FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2009, AT 10:00 A.M. EST 

Chris Savage or Jessica Young 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (08)-11 

CB09-003 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

November 2008 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in November, 

down four consecutive months, decreased $18.7 billion 

or 4.6 percent to $384.6 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This followed a 6.0 percent October 

decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders 

decreased 4.2 percent. 

 Shipments, also down four consecutive months, 

decreased $22.1 billion or 5.3 percent to $393.8 billion. 

This was the largest percent decrease since the series 

was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and 

followed a 3.6 percent October decrease. 

 Unfilled orders, down two consecutive months, 

decreased $5.3 billion or 0.6 percent to $815.4 billion. 

This followed a 0.9 percent October decrease. The 

unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 5.82, up from 

5.69 in October. 

 Inventories, down three consecutive months, decreased 

$1.6 billion or 0.3 percent to $553.4 billion. This 

followed a 0.6 percent October decrease. The 

inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.41, up from 1.33 in 

October. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

November, down four consecutive months, decreased 

$2.8 billion or 1.5 percent to $185.7 billion, revised from 

the previously published 1.0 percent decrease. This 

followed an 8.5 percent October decrease. 

 Transportation equipment, down three of the last four 

months, had the largest decrease, $3.6 billion or 7.6 

percent to $44.1 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

decreased $15.9 billion or 7.4 percent to $198.9 billion. 

 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in 

November, down four consecutive months, decreased 

$6.2 billion or 3.1 percent to $194.9 billion, revised from 

the previously published 2.6 percent decrease. This 

followed a 3.4 percent October decrease. 

 Transportation equipment, down three of the last four 

months, had the largest decrease, $1.7 billion or 3.6 

percent to $46.3 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

four consecutive months, decreased $15.9 billion or 7.4 

percent to $198.9 billion. This was also the largest 

percent decrease since the series was first stated on a 

NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 3.8 percent October 

decrease. This decrease was led by petroleum and coal 

products, which decreased $9.9 billion or 21.0 percent to 

$37.1 billion. Petroleum and coal products also had the 

largest percent decrease since the series was first stated 

on a NAICS basis in 1992. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

November, down two consecutive months, decreased 

$5.3 billion or 0.6 percent to $815.4 billion, unchanged 

from the previously published decrease. This followed a 

0.9 percent October decrease. 

 

 Transportation equipment, down two consecutive 

months, had the largest decrease, $2.2 billion or 0.5 

percent to $467.9 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in 

November, up sixteen of the last seventeen months, 

increased $1.5 billion or 0.4 percent to $342.7 billion, revised from the previously published 0.5 percent 

increase. This was at the highest level since the series 

was first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed 

a 0.4 percent October increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up twenty-two of the last 

twenty-three months, had the largest increase, $2.4 

billion or 2.7 percent to $92.6 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

three consecutive months, decreased $3.1 billion or 1.4 

percent to $210.8 billion. This followed a 2.2 percent 

October decrease. Petroleum and coal products led the 

decrease, down $2.4 billion or 7.0 percent to $32.3 

billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, November materials and 

supplies increased 0.4 percent in durable goods and 

decreased 2.9 percent in nondurable goods. Work in 

process increased 1.3 percent in durable goods and 

decreased 2.3 percent in nondurable goods. Finished 

goods decreased 0.5 percent in durable goods and 0.1 

percent in nondurable goods. 

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

The advance report on durable goods for December is scheduled for release on January 29, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. EST and the full report on February 5, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EST. See back page for survey description and 2009 release dates. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Nov. Oct. Sept. Oct. - Sept. - Aug. - Nov. Oct. Sept. Nov. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Nov. Oct. Sept. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

 All manufacturing industries .................. 393,795 415,900 431,492 -5.3 -3.6 -3.1 375,693 431,372 448,947 427,915 4,818,123 4,660,547 3.4

 Excluding transportation ................... 347,464 367,827 380,665 -5.5 -3.4 -3.8 331,246 380,252 395,198 370,677 4,246,341 4,021,551 5.6

 Excluding defense .............................. 382,091 403,802 419,296 -5.4 -3.7 -3.3 363,654 419,444 436,065 417,914 4,690,863 4,557,416 2.9

