FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008, AT 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Chris Savage or Jessica Young 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (08)-03 

CB08-74 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

March 2008 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in March, up 

following two consecutive monthly decreases, increased 

$5.9 billion or 1.4 percent to $432.3 billion, the U.S. 

Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 0.9 percent February decrease. 

 Shipments, up two of the last three months, increased 

$4.9 billion or 1.1 percent to $428.7 billion. This 

followed a 1.9 percent February decrease. 

 Unfilled orders, up thirty-four of the last thirty-five 

months, increased $8.9 billion or 1.1 percent to $832.3 billion. This was at the highest level since the series was 

first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.0 

percent February increase. The unfilled orders-toshipments ratio was 5.49, down from 5.50 in February. 

 Inventories, up thirteen of the last fourteen months, 

increased $5.0 billion or 0.9 percent to $544.3 billion. 

This was also at the highest level since the series was 

first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.7 

percent February increase. The inventories-to-shipments 

ratio was 1.27, unchanged from February. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in March, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, 

increased $0.3 billion or 0.1 percent to $213.7 billion, revised from the previously published 0.3 percent 

decrease. This followed a 0.6 percent February 

decrease. 

 Machinery, up three of the last four months, had the 

largest increase, $1.7 billion or 6.4 percent to $28.9 

billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

increased $5.6 billion or 2.6 percent to $218.6 billion. 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in March, 

down four of the last five months, decreased $0.8 billion 

or 0.4 percent to $210.1 billion, unchanged from the 

previously published decrease. This followed a 2.6 

percent February decrease. 

 

 Transportation equipment, down four of the last five 

months, had the largest decrease, $1.0 billion or 1.7 

percent to $54.2 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up two 

of the last three months, increased $5.6 billion or 2.6 

percent to $218.6 billion. This was also at the highest 

level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis 

in 1992 and followed a 1.1 percent February decrease. 

This increase was led by petroleum and coal products, 

which increased $4.4 billion or 8.7 percent to $55.0 billion. The petroleum and coal products were also at 

the highest level since the series was first stated on a 

NAICS basis in 1992. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

March, up thirty-four of the last thirty-five months, 

increased $8.9 billion or 1.1 percent to $832.3 billion, revised from the previously published 0.9 percent 

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

followed a 1.0 percent February increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up twenty-nine of the last 

thirty months, had the largest increase, $7.7 billion or 

1.6 percent to $495.1 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in March, 

up eight of the last nine months, increased $3.1 billion or 1.0 percent to $326.6 billion, revised from the previously published 1.1 percent increase. This was also at the 

highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS 

basis in 1992 and followed a 0.4 percent February 

increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up fourteen of the last 

fifteen months, had the largest increase, $1.6 billion or 

1.9 percent to $85.5 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up six 

of the last seven months, increased $1.9 billion or 0.9 

percent to $217.7 billion. This was also at the highest 

level since the series was first stated on a NAICS basis 

in 1992 and followed a 1.1 percent February increase. 

Petroleum and coal products drove the increase, up $2.0 

billion or 4.9 percent to $43.6 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, March materials and supplies 

increased 0.6 percent in durable goods and 0.2 percent in 

nondurable goods. Work in process increased 1.6 

percent in durable goods and 0.5 percent in nondurable 

goods. Finished goods increased 0.6 percent in durable 

goods and 1.5 percent in nondurable goods. 

Figures in text are in seasonally adjusted current dollars. Figures on new and unfilled orders exclude data for semiconductor manufacturing. For data, call (301) 763-4673 or go to <http://www.census.gov/m3>. 

The advance report on durable goods for April is scheduled for release on May 28, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. EDT and the full report on

June 3, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. The benchmark report is scheduled for release on May 16, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. See back page for benchmark notice and survey description. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

 All manufacturing industries .................. 428,689 423,834 431,930 1.1 -1.9 1.1 442,467 411,172 399,085 432,536 1,252,724 1,183,056 5.9

 Excluding transportation ................... 374,493 368,683 374,314 1.6 -1.5 0.8 383,759 354,923 349,144 367,171 1,087,826 1,012,870 7.4

 Excluding defense .............................. 416,183 412,403 421,175 0.9 -2.1 0.9 428,285 400,109 390,127 421,954 1,218,521 1,155,007 5.5

 With unfilled orders ........................... 151,557 149,830 151,440 1.2 -1.1 1.9 162,321 146,058 136,101 161,208 444,480 428,148 3.8

 Durable goods industries ........................210,096 210,866 216,582 -0.4 -2.6 2.3 223,503 206,499 195,019 229,573 625,021 615,083 1.6

 Wood products................................. ...... 7,544 7,502 7,545 0.6 -0.6 -1.5 7,425 7,081 6,420 7,738 20,926 21,376 -2.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 8,764 8,788 8,828 -0.3 -0.5 -0.6 8,656 8,066 7,893 9,966 24,615 27,282 -9.8

 Primary metals............................ .......... 21,201 20,860 20,664 1.6 0.9 1.2 22,024 21,202 20,528 20,998 63,754 59,389 7.3

 Iron and steel mills............................ 10,135 9,937 9,822 2.0 1.2 0.3 10,638 10,294 9,847 10,073 30,779 28,216 9.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 9,369 9,276 9,216 1.0 0.7 2.4 9,646 9,287 9,107 9,248 28,040 26,498 5.8

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,697 1,647 1,626 3.0 1.3 0.6 1,740 1,621 1,574 1,677 4,935 4,675 5.6

 Fabricated metal products...................... 26,015 25,729 25,959 1.1 -0.9 1.5 26,306 25,064 24,293 26,779 75,663 74,984 0.9

 Machinery............................................. 29,241 29,387 28,394 -0.5 3.5 -2.3 32,050 28,406 25,950 30,280 86,406 78,309 10.3

 Farm machinery................................. 2,061 1,973 2,081 4.5 -5.2 -1.2 2,613 2,218 1,841 2,230 6,672 5,710 16.8

 Construction machinery..................... 2,230 2,312 2,284 -3.5 1.2 -1.8 2,401 2,307 2,021 2,278 6,729 5,957 13.0

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery........................ 1,294 1,374 1,351 -5.8 1.7 0.9 1,421 1,332 1,256 1,354 4,009 3,659 9.6

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,309 3,131 3,473 5.7 -9.8 9.1 3,474 2,675 3,275 3,243 9,424 8,149 15.6

 Photographic equipment...................... 528 543 544 -2.8 -0.2 -3.5 548 494 442 703 1,484 1,780 -16.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,698 5,228 4,041 -10.1 29.4 5.0 4,979 4,716 3,382 4,302 13,077 10,756 21.6

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,400 2,438 2,543 -1.6 -4.1 4.0 2,605 2,290 2,436 2,479 7,331 6,752 8.6

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,559 3,465 3,318 2.7 4.4 -23.3 3,797 3,490 3,180 3,828 10,467 9,414 11.2

 Material handling equipment............... 2,809 2,606 2,330 7.8 11.8 -0.8 3,373 2,611 2,112 2,750 8,096 6,856 18.1

