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FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 AM EDT, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2017 

MONTHLY FULL REPORT ON MANUFACTURERS’ SHIPMENTS, INVENTORIES 

AND ORDERS AUGUST 2017 

Release Number: CB 17-163 M3-2 (17)-08 

Notice: For information on the impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on the compilation of this report, please 

see the Frequently Asked Questions document on our website. 

October 5, 2017 — The U.S. Census Bureau announces the August full report on manufacturers’ 

shipments, inventories and orders: 

MANUFACTURED GOODS – NEW ORDERS

AUGUST 2017 $471.7 billion            +1.2%°

JULY 2017  

(revised) $466.2 billion            ‐3.3%°

Next release: November 3, 2017

Data adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders. 

°Statistical significance is not measurable for this survey. The Manufacturers' 

Shipments, Inventories, and Orders estimates are not based on a probability 

sample, so the sampling error of these estimates cannot be measured nor can the 

confidence intervals be computed. 

Summary 

New orders for manufactured goods in August, up two of the last three months, increased $5.4 billion or 1.2 

percent to $471.7 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 3.3 percent July decrease. 

Shipments, up eight of the last nine months, increased $2.2 billion or 0.5 percent to $475.9 billion. This 

followed a 0.2 percent July increase. Unfilled orders, up two of the last three months, increased $0.2 billion 

or virtually unchanged to $1,132.6 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent July decrease. The unfilled ordersto-shipments ratio was 6.77, unchanged from July. Inventories, up nine of the last ten months, increased 

$2.9 billion or 0.4 percent to $655.6 billion. This followed a 0.4 percent July increase. The inventories-toshipments ratio was 1.38, unchanged from July. 

New Orders 

New orders for manufactured durable goods in August, up two of the last three months, increased $4.5 

billion or 2.0 percent to $233.5 billion, up from the previously published 1.7 percent increase. This 

followed a 6.8 percent July decrease. Transportation equipment, also up two of the last three months, led 

the increase, $3.7 billion or 5.1 percent to $77.5 billion. New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $0.9 billion or 0.4 percent to $238.2 billion.

Sep-16 Oct-16 Nov-16 Dec-16 Jan-17 Feb-17 Mar-17 Apr-17 May-17 Jun-17 Jul-17 Aug-17

% Change 0.2% 3.4% -2.3% 1.8% 0.4% 0.8% 1.0% -0.3% -0.3% 3.2% -3.3% 1.2%

-4.0%

-3.0%

-2.0%

-1.0%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

MANUFACTURERS' NEW ORDERS 2016-2017

Seasonally Adjusted, Month-To-Month Percentage Change

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders
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Shipments 

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in August, up three of the last four months, increased $1.3 billion 

or 0.5 percent to $237.8 billion, up from the previously published 0.3 percent increase. This followed a 0.1 

percent July increase. Machinery, up six of the last seven months, led the increase, $0.5 billion or 1.7 

percent to $31.6 billion. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up four of the last five months, 

increased $0.9 billion or 0.4 percent to $238.2 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent July increase. Petroleum 

and coal products, up two consecutive months, drove the increase, $0.9 billion or 2.2 percent to $42.3 

billion. 

Unfilled Orders 

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in August, up two of the last three months, increased $0.2 

billion or virtually unchanged to $1,132.6 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This 

followed a 0.3 percent July decrease. Fabricated metal products, up seven of the last eight months, drove 

the increase, $0.4 billion or 0.6 percent to $79.2 billion. 

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in August, up thirteen of the last fourteen months, increased $1.5 

billion or 0.4 percent to $400.8 billion, up from the previously published 0.3 percent increase. This 

followed a 0.5 percent July increase. Machinery, up nine of the last ten months, led the increase, $0.6 

billion or 0.9 percent to $69.1 billion. Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up three consecutive 

months, increased $1.4 billion or 0.6 percent to $254.8 billion. This followed a 0.3 percent July increase. 

Petroleum and coal products, up two consecutive months, led the increase, $1.3 billion or 3.7 percent to 

$36.4 billion. By stage of fabrication, August materials and supplies increased 0.2 percent in durable goods 

and increased 0.9 percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 0.6 percent in durable goods and 

increased 1.0 percent in nondurable goods. Finished goods increased 0.2 percent in durable goods and 

increased 0.1 percent in nondurable goods. 

The Advance Report on durable goods for September is scheduled for release on October 25, 2017 at 8:30 

a.m. EDT and the Full Report on November 3, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. View the full schedule in the 

Economic Briefing Room: <www.census.gov/economic-indicators/>. The full text and tables of this release 

can be found at <www.census.gov/m3>.
Data Inquiries Media Inquiries

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EXPLANATORY NOTES 

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

data for semiconductor manufacturing. 

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

Description of the survey 

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-in-process, and 

finished goods). Data published from the M3 survey are based on a panel of approximately 5,000 reporting 

units that represent approximately 3,100 companies and provide an indication of month-to-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-tomonth changes of the total operations of the reporting units in the M3 panel effectively represent the monthto-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 64 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 57 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: 

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

Economic Indicators Division, Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Branch (M3) Public Information Office

301‐763‐4832   301‐763‐3030

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API 

The Census Bureau’s application programming interface (API) lets developers create custom apps to reach 

new users and makes key demographic, socio-economic and housing statistics more accessible than ever 

before. 

<www.census.gov/developers/>. 

###
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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Aug. July June 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2017p 2016 2016

 All manufacturing industries.................. 475,942 473,756 472,759 0.5 0.2 0.1 499,769 450,898 502,443 473,390 3,772,539 3,601,480 4.7

 Excluding transportation................... 397,466 394,909 394,017 0.6 0.2 0.2 416,654 385,827 415,367 392,489 3,150,506 2,982,918 5.6

 Excluding defense.............................. 463,566 461,456 460,714 0.5 0.2 0.1 487,403 440,126 489,112 462,018 3,677,944 3,513,076 4.7

 With unfilled orders............................ 167,338 167,231 166,404 0.1 0.5 0.0 175,154 153,659 182,833 165,419 1,319,207 1,263,109 4.4

 Durable goods industries......................... 237,779 236,492 236,311 0.5 0.1 0.0 249,993 216,044 258,194 238,237 1,875,955 1,814,814 3.4

 Wood products....................................... 9,098 9,013 9,049 0.9 -0.4 -0.1 9,771 9,186 10,027 9,210 74,041 68,316 8.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 10,523 10,522 10,573 0.0 -0.5 -0.1 11,925 10,767 11,653 11,695 84,672 82,859 2.2

 Primary metals....................................... 19,719 19,341 19,277 2.0 0.3 -0.6 20,993 18,478 20,396 18,675 156,732 141,942 10.4

 Iron and steel mills............................ 9,312 9,216 9,169 1.0 0.5 0.0 9,991 8,876 9,689 8,806 73,741 66,452 11.0