 With unfilled orders ........................... 140,097 144,247 150,543 -2.9 -4.2 0.1 131,364 147,079 160,182 144,624 1,652,784 1,639,220 0.8

 Durable goods industries ........................194,929 201,119 208,240 -3.1 -3.4 0.0 182,734 208,711 220,680 208,074 2,305,395 2,354,816 -2.1

 Wood products................................. ...... 7,895 8,029 7,963 -1.7 0.8 -1.8 7,307 8,428 8,537 7,843 90,055 94,558 -4.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 8,313 8,925 9,188 -6.9 -2.9 -0.4 7,795 9,843 9,640 9,415 102,142 111,333 -8.3

 Primary metals............................ .......... 18,230 19,843 22,260 -8.1 -10.9 -3.7 16,021 20,628 22,850 19,060 241,773 223,971 7.9

 Iron and steel mills............................ 8,614 9,926 11,694 -13.2 -15.1 -5.5 7,531 10,313 11,927 9,088 123,542 106,146 16.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,928 8,108 8,639 -2.2 -6.1 -2.4 7,026 8,392 8,858 8,408 97,944 99,192 -1.3

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,688 1,809 1,927 -6.7 -6.1 1.6 1,464 1,923 2,065 1,564 20,287 18,633 8.9

 Fabricated metal products...................... 27,466 27,563 27,848 -0.4 -1.0 -0.3 25,396 28,906 29,301 25,900 307,160 302,570 1.5

 Machinery............................................. 28,685 28,461 30,105 0.8 -5.5 4.0 25,584 28,759 30,832 25,941 319,003 302,948 5.3

 Farm machinery................................. 2,672 2,646 3,006 1.0 -12.0 10.5 1,961 2,471 2,924 1,643 26,875 21,390 25.6

 Construction machinery..................... 2,581 2,562 2,499 0.7 2.5 2.3 2,187 2,638 2,437 2,096 26,605 24,281 9.6

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery........................ 1,748 1,824 1,674 -4.2 9.0 3.5 1,701 1,819 1,766 1,407 17,457 15,688 11.3

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,741 2,682 2,785 2.2 -3.7 0.5 2,223 3,026 2,933 2,530 31,552 35,319 -10.7

 Photographic equipment...................... 525 571 575 -8.1 -0.7 5.3 561 629 604 635 5,979 6,746 -11.4

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,378 3,582 3,758 -5.7 -4.7 -3.3 3,118 3,455 4,114 3,531 43,357 39,851 8.8

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,332 2,344 2,407 -0.5 -2.6 1.1 2,127 2,494 2,557 2,265 26,502 25,316 4.7

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,974 3,461 4,401 14.8 -21.4 23.4 3,752 3,480 4,389 3,562 41,584 37,850 9.9

 Material handling equipment............... 2,345 2,349 2,357 -0.2 -0.3 -0.6 2,115 2,343 2,394 2,266 27,245 25,443 7.1

 Computers and electronic products ......... 29,859 31,260 30,574 -4.5 2.2 -2.3 28,755 31,304 34,668 32,427 345,136 348,767 -1.0

 Computers........................................ 2,419 2,760 2,701 -12.4 2.2 -6.0 2,228 3,161 2,779 3,331 32,617 36,677 -11.1

 Computer storage devices................... 577 626 702 -7.8 -10.8 15.8 427 370 1,122 553 6,772 7,042 -3.8

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,281 1,240 1,300 3.3 -4.6 1.2 1,219 1,117 1,641 1,343 14,201 14,456 -1.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 4,997 4,692 4,914 6.5 -4.5 0.7 5,105 3,975 6,321 5,036 54,097 55,191 -2.0

 Defense communications equipment... 722 766 735 -5.7 4.2 16.9 761 744 780 605 7,491 5,814 28.8

 Audio and video equipment.................. 541 600 629 -9.8 -4.6 3.3 685 776 600 1,062 6,972 8,434 -17.3

 Semiconductors ................................. 3,899 5,032 3,902 -22.5 29.0 -14.3 3,593 6,330 3,461 5,582 54,058 59,289 -8.8