 Computers and electronic products ......... 32,605 32,936 36,769 -1.0 -10.4 8.4 36,720 30,923 31,751 35,988 99,394 94,834 4.8

 Computers........................................ 3,643 3,535 3,638 3.1 -2.8 -1.5 3,853 3,099 3,157 3,417 10,109 9,479 6.6

 Computer storage devices................... 690 654 650 5.5 0.6 9.1 1,060 458 398 918 1,916 1,665 15.1

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,441 1,427 1,457 1.0 -2.1 -5.0 1,840 1,259 1,032 1,766 4,131 3,993 3.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 4,841 4,802 4,826 0.8 -0.5 -4.9 5,772 4,290 3,726 5,756 13,788 13,847 -0.4

 Defense communications equipment... 672 590 514 13.9 14.8 3.4 739 584 467 548 1,790 1,439 24.4

 Audio and video equipment.................. 741 729 822 1.6 -11.3 -2.7 719 690 747 837 2,156 2,522 -14.5

 Semiconductors ................................. 5,262 5,936 8,719 -11.4 -31.9 35.5 5,299 6,141 8,402 5,676 19,842 19,289 2.9

 Electronic components....................... 4,099 4,069 4,233 0.7 -3.9 2.5 4,618 3,872 3,705 4,640 12,195 12,164 0.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 1,030 987 1,191 4.4 -17.1 13.9 1,137 959 1,034 1,008 3,130 2,632 18.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,648 2,519 2,642 5.1 -4.7 1.1 2,843 2,492 2,212 2,718 7,547 7,296 3.4

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,033 7,165 7,575 -1.8 -5.4 10.7 8,334 6,579 6,415 8,169 21,328 18,918 12.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,844 10,771 10,916 0.7 -1.3 1.4 11,344 10,259 9,696 11,584 31,299 30,880 1.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,109 1,117 1,126 -0.7 -0.8 -2.7 1,168 1,118 988 1,282 3,274 3,511 -6.8

 Household appliances........................ 2,190 2,202 2,256 -0.5 -2.4 11.1 2,226 1,981 1,764 2,374 5,971 6,001 -0.5

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,618 3,571 3,558 1.3 0.4 2.3 3,940 3,493 3,353 3,799 10,786 10,054 7.3

 Batteries........................................... 715 712 743 0.4 -4.2 -8.6 690 593 659 629 1,942 1,887 2.9

 Transportation equipment...................... 54,196 55,151 57,616 -1.7 -4.3 3.6 58,708 56,249 49,941 65,365 164,898 170,186 -3.1

 Automobiles..................................... 6,202 6,936 7,236 -10.6 -4.1 1.8 6,565 7,300 6,949 8,357 20,814 22,116 -5.9

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 9,034 10,274 10,735 -12.1 -4.3 -1.1 9,359 10,823 9,323 12,680 29,505 32,365 -8.8

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,390 1,300 1,374 6.9 -5.4 1.7 1,462 1,291 1,353 1,902 4,106 5,810 -29.3

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 17,192 17,068 17,593 0.7 -3.0 -0.2 17,666 18,133 16,534 21,780 52,333 59,075 -11.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 8,334 8,492 10,304 -1.9 -17.6 11.9 9,894 8,185 7,432 10,264 25,511 23,954 6.5

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 5,415 4,743 3,640 14.2 30.3 11.5 6,208 4,319 2,867 3,730 13,394 9,592 39.6

 Ships and boats................................. 2,144 2,151 2,215 -0.3 -2.9 6.6 2,312 2,181 1,870 2,166 6,363 5,819 9.3

 Furniture and related products................. 6,489 6,539 6,547 -0.8 -0.1 -2.3 6,419 6,551 6,203 7,153 19,173 20,581 -6.8

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,197 13,203 13,344 0.0 -1.1 1.6 13,851 12,698 12,344 13,722 38,893 37,262 4.4

 Nondurable goods industries................... 218,593 212,968 215,348 2.6 -1.1 0.0 218,964 204,673 204,066 202,963 627,703 567,973 10.5

 Food products....................................... 49,686 49,148 49,659 1.1 -1.0 0.7 50,321 48,546 48,158 46,687 147,025 134,815 9.1

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 6,044 5,795 5,801 4.3 -0.1 0.0 6,124 5,866 5,716 5,138 17,706 14,886 18.9

 Dairy products.................................. 7,337 7,393 7,527 -0.8 -1.8 1.7 7,409 6,985 7,402 6,509 21,796 18,639 16.9

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 14,591 14,329 14,473 1.8 -1.0 -0.2 14,489 14,318 13,933 13,767 42,740 40,331 6.0

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 11,502 10,938 11,253 5.2 -2.8 0.3 11,383 10,368 10,273 11,055 32,024 30,726 4.2

 Beverages......................................... 7,778 7,452 7,735 4.4 -3.7 0.1 7,659 6,882 6,755 7,239 21,296 19,983 6.6

 Tobacco............................................ 3,724 3,486 3,518 6.8 -0.9 0.8 3,724 3,486 3,518 3,816 10,728 10,743 -0.1

 Textile mills........................................... 2,838 2,798 2,853 1.4 -1.9 -1.5 2,945 2,880 2,669 3,043 8,494 8,847 -4.0

 Textile products................................... 2,587 2,588 2,618 0.0 -1.1 -1.4 2,660 2,586 2,340 2,960 7,586 8,349 -9.1

 Apparel................................................ 2,669 2,741 2,816 -2.6 -2.7 -0.8 2,696 2,813 2,438 2,879 7,947 7,833 1.5

 Leather and allied products..................... 522 520 531 0.4 -2.1 -1.3 565 584 450 615 1,599 1,696 -5.7

 Paper products...................................... 14,132 14,023 14,259 0.8 -1.7 1.6 14,188 13,779 14,218 13,966 42,185 40,753 3.5

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,680 6,673 6,885 0.1 -3.1 -0.2 6,773 6,613 6,944 6,641 20,330 19,268 5.5

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,070 4,003 4,013 1.7 -0.2 4.3 4,034 3,825 3,972 3,937 11,831 11,547 2.5

 Printing................................................. 8,228 8,161 8,313 0.8 -1.8 -1.9 8,328 7,694 7,826 8,745 23,848 24,662 -3.3

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 55,022 50,635 51,242 8.7 -1.2 -1.2 51,906 46,189 46,821 40,057 144,916 107,899 34.3

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 52,577 48,155 48,643 9.2 -1.0 -1.5 49,686 44,066 44,651 37,570 138,403 101,043 37.0

 Chemical products.................................. 54,319 54,240 54,572 0.1 -0.6 0.2 56,732 52,655 52,440 55,142 161,827 152,754 5.9

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 3,282 3,305 3,096 -0.7 6.8 1.5 4,342 3,269 2,698 3,523 10,309 7,898 30.5

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 13,118 13,534 13,328 -3.1 1.5 -5.0 13,435 13,067 13,194 14,775 39,696 42,488 -6.6

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,898 2,935 3,014 -1.3 -2.6 -0.6 2,959 2,768 2,662 3,078 8,389 8,269 1.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 17,088 17,176 17,232 -0.5 -0.3 0.9 17,240 16,579 16,433 17,814 50,252 49,639 1.2

p Preliminary r

 Revised NA Not available.