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 9,118 8,846 8,814 3.1 0.4 -1.3 9,605 8,418 9,239 8,436 72,491 64,484 12.4

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,289 1,279 1,294 0.8 -1.2 -0.6 1,397 1,184 1,468 1,433 10,500 11,006 -4.6

 Fabricated metal products....................... 32,100 31,796 31,922 1.0 -0.4 0.1 34,696 30,646 34,237 32,225 253,851 236,905 7.2

 Machinery............................................. 31,571 31,032 31,074 1.7 -0.1 0.5 31,862 29,045 34,236 29,580 247,811 239,534 3.5

 Farm machinery................................. 2,822 2,689 2,697 4.9 -0.3 3.4 2,599 2,561 2,752 2,197 22,372 20,873 7.2

 Construction machinery..................... 2,118 2,073 2,011 2.2 3.1 -0.6 2,072 1,919 2,152 1,774 16,227 15,815 2.6

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,018 1,043 1,017 -2.4 2.6 0.8 1,031 994 1,035 901 7,731 8,406 -8.0

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,984 2,909 2,837 2.6 2.5 -0.6 2,793 2,727 3,249 2,689 22,283 21,646 2.9

 Photographic equipment...................... 535 544 575 -1.7 -5.4 0.3 538 481 644 561 4,304 4,361 -1.3

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,660 3,702 3,742 -1.1 -1.1 0.9 3,964 3,885 4,857 4,065 30,633 29,829 2.7

 Metalworking machinery..................... 3,046 3,012 3,081 1.1 -2.2 5.0 3,148 2,685 3,305 2,847 23,269 21,387 8.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 4,136 3,999 3,919 3.4 2.0 -3.2 4,223 3,793 4,036 3,639 31,566 30,218 4.5

 Material handling equipment............... 2,829 2,714 2,809 4.2 -3.4 0.9 3,036 2,522 2,948 2,796 22,069 20,832 5.9

 Computers and electronic products2

.......... 27,059 26,901 26,603 0.6 1.1 0.7 27,287 25,262 29,443 26,381 207,125 198,402 4.4

 Computers........................................ 727 708 705 2.7 0.4 -4.9 705 698 898 728 5,689 5,603 1.5

 Computer storage devices..................... 675 760 684 -11.2 11.1 2.5 531 493 1,157 567 5,041 5,022 0.4

 Other peripheral equipment................ 641 620 544 3.4 14.0 -0.2 589 559 739 514 4,340 4,605 -5.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 2,697 2,697 2,732 0.0 -1.3 -0.3 2,544 2,373 3,438 2,580 20,867 20,229 3.2

 Defense communications equipment.... 244 250 237 -2.4 5.5 -4.0 255 224 239 284 1,873 1,957 -4.3

 Audio and video equipment.................... 341 331 321 3.0 3.1 -1.8 330 283 315 279 2,371 2,216 7.0

 Electronic components......................... 4,036 3,950 3,977 2.2 -0.7 0.7 4,419 4,025 4,508 4,254 31,924 30,378 5.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,441 1,454 1,433 -0.9 1.5 -0.4 1,486 1,267 1,553 1,363 11,257 10,357 8.7

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,608 2,598 2,577 0.4 0.8 -0.4 2,654 2,437 2,783 2,484 20,207 19,033 6.2

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 9,018 9,039 8,595 -0.2 5.2 0.3 8,932 8,310 9,714 8,344 67,618 65,338 3.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,031 9,993 10,153 0.4 -1.6 0.9 10,615 9,478 11,102 10,494 79,795 78,392 1.8

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,057 1,055 1,100 0.2 -4.1 -2.7 1,105 1,046 1,090 1,182 8,488 8,528 -0.5

 Household appliances........................ 1,534 1,529 1,558 0.3 -1.9 -0.1 1,601 1,388 1,685 1,714 12,244 13,045 -6.1

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,673 2,601 2,742 2.8 -5.1 2.5 2,771 2,340 3,265 2,933 21,781 22,947 -5.1

 Batteries........................................... 925 922 875 0.3 5.4 -6.2 1,016 801 880 1,003 6,910 7,045 -1.9

 Transportation equipment........................ 78,476 78,847 78,742 -0.5 0.1 -0.6 83,115 65,071 87,076 80,901 622,033 618,562 0.6

 Automobiles..................................... 8,265 7,786 7,847 6.2 -0.8 -4.8 9,122 5,823 8,702 9,839 64,494 75,414 -14.5

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 15,847 15,671 16,252 1.1 -3.6 -0.4 17,419 12,015 17,414 16,828 127,399 121,340 5.0

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,661 2,581 2,482 3.1 4.0 1.3 2,811 2,516 2,784 2,235 19,453 19,122 1.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 27,585 27,159 27,547 1.6 -1.4 0.0 29,777 22,846 29,791 28,576 221,304 212,507 4.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 11,507 12,999 12,033 -11.5 8.0 0.7 11,419 11,114 14,332 11,468 90,933 94,879 -4.2

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,067 4,065 4,107 0.0 -1.0 0.5 4,033 3,317 4,854 3,883 30,422 29,906 1.7

 Ships and boats................................. 3,027 3,086 3,020 -1.9 2.2 -6.0 2,927 2,874 3,229 3,048 24,282 24,077 0.9

 Furniture and related products.................. 6,569 6,510 6,446 0.9 1.0 -0.3 7,184 6,476 6,640 6,887 51,922 51,002 1.8

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 12,633 12,537 12,472 0.8 0.5 1.3 12,545 11,635 13,384 12,189 97,973 98,900 -0.9

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 238,163 237,264 236,448 0.4 0.3 0.2 249,776 234,854 244,249 235,153 1,896,584 1,786,666 6.2

 Food products....................................... 69,188 69,242 69,252 -0.1 0.0 0.8 70,920 66,372 68,791 66,149 538,544 511,124 5.4

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 7,659 7,576 7,620 1.1 -0.6 1.0 8,096 7,140 7,206 7,578 58,895 57,129 3.1

 Dairy products.................................. 9,762 9,815 9,846 -0.5 -0.3 -0.3 10,074 9,545 9,725 9,646 77,565 73,069 6.2

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 20,064 19,999 20,382 0.3 -1.9 2.2 20,514 19,852 21,224 18,637 156,996 147,874 6.2

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 13,311 13,207 13,365 0.8 -1.2 -0.2 13,734 13,215 14,053 14,418 105,726 106,531 -0.8

 Beverages......................................... 9,284 9,315 9,462 -0.3 -1.6 -0.4 9,707 9,323 10,150 10,889 75,697 79,754 -5.1

 Tobacco............................................ 4,027 3,892 3,903 3.5 -0.3 0.4 4,027 3,892 3,903 3,529 30,029 26,777 12.1

 Textile mills........................................... 2,668 2,643 2,609 0.9 1.3 -0.9 2,800 2,598 2,781 2,655 21,296 20,365 4.6

