -5.7

 Textile mills............................................ 3,696 3,749 3,765 -1.4 -0.4 -0.3 3,702 3,757 3,820 3,857 -4.0

 Textile products...................................... 3,348 3,349 3,353 0.0 -0.1 -0.4 3,327 3,300 3,358 3,346 -0.6

 Apparel................................................. 4,431 4,427 4,428 0.1 0.0 0.9 4,353 4,282 4,395 4,093 6.4

 Leather and allied products...................... 1,024 1,038 1,049 -1.3 -1.0 0.8 994 1,008 1,057 1,038 -4.2

 Paper products....................................... 15,302 15,292 15,128 0.1 1.1 0.1 15,493 15,465 15,266 15,178 2.1

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 6,669 6,672 6,601 0.0 1.1 -0.3 6,792 6,800 6,659 6,808 -0.2

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,277 4,254 4,203 0.5 1.2 1.1 4,292 4,271 4,264 4,168 3.0

 Printing.................................................. 6,881 6,897 6,737 -0.2 2.4 3.0 6,767 6,780 6,573 6,551 3.3

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 38,931 41,580 40,019 -6.4 3.9 1.7 39,975 40,587 37,681 32,961 21.3

 Petroleum refineries............................. 36,618 39,347 37,462 -6.9 5.0 1.6 37,633 38,370 35,121 30,297 24.2

 Chemical products..................................... 67,931 67,739 68,002 0.3 -0.4 0.4 68,253 68,075 68,735 65,071 4.9

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 3,086 3,061 3,030 0.8 1.0 2.9 3,227 3,458 3,539 2,849 13.3

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 23,730 23,754 24,170 -0.1 -1.7 -0.4 23,596 23,495 23,957 23,275 1.4

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,189 3,215 3,158 -0.8 1.8 1.7 3,269 3,327 3,196 3,095 5.6

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 22,268 22,094 21,880 0.8 1.0 0.7 22,682 22,620 22,413 21,094 7.5

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

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 443,941 434,378 429,531 2.2 1.1 -1.9 444,955 447,025 417,428 414,836 1,714,345 1,619,780 5.8

 Construction materials and supplies...... 43,460 43,444 43,748 0.0 -0.7 1.8 44,369 43,261 41,054 44,771 166,788 170,003 -1.9

 Information technology......................... 26,881 26,891 26,861 0.0 0.1 -3.2 24,137 30,756 24,707 24,087 102,792 100,725 2.1

 Computers and related products .......... 5,059 5,415 5,512 -6.6 -1.8 -1.6 4,148 6,568 4,709 4,655 19,911 19,913 0.0

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 33,714 34,567 36,766 -2.5 -6.0 -2.4 34,233 35,789 38,486 39,434 143,553 162,582 -11.7

 Capital goods...................................... 76,557 75,338 74,879 1.6 0.6 -3.4 73,980 83,615 71,903 70,674 296,776 282,750 5.0

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 67,398 66,680 66,455 1.1 0.3 -3.6 65,202 74,182 63,411 63,379 262,813 253,062 3.9

 Excluding aircraft............................. 62,625 62,500 62,023 0.2 0.8 -1.3 61,025 69,101 59,177 59,471 245,697 236,757 3.8

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 9,159 8,658 8,424 5.8 2.8 -1.6 8,778 9,433 8,492 7,295 33,963 29,688 14.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 184,260 178,994 174,960 2.9 2.3 -1.9 182,498 178,353 170,560 163,520 699,111 635,902 9.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 30,821 31,018 33,134 -0.6 -6.4 -2.4 30,508 32,350 33,534 34,152 127,132 136,795 -7.1

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 153,439 147,976 141,826 3.7 4.3 -1.8 151,990 146,003 137,026 129,368 571,979 499,107 14.6

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 445,234 440,216 433,860 1.1 1.5 -0.4 443,957 456,231 423,205 419,451 1,736,733 1,642,564 5.7

 Construction materials and supplies...... 44,838 43,556 43,260 2.9 0.7 -0.7 46,432 44,357 40,102 45,128 170,529 173,456 -1.7

 Information technology......................... 27,936 27,121 27,309 3.0 -0.7 0.6 24,953 31,480 26,155 24,328 106,378 103,341 2.9