1

 Shipments are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations.

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

Year to date
 3

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

All manufacturing industries 2................... 432,314 426,408 430,072 1.4 -0.9 -2.3 449,483 415,751 406,483 441,840 1,271,717 1,200,279 6.0

 Excluding transportation 2

................... 370,446 362,473 368,119 2.2 -1.5 -0.3 381,291 352,273 349,046 364,640 1,082,610 1,009,604 7.2

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 419,547 413,814 418,434 1.4 -1.1 -2.0 432,758 403,332 394,932 429,558 1,231,022 1,168,668 5.3

 With unfilled orders 2.......................... 160,444 158,340 158,301 1.3 0.0 -5.8 174,636 156,778 151,901 176,188 483,315 464,660 4.0

 Durable goods industries 2..................... 213,721 213,440 214,724 0.1 -0.6 -4.4 230,519 211,078 202,417 238,877 644,014 632,306 1.9

 Primary metals............................ ............ 21,303 21,206 20,970 0.5 1.1 0.8 22,290 22,013 21,681 21,335 65,984 60,842 8.5

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 10,234 10,068 10,296 1.6 -2.2 2.1 10,942 10,675 10,891 10,411 32,508 29,343 10.8

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 9,383 9,444 9,085 -0.6 4.0 -0.5 9,633 9,619 9,163 9,266 28,415 26,688 6.5

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,686 1,694 1,589 -0.5 6.6 0.6 1,715 1,719 1,627 1,658 5,061 4,811 5.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 26,860 26,016 25,866 3.2 0.6 -3.8 28,541 25,829 24,940 27,694 79,310 78,143 1.5

 Machinery............................................. 28,932 27,202 31,183 6.4 -12.8 0.0 31,686 27,511 31,178 31,927 90,375 84,766 6.6

 Construction machinery....................... 2,124 1,892 2,605 12.3 -27.4 20.7 2,259 2,047 2,921 3,355 7,227 7,259 -0.4

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 1,308 1,402 1,499 -6.7 -6.5 -6.1 1,400 1,451 1,373 1,252 4,224 3,279 28.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,247 3,250 3,946 -0.1 -17.6 9.9 3,327 2,965 4,472 3,791 10,764 10,037 7.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 508 460 739 10.4 -37.8 28.3 537 452 704 685 1,693 1,757 -3.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,006 3,202 5,057 25.1 -36.7 6.7 4,186 2,868 5,046 4,055 12,100 12,413 -2.5

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,460 2,412 2,487 2.0 -3.0 -8.1 2,595 2,459 2,629 2,440 7,683 7,394 3.9

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 4,112 3,718 3,398 10.6 9.4 -24.2 4,431 3,835 3,168 3,864 11,434 9,524 20.1

 Material handling equipment............... 2,744 2,650 2,566 3.5 3.3 11.9 3,380 2,918 2,471 2,885 8,769 7,434 18.0

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 27,961 27,719 27,284 0.9 1.6 -2.7 32,234 26,299 23,666 30,681 82,199 77,891 5.5

 Computers........................................ 3,707 3,685 3,078 0.6 19.7 -19.9 3,917 3,249 2,597 3,625 9,763 9,545 2.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,785 4,945 4,582 -3.2 7.9 -13.7 5,769 5,024 3,880 5,360 14,673 14,465 1.4

 Defense communications equipment... 655 519 525 26.2 -1.1 -17.1 869 461 407 1,030 1,737 1,656 4.9

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components....................... 4,293 4,254 4,233 0.9 0.5 9.4 4,676 4,224 3,861 4,359 12,761 12,573 1.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 916 1,028 1,152 -10.9 -10.8 23.5 941 1,076 1,233 1,025 3,250 2,953 10.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,703 2,560 2,928 5.6 -12.6 6.2 3,385 2,654 2,584 2,806 8,623 7,227 19.3

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,525 7,395 7,355 1.8 0.5 3.4 8,552 6,704 6,471 8,420 21,727 19,702 10.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,951 11,676 11,360 -6.2 2.8 4.5 11,183 11,821 10,806 11,543 33,810 33,056 2.3

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,128 1,279 1,041 -11.8 22.9 -8.0 1,219 1,307 976 1,359 3,502 3,968 -11.7

 Household appliances.......................... 2,310 2,241 2,125 3.1 5.5 6.6 2,217 2,111 1,835 2,209 6,163 6,303 -2.2

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,902 4,219 4,219 -7.5 0.0 23.9 4,090 4,471 4,249 4,024 12,810 11,235 14.0

 Transportation equipment........................ 61,868 63,935 61,953 -3.2 3.2 -12.3 68,192 63,478 57,437 77,200 189,107 190,675 -0.8

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 16,978 16,745 17,174 1.4 -2.5 0.0 17,169 17,875 16,515 21,408 51,559 59,304 -13.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 16,654 15,621 14,750 6.6 5.9 -30.3 18,769 13,550 13,092 21,644 45,411 40,507 12.1

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 5,903 4,476 4,124 31.9 8.5 -32.5 7,065 4,014 4,351 3,048 15,430 8,677 77.8

 Ships and boats................................. 2,269 2,964 1,736 -23.4 70.7 5.5 2,431 2,999 2,237 2,312 7,667 7,610 0.7

 Furniture and related products................. 6,719 6,537 6,455 2.8 1.3 -1.7 6,839 6,626 6,116 7,214 19,581 21,061 -7.0

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 218,593 212,968 215,348 2.6 -1.1 0.0 218,964 204,673 204,066 202,963 627,703 567,973 10.5

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

 New orders are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations.

2

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

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

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

calculated. Further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations are contained in our most recent annual benchmark publication,

Current Industrial Reports: M3-3(06), "Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: 2001-2006."