 Textile products................................... 2,179 2,206 2,221 -1.2 -0.7 0.2 2,301 2,250 2,402 2,337 17,921 17,602 1.8

 Apparel................................................ 1,049 1,064 1,056 -1.4 0.8 -1.4 1,173 1,086 1,001 1,140 8,052 7,657 5.2

 Leather and allied products...................... 377 385 382 -2.1 0.8 -0.8 380 369 400 387 3,090 3,060 1.0

 Paper products...................................... 16,187 15,916 15,838 1.7 0.5 0.2 17,052 15,724 16,325 16,182 126,495 124,101 1.9

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,644 6,603 6,561 0.6 0.6 -1.3 6,987 6,638 6,644 6,841 52,775 52,563 0.4

 Paperboard containers........................ 5,498 5,360 5,395 2.6 -0.6 0.0 5,862 5,261 5,669 5,531 43,416 41,887 3.7

 Printing................................................. 6,247 6,282 6,291 -0.6 -0.1 0.0 6,516 5,839 6,212 7,074 50,184 53,968 -7.0

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 42,317 41,407 40,365 2.2 2.6 -1.3 46,396 44,431 42,691 37,681 339,231 269,205 26.0

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 38,327 37,350 36,401 2.6 2.6 -1.3 41,541 39,914 38,097 33,588 307,208 240,692 27.6

 Chemical products..................................... 64,872 65,043 65,027 -0.3 0.0 0.5 67,412 63,332 67,794 65,784 524,677 511,587 2.6

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,724 2,799 2,880 -2.7 -2.8 4.9 2,422 2,299 3,044 3,032 24,796 29,277 -15.3

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 22,538 22,262 22,042 1.2 1.0 0.4 23,446 21,378 22,606 20,957 175,038 163,268 7.2

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 3,840 3,853 3,799 -0.3 1.4 -0.4 4,197 3,911 4,213 3,875 31,286 29,649 5.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 19,768 19,869 20,042 -0.5 -0.9 0.2 21,092 19,638 21,799 21,346 161,368 161,466 -0.1

Year to date

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

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, August Full Report, October 5, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Aug. July June 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2017p 2016 2016

All manufacturing industries2........................ 471,684 466,245 482,153 1.2 -3.3 3.2 486,315 443,570 511,734 459,530 3,741,112 3,542,320 5.6

 Excluding transportation2

...................... 394,144 392,449 390,392 0.4 0.5 0.1 409,567 382,800 409,644 385,305 3,131,650 2,958,592 5.8

 Excluding defense2

.............................. 458,956 452,584 470,093 1.4 -3.7 3.1 475,992 432,552 496,853 449,480 3,649,705 3,457,794 5.6

 With unfilled orders2............................. 167,542 164,050 180,446 2.1 -9.1 9.1 166,362 150,768 196,079 156,337 1,322,401 1,236,012 7.0

 Durable goods industries2

......................... 233,521 228,981 245,705 2.0 -6.8 6.4 236,539 208,716 267,485 224,377 1,844,528 1,755,654 5.1

 Primary metals........................................ 19,873 19,635 19,483 1.2 0.8 0.4 20,684 18,870 20,361 18,050 158,112 142,485 11.0

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 9,529 9,516 9,423 0.1 1.0 1.5 9,931 9,122 9,898 8,386 74,878 67,467 11.0

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 8,982 8,777 8,689 2.3 1.0 -0.5 9,340 8,475 8,992 8,341 72,413 63,752 13.6

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,362 1,342 1,371 1.5 -2.1 -0.9 1,413 1,273 1,471 1,323 10,821 11,266 -3.9

 Fabricated metal products........................ 32,549 32,620 32,389 -0.2 0.7 0.1 34,340 31,578 33,919 31,216 260,346 239,313 8.8

 Machinery............................................. 31,964 31,854 31,796 0.3 0.2 0.5 32,041 29,885 34,039 29,921 253,153 237,848 6.4

 Construction machinery........................ 2,224 2,294 2,032 -3.1 12.9 -1.3 2,175 1,972 1,859 1,662 16,809 14,118 19.1

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,028 1,083 1,044 -5.1 3.7 2.5 1,094 1,076 1,073 899 7,856 6,633 18.4

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,095 2,776 2,795 11.5 -0.7 -7.7 2,829 2,649 3,169 2,489 22,640 20,892 8.4

 Photographic equipment....................... 500 487 543 2.7 -10.3 -0.9 537 445 498 625 4,095 4,292 -4.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,687 3,702 3,818 -0.4 -3.0 -0.1 3,839 3,825 4,865 3,972 31,168 29,863 4.4

 Metalworking machinery....................... 3,099 3,212 3,061 -3.5 4.9 1.9 3,177 2,938 3,161 2,924 23,526 22,289 5.5

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment........... 4,109 4,040 4,063 1.7 -0.6 1.0 4,118 3,948 4,332 4,167 31,860 30,617 4.1

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,003 3,142 3,111 -4.4 1.0 5.7 3,059 2,695 3,298 2,726 23,576 21,119 11.6

 Computers and electronic products2

........... 22,771 22,550 22,013 1.0 2.4 -0.2 21,474 20,718 24,966 20,704 173,609 169,812 2.2

 Computers........................................ 757 749 748 1.1 0.1 1.1 735 739 941 730 5,886 5,600 5.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 2,914 2,787 2,796 4.6 -0.3 1.3 2,475 2,426 3,283 2,383 22,172 21,744 2.0

 Defense communications equipment....... 254 251 256 1.2 -2.0 2.0 254 214 303 234 1,962 1,984 -1.1

 Electronic components......................... 4,091 3,993 3,941 2.5 1.3 -1.2 4,510 4,165 4,245 4,275 32,399 30,606 5.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,629 1,525 1,503 6.8 1.5 -2.8 1,521 1,437 1,567 1,389 11,900 10,994 8.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,490 2,521 2,442 -1.2 3.2 -0.4 2,257 2,100 2,697 2,249 19,051 19,741 -3.5

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments..................... 8,810 8,849 8,628 -0.4 2.6 -0.1 8,092 8,146 9,575 7,878 67,170 65,699 2.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,049 9,885 9,700 1.7 1.9 -4.7 10,485 8,911 10,628 10,530 80,253 80,239 0.0

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,075 1,075 1,119 0.0 -3.9 -1.4 1,081 1,030 1,146 1,074 8,642 8,529 1.3

 Household appliances.......................... 1,591 1,534 1,565 3.7 -2.0 -0.9 1,652 1,350 1,665 1,700 12,315 13,030 -5.5

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,704 2,490 2,391 8.6 4.1 -11.4 2,774 2,243 2,849 2,945 21,790 23,254 -6.3

 Transportation equipment........................ 77,540 73,796 91,761 5.1 -19.6 19.1 76,748 60,770 102,090 74,225 609,462 583,728 4.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 27,265 27,066 27,680 0.7 -2.2 0.0 29,590 22,697 29,376 29,302 221,696 211,247 4.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 10,521 7,267 25,123 44.8 -71.1 129.2 7,002 7,103 28,490 4,287 82,032 66,600 23.2