 Computers and related products .......... 4,941 5,644 5,666 -12.5 -0.4 12.8 4,030 6,797 4,863 4,480 19,600 19,806 -1.0

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 33,597 34,613 36,398 -2.9 -4.9 -2.3 34,123 35,443 38,243 39,124 142,839 162,606 -12.2

 Capital goods...................................... 82,685 83,738 83,976 -1.3 -0.3 2.4 77,615 93,798 81,579 80,669 331,480 318,784 4.0

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 74,265 75,431 74,408 -1.5 1.4 1.6 71,285 82,269 72,013 74,893 294,725 287,311 2.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 65,756 63,222 63,860 4.0 -1.0 -0.9 65,239 69,869 63,745 63,045 259,936 250,346 3.8

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,420 8,307 9,568 1.4 -13.2 9.2 6,330 11,529 9,566 5,776 36,755 31,473 16.8

 Consumer goods.................................. 184,351 179,019 174,737 3.0 2.5 -1.9 182,573 178,253 170,415 163,901 698,976 636,671 9.8

 Consumer durable goods..................... 30,912 31,043 32,911 -0.4 -5.7 -2.2 30,583 32,250 33,389 34,533 126,997 137,564 -7.7

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 153,439 147,976 141,826 3.7 4.3 -1.8 151,990 146,003 137,026 129,368 571,979 499,107 14.6

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 804,388 797,114 786,860 0.9 1.3 1.2 816,356 811,015 797,537 703,846 (X) (X) 16.0

 Construction materials and supplies...... 53,503 52,125 52,013 2.6 0.2 -0.9 54,309 52,246 51,150 47,297 (X) (X) 14.8

 Information technology......................... 120,147 119,092 118,862 0.9 0.2 0.4 122,010 121,194 120,470 115,300 (X) (X) 5.8

 Computers and related products .......... 3,406 3,524 3,295 -3.3 6.9 4.9 3,406 3,524 3,295 3,378 (X) (X) 0.8

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 17,564 17,681 17,635 -0.7 0.3 -2.0 17,851 17,961 18,307 20,457 (X) (X) -12.7

 Capital goods...................................... 601,888 595,760 587,360 1.0 1.4 1.6 610,161 606,526 596,343 512,406 (X) (X) 19.1

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................465,661 458,794 450,043 1.5 1.9 1.8 470,727 464,644 456,557 378,044 (X) (X) 24.5

 Excluding aircraft............................. 199,107 195,976 195,254 1.6 0.4 0.9 203,023 198,809 198,041 186,611 (X) (X) 8.8

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 136,227 136,966 137,317 -0.5 -0.3 0.8 139,434 141,882 139,786 134,362 (X) (X) 3.8

 Consumer goods.................................. 9,033 8,942 8,917 1.0 0.3 -2.4 9,029 8,954 9,054 9,546 (X) (X) -5.4

 Consumer durable goods..................... 9,033 8,942 8,917 1.0 0.3 -2.4 9,029 8,954 9,054 9,546 (X) (X) -5.4 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 545,670 545,791 540,675 0.0 0.9 0.6 548,662 544,108 542,782 517,561 (X) (X) 6.0

 Construction materials and supplies...... 59,601 59,202 59,560 0.7 -0.6 -0.3 60,354 59,921 60,642 60,731 (X) (X) -0.6

 Information technology......................... 41,901 41,541 40,746 0.9 2.0 0.5 41,772 40,687 41,188 39,918 (X) (X) 4.6

 Computers and related products .......... 5,205 5,255 5,060 -1.0 3.9 1.8 5,158 4,994 5,111 4,758 (X) (X) 8.4

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 23,739 24,026 23,979 -1.2 0.2 -0.8 24,005 24,046 24,172 25,866 (X) (X) -7.2

 Capital goods...................................... 153,938 152,616 149,941 0.9 1.8 0.9 154,589 151,858 151,231 139,966 (X) (X) 10.4

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................134,594 133,603 131,025 0.7 2.0 0.8 135,163 132,854 132,282 122,578 (X) (X) 10.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 106,690 106,149 104,837 0.5 1.3 0.6 107,080 105,461 106,080 101,092 (X) (X) 5.9

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 19,344 19,013 18,916 1.7 0.5 1.8 19,426 19,004 18,949 17,388 (X) (X) 11.7