Year to date
 4 

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

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

All manufacturing industries 1................... 832,292 823,405 814,895 1.1 1.0 0.8 846,588 834,273 823,553 718,354 17.9

 Excluding transportation 1................... 337,241 336,026 336,300 0.4 -0.1 0.8 343,009 340,178 336,687 316,867 8.3

 Excluding defense 1............................. 667,916 659,290 651,943 1.3 1.1 0.9 676,614 666,842 657,478 556,429 21.6

 Durable goods industries 1..................... 832,292 823,405 814,895 1.1 1.0 0.8 846,588 834,273 823,553 718,354 17.9

 Primary metals........................................ 28,265 28,163 27,817 0.4 1.2 1.1 29,270 29,004 28,193 28,145 4.0

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 17,226 17,127 16,996 0.6 0.8 2.9 17,896 17,592 17,211 17,018 5.2

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 8,166 8,152 7,984 0.2 2.1 -1.6 8,423 8,436 8,104 8,165 3.2

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,873 2,884 2,837 -0.4 1.7 -1.3 2,951 2,976 2,878 2,962 -0.4

 Fabricated metal products...................... 60,746 59,901 59,614 1.4 0.5 -0.2 61,526 59,291 58,526 56,284 9.3

 Machinery............................................. 91,015 91,324 93,509 -0.3 -2.3 3.1 93,251 93,615 94,510 83,345 11.9

 Construction machinery....................... 9,775 9,881 10,301 -1.1 -4.1 3.2 10,405 10,547 10,807 11,103 -6.3

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 4,077 4,063 4,035 0.3 0.7 3.8 4,103 4,124 4,005 3,430 19.6

 Industrial machinery............................ 15,498 15,560 15,441 -0.4 0.8 3.2 15,684 15,831 15,541 14,319 9.5

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,635 1,655 1,738 -1.2 -4.8 12.6 1,681 1,692 1,734 1,519 10.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 13,924 14,616 16,642 -4.7 -12.2 6.5 14,180 14,973 16,821 11,113 27.6

 Metalworking machinery....................... 8,086 8,026 8,052 0.7 -0.3 -0.7 8,237 8,247 8,078 7,067 16.6

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 13,899 13,346 13,093 4.1 1.9 0.6 14,131 13,497 13,152 12,663 11.6

 Material handling equipment............... 10,278 10,343 10,299 -0.6 0.4 2.3 10,699 10,692 10,385 9,429 13.5

 Computers and electronic products 1...... 118,708 118,090 117,371 0.5 0.6 -0.6 120,421 119,608 118,091 112,538 7.0

 Computers......................................... 3,265 3,201 3,051 2.0 4.9 -15.5 3,265 3,201 3,051 3,473 -6.0

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 28,126 28,182 28,039 -0.2 0.5 -0.9 28,520 28,523 27,789 27,151 5.0

 Defense communications equipment... 7,108 7,125 7,196 -0.2 -1.0 0.2 7,265 7,135 7,258 6,574 10.5

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 10,752 10,558 10,373 1.8 1.8 0.0 10,776 10,718 10,366 10,329 4.3

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 5,998 6,112 6,071 -1.9 0.7 -0.6 6,198 6,394 6,277 5,636 10.0

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 35,909 35,854 35,813 0.2 0.1 0.8 36,861 36,319 36,157 34,246 7.6

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 27,550 27,058 26,828 1.8 0.9 -0.8 27,536 27,318 27,193 25,129 9.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 25,328 25,221 24,316 0.4 3.7 1.9 25,535 25,696 24,134 23,912 6.8

 Electric lighting equipment................... 2,736 2,717 2,555 0.7 6.3 -3.2 2,727 2,676 2,487 2,574 5.9

 Household appliances.......................... 829 709 670 16.9 5.8 -16.4 832 841 711 873 -4.7

 Electrical equipment............................ 16,583 16,299 15,651 1.7 4.1 4.4 16,625 16,475 15,497 14,111 17.8

 Transportation equipment........................ 495,051 487,379 478,595 1.6 1.8 0.9 503,579 494,095 486,866 401,487 25.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 17,761 17,975 18,298 -1.2 -1.8 -2.2 18,138 18,635 18,893 21,196 -14.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 328,432 320,112 312,983 2.6 2.3 1.4 332,221 323,346 317,981 235,103 41.3

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 46,399 45,911 46,178 1.1 -0.6 1.1 48,262 47,405 47,710 44,108 9.4

 Ships and boats................................. 18,582 18,457 17,644 0.7 4.6 -2.6 19,488 19,369 18,551 19,558 -0.4

 Furniture and related products................. 7,581 7,351 7,353 3.1 0.0 -1.2 7,408 6,988 6,913 7,268 1.9

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

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

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 544,287 539,267 535,528 0.9 0.7 1.3 542,981 541,379 532,872 509,220 6.6

 Excluding transportation ...................... 458,806 455,366 452,573 0.8 0.6 1.3 457,793 457,145 450,554 433,967 5.5

 Excluding defense ............................. 520,814 515,907 512,507 1.0 0.7 1.4 519,539 517,985 510,066 488,619 6.3

 With unfilled orders ............................. 259,986 256,794 255,094 1.2 0.7 0.7 259,490 258,736 254,641 243,294 6.7

 Durable goods industries ........................ 326,632 323,492 322,085 1.0 0.4 0.5 326,093 326,422 321,485 310,337 5.1

 Wood products................................. ....... 9,852 9,973 10,328 -1.2 -3.4 -1.2 9,945 10,158 10,358 10,974 -9.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 12,356 12,236 12,211 1.0 0.2 0.4 12,631 12,499 12,227 12,212 3.4

 Primary metals............................ ............ 31,670 31,061 30,807 2.0 0.8 0.3 31,607 31,083 30,977 31,304 1.0

 Iron and steel mills............................... 18,060 17,644 17,500 2.4 0.8 1.2 17,845 17,543 17,587 17,645 1.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 11,092 10,875 10,752 2.0 1.1 -1.0 11,178 10,928 10,812 11,098 0.7

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,518 2,542 2,555 -0.9 -0.5 -1.0 2,584 2,612 2,578 2,561 0.9

 Fabricated metal products......................... 42,217 42,233 42,315 0.0 -0.2 0.0 42,734 42,891 42,431 42,141 1.4

 Machinery.............................................. 53,589 52,911 52,610 1.3 0.6 0.8 53,953 53,806 52,618 50,440 7.0

 Farm machinery.................................. 2,734 2,708 2,702 1.0 0.2 1.0 2,984 3,015 2,834 2,509 18.9

 Construction machinery........................ 5,239 5,207 5,166 0.6 0.8 1.4 5,337 5,294 5,106 4,998 6.8

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 4,053 4,043 4,023 0.2 0.5 0.5 4,064 4,046 3,984 3,634 11.8

 Industrial machinery............................. 7,752 7,627 7,635 1.6 -0.1 0.2 7,806 7,746 7,527 7,843 -0.5

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,090 1,091 1,093 -0.1 -0.2 -1.0 1,073 1,099 1,097 1,201 -10.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,649 4,640 4,625 0.2 0.3 1.0 4,702 4,702 4,490 4,446 5.8

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,316 4,255 4,198 1.4 1.4 -2.8 4,283 4,217 4,117 3,994 7.2

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 6,737 6,438 6,372 4.6 1.0 3.3 6,533 6,457 6,416 5,596 16.7

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,163 3,135 3,098 0.9 1.2 2.2 3,175 3,181 3,136 2,844 11.6

 Computers and electronic products ......... 44,770 44,549 44,217 0.5 0.8 0.1 43,621 44,835 44,042 42,895 1.7

 Computers......................................... 1,191 1,135 1,111 4.9 2.2 -4.0 1,160 1,116 1,047 1,127 2.9

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,485 1,428 1,384 4.0 3.2 -1.2 1,363 1,466 1,354 1,165 17.0

 Other peripheral equipment................... 2,107 2,102 2,063 0.2 1.9 -0.2 2,005 2,129 2,040 1,973 1.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 6,679 6,462 6,443 3.4 0.3 -0.8 6,443 6,587 6,552 6,165 4.5

