FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2016, AT 10:00 A.M. EST 

Adriana Stoica 

Economic Indicators Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (16)-10 

CB 16-191 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

October 2016 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in October, up 

four consecutive months, increased $12.5 billion or 2.7 

percent to $469.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This followed a 0.6 percent September 

increase. 

 Shipments, up seven of the last eight months, 

increased $1.7 billion or 0.4 percent to $464.7 billion. 

This followed a 0.9 percent September increase. 

 Unfilled orders, up following four consecutive 

monthly decreases, increased $8.2 billion or 0.7 percent to $1,128.5 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent 

September decrease. The unfilled orders-to-shipments 

ratio was 6.78, up from 6.70 in September. 

 Inventories, up three of the last four months, increased 

$0.3 billion or virtually unchanged to $621.4 billion. 

This followed a 0.1 percent September decrease. The 

inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.34, unchanged from 

September. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

October, up four consecutive months, increased $10.6 

billion or 4.6 percent to $238.8 billion, down from the 

previously published 4.8 percent increase. This 

followed a 0.3 percent September increase. 

 Transportation equipment, also up four consecutive months, led the increase, $9.4 billion or 12.0 percent to 

$88.1 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $2.0 billion or 0.9 percent to $230.7 billion. 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in October, 

down two of the last three months, decreased $0.3 

billion or 0.1 percent to $234.1 billion, down from the 

previously published 0.1 percent increase. This 

followed a 0.8 percent September increase. 

 Transportation equipment, down three of the last four 

months, drove the decrease, $1.2 billion or 1.5 percent to 

$80.7 billion. 

 

 

 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up 

seven of the last eight months, increased $2.0 billion or 

0.9 percent to $230.7 billion. This followed a 0.9 

percent September increase. Petroleum and coal 

products, also up seven of the last eight months, drove 

the increase, $2.3 billion or 6.2 percent to $39.3 billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

October, up following four consecutive monthly 

decreases, increased $8.2 billion or 0.7 percent to 

$1,128.5 billion, virtually unchanged from the 

previously published increase. This followed a 0.2 

percent September decrease. 

 

 Transportation equipment, also up following four 

consecutive monthly decreases, led the increase, $7.4 

billion or 1.0 percent to $773.0 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in October, 

up four consecutive months, increased less than $0.1 

billion or virtually unchanged to $383.7 billion, virtually 

unchanged from the previously published increase. This 

followed a virtually unchanged September increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up three of the last four 

months, drove the increase, $0.2 billion or 0.2 percent to $123.8 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up two 

of the last three months, increased $0.3 billion or 0.1 

percent to $237.8 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent 

September decrease. Chemical products, up following 

two consecutive monthly decreases, drove the increase, 

$0.3 billion or 0.4 percent to $81.7 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, October materials and supplies 

were virtually unchanged in durable goods and increased 

0.6 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process 

decreased 0.2 percent in durable goods and decreased 

0.7 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods 

increased 0.3 percent in durable goods and increased 0.2 

percent in nondurable goods. 

Figures in text are adjusted for seasonality, but not for inflation. Figures on new and unfilled orders exclude data for semiconductor manufacturing. For 

data, call (301) 763-4673 or go to www.census.gov/m3. The Advance Report on durable goods for November is scheduled for release on December 22, 2016 

at 8:30 a.m. EST and the Full Report on January 6, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. EST. See back page for survey description. To receive the latest updates on the 

Nation's key economic indicators, download the America's Economy app for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. 

“Virtually unchanged” indicates that the change is less than 0.05 percent for a percent increase or decrease. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry % Change

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2016p 2015 2015

 All manufacturing industries.................. 464,722 463,070 459,111 0.4 0.9 0.2 470,263 484,161 480,925 474,515 4,613,063 4,722,154 -2.3

 Excluding transportation................... 384,061 381,213 378,875 0.7 0.6 0.4 389,184 395,350 396,577 390,214 3,801,099 3,912,055 -2.8

 Excluding defense.............................. 452,207 450,581 446,417 0.4 0.9 0.2 458,119 470,105 468,538 461,401 4,491,196 4,601,622 -2.4

 With unfilled orders............................ 166,359 167,154 165,300 -0.5 1.1 -0.2 165,850 178,853 172,425 167,762 1,658,884 1,672,791 -0.8

 Durable goods industries......................... 234,062 234,367 232,525 -0.1 0.8 0.0 235,933 250,295 243,977 240,162 2,343,044 2,364,242 -0.9

 Wood products....................................... 8,499 8,419 8,330 1.0 1.1 0.8 8,898 8,816 9,036 8,395 84,782 81,560 4.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 9,979 9,893 9,890 0.9 0.0 0.5 10,708 10,716 11,223 10,475 100,891 96,520 4.5

 Primary metals....................................... 17,716 17,759 17,751 -0.2 0.0 -0.7 17,954 18,252 18,963 18,702 180,498 197,516 -8.6

 Iron and steel mills............................ 7,907 7,891 7,998 0.2 -1.3 -1.9 8,077 8,036 8,689 8,604 81,338 92,358 -11.9

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 8,406 8,444 8,299 -0.5 1.7 0.3 8,497 8,662 8,706 8,470 84,080 88,474 -5.0

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,403 1,424 1,454 -1.5 -2.1 -0.1 1,380 1,554 1,568 1,628 15,080 16,684 -9.6

 Fabricated metal products....................... 30,250 30,082 30,159 0.6 -0.3 0.2 30,935 31,650 32,569 30,606 303,476 299,916 1.2

 Machinery............................................. 30,073 30,070 29,896 0.0 0.6 0.6 29,816 31,098 30,316 31,657 304,493 325,042 -6.3

 Farm machinery................................. 1,813 1,816 1,726 -0.2 5.2 -1.3 1,672 1,652 1,583 1,826 18,593 21,457 -13.3

 Construction machinery..................... 2,639 2,565 2,496 2.9 2.8 2.8 2,785 2,539 2,462 3,620 27,538 37,146 -25.9

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 895 978 891 -8.5 9.8 7.3 912 1,017 900 1,520 9,770 17,636 -44.6

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,371 2,283 2,449 3.9 -6.8 1.0 2,401 2,618 2,338 2,613 23,931 23,837 0.4

 Photographic equipment...................... 403 397 420 1.5 -5.5 -0.2 413 431 433 470 4,158 4,218 -1.4

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,486 3,472 3,565 0.4 -2.6 3.4 3,163 3,732 3,887 3,333 35,224 35,894 -1.9

 Metalworking machinery..................... 3,185 3,234 3,084 -1.5 4.9 -1.0 3,346 3,532 3,226 3,168 30,689 27,548 11.4

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,884 4,025 3,965 -3.5 1.5 -3.2 3,913 3,989 4,044 3,823 40,470 44,567 -9.2

 Material handling equipment............... 3,063 2,981 2,960 2.8 0.7 -1.0 3,148 3,095 3,173 2,863 29,924 26,071 14.8

 Computers and electronic products2

.......... 27,549 27,262 27,433 1.1 -0.6 0.6 27,392 30,360 27,680 26,093 266,463 257,171 3.6

 Computers........................................ 616 569 612 8.3 -7.0 1.5 611 657 585 694 5,935 7,757 -23.5