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 4,108 5,429 3,725 -24.3 45.7 5.6 2,823 4,355 4,624 3,728 32,194 32,010 0.6

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,946 3,015 3,080 -2.3 -2.1 3.4 2,478 2,169 3,874 2,608 21,711 18,913 14.8

 Furniture and related products................... 6,507 6,555 6,468 -0.7 1.3 2.1 6,512 6,382 6,417 6,627 52,845 52,108 1.4

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 238,163 237,264 236,448 0.4 0.3 0.2 249,776 234,854 244,249 235,153 1,896,584 1,786,666 6.2

Year to date

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, August Full Report, October 5, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website 

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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Aug. July June 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2016

All manufacturing industries2...................... 1,132,569 1,132,365 1,135,546 0.0 -0.3 1.3 1,125,936 1,134,728 1,137,619 1,116,840 0.8

 Excluding transportation2...................... 361,564 360,424 358,554 0.3 0.5 0.3 360,428 362,853 361,443 346,549 4.0

 Excluding defense2

............................. 954,205 954,353 958,895 0.0 -0.5 1.5 949,236 955,985 959,122 944,454 0.5

 Durable goods industries2........................ 1,132,569 1,132,365 1,135,546 0.0 -0.3 1.3 1,125,936 1,134,728 1,137,619 1,116,840 0.8

 Primary metals........................................ 30,517 30,363 30,069 0.5 1.0 0.7 30,322 30,631 30,239 28,122 7.8

 Iron and steel mills............................... 15,315 15,098 14,798 1.4 2.0 1.7 15,334 15,394 15,148 13,725 11.7

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............. 10,891 11,027 11,096 -1.2 -0.6 -1.1 10,706 10,971 10,914 10,743 -0.3

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 4,311 4,238 4,175 1.7 1.5 1.9 4,282 4,266 4,177 3,654 17.2

 Fabricated metal products......................... 79,223 78,774 77,950 0.6 1.1 0.6 79,754 80,110 79,178 76,300 4.5

 Machinery.............................................. 101,186 100,793 99,971 0.4 0.8 0.7 100,991 100,812 99,972 97,239 3.9

 Construction machinery......................... 5,604 5,498 5,277 1.9 4.2 0.4 5,336 5,233 5,180 4,558 17.1

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 5,204 5,194 5,154 0.2 0.8 0.5 5,232 5,169 5,087 5,396 -3.0

 Industrial machinery............................. 8,213 8,102 8,235 1.4 -1.6 -0.5 8,226 8,190 8,268 8,738 -5.9

 Photographic equipment........................ 1,215 1,250 1,307 -2.8 -4.4 -2.4 1,182 1,183 1,219 1,231 -4.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment................ 6,120 6,093 6,093 0.4 0.0 1.3 6,013 6,138 6,198 5,641 6.6

 Metalworking machinery........................ 8,235 8,182 7,982 0.6 2.5 -0.2 8,266 8,237 7,984 8,351 -1.0

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment............ 29,775 29,802 29,761 -0.1 0.1 0.5 29,871 29,976 29,821 29,824 0.2

 Material handling equipment................... 12,790 12,616 12,188 1.4 3.5 2.5 12,686 12,663 12,490 10,806 17.4

 Computers and electronic products2............. 117,881 117,707 117,728 0.1 0.0 0.0 117,013 118,164 118,271 114,302 2.4

 Computers......................................... 1,886 1,856 1,815 1.6 2.3 2.4 1,886 1,856 1,815 1,676 12.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 25,731 25,514 25,424 0.9 0.4 0.3 25,521 25,590 25,537 23,396 9.1

 Defense communications equipment........ 1,621 1,611 1,610 0.6 0.1 1.2 1,646 1,647 1,657 1,631 0.9

 Electronic components.......................... 11,486 11,431 11,388 0.5 0.4 -0.3 11,540 11,449 11,309 11,093 4.0

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 18,659 18,471 18,400 1.0 0.4 0.4 18,603 18,568 18,398 17,771 4.7

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 27,007 27,125 27,202 -0.4 -0.3 -0.5 26,747 27,144 27,481 28,077 -4.7

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments...................... 31,491 31,699 31,889 -0.7 -0.6 0.1 31,070 31,910 32,074 30,658 1.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 22,329 22,311 22,419 0.1 -0.5 -2.0 22,095 22,225 22,792 20,689 6.8

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,596 1,578 1,558 1.1 1.3 1.2 1,585 1,609 1,625 1,457 8.8

 Household appliances........................... 1,167 1,110 1,105 5.1 0.5 0.6 1,130 1,079 1,117 970 16.5

 Electrical equipment............................. 8,153 8,122 8,233 0.4 -1.3 -4.1 8,160 8,157 8,254 8,143 0.2

 Transportation equipment......................... 771,005 771,941 776,992 -0.1 -0.7 1.7 765,508 771,875 776,176 770,291 -0.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 23,457 23,777 23,870 -1.3 -0.4 0.6 23,292 23,479 23,628 23,051 1.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 578,678 579,664 585,396 -0.2 -1.0 2.3 574,878 579,295 583,306 582,014 -1.2

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 74,059 74,018 72,654 0.1 1.9 -0.5 73,172 74,382 73,344 69,188 5.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 23,365 23,446 23,517 -0.3 -0.3 0.3 23,060 23,509 24,214 22,027 4.7

 Furniture and related products................... 9,664 9,726 9,681 -0.6 0.5 0.2 9,489 10,161 10,255 9,151 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 unfilled orders are not available for the semiconductor industry. Estimates and percent changes for unfilled orders exclude semiconductor industry data. 

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

coverage, response, and nonreporting. Since the survey panel is not a probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and 

data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, August Full Report, October 5, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our 

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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Aug. July June 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2016

 All manufacturing industries...................... 655,564 652,659 650,138 0.4 0.4 0.3 660,552 656,270 646,701 642,648 2.8

 Excluding transportation........................ 525,824 522,853 521,091 0.6 0.3 0.4 530,251 526,114 519,458 511,019 3.8

 Excluding defense............................. 627,879 625,169 623,335 0.4 0.3 0.3 632,875 628,638 619,867 616,446 2.7

 With unfilled orders............................. 325,701 324,483 323,055 0.4 0.4 0.4 328,907 326,870 321,108 320,910 2.5

 Durable goods industries........................ 400,794 399,312 397,479 0.4 0.5 0.5 404,472 401,877 394,637 393,677 2.7

 Wood products........................................ 11,786 11,782 11,740 0.0 0.4 0.4 11,671 11,617 11,489 11,033 5.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products..................... 13,439 13,356 13,237 0.6 0.9 0.5 13,381 13,426 13,382 12,989 3.0

 Primary metals......................................... 33,385 33,304 33,072 0.2 0.7 0.2 33,648 33,626 32,847 31,319 7.4