 Defense communications equipment...... 1,107 998 1,012 10.9 -1.4 4.8 1,104 988 981 793 39.2

 Audio and video equipment.................. 1,402 1,352 1,281 3.7 5.5 2.1 1,208 1,253 1,270 1,026 17.7

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

 Electronic components.......................... 7,278 7,339 7,218 -0.8 1.7 -0.1 7,101 7,363 7,238 6,966 1.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,533 3,518 3,486 0.4 0.9 1.3 3,509 3,506 3,433 2,986 17.5

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,591 2,582 2,619 0.3 -1.4 1.7 2,563 2,605 2,617 2,481 3.3

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 10,970 10,897 10,897 0.7 0.0 -0.1 10,820 11,065 10,898 10,712 1.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,330 15,281 15,128 0.3 1.0 1.6 15,522 15,679 15,239 14,484 7.2

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,854 1,902 1,905 -2.5 -0.2 0.4 1,868 1,961 1,900 1,913 -2.4

 Household appliances.......................... 1,792 1,804 1,803 -0.7 0.1 -1.3 1,774 1,847 1,784 1,682 5.5

 Electrical equipment............................. 5,833 5,770 5,674 1.1 1.7 3.3 5,918 5,953 5,836 5,241 12.9

 Batteries............................................ 536 523 517 2.5 1.2 2.0 550 521 501 482 14.1

 Transportation equipment......................... 85,481 83,901 82,955 1.9 1.1 1.2 85,188 84,234 82,318 75,253 13.2

 Automobiles....................................... 2,353 2,390 2,516 -1.5 -5.0 6.5 2,256 2,430 2,630 2,272 -0.7

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 2,611 2,540 2,485 2.8 2.2 -9.9 2,570 2,472 2,266 2,900 -11.4

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,495 1,467 1,452 1.9 1.0 -1.8 1,512 1,467 1,434 1,501 0.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 17,132 17,101 17,297 0.2 -1.1 -0.3 17,256 17,321 17,405 18,538 -6.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 37,198 35,766 35,133 4.0 1.8 3.7 36,950 35,787 34,691 28,518 29.6

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 14,021 13,971 13,907 0.4 0.5 1.2 13,976 13,953 13,747 12,484 12.0

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,395 2,340 2,344 2.4 -0.2 1.4 2,470 2,401 2,363 2,428 1.7

 Furniture and related products................. 8,402 8,419 8,462 -0.2 -0.5 -0.4 8,259 8,265 8,399 8,631 -4.3

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 22,965 22,928 23,052 0.2 -0.5 0.4 22,633 22,972 22,876 22,003 2.9

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 217,655 215,775 213,443 0.9 1.1 2.4 216,888 214,957 211,387 198,883 9.1

 Food products........................................ 38,248 38,026 37,732 0.6 0.8 1.3 37,518 38,086 37,704 34,890 7.5

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 4,728 4,667 4,491 1.3 3.9 2.1 4,740 4,829 4,629 4,054 16.9

 Dairy products.................................... 4,487 4,405 4,468 1.9 -1.4 -1.7 4,452 4,362 4,347 4,263 4.4

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 7,621 7,594 7,537 0.4 0.8 1.4 7,646 7,604 7,419 6,945 10.1

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 14,830 14,872 14,760 -0.3 0.8 1.1 14,951 15,125 15,038 14,715 1.6

 Beverages......................................... 11,022 10,960 10,893 0.6 0.6 1.3 11,056 11,001 10,964 10,494 5.4

 Tobacco............................................ 3,808 3,912 3,867 -2.7 1.2 0.4 3,895 4,124 4,074 4,221 -7.7

 Textile mills............................................ 3,846 3,823 3,824 0.6 0.0 -0.3 3,839 3,869 3,846 3,824 0.4

 Textile products...................................... 3,478 3,474 3,490 0.1 -0.5 0.2 3,431 3,481 3,493 3,474 -1.2

 Apparel................................................. 3,924 3,952 3,939 -0.7 0.3 0.6 3,781 3,898 3,903 3,700 2.2

 Leather and allied products...................... 896 902 892 -0.7 1.1 2.3 869 909 919 873 -0.5

 Paper products....................................... 15,652 15,500 15,475 1.0 0.2 -1.7 15,830 15,639 15,505 15,506 2.1

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 7,132 7,063 7,062 1.0 0.0 -2.3 7,271 7,135 7,085 7,253 0.2

 Paperboard containers......................... 3,967 3,929 3,880 1.0 1.3 -0.4 3,981 3,987 3,930 3,915 1.7

 Printing.................................................. 6,749 6,677 6,477 1.1 3.1 -4.8 6,597 6,471 6,152 6,520 1.2

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 43,623 41,598 40,310 4.9 3.2 7.5 42,777 39,442 38,467 32,243 32.7

 Petroleum refineries............................. 40,960 38,881 37,642 5.3 3.3 7.9 40,115 36,722 35,895 29,423 36.3

 Chemical products..................................... 65,034 65,633 65,411 -0.9 0.3 3.3 65,399 66,206 64,989 62,454 4.7

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,763 2,722 2,620 1.5 3.9 -0.5 3,129 3,202 2,950 2,778 12.6

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 24,551 24,994 25,223 -1.8 -0.9 7.2 24,262 24,738 24,380 23,904 1.5

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,161 3,134 3,063 0.9 2.3 -0.1 3,296 3,167 3,062 3,082 6.9

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 21,375 21,318 21,133 0.3 0.9 0.3 21,896 21,831 21,371 20,684 5.9

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1 Inventories for semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products and total durable goods industries, but are not shown separately. 

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

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

 Topical Series 1

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted2

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date Percent

Industry Change6

Mar. Feb. Jan. Feb. - Jan. - Dec. - Mar. Feb. Jan. Mar. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Mar. Feb. Jan. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 428,689 423,834 431,930 1.1 -1.9 1.1 442,467 411,172 399,085 432,536 1,252,724 1,183,056 5.9

 Construction materials and supplies...... 42,107 42,553 41,724 -1.0 2.0 0.9 42,113 39,983 37,003 44,292 119,099 121,116 -1.7

 Information technology......................... 26,984 26,643 27,594 1.3 -3.4 1.4 30,671 24,478 23,018 29,875 78,167 74,588 4.8

 Computers and related products .......... 5,774 5,616 5,745 2.8 -2.2 -1.3 6,753 4,816 4,587 6,101 16,156 15,137 6.7

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 33,818 35,578 36,938 -4.9 -3.7 0.0 35,052 37,547 34,159 44,719 106,758 119,366 -10.6

 Capital goods...................................... 76,691 75,368 78,295 1.8 -3.7 2.5 85,421 72,295 67,689 82,391 225,405 211,919 6.4

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 67,034 66,563 69,346 0.7 -4.0 1.6 74,592 63,457 60,124 73,604 198,173 188,317 5.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 62,283 61,609 62,662 1.1 -1.7 -0.4 68,826 58,652 56,011 67,233 183,489 174,139 5.4