 Computer storage devices..................... 583 478 593 22.0 -19.4 -14.4 433 725 476 407 5,374 5,312 1.2

 Other peripheral equipment................ 614 607 643 1.2 -5.6 -1.4 525 743 564 659 6,327 7,857 -19.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 3,061 3,233 3,142 -5.3 2.9 2.1 2,777 3,998 3,050 2,800 30,716 30,488 0.7

 Defense communications equipment.... 282 299 337 -5.7 -11.3 14.6 283 344 330 343 2,902 3,130 -7.3

 Audio and video equipment.................... 372 346 375 7.5 -7.7 2.7 461 339 352 437 3,381 2,578 31.1

 Electronic components......................... 5,004 4,964 4,950 0.8 0.3 3.4 4,895 5,211 5,332 4,444 48,032 42,907 11.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,405 1,395 1,369 0.7 1.9 -1.9 1,334 1,598 1,417 1,279 13,699 12,627 8.5

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,542 2,541 2,572 0.0 -1.2 -3.9 2,580 2,741 2,579 2,523 25,077 24,816 1.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 9,263 9,169 9,270 1.0 -1.1 0.3 8,786 10,535 9,005 8,529 89,654 84,502 6.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,694 9,567 9,598 1.3 -0.3 0.8 9,828 10,241 10,123 10,161 95,586 102,356 -6.6

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,052 1,034 1,091 1.7 -5.2 -0.6 1,116 1,075 1,149 1,138 10,592 10,224 3.6

 Household appliances........................ 1,429 1,412 1,388 1.2 1.7 1.8 1,478 1,508 1,448 1,561 13,997 15,545 -10.0

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,913 2,898 2,910 0.5 -0.4 1.0 2,802 3,200 3,028 2,984 29,529 32,289 -8.5

 Batteries........................................... 778 757 820 2.8 -7.7 3.1 877 820 865 1,023 7,770 8,320 -6.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 80,661 81,857 80,236 -1.5 2.0 -0.7 81,079 88,811 84,348 84,301 811,964 810,099 0.2

 Automobiles..................................... 8,806 9,143 9,471 -3.7 -3.5 0.4 9,082 9,797 10,195 10,940 97,032 106,862 -9.2

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 15,666 15,357 15,265 2.0 0.6 1.8 16,462 16,835 16,731 16,651 153,935 149,072 3.3

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,979 2,085 2,050 -5.1 1.7 -2.3 2,067 2,220 2,142 2,858 22,526 27,217 -17.2

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 28,870 29,113 28,363 -0.8 2.6 0.5 29,751 30,487 30,662 27,808 285,514 260,456 9.6

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 13,595 14,112 12,974 -3.7 8.8 -7.5 12,139 15,783 12,737 12,371 133,368 138,417 -3.6

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,933 4,132 4,475 -4.8 -7.7 10.4 3,740 4,849 4,247 5,332 41,286 48,340 -14.6

 Ships and boats................................. 2,964 3,118 3,143 -4.9 -0.8 -0.3 3,053 3,306 3,107 3,077 30,444 28,004 8.7

 Furniture and related products.................. 6,382 6,353 6,292 0.5 1.0 0.4 6,278 6,586 6,789 6,242 63,400 61,093 3.8

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,259 13,105 12,940 1.2 1.3 0.1 13,045 13,765 12,930 13,530 131,491 132,969 -1.1

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 230,660 228,703 226,586 0.9 0.9 0.5 234,330 233,866 236,948 234,353 2,270,019 2,357,912 -3.7

 Food products....................................... 64,630 64,940 65,011 -0.5 -0.1 0.1 68,012 66,712 66,389 68,414 645,185 643,433 0.3

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 7,929 7,984 7,870 -0.7 1.4 -2.7 8,700 7,980 8,306 8,854 79,451 79,329 0.2

 Dairy products.................................. 9,119 9,207 9,290 -1.0 -0.9 1.5 9,494 9,515 9,631 9,605 91,123 91,729 -0.7

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 17,535 17,657 17,752 -0.7 -0.5 -0.2 17,995 17,963 18,062 18,767 178,290 186,821 -4.6

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 12,405 12,386 12,640 0.2 -2.0 1.3 12,231 12,853 13,220 12,390 123,117 122,254 0.7

 Beverages......................................... 9,155 9,237 9,524 -0.9 -3.0 0.8 8,981 9,704 10,104 9,095 93,068 90,793 2.5

 Tobacco............................................ 3,250 3,149 3,116 3.2 1.1 2.9 3,250 3,149 3,116 3,295 30,049 31,461 -4.5

 Textile mills........................................... 2,509 2,476 2,525 1.3 -1.9 1.0 2,612 2,538 2,670 2,679 25,622 26,247 -2.4

 Textile products................................... 2,014 1,990 2,018 1.2 -1.4 1.8 2,042 1,970 2,131 2,084 20,203 20,786 -2.8

 Apparel................................................ 1,043 1,047 1,065 -0.4 -1.7 -0.9 1,220 1,121 1,193 1,205 10,453 9,901 5.6

 Leather and allied products...................... 325 330 336 -1.5 -1.8 1.5 340 333 343 389 3,403 4,002 -15.0

 Paper products...................................... 15,149 15,164 15,096 -0.1 0.5 0.5 15,518 15,440 15,871 15,805 152,850 153,131 -0.2

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,693 6,722 6,683 -0.4 0.6 -0.2 6,780 6,822 7,063 7,024 67,910 68,844 -1.4

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,683 4,686 4,648 -0.1 0.8 1.5 4,832 4,820 4,940 4,845 47,131 46,678 1.0

 Printing................................................. 7,074 7,140 7,171 -0.9 -0.4 0.8 7,384 7,461 7,401 7,675 71,406 71,494 -0.1

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 39,266 36,978 35,597 6.2 3.9 1.8 39,815 37,560 38,688 39,028 354,091 456,159 -22.4

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 35,150 33,055 31,780 6.3 4.0 2.1 35,515 33,226 34,050 35,436 315,973 421,618 -25.1

 Chemical products..................................... 66,790 66,827 65,918 -0.1 1.4 0.2 65,393 67,916 68,589 65,148 668,794 656,530 1.9

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 4,127 4,141 4,239 -0.3 -2.3 2.5 2,924 3,653 3,684 2,971 42,435 40,086 5.9

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 21,845 21,796 21,381 0.2 1.9 -0.5 21,814 22,349 22,295 21,099 216,697 193,329 12.1

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 3,709 3,658 3,642 1.4 0.4 0.7 3,671 3,746 3,931 3,534 37,565 35,041 7.2

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 19,455 19,425 19,209 0.2 1.1 0.0 19,763 19,962 20,453 19,536 194,895 193,975 0.5

p

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

1

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

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

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

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

2 Estimates and percent changes of shipments for the semiconductor industry are included in computers and electronic products, and all other applicable aggregate totals. 