 Iron and steel mills............................... 18,757 18,807 18,701 -0.3 0.6 0.1 18,942 19,009 18,527 17,625 7.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............ 12,613 12,503 12,411 0.9 0.7 0.1 12,693 12,620 12,376 11,768 7.9

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,015 1,994 1,960 1.1 1.7 1.7 2,013 1,997 1,944 1,926 4.5

 Fabricated metal products......................... 50,036 49,745 49,340 0.6 0.8 1.1 50,204 50,225 49,289 47,969 4.7

 Machinery.............................................. 69,110 68,500 68,406 0.9 0.1 1.3 70,054 68,854 67,908 66,604 5.2

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,721 3,704 3,668 0.5 1.0 2.4 3,560 3,559 3,671 3,135 13.6

 Construction machinery......................... 5,221 5,238 5,226 -0.3 0.2 0.4 5,237 5,207 5,185 5,486 -4.5

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 7,775 7,773 7,749 0.0 0.3 0.1 7,914 7,770 7,727 7,711 2.6

 Industrial machinery............................. 7,836 7,772 7,813 0.8 -0.5 2.1 7,928 7,680 7,815 7,341 8.0

 Photographic equipment....................... 1,389 1,386 1,372 0.2 1.0 0.4 1,420 1,407 1,334 1,404 1.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 5,193 5,120 5,075 1.4 0.9 0.6 5,186 5,170 5,105 4,601 12.7

 Metalworking machinery........................ 5,840 5,810 5,771 0.5 0.7 -1.1 5,945 5,840 5,714 5,754 3.3

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment............ 10,064 9,906 10,076 1.6 -1.7 4.4 10,390 10,152 9,787 9,320 11.5

 Material handling equipment.................. 5,205 5,116 4,991 1.7 2.5 1.7 5,406 5,255 5,021 4,816 12.3

 Computers and electronic products2

............ 44,894 44,636 44,492 0.6 0.3 0.4 45,925 45,206 44,255 44,470 3.3

 Computers......................................... 1,716 1,684 1,719 1.9 -2.0 -0.3 1,820 1,780 1,744 1,748 4.1

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,507 1,508 1,478 -0.1 2.0 2.3 1,554 1,535 1,453 1,390 11.8

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,179 1,163 1,152 1.4 1.0 -2.9 1,221 1,170 1,116 1,217 0.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,067 4,058 4,058 0.2 0.0 -0.6 4,180 4,047 3,995 4,076 2.6

 Defense communications equipment........ 598 586 578 2.0 1.4 0.5 598 586 578 560 6.8

 Audio and video equipment.................... 628 646 659 -2.8 -2.0 -6.1 663 649 619 711 -6.8

 Electronic components.......................... 7,902 7,836 7,855 0.8 -0.2 1.0 7,946 7,980 7,812 7,475 6.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,131 3,124 3,116 0.2 0.3 0.8 3,186 3,164 3,094 3,120 2.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 3,097 3,096 3,082 0.0 0.5 -0.3 3,145 3,157 3,107 3,060 2.8

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments...................... 14,461 14,494 14,466 -0.2 0.2 0.7 14,934 14,705 14,367 14,906 0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 17,708 17,640 17,638 0.4 0.0 1.2 18,056 17,948 17,732 17,232 4.8

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 2,178 2,156 2,155 1.0 0.0 1.0 2,199 2,212 2,168 2,066 6.4

 Household appliances........................... 2,441 2,428 2,412 0.5 0.7 0.5 2,543 2,492 2,423 2,455 3.6

 Electrical equipment............................. 4,855 4,867 4,842 -0.2 0.5 0.5 4,951 4,936 4,828 4,978 -0.5

 Batteries............................................ 1,744 1,755 1,782 -0.6 -1.5 1.7 1,844 1,842 1,824 1,838 0.3

 Transportation equipment......................... 129,740 129,806 129,047 -0.1 0.6 -0.1 130,301 130,156 127,243 131,629 -1.0

 Automobiles....................................... 4,450 4,413 4,461 0.8 -1.1 3.2 4,550 4,537 4,208 4,523 0.6

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 3,695 3,795 3,667 -2.6 3.5 0.0 3,820 3,950 3,349 3,974 -3.9

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 2,133 2,138 2,136 -0.2 0.1 5.0 2,117 2,135 2,177 1,920 10.3

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 24,312 24,427 24,097 -0.5 1.4 -1.4 24,533 24,657 23,676 25,125 -2.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 65,901 65,925 66,270 0.0 -0.5 0.1 65,862 65,589 65,573 68,133 -3.3

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 13,433 13,143 12,717 2.2 3.3 -0.9 13,469 13,181 12,689 12,088 11.4

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,370 3,471 3,318 -2.9 4.6 -3.5 3,333 3,456 3,353 3,325 0.2

 Furniture and related products.................... 7,760 7,710 7,705 0.6 0.1 0.8 7,940 7,907 7,900 7,547 5.2

 Miscellaneous durable goods..................... 22,936 22,833 22,802 0.5 0.1 0.6 23,292 22,912 22,592 22,885 1.8

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 254,770 253,347 252,659 0.6 0.3 0.1 256,080 254,393 252,064 248,971 2.9

 Food products........................................ 55,649 55,651 55,989 0.0 -0.6 0.5 56,068 55,170 54,521 55,572 0.9

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,658 5,641 5,669 0.3 -0.5 0.0 5,346 5,401 5,483 5,243 2.0

 Dairy products.................................... 8,294 8,292 8,247 0.0 0.5 0.4 8,463 8,543 8,488 7,850 7.8

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products....... 9,359 9,304 9,408 0.6 -1.1 3.0 9,456 9,387 9,321 9,289 1.8

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 23,413 23,485 23,580 -0.3 -0.4 0.5 22,858 22,686 22,877 22,722 0.6

 Beverages......................................... 19,117 19,154 19,229 -0.2 -0.4 1.0 18,824 18,654 18,745 18,567 1.4

 Tobacco............................................ 4,296 4,331 4,351 -0.8 -0.5 -1.6 4,034 4,032 4,132 4,155 -2.9

 Textile mills............................................ 3,252 3,248 3,232 0.1 0.5 1.1 3,276 3,276 3,253 3,191 2.7

 Textile products...................................... 3,432 3,418 3,407 0.4 0.3 -0.1 3,436 3,407 3,411 3,312 3.7

 Apparel................................................. 2,004 1,997 2,016 0.4 -0.9 -2.5 2,138 2,105 2,048 2,361 -9.4

 Leather and allied products....................... 802 802 800 0.0 0.3 0.1 825 821 814 820 0.6

 Paper products....................................... 15,610 15,638 15,581 -0.2 0.4 0.2 15,641 15,733 15,449 15,606 0.2

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills........... 6,237 6,224 6,233 0.2 -0.1 -0.2 6,208 6,237 6,165 6,247 -0.6