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 9,657 8,805 8,949 9.7 -1.6 10.6 10,829 8,838 7,565 8,787 27,232 23,602 15.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 174,645 171,498 174,117 1.8 -1.5 -0.5 174,190 166,300 163,364 165,991 503,854 460,738 9.4

 Consumer durable goods..................... 30,645 32,521 33,684 -5.8 -3.5 0.6 32,017 32,990 30,250 38,064 95,257 100,748 -5.5

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 144,000 138,977 140,433 3.6 -1.0 -0.7 142,173 133,310 133,114 127,927 408,597 359,990 13.5

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 432,314 426,408 430,072 1.4 -0.9 -2.3 449,483 415,751 406,483 441,840 1,271,717 1,200,279 6.0

 Construction materials and supplies...... 41,897 40,997 42,548 2.2 -3.6 -0.4 42,812 38,845 38,725 45,105 120,382 124,596 -3.4

 Information technology......................... 27,072 27,150 27,022 -0.3 0.5 -4.5 31,062 25,866 23,596 30,329 80,524 76,738 4.9

 Computers and related products .......... 5,838 5,766 5,185 1.2 11.2 -13.2 6,817 4,966 4,027 6,309 15,810 15,203 4.0

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 33,604 35,255 36,519 -4.7 -3.5 0.1 34,555 37,289 34,140 44,347 105,984 119,595 -11.4

 Capital goods...................................... 84,890 85,005 84,689 -0.1 0.4 -8.6 95,829 82,296 79,426 96,883 257,551 239,285 7.6

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 75,583 75,153 74,878 0.6 0.4 -7.7 83,264 72,288 69,729 86,343 225,281 212,082 6.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 62,704 63,369 64,145 -1.0 -1.2 -1.0 69,194 62,906 60,566 69,380 192,666 183,470 5.0

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 9,307 9,852 9,811 -5.5 0.4 -15.2 12,565 10,008 9,697 10,540 32,270 27,203 18.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 174,469 171,257 173,835 1.9 -1.5 -0.5 173,858 166,168 163,416 165,598 503,442 461,228 9.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 30,469 32,280 33,402 -5.6 -3.4 0.5 31,685 32,858 30,302 37,671 94,845 101,238 -6.3

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 144,000 138,977 140,433 3.6 -1.0 -0.7 142,173 133,310 133,114 127,927 408,597 359,990 13.5

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 832,292 823,405 814,895 1.1 1.0 0.8 846,588 834,273 823,553 718,354 (X) (X) 17.9

 Construction materials and supplies...... 52,053 52,263 53,819 -0.4 -2.9 1.6 52,510 51,811 52,949 46,618 (X) (X) 12.6

 Information technology......................... 114,771 114,683 114,176 0.1 0.4 -0.5 116,677 116,286 114,898 110,082 (X) (X) 6.0

 Computers and related products .......... 3,265 3,201 3,051 2.0 4.9 -15.5 3,265 3,201 3,051 3,473 (X) (X) -6.0

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 17,761 17,975 18,298 -1.2 -1.8 -2.2 18,138 18,635 18,893 21,196 (X) (X) -14.4

 Capital goods...................................... 634,713 626,514 616,877 1.3 1.6 1.0 645,709 635,301 625,300 531,256 (X) (X) 21.5

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................484,991 476,442 467,852 1.8 1.8 1.2 490,909 482,237 473,406 382,456 (X) (X) 28.4

 Excluding aircraft............................. 186,475 186,054 184,294 0.2 1.0 0.8 189,274 188,906 184,652 174,251 (X) (X) 8.6

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 149,722 150,072 149,025 -0.2 0.7 0.6 154,800 153,064 151,894 148,800 (X) (X) 4.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 8,999 9,175 9,416 -1.9 -2.6 -2.9 8,992 9,324 9,456 9,149 (X) (X) -1.7

 Consumer durable goods..................... 8,999 9,175 9,416 -1.9 -2.6 -2.9 8,992 9,324 9,456 9,149 (X) (X) -1.7 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 544,287 539,267 535,528 0.9 0.7 1.3 542,981 541,379 532,872 509,220 (X) (X) 6.6

 Construction materials and supplies...... 58,852 58,947 59,210 -0.2 -0.4 -0.2 59,692 60,052 59,158 59,804 (X) (X) -0.2

 Information technology......................... 37,928 37,340 37,137 1.6 0.5 0.2 37,090 37,690 37,006 35,254 (X) (X) 5.2

 Computers and related products .......... 4,783 4,665 4,558 2.5 2.3 -1.4 4,528 4,711 4,441 4,265 (X) (X) 6.2

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 23,591 23,498 23,750 0.4 -1.1 -0.8 23,594 23,690 23,735 25,211 (X) (X) -6.4

 Capital goods...................................... 151,090 148,420 146,938 1.8 1.0 1.2 150,545 149,686 146,318 135,662 (X) (X) 11.0

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................132,379 129,811 128,715 2.0 0.9 1.5 131,820 131,025 128,150 119,179 (X) (X) 10.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 103,023 101,828 101,229 1.2 0.6 0.6 102,551 103,029 101,010 96,831 (X) (X) 5.9

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 18,711 18,609 18,223 0.5 2.1 -1.2 18,725 18,661 18,168 16,483 (X) (X) 13.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 169,591 167,599 166,297 1.2 0.8 3.0 167,201 165,665 163,941 152,976 (X) (X) 9.3

 Consumer durable goods..................... 29,616 29,512 29,649 0.4 -0.5 -0.2 29,079 29,665 29,660 29,113 (X) (X) -0.1

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 139,975 138,087 136,648 1.4 1.1 3.8 138,122 136,000 134,281 123,863 (X) (X) 11.5

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable.

1

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories.

2

 Shipments and new orders are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations.

3

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

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

equipment; pumps and compressors; material handling equipment; all other machinery; electronic computers; computer storage devices; other computer peripheral

equipment; communications equipment; search and navigation equipment; electromedical, measuring, and control instruments; electrical equipment; other electrical 

equipment, appliances, and components; heavy duty trucks; aircraft; railroad rolling stock; ships and boats; office and institutional furniture; and medical equipment

and supplies.

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

and search and navigation equipment.