 

Year to date
 3

Table 2. Value of Manufacturers' New Orders for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry % Change

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2016p 2015 2015

All manufacturing industries2........................ 469,419 456,907 454,056 2.7 0.6 0.4 472,714 474,982 467,452 470,472 4,557,407 4,651,677 -2.0

 Excluding transportation2

...................... 381,332 378,229 375,953 0.8 0.6 0.3 384,917 390,798 390,113 385,661 3,775,867 3,878,045 -2.6

 Excluding defense2

.............................. 457,325 444,487 439,667 2.9 1.1 -0.1 461,886 460,609 455,745 458,159 4,436,794 4,545,001 -2.4

 With unfilled orders 2............................. 174,564 164,356 163,548 6.2 0.5 0.2 172,653 172,822 162,660 167,334 1,635,653 1,634,329 0.1

 Durable goods industries2

......................... 238,759 228,204 227,470 4.6 0.3 0.2 238,384 241,116 230,504 236,119 2,287,388 2,293,765 -0.3

 Primary metals........................................ 17,949 17,966 17,827 -0.1 0.8 0.1 17,912 17,591 18,467 19,029 181,455 195,930 -7.4

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 8,215 8,088 8,167 1.6 -1.0 0.5 8,069 7,391 8,398 8,786 82,550 91,061 -9.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 8,294 8,368 8,198 -0.9 2.1 -1.2 8,429 8,628 8,567 8,664 83,464 88,441 -5.6

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,440 1,510 1,462 -4.6 3.3 4.9 1,414 1,572 1,502 1,579 15,441 16,428 -6.0

 Fabricated metal products........................ 30,631 30,078 30,223 1.8 -0.5 -0.2 30,605 30,761 32,019 29,549 305,592 298,389 2.4

 Machinery............................................. 29,876 29,883 29,672 0.0 0.7 0.0 29,813 30,356 29,878 31,512 301,073 319,215 -5.7

 Construction machinery........................ 2,541 2,387 2,316 6.5 3.1 -2.9 2,753 2,285 2,376 3,376 25,806 33,779 -23.6

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 792 932 836 -15.0 11.5 5.7 862 926 895 1,266 7,414 15,783 -53.0

 Industrial machinery............................ 2,147 2,133 2,369 0.7 -10.0 6.0 2,206 2,375 2,162 2,577 23,017 23,204 -0.8

 Photographic equipment....................... 417 459 475 -9.2 -3.4 14.7 430 512 497 495 4,206 4,480 -6.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,322 3,291 3,291 0.9 0.0 -9.1 3,031 3,589 3,498 3,404 34,737 36,534 -4.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 3,168 3,162 3,213 0.2 -1.6 0.4 3,285 3,419 3,298 3,017 31,324 26,967 16.2

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment........... 4,015 4,111 4,030 -2.3 2.0 -0.4 3,959 4,012 4,004 3,932 40,456 42,500 -4.8

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,311 3,124 3,055 6.0 2.3 -0.5 3,163 3,255 3,100 2,770 30,421 27,374 11.1

 Computers and electronic products2

........... 24,267 24,075 24,427 0.8 -1.4 -0.2 23,370 28,043 23,127 22,640 239,208 231,956 3.1

 Computers........................................ 618 592 615 4.4 -3.7 3.4 613 680 588 719 5,911 7,872 -24.9

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 3,106 3,250 3,348 -4.4 -2.9 -1.0 3,024 4,272 2,871 3,240 33,093 33,992 -2.6

 Defense communications equipment....... 292 287 281 1.7 2.1 6.0 259 346 261 299 2,918 3,211 -9.1

 Electronic components......................... 5,011 4,998 4,900 0.3 2.0 -0.5 4,939 5,106 5,354 4,542 48,225 43,409 11.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,478 1,476 1,452 0.1 1.7 -3.2 1,482 1,678 1,466 1,545 14,710 14,957 -1.7

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,467 2,472 2,667 -0.2 -7.3 10.5 2,246 2,957 2,343 2,144 25,666 23,996 7.0

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments..................... 9,427 9,273 9,286 1.7 -0.1 -1.2 9,033 10,876 8,570 8,285 90,662 85,590 5.9

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,779 9,622 9,625 1.6 0.0 -2.2 9,846 10,177 10,058 9,888 96,852 101,977 -5.0

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,028 1,105 1,087 -7.0 1.7 0.6 1,088 1,133 1,135 1,150 10,674 10,201 4.6

 Household appliances.......................... 1,399 1,437 1,384 -2.6 3.8 -4.7 1,468 1,552 1,432 1,567 14,007 15,394 -9.0

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,894 2,818 2,849 2.7 -1.1 -2.0 2,818 2,985 2,901 2,990 29,394 32,853 -10.5

 Transportation equipment........................ 88,087 78,678 78,103 12.0 0.7 0.6 87,797 84,184 77,339 84,811 781,540 773,632 1.0

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 28,754 28,964 28,321 -0.7 2.3 1.0 29,445 30,367 30,873 27,534 282,976 259,072 9.2

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 21,829 11,264 8,626 93.8 30.6 -24.3 20,309 11,354 5,310 14,176 108,541 121,482 -10.7

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 3,677 2,776 5,251 32.5 -47.1 18.2 3,637 3,276 4,064 6,420 41,630 44,184 -5.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,787 2,819 3,439 -1.1 -18.0 16.0 2,611 2,898 3,076 1,871 27,867 19,700 41.5

 Furniture and related products................... 6,431 6,495 6,430 -1.0 1.0 3.8 6,388 6,717 6,424 6,285 64,498 61,617 4.7

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 230,660 228,703 226,586 0.9 0.9 0.5 234,330 233,866 236,948 234,353 2,270,019 2,357,912 -3.7

p

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

1

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

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

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

adjusted for price changes.

2

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

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

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

calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>.

Year to date
 4 

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

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly % Change

Industry October

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2015

All manufacturing industries2...................... 1,128,492 1,120,287 1,123,085 0.7 -0.2 -0.2 1,116,469 1,109,666 1,115,697 1,129,107 -1.1

 Excluding transportation2...................... 355,447 354,668 354,287 0.2 0.1 0.1 352,035 351,950 353,354 349,481 0.7

 Excluding defense2

............................. 954,600 945,974 948,703 0.9 -0.3 -0.4 944,506 936,387 942,735 959,835 -1.6

 Durable goods industries2........................ 1,128,492 1,120,287 1,123,085 0.7 -0.2 -0.2 1,116,469 1,109,666 1,115,697 1,129,107 -1.1

 Primary metals........................................ 32,928 32,695 32,488 0.7 0.6 0.2 31,570 31,612 32,273 31,529 0.1

 Iron and steel mills............................... 18,818 18,510 18,313 1.7 1.1 0.9 17,572 17,580 18,225 15,932 10.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............. 10,201 10,313 10,389 -1.1 -0.7 -1.0 10,200 10,268 10,302 12,132 -15.9

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 3,909 3,872 3,786 1.0 2.3 0.2 3,798 3,764 3,746 3,465 9.6

 Fabricated metal products......................... 74,513 74,132 74,136 0.5 0.0 0.1 73,563 73,893 74,782 72,587 1.3

 Machinery.............................................. 92,175 92,372 92,559 -0.2 -0.2 -0.2 91,536 91,539 92,281 97,890 -6.5

 Construction machinery......................... 3,835 3,933 4,111 -2.5 -4.3 -4.2 3,663 3,695 3,949 5,503 -33.4

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 5,748 5,851 5,897 -1.8 -0.8 -0.9 5,814 5,864 5,955 9,775 -40.5

 Industrial machinery............................. 7,053 7,277 7,427 -3.1 -2.0 -1.1 7,003 7,198 7,441 8,413 -16.8