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,935 4,954 4,884 -0.4 1.4 1.0 4,919 4,967 4,837 4,800 2.5

 Printing.................................................. 5,387 5,406 5,406 -0.4 0.0 0.1 5,524 5,435 5,387 5,659 -2.4

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 36,365 35,058 34,240 3.7 2.4 -0.8 37,058 36,314 35,607 32,123 15.4

 Petroleum refineries............................. 31,788 30,471 29,641 4.3 2.8 -1.0 32,435 31,657 30,958 27,470 18.1

 Chemical products..................................... 83,196 83,160 83,133 0.0 0.0 -0.1 83,700 83,991 83,429 82,777 1.1

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals........................ 4,229 4,233 4,265 -0.1 -0.8 -0.3 4,008 3,960 3,957 3,936 1.8

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines.............. 34,755 34,668 34,514 0.3 0.4 -0.3 35,015 35,106 35,080 35,547 -1.5

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.............. 3,884 3,869 3,860 0.4 0.2 0.8 3,846 3,908 3,926 3,638 5.7

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 25,660 25,484 25,275 0.7 0.8 0.3 25,556 25,455 25,268 24,828 2.9

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. 

2

 Estimates of inventories for the semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products, and all other applicable aggregate totals. 

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, August Full Report, October 5, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Aug. July June 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2017p 2016 2016

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries................... 475,942 473,756 472,759 0.5 0.2 0.1 499,769 450,898 502,443 473,390 3,772,539 3,601,480 4.7

 Construction materials and supplies....... 49,608 49,393 49,725 0.4 -0.7 -0.1 54,728 50,009 55,192 52,342 399,990 382,014 4.7

 Information technology......................... 22,938 23,051 22,431 -0.5 2.8 0.3 22,866 21,184 25,806 21,572 175,256 167,149 4.9

 Computers and related products........... 2,043 2,088 1,933 -2.2 8.0 -1.0 1,825 1,750 2,794 1,809 15,070 15,230 -1.1

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 54,358 53,197 54,128 2.2 -1.7 -0.8 59,129 43,200 58,691 57,478 432,650 428,383 1.0

 Capital goods...................................... 82,168 82,923 81,167 -0.9 2.2 0.4 82,827 75,824 90,631 77,420 636,505 617,975 3.0

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 71,778 72,612 71,175 -1.1 2.0 0.9 72,441 66,701 79,790 68,054 557,211 545,434 2.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 64,644 63,942 63,298 1.1 1.0 0.6 65,191 59,432 70,232 60,725 499,938 485,627 2.9

 Defense capital goods4

........................ 10,390 10,311 9,992 0.8 3.2 -2.7 10,386 9,123 10,841 9,366 79,294 72,541 9.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 197,201 195,100 194,567 1.1 0.3 -0.1 206,887 187,129 200,287 191,255 1,551,899 1,447,942 7.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 37,498 36,693 37,368 2.2 -1.8 -1.0 40,003 29,955 40,126 39,961 297,150 302,774 -1.9

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 159,703 158,407 157,199 0.8 0.8 0.1 166,884 157,174 160,161 151,294 1,254,749 1,145,168 9.6

 All manufacturing industries5

................... 471,684 466,245 482,153 1.2 -3.3 3.2 486,315 443,570 511,734 459,530 3,741,112 3,542,320 5.6

 Construction materials and supplies....... 49,879 49,786 49,886 0.2 -0.2 -0.3 54,190 50,398 54,985 51,477 404,526 383,877 5.4

 Information technology......................... 22,934 22,908 22,365 0.1 2.4 -0.4 21,463 20,485 25,307 20,862 175,901 171,879 2.3

 Computers and related products........... 2,073 2,129 1,976 -2.6 7.7 1.2 1,855 1,791 2,837 1,811 15,267 15,227 0.3

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 54,038 53,104 54,261 1.8 -2.1 -0.8 58,942 43,051 58,276 58,204 433,042 427,123 1.4

 Capital goods...................................... 81,863 79,638 94,754 2.8 -16.0 19.4 75,832 73,372 105,212 70,465 634,201 593,157 6.9

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 71,198 67,861 84,540 4.9 -19.7 20.8 66,817 63,394 92,934 61,865 558,647 523,822 6.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 64,991 64,258 63,464 1.1 1.3 -0.1 63,675 59,278 68,934 61,251 506,388 489,869 3.4

 Defense capital goods4

........................ 10,665 11,777 10,214 -9.4 15.3 9.1 9,015 9,978 12,278 8,600 75,554 69,335 9.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 197,291 195,183 194,589 1.1 0.3 -0.1 206,890 187,189 199,953 191,278 1,552,069 1,448,078 7.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 37,588 36,776 37,390 2.2 -1.6 -0.9 40,006 30,015 39,792 39,984 297,320 302,910 -1.8

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 159,703 158,407 157,199 0.8 0.8 0.1 166,884 157,174 160,161 151,294 1,254,749 1,145,168 9.6

 All manufacturing industries5

................... 1,132,569 1,132,365 1,135,546 0.0 -0.3 1.3 1,125,936 1,134,728 1,137,619 1,116,840 (X) (X) 0.8

 Construction materials and supplies....... 52,913 52,642 52,249 0.5 0.8 0.3 53,211 53,749 53,360 50,320 (X) (X) 5.7

 Information technology......................... 119,023 119,027 119,170 0.0 -0.1 -0.1 117,875 119,278 119,977 114,559 (X) (X) 2.9

 Computers and related products........... 1,886 1,856 1,815 1.6 2.3 2.4 1,886 1,856 1,815 1,676 (X) (X) 12.5

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 23,457 23,777 23,870 -1.3 -0.4 0.6 23,292 23,479 23,628 23,051 (X) (X) 1.0

 Capital goods...................................... 846,730 847,035 850,320 0.0 -0.4 1.6 841,873 848,868 851,320 835,454 (X) (X) 0.8

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 704,157 704,737 709,488 -0.1 -0.7 1.9 700,125 705,749 709,056 697,324 (X) (X) 0.4

 Excluding aircraft............................. 226,917 226,570 226,254 0.2 0.1 0.1 226,015 227,531 227,685 220,906 (X) (X) 2.3

 Defense capital goods4........................ 142,573 142,298 140,832 0.2 1.0 0.2 141,748 143,119 142,264 138,130 (X) (X) 2.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 5,447 5,357 5,274 1.7 1.6 0.4 5,174 5,171 5,111 4,912 (X) (X) 5.3

 Consumer durable goods..................... 5,447 5,357 5,274 1.7 1.6 0.4 5,174 5,171 5,111 4,912 (X) (X) 5.3

 All manufacturing industries................... 655,564 652,659 650,138 0.4 0.4 0.3 660,552 656,270 646,701 642,648 (X) (X) 2.8

 Construction materials and supplies....... 67,611 67,191 66,748 0.6 0.7 0.8 67,585 67,523 66,736 64,482 (X) (X) 4.8