 Electronic components....................... 3,573 3,727 3,847 -4.1 -3.1 -0.5 3,513 3,570 4,293 3,997 42,616 44,208 -3.6

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 875 939 988 -6.8 -5.0 4.7 827 877 1,147 1,058 10,589 10,834 -2.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,866 2,783 2,724 3.0 2.2 1.9 2,911 2,774 2,774 2,655 29,938 28,621 4.6

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,596 7,567 7,601 0.4 -0.4 -2.9 6,872 6,984 9,157 6,538 79,891 72,266 10.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,633 10,330 10,527 -6.7 -1.9 -0.3 9,151 10,588 11,374 10,340 116,095 116,876 -0.7

 Electric lighting equipment................... 971 1,019 1,025 -4.7 -0.6 -0.4 900 1,036 1,152 1,040 11,192 12,404 -9.8

 Household appliances........................ 1,733 1,899 1,843 -8.7 3.0 -0.1 1,654 1,986 2,050 1,980 20,845 21,969 -5.1

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,140 3,427 3,501 -8.4 -2.1 0.3 2,869 3,359 3,824 3,283 38,512 37,765 2.0

 Batteries........................................... 840 882 930 -4.8 -5.2 6.3 1,018 1,004 964 855 9,237 7,426 24.4

 Transportation equipment...................... 46,331 48,073 50,827 -3.6 -5.4 2.1 44,447 51,120 53,749 57,238 571,782 638,996 -10.5

 Automobiles..................................... 6,271 6,427 6,855 -2.4 -6.2 2.0 5,830 7,335 7,273 8,018 76,435 89,888 -15.0

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 7,200 7,232 7,682 -0.4 -5.9 2.7 6,651 8,417 8,246 11,278 92,617 127,667 -27.5

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,326 1,263 1,386 5.0 -8.9 9.6 1,239 1,373 1,442 1,368 15,291 17,541 -12.8

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 14,712 14,597 15,208 0.8 -4.0 3.5 13,713 16,131 15,673 17,727 177,775 211,405 -15.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 6,173 6,861 7,695 -10.0 -10.8 -5.4 6,165 6,284 7,979 9,114 86,568 90,946 -4.8

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,423 4,757 5,201 -7.0 -8.5 10.5 4,617 4,683 5,623 3,479 49,913 35,762 39.6

 Ships and boats................................. 2,163 2,227 2,060 -2.9 8.1 -7.9 2,162 2,190 2,122 2,240 25,192 24,275 3.8

 Furniture and related products................. 5,882 6,037 6,327 -2.6 -4.6 -1.4 5,718 6,245 6,507 6,722 70,709 75,786 -6.7

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 12,635 12,598 12,621 0.3 -0.2 -2.7 12,560 12,890 13,222 13,188 141,540 139,011 1.8

 Nondurable goods industries................... 198,866 214,781 223,252 -7.4 -3.8 -5.8 192,959 222,661 228,267 219,841 2,512,728 2,305,731 9.0

 Food products....................................... 50,870 51,103 51,691 -0.5 -1.1 -0.1 51,869 53,688 53,324 50,599 561,385 524,134 7.1

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 6,049 6,173 6,250 -2.0 -1.2 1.7 6,178 6,704 6,491 5,666 66,198 55,413 19.5

 Dairy products.................................. 6,824 6,958 7,039 -1.9 -1.2 -0.4 6,962 7,099 7,110 7,877 79,462 78,581 1.1

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 15,324 15,461 15,809 -0.9 -2.2 0.5 15,436 15,690 15,881 14,724 168,922 158,989 6.2

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 11,395 11,712 11,613 -2.7 0.9 -0.6 11,403 11,821 11,612 11,353 126,479 121,655 4.0

 Beverages......................................... 7,993 7,906 7,869 1.1 0.5 0.6 8,001 8,015 7,868 7,836 86,044 82,041 4.9

 Tobacco............................................ 3,402 3,806 3,744 -10.6 1.7 -3.1 3,402 3,806 3,744 3,517 40,435 39,614 2.1

 Textile mills........................................... 2,545 2,701 2,813 -5.8 -4.0 -1.8 2,444 2,825 2,891 2,884 31,457 33,939 -7.3