 Photographic equipment........................ 1,300 1,286 1,224 1.1 5.1 4.7 1,323 1,306 1,225 1,408 -6.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment................ 5,903 6,067 6,248 -2.7 -2.9 -4.2 5,841 5,973 6,116 6,248 -6.5

 Metalworking machinery........................ 7,360 7,377 7,449 -0.2 -1.0 1.8 7,254 7,315 7,428 6,581 10.2

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment............ 25,857 25,726 25,640 0.5 0.3 0.3 25,678 25,632 25,609 25,561 0.5

 Material handling equipment................... 12,480 12,232 12,089 2.0 1.2 0.8 12,130 12,115 11,955 11,179 8.5

 Computers and electronic products2............. 129,520 129,294 129,116 0.2 0.1 0.2 129,361 129,031 128,200 123,169 5.0

 Computers......................................... 2,423 2,421 2,398 0.1 1.0 0.1 2,423 2,421 2,398 2,395 1.2

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 32,862 32,817 32,800 0.1 0.1 0.6 32,902 32,655 32,381 30,218 8.9

 Defense communications equipment........ 2,243 2,233 2,245 0.4 -0.5 -2.4 2,253 2,277 2,275 2,370 -4.9

 Electronic components.......................... 12,161 12,154 12,120 0.1 0.3 -0.4 12,147 12,103 12,208 11,899 2.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 17,978 17,905 17,824 0.4 0.5 0.5 18,136 17,988 17,908 17,142 5.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 28,189 28,264 28,333 -0.3 -0.2 0.3 27,944 28,278 28,062 27,001 3.5

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments...................... 33,664 33,500 33,396 0.5 0.3 0.0 33,556 33,309 32,968 32,144 4.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 17,808 17,723 17,668 0.5 0.3 0.2 17,569 17,551 17,615 16,373 7.3

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,366 1,390 1,319 -1.7 5.4 -0.3 1,350 1,378 1,320 1,250 8.0

 Household appliances........................... 1,185 1,215 1,190 -2.5 2.1 -0.3 1,161 1,171 1,127 1,069 8.6

 Electrical equipment............................. 7,789 7,808 7,888 -0.2 -1.0 -0.8 7,728 7,712 7,927 7,981 -3.2

 Transportation equipment......................... 773,045 765,619 768,798 1.0 -0.4 -0.3 764,434 757,716 762,343 779,626 -1.9

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 21,687 21,803 21,952 -0.5 -0.7 -0.2 21,021 21,327 21,447 22,611 -7.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 592,100 583,866 586,714 1.4 -0.5 -0.7 585,809 577,639 582,068 598,964 -2.2

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 69,913 70,169 71,525 -0.4 -1.9 1.1 68,962 69,065 70,638 65,850 4.7

 Ships and boats.................................. 16,355 16,532 16,831 -1.1 -1.8 1.8 16,013 16,455 16,863 20,086 -20.3

 Furniture and related products................... 8,259 8,210 8,068 0.6 1.8 1.7 8,192 8,082 7,951 7,694 6.5

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

1

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

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

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

adjusted for price changes.

2

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

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

Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly % Change

Industry October

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2015

 All manufacturing industries...................... 621,438 621,128 621,552 0.0 -0.1 0.1 626,401 620,659 626,826 634,867 -1.3

 Excluding transportation........................ 497,593 497,493 497,959 0.0 -0.1 0.2 502,118 497,616 502,410 509,515 -1.5

 Excluding defense............................. 595,562 595,634 596,000 0.0 -0.1 0.2 600,674 595,227 601,188 609,129 -1.4

 With unfilled orders............................. 311,733 311,748 311,286 0.0 0.1 0.1 312,010 310,521 314,287 317,527 -1.7

 Durable goods industries........................ 383,666 383,629 383,467 0.0 0.0 0.1 383,936 381,889 386,776 388,972 -1.3

 Wood products........................................ 11,430 11,402 11,384 0.2 0.2 0.9 11,375 11,302 11,281 11,277 0.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products..................... 13,139 13,123 13,113 0.1 0.1 0.6 12,789 12,897 13,013 12,411 3.0

 Primary metals......................................... 31,643 31,609 31,718 0.1 -0.3 0.2 31,664 31,627 31,938 34,138 -7.2

 Iron and steel mills............................... 17,321 17,297 17,377 0.1 -0.5 0.7 17,472 17,424 17,516 19,419 -10.0

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............ 12,303 12,299 12,298 0.0 0.0 -0.2 12,210 12,247 12,371 12,670 -3.6

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,019 2,013 2,043 0.3 -1.5 -1.6 1,982 1,956 2,051 2,049 -3.3

 Fabricated metal products......................... 48,981 48,939 48,886 0.1 0.1 -0.5 48,641 48,588 48,902 49,107 -0.9

 Machinery.............................................. 65,416 65,760 65,645 -0.5 0.2 0.5 65,488 65,653 66,467 67,324 -2.7

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,110 3,048 2,967 2.0 2.7 2.6 2,839 2,826 2,871 3,017 -5.9

 Construction machinery......................... 5,413 5,483 5,554 -1.3 -1.3 1.3 5,477 5,522 5,535 6,027 -9.1

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 7,357 7,391 7,364 -0.5 0.4 1.8 7,251 7,384 7,488 7,591 -4.5

 Industrial machinery............................. 6,328 6,452 6,439 -1.9 0.2 0.9 6,345 6,499 6,489 6,332 0.2

 Photographic equipment....................... 1,615 1,590 1,563 1.6 1.7 -1.3 1,628 1,604 1,619 1,566 4.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,526 4,582 4,431 -1.2 3.4 2.1 4,457 4,442 4,410 4,509 -1.2

 Metalworking machinery........................ 5,829 5,729 5,692 1.7 0.7 0.1 5,862 5,796 5,817 5,685 3.1

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment............ 9,021 9,275 9,278 -2.7 0.0 -1.1 9,322 9,367 9,565 10,151 -8.2

 Material handling equipment.................. 4,681 4,657 4,633 0.5 0.5 0.4 4,807 4,787 4,806 4,542 5.8

 Computers and electronic products2

............ 42,475 42,471 42,651 0.0 -0.4 0.2 42,648 42,122 43,524 42,862 -0.5

 Computers......................................... 1,596 1,619 1,642 -1.4 -1.4 3.3 1,601 1,689 1,750 1,461 9.6

 Computer storage devices.................... 945 1,003 995 -5.8 0.8 1.1 994 1,016 1,028 1,078 -7.8

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,006 1,026 1,061 -1.9 -3.3 2.6 1,007 989 1,098 1,045 -3.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 3,924 3,924 3,986 0.0 -1.6 0.4 3,957 3,857 4,078 4,234 -6.5

 Defense communications equipment........ 556 549 565 1.3 -2.8 -6.1 556 549 565 754 -26.3

 Audio and video equipment.................... 673 675 792 -0.3 -14.8 -0.1 758 757 854 842 -10.0

 Electronic components.......................... 7,774 7,693 7,660 1.1 0.4 -0.3 7,744 7,559 7,709 7,495 3.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,072 3,084 3,069 -0.4 0.5 0.5 3,123 3,085 3,123 3,126 -0.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 3,076 3,080 3,024 -0.1 1.9 2.3 3,034 3,009 3,045 2,723 11.4