 Consumer goods.................................. 162,910 165,924 164,289 -1.8 1.0 0.5 162,885 163,562 162,293 152,638 (X) (X) 6.7

 Consumer durable goods..................... 28,686 29,227 29,247 -1.9 -0.1 -0.4 28,569 28,776 29,406 29,223 (X) (X) -2.2

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 134,224 136,697 135,042 -1.8 1.2 0.7 134,316 134,786 132,887 123,415 (X) (X) 8.8

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

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

2008p 2008r 2008 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 08/07

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 187,392 186,775 186,102 0.3 0.4 0.3 187,490 185,764 186,012 179,671 4.4

 Durable goods industries........................ 112,237 111,560 110,644 0.6 0.8 0.4 111,838 110,565 110,838 108,626 3.0

 Wood products................................... 4,212 4,288 4,366 -1.8 -1.8 -1.6 3,841 4,108 4,397 4,262 -9.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,957 4,897 4,837 1.2 1.2 0.3 4,962 4,914 4,848 4,585 8.2

 Primary metals.................................... 12,105 11,562 11,458 4.7 0.9 1.3 11,869 11,226 11,265 11,303 5.0

 Fabricated metal products..................... 15,764 15,496 15,289 1.7 1.4 -1.6 15,845 15,584 15,513 15,776 0.4

 Machinery.......................................... 20,347 20,310 20,067 0.2 1.2 0.8 20,496 20,153 20,121 19,368 5.8

 Computers and electronic products ...... 15,768 15,894 15,715 -0.8 1.1 0.5 15,492 15,619 15,689 16,243 -4.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,215 6,065 6,053 2.5 0.2 1.4 6,282 6,085 6,176 5,718 9.9

 Transportation equipment..................... 21,600 21,726 21,625 -0.6 0.5 1.5 21,754 21,701 21,630 20,344 6.9

 Furniture and related products............... 3,776 3,821 3,773 -1.2 1.3 -0.4 3,780 3,799 3,746 3,817 -1.0

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,493 7,501 7,461 -0.1 0.5 0.4 7,517 7,376 7,453 7,210 4.3

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 75,155 75,215 75,458 -0.1 -0.3 0.2 75,652 75,199 75,174 71,045 6.5

 Food products.................................... 14,047 14,010 13,860 0.3 1.1 0.7 14,011 14,001 14,033 12,732 10.0

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,452 4,483 4,580 -0.7 -2.1 2.4 4,446 4,532 4,712 4,616 -3.7

 Textiles.............................................. 1,182 1,173 1,208 0.8 -2.9 -0.7 1,200 1,181 1,225 1,269 -5.4

 Textile products.................................. 1,325 1,302 1,284 1.8 1.4 0.0 1,311 1,284 1,276 1,230 6.6

 Apparel............................................. 1,077 1,091 1,076 -1.3 1.4 1.3 1,076 1,081 1,084 1,039 3.6

 Leather and allied products................... 392 404 407 -3.0 -0.7 -1.5 384 390 403 361 6.4

 Paper products.................................... 7,390 7,311 7,277 1.1 0.5 -1.2 7,426 7,388 7,347 7,165 3.6

 Printing ............................................. 3,165 3,147 3,038 0.6 3.6 3.3 3,121 3,146 2,930 2,866 8.9

 Petroleum and coal products................ 12,515 12,617 12,444 -0.8 1.4 -3.4 13,027 12,308 11,576 11,910 9.4

 Chemical products................................ 20,784 20,925 21,621 -0.7 -3.2 1.6 20,814 21,098 21,831 19,520 6.6

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 8,826 8,752 8,663 0.8 1.0 0.3 8,836 8,790 8,757 8,337 6.0

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 160,009 159,777 157,753 0.1 1.3 1.5 161,281 159,519 158,174 143,770 12.2

 Durable goods industries........................ 119,782 118,227 116,407 1.3 1.6 1.1 120,778 117,805 117,102 107,808 12.0

 Wood products................................... 1,926 1,918 1,954 0.4 -1.8 -2.3 1,963 1,940 1,973 2,171 -9.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,316 1,317 1,350 -0.1 -2.4 2.3 1,380 1,379 1,408 1,400 -1.4

 Primary metals.................................... 10,302 10,219 10,036 0.8 1.8 1.4 10,492 10,259 10,030 10,243 2.4