 Textile products................................... 1,996 2,077 2,147 -3.9 -3.3 -3.5 1,916 2,136 2,150 2,412 25,140 28,360 -11.4

 Apparel................................................ 2,511 2,505 2,629 0.2 -4.7 -0.9 2,713 2,791 2,751 2,859 28,974 27,519 5.3

 Leather and allied products..................... 442 459 496 -3.7 -7.5 4.0 407 477 562 486 5,284 5,810 -9.1

 Paper products...................................... 14,166 14,383 14,704 -1.5 -2.2 -0.4 13,545 14,790 14,975 13,995 158,907 154,717 2.7

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,828 6,901 7,036 -1.1 -1.9 -1.0 6,432 7,037 7,141 6,656 76,456 74,305 2.9

 Paperboard containers........................ 3,784 4,012 4,111 -5.7 -2.4 -0.2 3,583 4,291 4,187 3,987 44,782 43,994 1.8

 Printing................................................. 8,024 8,058 8,070 -0.4 -0.1 -0.7 8,393 8,814 8,382 9,134 90,172 93,306 -3.4

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 37,079 46,956 53,755 -21.0 -12.6 -16.8 34,955 48,582 56,092 54,728 648,053 511,142 26.8

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 34,185 43,801 50,601 -22.0 -13.4 -17.5 32,394 44,901 52,586 52,331 615,378 481,791 27.7

 Chemical products.................................. 53,177 57,585 57,542 -7.7 0.1 -4.4 49,960 58,576 57,375 54,265 640,644 609,761 5.1

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 3,343 3,707 3,845 -9.8 -3.6 -3.5 2,238 2,856 3,311 2,305 39,472 30,428 29.7

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 14,439 14,599 14,707 -1.1 -0.7 4.5 14,433 15,841 14,498 14,187 159,105 163,911 -2.9

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,544 2,698 2,680 -5.7 0.7 -3.3 2,152 2,821 2,722 2,556 30,595 31,563 -3.1

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 16,661 17,242 17,792 -3.4 -3.1 0.3 15,354 18,161 18,153 17,126 196,233 195,388 0.4

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

Nov. Oct. Sept. Oct. - Sept. - Aug. - Nov. Oct. Sept. Nov. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Nov. Oct. Sept. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

All manufacturing industries 2................... 384,586 403,315 429,286 -4.6 -6.0 -3.1 363,825 415,242 442,008 428,971 4,790,649 4,684,783 2.3

 Excluding transportation 2

................... 340,446 355,543 374,477 -4.2 -5.1 -4.3 322,222 366,371 387,186 365,241 4,197,587 3,983,083 5.4

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 373,587 392,117 413,595 -4.7 -5.2 -4.0 353,221 403,905 426,609 421,296 4,661,367 4,585,110 1.7

 With unfilled orders 2.......................... 134,787 136,694 152,239 -1.4 -10.2 -0.3 123,089 137,279 156,704 151,262 1,679,368 1,722,745 -2.5

 Durable goods industries 2..................... 185,720 188,534 206,034 -1.5 -8.5 0.0 170,866 192,581 213,741 209,130 2,277,921 2,379,052 -4.3

 Primary metals............................ ............ 16,372 16,834 20,113 -2.7 -16.3 -5.9 14,303 16,943 19,850 19,784 234,504 223,236 5.0

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 6,717 7,436 9,866 -9.7 -24.6 -8.5 5,752 7,410 9,392 9,798 117,795 105,857 11.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,892 7,725 8,307 2.2 -7.0 -3.9 6,991 7,767 8,417 8,409 96,442 98,763 -2.4

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,763 1,673 1,940 5.4 -13.8 0.0 1,560 1,766 2,041 1,577 20,267 18,616 8.9

 Fabricated metal products...................... 26,747 26,667 27,470 0.3 -2.9 -0.9 23,662 27,404 28,335 25,538 305,693 305,625 0.0

 Machinery............................................. 27,854 27,206 30,643 2.4 -11.2 0.2 24,463 28,046 30,496 26,647 332,059 312,811 6.2