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments...................... 14,107 14,146 14,051 -0.3 0.7 0.0 14,143 13,994 14,453 14,573 -3.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 16,337 16,362 16,210 -0.2 0.9 -0.9 16,378 16,172 16,479 16,624 -1.5

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 2,049 2,042 2,001 0.3 2.0 0.0 2,042 2,039 2,035 1,934 5.6

 Household appliances........................... 2,248 2,246 2,240 0.1 0.3 0.9 2,313 2,262 2,330 2,331 -0.8

 Electrical equipment............................. 4,845 4,860 4,868 -0.3 -0.2 0.1 4,820 4,612 4,905 5,006 -3.7

 Batteries............................................ 1,296 1,328 1,306 -2.4 1.7 -0.7 1,327 1,396 1,398 1,407 -5.7

 Transportation equipment......................... 123,845 123,635 123,593 0.2 0.0 -0.1 124,283 123,043 124,416 125,352 -0.9

 Automobiles....................................... 4,207 4,303 4,361 -2.2 -1.3 -6.9 4,367 4,333 4,398 4,725 -7.6

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 4,404 4,417 4,392 -0.3 0.6 2.5 4,572 4,365 4,418 4,327 5.7

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,906 1,878 2,028 1.5 -7.4 -3.0 1,926 1,830 2,033 2,060 -6.5

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 24,081 23,947 23,940 0.6 0.0 0.3 24,075 23,817 24,118 23,582 2.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 62,531 62,765 62,426 -0.4 0.5 0.5 62,562 62,238 62,707 63,882 -2.1

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 11,218 11,090 11,285 1.2 -1.7 -2.3 11,205 11,071 11,300 11,313 -1.0

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,873 2,856 2,945 0.6 -3.0 -0.2 2,854 2,851 2,931 2,809 1.6

 Furniture and related products.................... 7,223 7,169 7,147 0.8 0.3 0.1 7,216 7,160 7,300 7,085 1.8

 Miscellaneous durable goods..................... 23,177 23,159 23,120 0.1 0.2 0.6 23,454 23,325 23,456 22,792 2.9

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 237,772 237,499 238,085 0.1 -0.2 0.1 242,465 238,770 240,050 245,895 -1.4

 Food products........................................ 53,224 53,599 53,995 -0.7 -0.7 0.5 56,827 54,435 54,545 57,083 -0.4

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,783 5,783 5,766 0.0 0.3 0.6 6,286 5,544 5,527 6,294 -0.1

 Dairy products.................................... 7,369 7,409 7,410 -0.5 0.0 0.7 7,376 7,464 7,595 7,381 -0.1

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products....... 8,854 8,876 8,950 -0.2 -0.8 -0.5 9,101 8,811 9,053 9,930 -8.3

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 20,479 20,599 20,664 -0.6 -0.3 0.6 21,222 20,656 20,099 21,106 0.5

 Beverages......................................... 16,659 16,758 16,850 -0.6 -0.5 0.6 17,312 16,894 16,525 17,091 1.3

 Tobacco............................................ 3,820 3,841 3,814 -0.5 0.7 0.8 3,910 3,762 3,574 4,015 -2.6

 Textile mills............................................ 3,192 3,184 3,183 0.3 0.0 0.2 3,185 3,186 3,198 3,112 2.3

 Textile products...................................... 3,053 3,054 3,063 0.0 -0.3 -0.2 3,056 3,065 3,076 3,071 -0.5

 Apparel................................................. 2,497 2,485 2,530 0.5 -1.8 -1.2 2,557 2,581 2,694 2,494 2.5

 Leather and allied products....................... 787 784 789 0.4 -0.6 -0.9 792 796 808 825 -4.0

 Paper products....................................... 16,143 16,158 16,111 -0.1 0.3 -0.5 16,002 16,145 16,168 16,379 -2.3

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills........... 6,639 6,645 6,646 -0.1 0.0 -0.3 6,527 6,569 6,619 6,653 -1.9

 Paperboard containers......................... 5,115 5,117 5,070 0.0 0.9 -1.1 5,084 5,118 5,079 5,234 -2.9

 Printing.................................................. 5,895 5,867 5,861 0.5 0.1 -0.1 6,095 5,929 6,062 6,190 -1.5

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 25,243 24,973 25,192 1.1 -0.9 0.9 26,976 26,110 26,440 30,911 -12.7

 Petroleum refineries............................. 20,645 20,388 20,582 1.3 -0.9 1.2 22,514 21,642 21,786 26,407 -14.7

 Chemical products..................................... 81,691 81,384 81,406 0.4 0.0 -0.1 80,571 80,651 81,744 79,972 0.7

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals........................ 4,283 4,209 4,206 1.8 0.1 -0.7 4,067 3,921 3,987 4,233 -3.9

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines.............. 32,529 32,652 32,807 -0.4 -0.5 -0.3 32,189 32,366 32,844 31,692 1.6

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.............. 3,757 3,753 3,744 0.1 0.2 1.4 3,619 3,657 3,699 3,461 4.6

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 25,568 25,412 25,291 0.6 0.5 -0.2 25,182 25,216 25,216 24,752 1.7

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

1

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

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

where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 2 Estimates of inventories for the semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products, and all other applicable aggregate totals. 

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

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

 Topical Series1, 2

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date

Industry % Change6

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2016p 2015 2015

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries................... 464,722 463,070 459,111 0.4 0.9 0.2 470,263 484,161 480,925 474,515 4,613,063 4,722,154 -2.3

 Construction materials and supplies....... 46,777 46,383 46,571 0.8 -0.4 0.5 48,714 48,996 51,279 48,579 474,180 465,540 1.9

 Information technology......................... 22,962 22,796 22,989 0.7 -0.8 -0.4 22,113 26,070 22,706 21,959 223,862 222,445 0.6

 Computers and related products........... 1,813 1,654 1,848 9.6 -10.5 -5.1 1,569 2,125 1,625 1,760 17,636 20,926 -15.7

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 55,321 55,698 55,149 -0.7 1.0 0.7 57,362 59,339 59,730 58,257 559,007 543,607 2.8

 Capital goods...................................... 81,969 82,302 80,679 -0.4 2.0 -1.6 79,594 90,042 81,075 84,230 813,602 851,821 -4.5

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 71,356 71,965 70,340 -0.8 2.3 -1.5 69,293 78,469 70,854 73,689 713,194 755,458 -5.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 62,511 62,586 62,263 -0.1 0.5 0.1 61,490 67,536 62,706 65,483 627,974 662,081 -5.2

 Defense capital goods4........................ 10,613 10,337 10,339 2.7 0.0 -2.3 10,301 11,573 10,221 10,541 100,408 96,363 4.2

 Consumer goods.................................. 188,550 186,446 185,049 1.1 0.8 0.6 193,457 192,408 193,490 194,300 1,847,104 1,926,130 -4.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 37,949 37,801 37,872 0.4 -0.2 0.8 38,919 40,527 40,104 40,557 383,241 386,464 -0.8

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 150,601 148,645 147,177 1.3 1.0 0.6 154,538 151,881 153,386 153,743 1,463,863 1,539,666 -4.9

 All manufacturing industries5

................... 469,419 456,907 454,056 2.7 0.6 0.4 472,714 474,982 467,452 470,472 4,557,407 4,651,677 -2.0