 Fabricated metal products..................... 13,070 13,116 13,124 -0.4 -0.1 1.5 13,090 13,071 13,187 12,263 6.7

 Machinery.......................................... 14,650 14,823 14,632 -1.2 1.3 0.4 14,790 14,870 14,597 14,251 3.8

 Computers and electronic products ...... 20,803 20,057 19,761 3.7 1.5 1.0 20,852 19,424 19,999 18,240 14.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,139 3,161 3,212 -0.7 -1.6 0.3 3,232 3,203 3,258 3,148 2.7

 Transportation equipment..................... 49,857 48,880 47,586 2.0 2.7 1.6 50,216 48,944 47,908 41,363 21.4

 Furniture and related products............... 1,311 1,297 1,306 1.1 -0.7 0.4 1,312 1,290 1,296 1,327 -1.1

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,408 3,439 3,446 -0.9 -0.2 -2.3 3,451 3,425 3,446 3,402 1.4

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 40,227 41,550 41,346 -3.2 0.5 2.5 40,503 41,714 41,072 35,962 12.6

 Food products.................................... 2,500 2,533 2,568 -1.3 -1.4 -0.5 2,326 2,457 2,619 2,549 -8.7

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,261 4,269 4,302 -0.2 -0.8 -0.5 4,171 4,296 4,453 4,529 -7.9

 Textiles.............................................. 883 897 903 -1.6 -0.7 -1.2 877 892 910 988 -11.2

 Textile products.................................. 415 421 436 -1.4 -3.4 1.6 421 419 437 504 -16.5

 Apparel............................................. 631 634 650 -0.5 -2.5 -2.0 647 627 654 700 -7.6

 Leather and allied products................... 85 92 95 -7.6 -3.2 2.2 88 96 97 117 -24.8

 Paper products.................................... 1,466 1,475 1,468 -0.6 0.5 -0.5 1,476 1,480 1,456 1,359 8.6

 Printing ............................................. 1,754 1,809 1,794 -3.0 0.8 2.2 1,678 1,735 1,770 1,814 -7.5

 Petroleum and coal products................ 11,826 13,044 12,704 -9.3 2.7 13.0 12,368 13,447 12,333 8,162 51.5

 Chemical products................................ 13,905 13,906 13,946 0.0 -0.3 -3.4 13,913 13,720 13,785 12,854 8.2

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 2,501 2,470 2,480 1.3 -0.4 1.8 2,538 2,545 2,558 2,386 6.4

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 198,269 199,239 196,820 -0.5 1.2 0.2 199,891 198,825 198,596 194,120 3.0

 Durable goods industries........................ 97,048 97,279 96,790 -0.2 0.5 -0.3 98,509 97,858 98,714 98,644 -0.1

 Wood products................................... 4,206 4,296 4,448 -2.1 -3.4 -4.1 4,435 4,573 4,597 5,106 -13.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,721 5,758 5,693 -0.6 1.1 -0.5 5,952 5,955 5,882 5,947 0.1

 Primary metals.................................... 9,846 9,912 9,485 -0.7 4.5 -0.9 10,013 10,067 9,640 9,686 3.4

 Fabricated metal products..................... 14,016 13,831 13,875 1.3 -0.3 0.0 14,390 14,173 14,222 14,422 -0.2

 Machinery.......................................... 18,692 18,416 18,140 1.5 1.5 0.4 18,889 18,874 19,012 17,302 9.2

 Computers and electronic products ...... 9,753 10,094 10,027 -3.4 0.7 0.7 9,801 9,863 10,171 10,615 -7.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 5,955 5,893 5,948 1.1 -0.9 1.4 6,088 5,973 6,126 5,774 5.4

 Transportation equipment..................... 14,019 14,203 14,224 -1.3 -0.1 -1.0 14,202 13,787 14,164 15,456 -8.1

 Furniture and related products............... 2,816 2,876 2,930 -2.1 -1.8 -1.4 2,793 2,772 2,829 3,082 -9.4

 Miscellaneous products........................ 12,024 12,000 12,020 0.2 -0.2 -0.3 11,946 11,821 12,071 11,254 6.1

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 101,221 101,960 100,030 -0.7 1.9 0.6 101,382 100,967 99,882 95,476 6.2