 Information technology......................... 38,470 38,385 38,333 0.2 0.1 0.4 39,451 38,869 38,099 38,345 (X) (X) 2.9

 Computers and related products........... 4,402 4,355 4,349 1.1 0.1 -0.1 4,595 4,485 4,313 4,355 (X) (X) 5.5

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 34,590 34,773 34,361 -0.5 1.2 -0.3 35,020 35,279 33,410 35,542 (X) (X) -1.5

 Capital goods...................................... 201,880 200,851 200,289 0.5 0.3 0.6 204,004 201,807 199,417 199,216 (X) (X) 2.4

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 178,402 177,638 177,865 0.4 -0.1 0.7 180,570 178,490 176,934 177,906 (X) (X) 1.5

 Excluding aircraft............................. 123,791 123,206 123,069 0.5 0.1 1.0 126,091 124,326 122,476 121,398 (X) (X) 3.9

 Defense capital goods4........................ 23,478 23,213 22,424 1.1 3.5 -0.2 23,434 23,317 22,483 21,310 (X) (X) 10.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 194,721 193,345 192,681 0.7 0.3 0.1 196,364 194,187 191,523 190,947 (X) (X) 2.8

 Consumer durable goods..................... 29,639 29,596 29,467 0.1 0.4 0.9 30,258 29,887 28,670 29,791 (X) (X) 1.6

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 165,082 163,749 163,214 0.8 0.3 0.0 166,106 164,300 162,853 161,156 (X) (X) 3.1

NEW ORDERS 

UNFILLED ORDERS 

TOTAL INVENTORIES 

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. 

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, August Full Report, October 5, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2017/

2017p 2017r 2017 Aug. July June 2017p 2017r 2017 2016 2016

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries....................... 223,248 222,241 222,279 0.5 0.0 0.2 224,096 223,202 221,097 218,105 2.7

 Durable goods industries.......................... 135,163 134,923 134,836 0.2 0.1 0.8 136,275 135,780 133,668 132,495 2.9

 Wood products................................... 4,867 4,925 4,889 -1.2 0.7 1.1 4,890 4,859 4,655 4,579 6.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 5,482 5,448 5,462 0.6 -0.3 0.1 5,489 5,466 5,492 5,321 3.2

 Primary metals.................................... 12,747 12,668 12,620 0.6 0.4 0.6 12,814 12,682 12,453 11,890 7.8

 Fabricated metal products........................ 18,294 18,206 18,113 0.5 0.5 0.9 18,461 18,350 18,070 17,835 3.5

 Machinery.......................................... 24,195 23,998 23,955 0.8 0.2 2.1 24,491 24,398 23,983 24,123 1.5

 Computers and electronic products........ 18,111 17,947 18,144 0.9 -1.1 0.0 18,330 18,095 18,120 17,648 3.9

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,947 6,933 7,103 0.2 -2.4 1.5 7,043 7,020 7,096 6,932 1.6

 Transportation equipment..................... 32,968 33,284 33,061 -0.9 0.7 0.3 33,011 33,268 32,272 32,556 1.4

 Furniture and related products............... 3,775 3,758 3,741 0.5 0.5 1.9 3,805 3,793 3,766 3,693 3.0

 Miscellaneous products......................... 7,777 7,756 7,748 0.3 0.1 -0.5 7,941 7,849 7,761 7,918 0.3

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 88,085 87,318 87,443 0.9 -0.1 -0.7 87,821 87,422 87,429 85,610 2.6

 Food products.................................... 19,408 19,337 19,488 0.4 -0.8 -1.4 19,125 19,055 19,203 18,947 0.9

 Beverage and tobacco products................... 5,737 5,774 5,798 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 5,555 5,567 5,648 5,767 -3.7

 Textiles.............................................. 1,137 1,130 1,130 0.6 0.0 0.3 1,151 1,135 1,139 1,134 1.5

 Textile products................................... 1,269 1,266 1,255 0.2 0.9 -0.9 1,271 1,265 1,262 1,280 -0.7

 Apparel............................................. 509 516 520 -1.4 -0.8 -9.1 517 528 521 614 -15.8

 Leather and allied products.................... 221 223 221 -0.9 0.9 -4.7 229 229 220 245 -6.5

 Paper products.................................... 7,690 7,715 7,672 -0.3 0.6 0.4 7,726 7,730 7,565 7,771 -0.6

 Printing ............................................. 2,606 2,614 2,600 -0.3 0.5 -0.6 2,651 2,647 2,603 2,722 -2.6

 Petroleum and coal products................. 10,347 9,739 9,666 6.2 0.8 -2.5 10,336 9,995 10,102 9,775 5.7

 Chemical products................................ 28,858 28,720 28,864 0.5 -0.5 -0.1 28,894 28,959 28,939 27,068 6.7

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 10,303 10,284 10,229 0.2 0.5 -0.1 10,366 10,312 10,227 10,287 0.8

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 203,637 202,138 200,453 0.7 0.8 0.3 205,008 203,062 199,658 197,519 3.8

 Durable goods industries.......................... 151,506 150,548 149,873 0.6 0.5 -0.3 152,962 151,518 149,412 150,630 1.5

 Wood products................................... 1,942 1,911 1,900 1.6 0.6 -3.7 1,924 1,882 1,895 1,945 -1.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 1,466 1,479 1,461 -0.9 1.2 0.4 1,462 1,495 1,488 1,465 -0.2

 Primary metals.................................... 9,621 9,621 9,415 0.0 2.2 -0.5 9,826 9,814 9,468 9,162 7.2

 Fabricated metal products........................ 13,206 13,188 13,142 0.1 0.4 0.7 13,313 13,340 13,099 12,751 4.4

 Machinery.......................................... 21,481 21,010 21,009 2.2 0.0 -0.3 21,988 21,017 20,769 20,315 8.2

 Computers and electronic products........ 13,982 13,975 13,938 0.1 0.3 -0.3 14,306 14,286 14,035 14,075 1.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,916 3,936 3,908 -0.5 0.7 1.1 3,983 3,992 3,954 3,809 4.6

 Transportation equipment..................... 81,145 80,724 80,464 0.5 0.3 -0.5 81,335 80,932 80,078 82,518 -1.4

 Furniture and related products............... 1,192 1,158 1,158 2.9 0.0 -0.3 1,202 1,169 1,166 1,109 8.4

 Miscellaneous products......................... 3,555 3,546 3,478 0.3 2.0 0.7 3,623 3,591 3,460 3,481 4.1

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 52,131 51,590 50,580 1.0 2.0 2.1 52,046 51,544 50,246 46,889 11.0

 Food products.................................... 5,923 6,086 6,094 -2.7 -0.1 0.5 5,459 5,725 5,556 5,580 -2.2

 Beverage and tobacco products................... 9,105 9,036 8,972 0.8 0.7 0.8 8,458 8,295 8,385 7,915 6.9