 Construction materials and supplies....... 46,780 46,113 46,206 1.4 -0.2 -0.1 48,434 48,354 50,366 47,976 474,817 466,507 1.8

 Information technology......................... 23,353 23,041 23,487 1.4 -1.9 -0.3 22,456 27,136 21,995 21,751 230,196 228,236 0.9

 Computers and related products........... 1,815 1,677 1,851 8.2 -9.4 -4.6 1,571 2,148 1,628 1,785 17,612 21,041 -16.3

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 55,205 55,549 55,107 -0.6 0.8 1.0 57,056 59,219 59,941 57,983 556,469 542,223 2.6

 Capital goods...................................... 90,765 81,131 79,511 11.9 2.0 -0.1 87,512 86,023 74,164 82,510 796,281 817,412 -2.6

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 79,957 69,877 67,265 14.4 3.9 -3.9 78,603 73,156 64,043 74,873 695,501 734,714 -5.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 62,864 62,710 63,681 0.2 -1.5 1.2 62,047 67,124 62,537 64,739 632,000 658,319 -4.0

 Defense capital goods4........................ 10,808 11,254 12,246 -4.0 -8.1 27.5 8,909 12,867 10,121 7,637 100,780 82,698 21.9

 Consumer goods.................................. 188,564 186,544 185,060 1.1 0.8 0.6 193,518 192,576 193,361 194,367 1,847,322 1,925,897 -4.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 37,963 37,899 37,883 0.2 0.0 0.6 38,980 40,695 39,975 40,624 383,459 386,231 -0.7

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 150,601 148,645 147,177 1.3 1.0 0.6 154,538 151,881 153,386 153,743 1,463,863 1,539,666 -4.9

 All manufacturing industries5

................... 1,128,492 1,120,287 1,123,085 0.7 -0.2 -0.2 1,116,469 1,109,666 1,115,697 1,129,107 (X) (X) -1.1

 Construction materials and supplies....... 45,273 45,270 45,540 0.0 -0.6 -0.8 44,944 45,224 45,866 45,075 (X) (X) -0.3

 Information technology......................... 126,127 125,736 125,491 0.3 0.2 0.4 125,867 125,524 124,458 118,751 (X) (X) 6.0

 Computers and related products........... 2,423 2,421 2,398 0.1 1.0 0.1 2,423 2,421 2,398 2,395 (X) (X) 1.2

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 21,687 21,803 21,952 -0.5 -0.7 -0.2 21,021 21,327 21,447 22,611 (X) (X) -7.0

 Capital goods...................................... 841,577 832,781 833,952 1.1 -0.1 -0.1 833,555 825,637 829,656 848,201 (X) (X) -1.7

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 702,856 694,255 696,343 1.2 -0.3 -0.4 696,779 687,469 692,782 715,905 (X) (X) -2.7

 Excluding aircraft............................. 222,860 222,507 222,383 0.2 0.1 0.6 221,712 221,155 221,567 222,017 (X) (X) -0.1

 Defense capital goods4

........................ 138,721 138,526 137,609 0.1 0.7 1.4 136,776 138,168 136,874 132,296 (X) (X) 3.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 4,545 4,531 4,433 0.3 2.2 0.2 4,410 4,349 4,181 4,095 (X) (X) 7.7

 Consumer durable goods..................... 4,545 4,531 4,433 0.3 2.2 0.2 4,410 4,349 4,181 4,095 (X) (X) 7.7

 All manufacturing industries................... 621,438 621,128 621,552 0.0 -0.1 0.1 626,401 620,659 626,826 634,867 (X) (X) -1.3

 Construction materials and supplies....... 65,758 65,667 65,399 0.1 0.4 0.2 64,858 65,022 65,248 64,511 (X) (X) 0.5

 Information technology......................... 36,665 36,776 36,743 -0.3 0.1 -0.1 36,874 36,602 37,633 37,551 (X) (X) -1.8

 Computers and related products........... 3,547 3,648 3,698 -2.8 -1.4 2.5 3,602 3,694 3,876 3,584 (X) (X) 0.5

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 34,598 34,545 34,721 0.2 -0.5 -0.5 34,940 34,345 34,967 34,694 (X) (X) 0.7

 Capital goods...................................... 190,662 190,952 190,693 -0.2 0.1 0.1 191,187 190,292 193,002 194,669 (X) (X) -1.8

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 169,477 170,159 169,875 -0.4 0.2 0.3 170,138 169,542 172,113 173,837 (X) (X) -2.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 118,179 118,551 118,591 -0.3 0.0 0.2 118,817 118,367 120,671 120,858 (X) (X) -1.7

 Defense capital goods4

........................ 21,185 20,793 20,818 1.9 -0.1 -1.5 21,049 20,750 20,889 20,832 (X) (X) 1.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 176,159 176,581 177,611 -0.2 -0.6 0.2 182,605 178,639 179,568 186,329 (X) (X) -2.0

 Consumer durable goods..................... 29,492 29,551 29,713 -0.2 -0.5 -0.2 30,075 29,630 30,152 30,014 (X) (X) 0.2

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 146,667 147,030 147,898 -0.2 -0.6 0.3 152,530 149,009 149,416 156,315 (X) (X) -2.4

X Not Applicable p Preliminary r Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment.

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

estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes

2

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories.

3

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

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

material handling equipment; all other machinery; electronic computers; computer storage devices; other computer peripheral equipment; communications equipment; search and navigation

equipment; electromedical, measuring, and control instruments; electrical equipment; other electrical equipment, appliances, and components; heavy duty trucks; aircraft; railroad rolling stock

ships and boats; office and institutional furniture; and medical equipment and supplies.

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

and search and navigation equipment.

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 

6

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

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

NEW ORDERS 

UNFILLED ORDERS 

TOTAL INVENTORIES 
 7

Table 6. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories, by Stage of Fabrication, by Industry Group1 

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly % Change

Industry October

Oct. Sep. Aug. Sep. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sep. Aug. Oct. 2016/

2016p 2016r 2016 Oct. Sep. Aug. 2016p 2016r 2016 2015 2015

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries....................... 208,856 208,438 208,409 0.2 0.0 -0.6 209,360 208,333 209,570 209,944 -0.3

 Durable goods industries.......................... 130,015 130,039 129,925 0.0 0.1 -0.7 129,912 130,264 131,226 130,220 -0.2

 Wood products................................... 4,634 4,680 4,694 -1.0 -0.3 1.1 4,773 4,809 4,731 4,808 -0.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 5,278 5,276 5,259 0.0 0.3 0.8 5,250 5,264 5,257 5,139 2.2

 Primary metals.................................... 12,704 12,681 12,747 0.2 -0.5 1.7 12,873 12,785 12,785 13,169 -2.2

 Fabricated metal products........................ 17,897 17,955 17,934 -0.3 0.1 -0.3 17,781 17,992 17,957 18,055 -1.5

 Machinery.......................................... 23,334 23,698 23,664 -1.5 0.1 -0.5 23,274 23,715 23,979 25,551 -8.9

 Computers and electronic products........ 17,677 17,433 17,473 1.4 -0.2 -1.0 17,593 17,311 17,686 16,880 4.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,601 6,575 6,470 0.4 1.6 -1.0 6,569 6,465 6,560 6,827 -3.8