 Construction machinery....................... 1,929 1,875 2,919 2.9 -35.8 5.0 1,566 1,990 2,418 1,951 28,963 24,320 19.1

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 1,896 1,805 1,938 5.0 -6.9 4.1 1,945 1,865 1,981 1,437 20,326 15,872 28.1

 Industrial machinery............................ 2,570 2,282 2,683 12.6 -14.9 -5.1 1,956 3,005 2,578 2,592 32,649 37,330 -12.5

 Photographic equipment...................... 514 586 737 -12.3 -20.5 43.4 506 637 776 609 6,300 6,727 -6.3

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,401 3,846 3,586 -11.6 7.3 -18.0 2,891 3,666 3,892 3,978 47,070 43,996 7.0

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,164 2,163 2,411 0.0 -10.3 -4.9 1,930 2,349 2,511 2,424 27,095 26,542 2.1

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 4,594 3,826 4,384 20.1 -12.7 26.5 4,406 3,615 4,047 3,472 42,925 37,755 13.7

 Material handling equipment............... 2,111 2,069 2,285 2.0 -9.5 -14.6 1,921 1,963 2,559 2,417 26,664 26,411 1.0

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 27,165 25,627 26,949 6.0 -4.9 -2.5 25,542 24,677 31,811 25,989 293,372 294,840 -0.5

 Computers........................................ 2,969 2,426 2,721 22.4 -10.8 -7.9 2,778 2,827 2,799 3,399 33,040 36,755 -10.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 5,092 4,961 4,495 2.6 10.4 -19.4 4,798 4,539 6,033 4,284 54,408 55,666 -2.3

 Defense communications equipment... 649 738 775 -12.1 -4.8 23.4 597 664 951 558 7,858 6,347 23.8

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components....................... 3,516 3,548 3,846 -0.9 -7.7 -3.8 3,183 3,380 4,169 3,821 42,680 44,687 -4.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,003 1,025 913 95.4 12.3 -21.0 1,905 937 1,178 1,035 12,719 12,043 5.6

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,948 2,476 3,209 19.1 -22.8 19.4 2,969 2,396 3,483 2,494 29,200 28,850 1.2

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,076 7,459 7,828 -5.1 -4.7 3.2 6,367 7,045 9,242 6,773 79,628 74,625 6.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 8,988 9,155 10,190 -1.8 -10.2 -1.1 8,301 9,436 10,651 10,225 115,396 118,498 -2.6

 Electric lighting equipment................... 816 715 1,130 14.1 -36.7 16.9 654 675 1,145 939 10,940 12,769 -14.3

 Household appliances.......................... 1,685 1,673 1,872 0.7 -10.6 2.1 1,616 1,792 2,046 1,896 20,732 22,229 -6.7

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,844 3,050 3,329 -6.8 -8.4 -1.2 2,548 3,074 3,490 3,405 38,727 39,985 -3.1

 Transportation equipment........................ 44,140 47,772 54,809 -7.6 -12.8 5.5 41,603 48,871 54,822 63,730 593,062 701,700 -15.5

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 14,277 14,292 14,905 -0.1 -4.1 1.7 13,373 15,695 15,118 18,137 175,071 209,250 -16.3

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 5,610 9,003 9,866 -37.7 -8.7 28.8 5,343 6,118 8,764 17,709 110,516 156,026 -29.2

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 4,772 5,356 5,839 -10.9 -8.3 12.5 5,010 5,166 5,617 2,831 52,672 32,776 60.7

 Ships and boats................................. 1,700 1,346 3,790 26.3 -64.5 93.9 1,467 1,357 3,708 1,683 24,384 24,177 0.9

 Furniture and related products................. 5,475 5,647 6,062 -3.0 -6.8 -6.5 5,194 5,969 6,351 6,690 70,492 76,681 -8.1

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 198,866 214,781 223,252 -7.4 -3.8 -5.8 192,959 222,661 228,267 219,841 2,512,728 2,305,731 9.0

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

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

2

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

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

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

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

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

Year to date
 4 

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Nov. Oct. Sept. Oct. - Sept. - Aug. - Nov. Oct. Sept. Nov. Nov.