 Textiles.............................................. 671 675 663 -0.6 1.8 1.2 678 688 665 655 3.5

 Textile products................................... 404 406 411 -0.5 -1.2 2.8 405 408 408 419 -3.3

 Apparel............................................. 321 317 321 1.3 -1.2 1.6 347 334 340 374 -7.2

 Leather and allied products.................... 85 83 84 2.4 -1.2 -4.5 86 83 83 94 -8.5

 Paper products.................................... 1,229 1,241 1,241 -1.0 0.0 -0.1 1,249 1,255 1,248 1,262 -1.0

 Printing ............................................. 1,003 1,008 1,021 -0.5 -1.3 -0.4 1,108 1,031 988 1,275 -13.1

 Petroleum and coal products................. 11,920 11,544 11,076 3.3 4.2 3.4 12,389 12,069 11,518 9,193 34.8

 Chemical products................................ 18,294 18,044 17,538 1.4 2.9 3.1 18,705 18,505 17,883 17,098 9.4

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 3,176 3,150 3,159 0.8 -0.3 0.8 3,162 3,151 3,172 3,024 4.6

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 228,679 228,280 227,406 0.2 0.4 0.5 231,448 230,006 225,946 227,024 1.9

 Durable goods industries.......................... 114,125 113,841 112,770 0.2 0.9 1.2 115,235 114,579 111,557 110,552 4.2

 Wood products................................... 4,977 4,946 4,951 0.6 -0.1 1.2 4,857 4,876 4,939 4,509 7.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 6,491 6,429 6,314 1.0 1.8 0.8 6,430 6,465 6,402 6,203 3.7

 Primary metals.................................... 11,017 11,015 11,037 0.0 -0.2 0.3 11,008 11,130 10,926 10,267 7.2

 Fabricated metal products........................ 18,536 18,351 18,085 1.0 1.5 1.6 18,430 18,535 18,120 17,383 6.0

 Machinery.......................................... 23,434 23,492 23,442 -0.2 0.2 1.8 23,575 23,439 23,156 22,166 6.4

 Computers and electronic products........ 12,801 12,714 12,410 0.7 2.4 1.9 13,289 12,825 12,100 12,747 4.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,845 6,771 6,627 1.1 2.2 0.8 7,030 6,936 6,682 6,491 8.3

 Transportation equipment..................... 15,627 15,798 15,522 -1.1 1.8 0.5 15,955 15,956 14,893 16,555 -3.6

 Furniture and related products............... 2,793 2,794 2,806 0.0 -0.4 -0.2 2,933 2,945 2,968 2,745 6.8

 Miscellaneous products......................... 11,604 11,531 11,576 0.6 -0.4 1.3 11,728 11,472 11,371 11,486 2.1

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 114,554 114,439 114,636 0.1 -0.2 -0.2 116,213 115,427 114,389 116,472 -0.2

 Food products.................................... 30,318 30,228 30,407 0.3 -0.6 1.8 31,484 30,390 29,762 31,045 1.4

 Beverage and tobacco products................... 8,571 8,675 8,810 -1.2 -1.5 0.6 8,845 8,824 8,844 9,040 -2.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,444 1,443 1,439 0.1 0.3 1.7 1,447 1,453 1,449 1,402 3.2

 Textile products................................... 1,759 1,746 1,741 0.7 0.3 -0.2 1,760 1,734 1,741 1,613 9.1

 Apparel............................................. 1,174 1,164 1,175 0.9 -0.9 -0.4 1,274 1,243 1,187 1,373 -7.2

 Leather and allied products.................... 496 496 495 0.0 0.2 3.3 510 509 511 481 6.0

 Paper products.................................... 6,691 6,682 6,668 0.1 0.2 0.2 6,666 6,748 6,636 6,573 1.4

 Printing ............................................. 1,778 1,784 1,785 -0.3 -0.1 1.5 1,765 1,757 1,796 1,662 6.2

 Petroleum and coal products................. 14,098 13,775 13,498 2.3 2.1 -2.9 14,333 14,250 13,987 13,155 9.0

 Chemical products................................ 36,044 36,396 36,731 -1.0 -0.9 -1.5 36,101 36,527 36,607 38,611 -6.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 12,181 12,050 11,887 1.1 1.4 0.5 12,028 11,992 11,869 11,517 4.4

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. 

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, August Full Report, October 5, 2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.
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 Aug Jul Jun May Aug Jul Jun May

2017p 2017r 2017 2017 2017p 2017r 2017 2017

All manufacturing industries3

............................ 1.38 1.38 1.38 1.37 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries3

.................................. 1.69 1.69 1.68 1.67 6.77 6.77 6.82 6.74

 Wood products.............................................. 1.30 1.31 1.30 1.29 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.28 1.27 1.25 1.24 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.69 1.72 1.72 1.70 1.55 1.57 1.56 1.54

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.56 1.56 1.55 1.53 2.54 2.55 2.51 2.50

 Machinery..................................................... 2.19 2.21 2.20 2.19 3.60 3.64 3.60 3.59

 Computers and electronic products3

................ 1.66 1.66 1.67 1.68 5.68 5.69 5.81 5.80

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.77 1.77 1.74 1.73 2.45 2.46 2.42 2.51

 Transportation equipment.............................. 1.65 1.65 1.64 1.63 14.91 14.62 14.90 14.62

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.18 1.18 1.20 1.18 1.68 1.71 1.71 1.70

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.82 1.82 1.83 1.84 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 1.07 1.07 1.07 1.07 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.80 0.80 0.81 0.81 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.76 1.78 1.76 1.75 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.21 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.58 1.55 1.53 1.54 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 1.91 1.88 1.91 1.93 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.13 2.08 2.09 2.08 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 0.96 0.98 0.98 0.98 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing......................................................... 0.86 0.86 0.86 0.86 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.86 0.85 0.85 0.84 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.28 1.28 1.28 1.29 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.30 1.28 1.26 1.26 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Aug3 Aug3 Aug3 Aug3

Industry 2016- 2016- 2016- 2016-

Aug2 Jul Aug2 Jul Aug2 Jul Aug2 Jul

2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017 2017

 

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

Durable goods industries....................... 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1

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

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

 Primary metals.................................... 0.3 0.3 0.9 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.0 0.3

 Fabricated metal products.................... 0.2 0.4 0.2 1.1 0.0 0.3 0.1 0.2

 Machinery.......................................... 0.6 0.4 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.1

 Computers and electronic products..... -0.1 0.4 -0.3 0.6 -0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.7 0.4 1.8 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.0 0.2

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.2 0.2 0.2 1.0 0.0 0.1 -0.1 0.1

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.2 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.2

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.4 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.3 (X) 0.1

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

 Food products................................... (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

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

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

 Textile products.................................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Leather and allied products.................... (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

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

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

 Petroleum and coal products................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.8

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

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

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. 

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/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, August Full Report, October 5, 2017.

Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

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

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. 

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/>.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, August Full Report, October 5, 

2017. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

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

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