 Transportation equipment..................... 30,788 30,660 30,553 0.4 0.4 -2.8 30,716 30,824 30,976 28,832 6.5

 Furniture and related products............... 3,631 3,616 3,664 0.4 -1.3 0.6 3,616 3,608 3,693 3,619 -0.1

 Miscellaneous products......................... 7,471 7,465 7,467 0.1 0.0 0.2 7,467 7,491 7,602 7,340 1.7

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 78,841 78,399 78,484 0.6 -0.1 -0.3 79,448 78,069 78,344 79,724 -0.3

 Food products.................................... 18,070 18,089 18,189 -0.1 -0.5 -0.4 18,943 17,886 17,925 19,081 -0.7

 Beverage and tobacco products................. 4,933 5,021 5,057 -1.8 -0.7 0.1 5,012 4,924 4,778 5,063 -1.0

 Textiles.............................................. 1,167 1,157 1,164 0.9 -0.6 -0.1 1,159 1,149 1,171 1,159 0.0

 Textile products................................... 1,046 1,057 1,059 -1.0 -0.2 -0.7 1,040 1,064 1,062 1,055 -1.4

 Apparel............................................. 666 656 679 1.5 -3.4 -1.6 693 683 701 781 -11.3

 Leather and allied products.................... 231 232 235 -0.4 -1.3 -1.3 232 234 241 249 -6.8

 Paper products.................................... 8,306 8,281 8,249 0.3 0.4 -0.1 8,186 8,276 8,256 8,357 -2.0

 Printing ............................................. 2,725 2,697 2,687 1.0 0.4 0.4 2,767 2,736 2,744 2,882 -4.0

 Petroleum and coal products................. 5,759 5,596 5,802 2.9 -3.6 -2.7 6,093 5,761 6,062 7,391 -17.6

 Chemical products................................ 25,795 25,489 25,303 1.2 0.7 -0.1 25,370 25,243 25,363 23,777 6.7

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 10,143 10,124 10,060 0.2 0.6 0.3 9,953 10,113 10,041 9,929 0.2

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 190,973 191,578 191,724 -0.3 -0.1 0.6 193,260 190,252 192,737 199,289 -3.0

 Durable goods industries.......................... 143,177 143,424 143,327 -0.2 0.1 0.6 143,467 142,605 144,557 148,417 -3.3

 Wood products................................... 2,367 2,307 2,260 2.6 2.1 2.9 2,343 2,281 2,235 2,167 8.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 1,480 1,477 1,476 0.2 0.1 0.5 1,410 1,444 1,471 1,362 3.5

 Primary metals.................................... 9,054 9,146 9,214 -1.0 -0.7 0.7 9,061 9,127 9,393 10,487 -13.6

 Fabricated metal products........................ 12,818 12,841 12,835 -0.2 0.0 -0.2 12,904 12,868 12,963 13,059 -1.2

 Machinery.......................................... 19,257 19,245 19,177 0.1 0.4 -0.7 19,643 19,284 19,559 18,519 6.1

 Computers and electronic products........ 13,071 13,196 13,277 -0.9 -0.6 2.0 13,067 12,929 13,533 14,245 -8.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,427 3,447 3,443 -0.6 0.1 -2.1 3,417 3,413 3,490 3,430 -0.4

 Transportation equipment..................... 76,599 76,711 76,621 -0.1 0.1 0.8 76,494 76,159 76,813 80,402 -4.9

 Furniture and related products............... 1,107 1,084 1,070 2.1 1.3 0.2 1,102 1,082 1,079 1,008 9.3

 Miscellaneous products......................... 3,997 3,970 3,954 0.7 0.4 1.6 4,026 4,018 4,021 3,738 7.7

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 47,796 48,154 48,397 -0.7 -0.5 0.8 49,793 47,647 48,180 50,872 -2.1

 Food products.................................... 5,816 6,058 6,156 -4.0 -1.6 1.2 6,893 5,579 5,655 7,176 -3.9

 Beverage and tobacco products................. 7,659 7,635 7,572 0.3 0.8 0.3 8,168 7,585 7,088 8,016 1.9

 Textiles.............................................. 669 670 660 -0.1 1.5 -1.6 674 678 667 695 -3.0

 Textile products................................... 434 432 439 0.5 -1.6 -0.7 436 437 443 435 0.2

 Apparel............................................. 321 325 332 -1.2 -2.1 1.8 325 341 357 335 -3.0

 Leather and allied products.................... 109 108 108 0.9 0.0 0.0 109 110 109 104 4.8

 Paper products.................................... 1,255 1,256 1,231 -0.1 2.0 -1.8 1,234 1,257 1,254 1,266 -2.5

 Printing ............................................. 1,458 1,498 1,543 -2.7 -2.9 -2.0 1,555 1,516 1,682 1,672 -7.0

 Petroleum and coal products................. 8,072 8,062 7,923 0.1 1.8 0.5 8,792 8,403 8,350 9,784 -10.1

 Chemical products................................ 18,868 19,031 19,377 -0.9 -1.8 1.5 18,526 18,703 19,527 18,487 0.2

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 3,135 3,079 3,056 1.8 0.8 0.9 3,081 3,038 3,048 2,902 6.2

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 221,609 221,112 221,419 0.2 -0.1 0.3 223,781 222,074 224,519 225,634 -0.8

 Durable goods industries.......................... 110,474 110,166 110,215 0.3 0.0 0.3 110,557 109,020 110,993 110,335 0.2

 Wood products................................... 4,429 4,415 4,430 0.3 -0.3 -0.3 4,259 4,212 4,315 4,302 -1.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 6,381 6,370 6,378 0.2 -0.1 0.5 6,129 6,189 6,285 5,910 3.7

 Primary metals.................................... 9,885 9,782 9,757 1.1 0.3 -2.1 9,730 9,715 9,760 10,482 -7.2

 Fabricated metal products........................ 18,266 18,143 18,117 0.7 0.1 -0.7 17,956 17,728 17,982 17,993 -0.2

 Machinery.......................................... 22,825 22,817 22,804 0.0 0.1 2.5 22,571 22,654 22,929 23,254 -2.9

 Computers and electronic products........ 11,727 11,842 11,901 -1.0 -0.5 0.0 11,988 11,882 12,305 11,737 2.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,309 6,340 6,297 -0.5 0.7 0.0 6,392 6,294 6,429 6,367 0.4

 Transportation equipment..................... 16,458 16,264 16,419 1.2 -0.9 0.3 17,073 16,060 16,627 16,118 5.9

 Furniture and related products............... 2,485 2,469 2,413 0.6 2.3 -0.6 2,498 2,470 2,528 2,458 1.6

 Miscellaneous products......................... 11,709 11,724 11,699 -0.1 0.2 0.6 11,961 11,816 11,833 11,714 2.1

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 111,135 110,946 111,204 0.2 -0.2 0.2 113,224 113,054 113,526 115,299 -1.8

 Food products.................................... 29,338 29,452 29,650 -0.4 -0.7 0.9 30,991 30,970 30,965 30,826 0.5

 Beverage and tobacco products................. 7,887 7,943 8,035 -0.7 -1.1 1.3 8,042 8,147 8,233 8,027 0.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,356 1,357 1,359 -0.1 -0.1 1.3 1,352 1,359 1,360 1,258 7.5