2008p 2008r 2008 Nov. Oct. Sept. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 08/07

All manufacturing industries 1................... 815,362 820,672 828,225 -0.6 -0.9 0.2 798,400 806,675 816,475 741,403 7.7

 Excluding transportation 1................... 347,446 350,565 357,817 -0.9 -2.0 -0.6 340,325 345,756 353,307 330,260 3.0

 Excluding defense 1............................. 657,651 662,256 668,909 -0.7 -1.0 -0.3 645,069 651,909 661,118 598,212 7.8

 Durable goods industries 1..................... 815,362 820,672 828,225 -0.6 -0.9 0.2 798,400 806,675 816,475 741,403 7.7

 Primary metals........................................ 21,345 23,203 26,212 -8.0 -11.5 -7.6 19,994 21,712 25,397 26,210 -23.7

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 11,498 13,395 15,885 -14.2 -15.7 -10.3 10,703 12,482 15,385 15,881 -32.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 6,849 6,885 7,268 -0.5 -5.3 -4.4 6,375 6,410 7,035 7,373 -13.5

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,998 2,923 3,059 2.6 -4.4 0.4 2,916 2,820 2,977 2,956 -1.4

 Fabricated metal products...................... 59,941 60,660 61,556 -1.2 -1.5 -0.6 57,952 59,686 61,188 58,304 -0.6

 Machinery............................................. 105,239 106,070 107,325 -0.8 -1.2 0.5 103,443 104,564 105,277 88,247 17.2

 Construction machinery....................... 14,224 14,876 15,563 -4.4 -4.4 2.8 13,434 14,055 14,703 10,800 24.4

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 7,566 7,418 7,437 2.0 -0.3 3.7 7,700 7,456 7,410 4,465 72.5

 Industrial machinery............................ 16,213 16,384 16,784 -1.0 -2.4 -0.6 16,008 16,275 16,296 15,018 6.6

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,860 1,871 1,856 -0.6 0.8 9.6 1,827 1,882 1,874 1,601 14.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 17,351 17,328 17,064 0.1 1.5 -1.0 17,211 17,438 17,227 12,728 35.2

 Metalworking machinery....................... 8,376 8,544 8,725 -2.0 -2.1 0.0 8,272 8,469 8,614 7,578 9.2

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 15,342 14,722 14,357 4.2 2.5 -0.1 14,869 14,215 14,080 12,879 15.5

 Material handling equipment............... 9,619 9,853 10,133 -2.4 -2.8 -0.7 9,325 9,519 9,899 9,716 -4.0

 Computers and electronic products 1...... 125,765 124,560 125,161 1.0 -0.5 0.2 124,061 123,681 123,978 120,115 3.3

 Computers......................................... 4,140 3,590 3,924 15.3 -8.5 0.5 4,140 3,590 3,924 3,563 16.2

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 29,478 29,383 29,114 0.3 0.9 -1.4 29,038 29,345 28,781 28,750 1.0

 Defense communications equipment... 8,174 8,247 8,275 -0.9 -0.3 0.5 8,057 8,221 8,301 7,308 10.2

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 10,553 10,610 10,789 -0.5 -1.7 0.0 10,320 10,650 10,840 10,479 -1.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 8,820 7,692 7,606 14.7 1.1 -1.0 8,731 7,653 7,593 6,760 29.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 37,184 37,102 37,409 0.2 -0.8 1.3 36,463 36,405 36,783 36,149 0.9

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 27,416 27,936 28,044 -1.9 -0.4 0.8 27,312 27,817 27,756 27,106 0.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 22,786 23,431 24,606 -2.8 -4.8 -1.4 22,365 23,215 24,367 23,472 -4.7

 Electric lighting equipment................... 2,255 2,410 2,714 -6.4 -11.2 4.0 2,104 2,350 2,711 2,359 -10.8

 Household appliances.......................... 427 475 701 -10.1 -32.2 4.3 459 497 691 770 -40.4

 Electrical equipment............................ 14,972 15,268 15,645 -1.9 -2.4 -1.1 14,944 15,265 15,550 15,255 -2.0

 Transportation equipment........................ 467,916 470,107 470,408 -0.5 -0.1 0.9 458,075 460,919 463,168 411,143 11.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 16,302 16,737 17,042 -2.6 -1.8 -1.7 15,861 16,201 16,637 18,278 -13.2