 Food products.................................... 21,058 20,882 20,856 0.8 0.1 0.9 20,431 20,252 20,713 18,986 7.6

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 6,473 6,383 6,307 1.4 1.2 0.6 6,606 6,468 6,300 5,882 12.3

 Textiles.............................................. 1,631 1,679 1,654 -2.9 1.5 0.4 1,625 1,684 1,685 1,600 1.6

 Textile products.................................. 1,608 1,626 1,633 -1.1 -0.4 -1.2 1,595 1,597 1,645 1,612 -1.1

 Apparel............................................. 2,723 2,702 2,702 0.8 0.0 1.5 2,630 2,574 2,657 2,354 11.7

 Leather and allied products................... 547 542 547 0.9 -0.9 2.2 522 522 557 560 -6.8

 Paper products.................................... 6,446 6,506 6,383 -0.9 1.9 1.8 6,591 6,597 6,463 6,654 -0.9

 Printing ............................................. 1,962 1,941 1,905 1.1 1.9 3.1 1,968 1,899 1,873 1,871 5.2

 Petroleum and coal products................ 14,590 15,919 14,871 -8.3 7.0 -2.4 14,580 14,832 13,772 12,889 13.1

 Chemical products................................ 33,242 32,908 32,435 1.0 1.5 1.4 33,526 33,257 33,119 32,697 2.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 10,941 10,872 10,737 0.6 1.3 0.9 11,308 11,285 11,098 10,371 9.0

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 Apr Mar Feb Jan Apr Mar Feb Jan

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

 All manufacturing industries2

...... 1.23 1.26 1.26 1.23 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

................... 1.54 1.56 1.53 1.49 5.29 5.30 5.24 5.14

 Wood products................................ 1.28 1.30 1.33 1.36 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Primary metals................................. 1.47 1.48 1.47 1.48 1.33 1.35 1.35 1.35

 Fabricated metal products............... 1.55 1.56 1.58 1.57 2.35 2.38 2.38 2.35

 Machinery....................................... 1.87 1.84 1.81 1.87 3.77 3.58 3.49 3.71

 Computers and electronic products 2

.. 1.40 1.46 1.43 1.30 5.23 5.18 5.13 4.92

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 1.44 1.43 1.44 1.40 2.58 2.46 2.58 2.45

 Transportation equipment................. 1.58 1.59 1.50 1.43 12.31 12.61 12.31 11.63

 Furniture and related products........... 1.22 1.23 1.23 1.23 1.29 1.28 1.24 1.24

 Miscellaneous products.................... 1.75 1.77 1.77 1.76 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries.............. 0.94 0.97 1.00 0.97 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products................................... 0.74 0.75 0.76 0.74 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products......... 1.32 1.34 1.42 1.36 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................... 1.28 1.30 1.31 1.29 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................... 1.42 1.43 1.43 1.41 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel.......................................... 1.72 1.71 1.75 1.69 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............... 2.02 2.13 2.16 2.10 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products................................ 1.06 1.07 1.07 1.05 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing.......................................... 0.82 0.83 0.83 0.79 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............ 0.63 0.71 0.76 0.72 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products............................. 1.17 1.19 1.20 1.18 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products.............. 1.28 1.27 1.24 1.23 (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.

Apr2 Apr2 Apr2 Apr2

Industry 2007- 2007- 2007- 2007-

Apr1 Mar Apr1 Mar Apr1 Mar Apr1 Mar

2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008

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

Durable goods industries...................... 0.4 0.3 -0.1 0.5 -0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

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

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Primary metals.................................... 0.6 0.3 -0.2 0.9 0.2 0.7 0.2 0.2

 Fabricated metal products................... 0.5 0.4 0.1 0.7 0.0 0.2 -0.1 0.2

 Machinery.......................................... 0.0 0.4 -0.1 1.1 0.0 0.5 0.3 0.2

 Computers and electronic products ..... 0.8 1.0 -0.8 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.3 0.5 0.3 2.2 0.0 1.0 0.4 0.5

 Transportation equipment................... 0.5 0.6 0.1 1.3 -0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.7 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.3 (X) 0.6 (X) 1.0 (X) 0.1

Nondurable goods industries.................. (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

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

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

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Textile products................................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.9

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 1.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.0

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.9

 Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 1.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

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

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

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

 publication.

2

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

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

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

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.