 Textile products................................... 1,573 1,565 1,565 0.5 0.0 0.3 1,580 1,564 1,571 1,581 -0.1

 Apparel............................................. 1,510 1,504 1,519 0.4 -1.0 -1.6 1,539 1,557 1,636 1,378 11.7

 Leather and allied products.................... 447 444 446 0.7 -0.4 -0.9 451 452 458 472 -4.4

 Paper products.................................... 6,582 6,621 6,631 -0.6 -0.2 -0.8 6,582 6,612 6,658 6,756 -2.6

 Printing ............................................. 1,712 1,672 1,631 2.4 2.5 0.8 1,773 1,677 1,636 1,636 8.4

 Petroleum and coal products................. 11,412 11,315 11,467 0.9 -1.3 3.0 12,091 11,946 12,028 13,736 -12.0

 Chemical products................................ 37,028 36,864 36,726 0.4 0.4 -0.9 36,675 36,705 36,854 37,708 -2.7

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 12,290 12,209 12,175 0.7 0.3 -0.9 12,148 12,065 12,127 11,921 1.9

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

1

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

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

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

See note at end of Table 2 relating to survey error and revisions.
 8

Table 7. Ratios of Manufacturers' Inventories to Shipments and Unfilled Orders 

 to Shipments, by Industry Group 1

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.] 

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio2

Industry Oct Sep Aug Jul Oct Sep Aug Jul

2016p 2016r 2016 2016 2016p 2016r 2016 2016

All manufacturing industries3............................ 1.34 1.34 1.35 1.36 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries3.................................. 1.64 1.64 1.65 1.65 6.78 6.70 6.79 6.79

 Wood products.............................................. 1.34 1.35 1.37 1.37 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.32 1.33 1.33 1.32 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.79 1.78 1.79 1.77 1.86 1.84 1.83 1.81

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.62 1.63 1.62 1.63 2.53 2.53 2.53 2.53

 Machinery..................................................... 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.20 3.35 3.36 3.38 3.41

 Computers and electronic products3

................ 1.54 1.56 1.55 1.56 5.84 5.83 5.80 5.83

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.69 1.71 1.69 1.72 2.00 2.01 2.01 2.02

 Transportation equipment.............................. 1.54 1.51 1.54 1.53 14.26 13.85 14.38 14.21

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.13 1.13 1.14 1.14 1.53 1.53 1.52 1.50

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.75 1.77 1.79 1.78 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.05 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.82 0.83 0.83 0.83 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.65 1.66 1.63 1.65 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.27 1.29 1.26 1.27 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.52 1.53 1.52 1.55 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 2.39 2.37 2.38 2.38 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.42 2.38 2.35 2.40 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 1.07 1.07 1.07 1.08 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.64 0.68 0.71 0.71 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.22 1.22 1.23 1.24 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.31 1.31 1.32 1.32 (X) (X) (X) (X)

X Not Applicable p

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

2

 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.

3 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing.

Oct3 Oct3 Oct3 Oct3

Industry 2015- 2015- 2015- 2015-

Oct2 Sep Oct2 Sep Oct2 Sep Oct2 Sep

2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016

 

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

Durable goods industries....................... -0.2 0.2 -0.2 0.5 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

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

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Primary metals.................................... 0.1 0.4 0.0 0.8 -0.1 0.4 0.0 0.4

 Fabricated metal products.................... -0.5 0.2 -0.4 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.3

 Machinery.......................................... -0.7 0.6 -0.2 0.6 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.1

 Computers and electronic products..... 0.2 0.3 -0.1 0.6 0.0 0.1 -0.1 0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. -0.4 0.4 -0.7 0.8 0.1 0.3 -0.1 0.2

 Transportation equipment.................... -0.1 0.3 0.0 0.9 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.3 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.5 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.3 (X) 0.2

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

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Textile products.................................. (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Leather and allied products.................... (X) 1.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

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

 Chemical products................................ (X) 0.2 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

 Plastics and rubber products................. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

 Estimates of shipments and new orders are for the duration of the period, while estimates of unfilled orders and total inventories 

are for the end of the period. Not seasonally adjusted estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for non-calendar 

reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, 

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

for price changes.

2

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

 publication.

3

 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 1

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data from the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey.] 

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
9 

Survey Description 

This report is compiled from results of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, 

and Orders (M3) survey, which is a voluntary survey authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code. 

This survey provides statistics on a calendar-month basis for manufacturers' value of shipments, new 

orders (net of cancellations), end-of-month order backlog (unfilled orders), end-of-month total inventory 

(at current cost or market value), and inventories by stage of fabrication (materials and supplies, work-inprocess, and finished goods). Data published from the M3 survey are based on a panel of approximately 

4,800 reporting units that represent approximately 3,000 companies and provide an indication of monthto-month change for the Manufacturing Sector. These reporting units may be divisions of diversified 

large companies, large homogenous companies, or single-unit manufacturers in 92 industry categories, 

which are combined into 65 publication levels due to the small monthly panel size. The survey 

methodology assumes that the month-to-month changes of the total operations of the reporting units in the 

M3 panel effectively represent the month-to-month movements of all establishments that make up the 

category. 

The companies for which shipments data are currently reported or imputed in the M3 survey represent 

approximately 61 percent of the total value of shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 2012 

Economic Census, and these companies include almost two-thirds of the manufacturing companies with 

$500 million or more in shipments in the 2012 Economic Census. The companies for which shipments 

data are currently reported in the M3 survey represent approximately 54 percent of the total value of 

shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 2012 Economic Census. Statistics based on the M3 

panel differ from the results that would be obtained from a complete enumeration of all manufacturing 

companies. The M3 panel is not based on a probability sample; therefore, the sampling errors that are 

normally provided with sample surveys cannot be measured. Nonsampling errors are attributable to many 

sources. The use of company or divisional reports to estimate the monthly change for establishments is 

one source of nonsampling error. The use of primarily large companies to represent the month-to-month 

movement of all companies is another potential source. Any corrections will be published in the full 

report. Corrections received after the full report will be released in the next month’s advance report. Any 

revisions made later than two months will be reflected in the annual benchmark publication. 

Additional survey documentation can be found on our web site: http://www.census.gov/m3. 

2017 Release Dates for the M3 Survey 

Survey month Advance Report 

(8:30 a.m. release time) 

Full Report 

(10:00 a.m. release time) 

Nov-16 Thu 12/22/2016 Fri 1/6/2017 

Dec-16 Fri 1/27/2017 Fri 2/3/2017 

Jan-17 Mon 2/27/2017 Mon 3/6/2017 

Feb-17 Fri 3/24/2017 Tue 4/4/2017 

Mar-17 Thu 4/27/2017 Thu 5/4/2017 

Apr-17 Fri 5/26/2017 Mon 6/5/2017 

May-17 Mon 6/26/2017 Wed 7/5/2017 

Jun-17 Thu 7/27/2017 Thu 8/3/2017 

Jul-17 Fri 8/25/2017 Tue 9/5/2017 

Aug-17 Wed 9/27/2017 Thu 10/5/2017 

Sep-17 Wed 10/25/2017 Fri 11/3/2017 

Oct-17 Wed 11/22/2017 Mon 12/4/2017 

Nov-17 Fri 12/22/2017 Not available at this time