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 310,686 311,249 309,107 -0.2 0.7 0.7 304,563 305,385 305,551 262,338 16.1

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 47,418 47,069 46,470 0.7 1.3 1.4 46,061 45,668 45,185 39,161 17.6

 Ships and boats................................. 20,209 20,672 21,553 -2.2 -4.1 8.7 19,195 19,890 20,723 19,464 -1.4

 Furniture and related products................. 6,407 6,814 7,204 -6.0 -5.4 -3.5 6,547 7,071 7,347 7,562 -13.4

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

Nov. Oct. Sept. Oct. - Sept. - Aug. - Nov. Oct. Sept. Nov. Nov.

2008p 2008r 2008 Nov. Oct. Sept. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 08/07

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 553,426 554,990 558,296 -0.3 -0.6 -0.8 553,947 559,181 559,375 526,508 5.2

 Excluding transportation ...................... 460,866 464,854 469,720 -0.9 -1.0 -0.9 460,537 467,986 470,734 446,452 3.2

 Excluding defense ............................. 528,239 530,218 533,977 -0.4 -0.7 -0.8 528,715 534,309 534,992 503,822 4.9

 With unfilled orders ............................. 274,847 273,466 272,691 0.5 0.3 0.0 275,541 274,776 271,925 251,977 9.4

 Durable goods industries ........................ 342,672 341,168 339,728 0.4 0.4 0.2 343,504 342,379 338,638 318,076 8.0

 Wood products................................. ....... 10,554 10,606 10,648 -0.5 -0.4 1.0 10,640 10,757 10,712 11,239 -5.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 12,036 12,069 12,024 -0.3 0.4 0.4 11,650 11,679 11,810 11,312 3.0

 Primary metals............................ ............ 33,985 34,793 35,168 -2.3 -1.1 0.3 33,709 34,682 35,268 30,413 10.8

 Iron and steel mills............................... 19,924 20,272 20,335 -1.7 -0.3 1.4 19,857 20,315 20,570 16,324 21.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 11,270 11,691 12,042 -3.6 -2.9 -2.0 11,061 11,545 12,013 11,504 -3.9

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,791 2,830 2,791 -1.4 1.4 2.2 2,791 2,822 2,685 2,585 8.0

 Fabricated metal products......................... 44,614 44,726 44,942 -0.3 -0.5 0.3 43,969 44,579 44,847 41,221 6.7

 Machinery.............................................. 55,168 54,869 54,629 0.5 0.4 0.4 55,504 54,710 54,225 52,315 6.1

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,509 3,310 3,171 6.0 4.4 1.1 3,462 2,953 2,944 2,688 28.8

 Construction machinery........................ 5,614 5,649 5,760 -0.6 -1.9 2.0 5,624 5,647 5,748 5,288 6.4

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 4,634 4,684 4,581 -1.1 2.2 2.6 4,625 4,659 4,540 4,146 11.6

 Industrial machinery............................. 6,952 6,900 6,909 0.8 -0.1 0.2 7,055 6,776 6,900 6,645 6.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,383 1,352 1,343 2.3 0.7 -0.4 1,406 1,364 1,345 1,586 -11.3

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,807 4,800 4,811 0.1 -0.2 0.3 4,769 4,820 4,740 4,762 0.1

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,290 5,298 5,258 -0.2 0.8 -0.6 5,358 5,414 5,361 5,126 4.5

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 6,120 6,130 6,084 -0.2 0.8 -0.1 6,335 6,353 6,104 5,948 6.5

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,364 3,405 3,439 -1.2 -1.0 -0.4 3,391 3,430 3,393 3,211 5.6

 Computers and electronic products ......... 47,311 47,419 47,022 -0.2 0.8 0.0 48,171 48,086 46,739 45,702 5.4

 Computers......................................... 1,217 1,179 1,312 3.2 -10.1 0.0 1,265 1,145 1,426 1,523 -16.9

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,544 1,552 1,579 -0.5 -1.7 -1.1 1,653 1,606 1,493 1,610 2.7