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 

6

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

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

NEW ORDERS

UNFILLED ORDERS

TOTAL INVENTORIES
 7

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

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

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 181,704 180,964 180,402 0.4 0.3 1.7 180,850 181,011 180,643 174,024 3.9

 Durable goods industries........................ 108,535 107,910 107,571 0.6 0.3 0.7 107,689 108,325 108,003 106,178 1.4

 Wood products................................... 3,829 3,861 4,014 -0.8 -3.8 -0.6 3,671 3,918 4,136 3,981 -7.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,885 4,833 4,814 1.1 0.4 3.0 4,912 4,843 4,818 4,587 7.1

 Primary metals.................................... 11,859 11,825 11,698 0.3 1.1 0.9 11,595 11,674 11,758 11,772 -1.5

 Fabricated metal products..................... 15,873 15,946 16,232 -0.5 -1.8 0.9 16,005 16,222 16,339 16,434 -2.6

 Machinery.......................................... 20,163 19,915 19,780 1.2 0.7 0.2 20,004 19,985 19,920 19,321 3.5

 Computers and electronic products ...... 15,979 15,843 15,743 0.9 0.6 -0.8 15,687 15,860 15,662 16,331 -3.9

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,425 6,350 6,255 1.2 1.5 2.3 6,489 6,500 6,354 5,982 8.5

 Transportation equipment..................... 18,007 17,951 17,660 0.3 1.6 1.4 17,962 17,964 17,650 16,637 8.0

 Furniture and related products............... 3,891 3,810 3,815 2.1 -0.1 0.3 3,871 3,777 3,814 3,785 2.3

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,624 7,576 7,560 0.6 0.2 0.4 7,493 7,582 7,552 7,348 2.0

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 73,169 73,054 72,831 0.2 0.3 3.3 73,161 72,686 72,640 67,846 7.8

 Food products.................................... 13,849 13,649 13,540 1.5 0.8 2.1 13,841 13,814 13,841 12,334 12.2

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,506 4,589 4,480 -1.8 2.4 1.2 4,533 4,713 4,684 4,672 -3.0

 Textiles.............................................. 1,253 1,255 1,258 -0.2 -0.2 0.2 1,259 1,266 1,269 1,216 3.5

 Textile products.................................. 1,424 1,413 1,410 0.8 0.2 0.6 1,411 1,401 1,406 1,378 2.4

 Apparel............................................. 1,095 1,083 1,068 1.1 1.4 -4.0 1,080 1,087 1,069 1,064 1.5

 Leather and allied products................... 301 302 303 -0.3 -0.3 0.3 289 299 308 254 13.8

 Paper products.................................... 7,261 7,273 7,368 -0.2 -1.3 2.3 7,360 7,334 7,420 7,254 1.5

 Printing ............................................. 3,354 3,203 3,096 4.7 3.5 -4.5 3,343 3,076 3,002 3,060 9.2

 Petroleum and coal products................ 12,883 12,415 12,711 3.8 -2.3 10.9 12,617 11,612 11,977 10,883 15.9

 Chemical products................................ 19,014 19,672 19,434 -3.3 1.2 3.7 19,153 19,797 19,400 17,776 7.7

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 8,229 8,200 8,163 0.4 0.5 0.9 8,275 8,287 8,264 7,955 4.0

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 164,812 162,630 159,944 1.3 1.7 2.2 164,699 163,012 158,724 145,413 13.3

 Durable goods industries........................ 122,767 120,806 119,406 1.6 1.2 1.1 122,465 121,425 118,735 109,074 12.3

 Wood products................................... 2,061 2,087 2,102 -1.2 -0.7 0.8 2,063 2,087 2,094 2,266 -9.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,358 1,383 1,352 -1.8 2.3 0.6 1,416 1,447 1,349 1,411 0.4

 Primary metals.................................... 10,205 9,976 9,834 2.3 1.4 -0.1 10,225 9,999 9,855 10,053 1.7

 Fabricated metal products..................... 12,722 12,616 12,365 0.8 2.0 -1.7 12,691 12,648 12,312 11,457 10.8

 Machinery.......................................... 15,283 15,047 14,976 1.6 0.5 0.9 15,319 15,030 14,520 14,148 8.3

 Computers and electronic products ...... 17,980 18,018 17,839 -0.2 1.0 1.8 17,456 18,118 17,793 16,191 7.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,213 3,207 3,199 0.2 0.3 2.6 3,235 3,264 3,191 3,041 6.4

 Transportation equipment..................... 55,370 53,883 53,075 2.8 1.5 1.7 55,506 54,247 53,032 45,959 20.8

 Furniture and related products............... 1,275 1,305 1,298 -2.3 0.5 0.9 1,268 1,294 1,297 1,370 -7.4

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,300 3,284 3,366 0.5 -2.4 2.6 3,286 3,291 3,292 3,178 3.4

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 42,045 41,824 40,538 0.5 3.2 5.5 42,234 41,587 39,989 36,339 16.2

 Food products.................................... 2,672 2,705 2,719 -1.2 -0.5 5.5 2,591 2,754 2,902 2,900 -10.7

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,318 4,338 4,371 -0.5 -0.8 1.4 4,333 4,493 4,586 4,651 -6.8

 Textiles.............................................. 788 785 793 0.4 -1.0 -0.5 781 788 799 856 -8.8

 Textile products.................................. 437 439 436 -0.5 0.7 -0.9 434 448 437 531 -18.3

 Apparel............................................. 595 604 617 -1.5 -2.1 -3.4 580 601 625 637 -8.9

 Leather and allied products................... 101 102 99 -1.0 3.0 3.1 104 105 102 121 -14.0

 Paper products.................................... 1,453 1,441 1,441 0.8 0.0 -5.6 1,453 1,431 1,437 1,300 11.8

 Printing ............................................. 1,463 1,486 1,456 -1.5 2.1 -7.6 1,388 1,456 1,324 1,515 -8.4

 Petroleum and coal products................ 14,333 13,881 12,141 3.3 14.3 7.4 14,763 13,580 11,584 8,670 70.3

 Chemical products................................ 13,381 13,512 13,980 -1.0 -3.3 11.4 13,220 13,322 13,666 12,681 4.3

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 2,504 2,531 2,485 -1.1 1.9 -4.5 2,587 2,609 2,527 2,477 4.4

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 197,771 195,673 195,182 1.1 0.3 0.2 197,432 197,356 193,505 189,783 4.0

 Durable goods industries........................ 95,330 94,776 95,108 0.6 -0.3 -0.3 95,939 96,672 94,747 95,085 0.9

 Wood products................................... 3,962 4,025 4,212 -1.6 -4.4 -2.7 4,211 4,153 4,128 4,727 -10.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 6,113 6,020 6,045 1.5 -0.4 -1.7 6,303 6,209 6,060 6,214 1.4

 Primary metals.................................... 9,606 9,260 9,275 3.7 -0.2 -0.3 9,787 9,410 9,364 9,479 3.2

 Fabricated metal products..................... 13,622 13,671 13,718 -0.4 -0.3 0.6 14,038 14,021 13,780 14,250 -1.5

 Machinery.......................................... 18,143 17,949 17,854 1.1 0.5 1.5 18,630 18,791 18,178 16,971 9.8

 Computers and electronic products ...... 10,811 10,688 10,635 1.2 0.5 -1.4 10,478 10,857 10,587 10,373 1.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 5,692 5,724 5,674 -0.6 0.9 0.4 5,798 5,915 5,694 5,461 6.2

 Transportation equipment..................... 12,104 12,067 12,220 0.3 -1.3 -1.4 11,720 12,023 11,636 12,657 -7.4

 Furniture and related products............... 3,236 3,304 3,349 -2.1 -1.3 -1.7 3,120 3,194 3,288 3,476 -10.2

 Miscellaneous products........................ 12,041 12,068 12,126 -0.2 -0.5 -0.3 11,854 12,099 12,032 11,477 3.3

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 102,441 100,897 100,074 1.5 0.8 0.6 101,493 100,684 98,758 94,698 7.2

 Food products.................................... 21,727 21,672 21,473 0.3 0.9 0.3 21,086 21,518 20,961 19,656 7.3

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 6,006 5,945 5,909 1.0 0.6 0.7 6,085 5,919 5,768 5,392 12.9

 Textiles.............................................. 1,805 1,783 1,773 1.2 0.6 -0.7 1,799 1,815 1,778 1,752 2.7

 Textile products.................................. 1,617 1,622 1,644 -0.3 -1.3 0.2 1,586 1,632 1,650 1,565 1.3

 Apparel............................................. 2,234 2,265 2,254 -1.4 0.5 4.1 2,121 2,210 2,209 1,999 6.1

 Leather and allied products................... 494 498 490 -0.8 1.6 3.4 476 505 509 498 -4.4

 Paper products.................................... 6,938 6,786 6,666 2.2 1.8 -5.0 7,017 6,874 6,648 6,952 0.9

 Printing ............................................. 1,932 1,988 1,925 -2.8 3.3 -2.9 1,866 1,939 1,826 1,945 -4.1

 Petroleum and coal products................ 16,407 15,302 15,458 7.2 -1.0 4.9 15,397 14,250 14,906 12,690 21.3

 Chemical products................................ 32,639 32,449 31,997 0.6 1.4 -0.1 33,026 33,087 31,923 31,997 3.2

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 10,642 10,587 10,485 0.5 1.0 1.1 11,034 10,935 10,580 10,252 7.6

p

 Preliminary r Revised

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

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

 to Shipments, by Industry Group

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Mar Feb Jan Dec Mar Feb Jan Dec

2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2008r 2008 2007

 All manufacturing industries2

...... 1.27 1.27 1.24 1.24 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

................... 1.55 1.53 1.49 1.51 5.49 5.50 5.38 5.44

 Wood products................................ 1.31 1.33 1.37 1.36 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products........... 1.41 1.39 1.38 1.37 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals................................. 1.49 1.49 1.49 1.51 1.33 1.35 1.35 1.35

 Fabricated metal products............... 1.62 1.64 1.63 1.65 2.42 2.42 2.38 2.42

 Machinery....................................... 1.83 1.80 1.85 1.80 3.42 3.41 3.64 3.46

 Computers and electronic products 2

.. 1.37 1.35 1.20 1.30 4.95 4.99 4.77 4.94

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 1.41 1.42 1.39 1.38 2.50 2.51 2.39 2.40

 Transportation equipment................. 1.58 1.52 1.44 1.47 13.18 13.30 12.51 13.06

 Furniture and related products........... 1.29 1.29 1.29 1.27 1.31 1.27 1.27 1.25

 Miscellaneous products.................... 1.74 1.74 1.73 1.75 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries.............. 1.00 1.01 0.99 0.97 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products................................... 0.77 0.77 0.76 0.76 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products......... 1.29 1.36 1.31 1.30 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................... 1.36 1.37 1.34 1.33 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................... 1.34 1.34 1.33 1.31 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel.......................................... 1.47 1.44 1.40 1.38 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............... 1.72 1.73 1.68 1.62 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products................................ 1.11 1.11 1.09 1.12 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing.......................................... 0.82 0.82 0.78 0.80 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............ 0.79 0.82 0.79 0.72 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products............................. 1.20 1.21 1.20 1.16 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products.............. 1.25 1.24 1.23 1.23 (X) (X) (X) (X)

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable

1

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

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

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

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

trucks; and miscellaneous furniture.

2 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing.

Mar2 Mar2 Mar2 Mar2

Industry 2007- 2007- 2007- 2007-

Mar1 Feb Mar1 Feb Mar1 Feb Mar1 Feb

2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008

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

Durable goods industries...................... 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.1 -0.1 0.1

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

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

 Primary metals.................................... 0.0 0.4 0.3 1.0 0.2 0.7 0.0 0.2

 Fabricated metal products................... 0.3 0.3 1.5 0.6 0.6 0.2 -0.1 0.2

 Machinery.......................................... -0.2 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2

 Computers and electronic products ..... 0.1 1.0 -1.0 1.2 -0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. -0.1 0.5 0.4 1.3 0.2 0.6 0.1 0.4

 Transportation equipment................... 0.2 0.4 1.4 1.2 0.3 0.1 -0.4 0.1

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 0.9 (X) 0.7 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.3 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.6 (X) 0.2

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

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

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

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

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

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 1.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.1

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

 Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 1.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

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

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

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

 publication.

2

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

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

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
9

NOTICE

Revised historical data for Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders will be issued on 

May 16, 2008. These revisions reflect:

• benchmarking the shipments and inventory data to the 2006 Annual Survey of Manufactures

(ASM) data;

• adjusting new orders and order backlog to be consistent with the benchmarked shipments

and inventory data;

• correcting monthly data for late receipts, reclassifications of reported data, and revisions to

previously reported data; and

• updating the seasonal adjustment factors for all series.

For revised historical data go to http://www.census.gov/m3/hist/naicshist.htm. An accompanying

press release will include the revised 2008 January through March data. Please call Chris Savage on

(301)763-4832 with questions.

Survey Description 

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

(M3) survey. This survey provides statistics on manufacturers' value of shipments, new orders (net of cancellations),

end-of-month order backlog (unfilled orders), end-of-month total inventory (at current cost or market value), and

inventories by stage of fabrication (materials and supplies, work-in-process, and finished goods). The M3 includes

approximately 4,300 reporting units. Units may be divisions of diversified large companies, large homogenous

companies, or single-unit manufacturers in 89 industry categories. Due to the small monthly sample, these 89

categories have been combined into 59 publication levels. The survey methodology assumes that the month-tomonth changes of the total operations of those companies in the monthly survey effectively represent the month-tomonth movements of all establishments that make up the category. The current coverage levels in the survey show

that reported data in the monthly survey represent approximately 61 percent of the shipments estimates at the total

manufacturing level. Data published represent manufacturing in a calendar month. The data collection is based on a

voluntary survey authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code. 

The data presented in this release are based on data obtained from a panel of 4,300 reporting units and provide an

indication of the activity within the manufacturing sector. The results differ from what would be obtained from a

complete enumeration of all manufacturing companies. In addition, a different panel of 4,300 companies would

yield different results. The M3 panel is comprised of companies with $500 million or more in shipments and a

limited number of smaller companies. From a statistical perspective, the panel is not a probability sample; therefore,

the sampling errors that are normally provided with sample surveys cannot be measured. Nonsampling errors are

attributable to many sources. The use of company or divisional reports to estimate the monthly change for

establishments is one source of nonsampling error. The use of primarily large companies to represent the month-tomonth movement of all companies is another potential source. Any corrections in the data will be released in the

next month’s advance report. Any revisions made later than two months will be reflected in the annual benchmark

publication.

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