 Other peripheral equipment................... 2,128 2,122 2,148 0.3 -1.2 1.2 2,227 2,184 2,102 2,087 6.7

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 8,016 8,087 8,017 -0.9 0.9 -4.6 8,445 8,243 7,878 8,430 0.2

 Defense communications equipment...... 1,773 1,719 1,632 3.1 5.3 5.3 1,773 1,719 1,632 1,209 46.7

 Audio and video equipment.................. 897 903 908 -0.7 -0.6 -1.2 992 1,016 992 960 3.3

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

 Electronic components.......................... 6,759 6,700 6,666 0.9 0.5 -2.1 6,793 6,799 6,623 6,648 2.2

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 5,038 5,252 5,140 -4.1 2.2 2.8 4,950 5,401 5,185 4,409 12.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 3,616 3,685 3,613 -1.9 2.0 2.0 3,596 3,691 3,584 3,387 6.2

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 10,722 10,727 10,663 0.0 0.6 1.2 10,920 10,807 10,495 10,516 3.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,017 15,172 15,366 -1.0 -1.3 0.7 14,860 15,021 14,918 14,608 1.7

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,750 1,755 1,762 -0.3 -0.4 -1.1 1,703 1,701 1,702 1,674 1.7

 Household appliances.......................... 2,006 2,018 2,071 -0.6 -2.6 3.3 1,993 2,088 2,030 2,001 -0.4

 Electrical equipment............................. 5,177 5,284 5,348 -2.0 -1.2 -0.9 5,229 5,212 5,077 5,067 3.2

 Batteries............................................ 752 745 640 0.9 16.4 -3.0 716 750 657 704 1.7

 Transportation equipment......................... 92,560 90,136 88,576 2.7 1.8 -0.2 93,410 91,195 88,641 80,056 16.7

 Automobiles....................................... 2,557 2,608 2,568 -2.0 1.6 2.6 2,532 2,563 2,610 2,642 -4.2

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 2,448 2,584 2,568 -5.3 0.6 -0.9 2,496 2,691 2,678 3,181 -21.5

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,697 1,674 1,606 1.4 4.2 1.6 1,700 1,730 1,638 1,430 18.9

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 15,799 15,971 16,162 -1.1 -1.2 -2.6 15,667 15,894 15,941 17,163 -8.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 44,022 41,947 40,571 4.9 3.4 1.3 44,873 42,721 40,657 32,216 39.3

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 14,716 14,292 13,962 3.0 2.4 -1.7 14,725 14,397 14,035 12,802 15.0

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,935 2,947 2,880 -0.4 2.3 -1.6 2,936 2,931 2,893 2,995 -2.0

 Furniture and related products................. 7,754 7,788 7,875 -0.4 -1.1 -0.7 7,701 7,744 7,874 8,088 -4.8

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 23,673 23,590 23,478 0.4 0.5 1.0 23,890 23,926 23,604 23,122 3.3

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 210,754 213,822 218,568 -1.4 -2.2 -2.3 210,443 216,802 220,737 208,432 1.0

 Food products........................................ 37,364 37,215 37,151 0.4 0.2 -0.6 38,684 39,447 37,906 37,736 2.5

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 4,750 4,741 4,671 0.2 1.5 -4.8 4,826 5,089 4,628 4,796 0.6

 Dairy products.................................... 4,458 4,463 4,423 -0.1 0.9 -0.8 4,264 4,452 4,448 4,475 -4.7

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 7,620 7,546 7,643 1.0 -1.3 -0.6 7,739 7,676 7,736 7,392 4.7

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 15,143 15,145 15,136 0.0 0.1 0.3 15,459 15,721 15,183 15,308 1.0

 Beverages......................................... 11,322 11,285 11,286 0.3 0.0 -0.1 11,538 11,793 11,437 11,338 1.8

 Tobacco............................................ 3,821 3,860 3,850 -1.0 0.3 1.6 3,921 3,928 3,746 3,970 -1.2

 Textile mills............................................ 3,702 3,711 3,702 -0.2 0.2 1.0 3,655 3,676 3,687 3,712 -1.5

 Textile products...................................... 3,280 3,302 3,301 -0.7 0.0 0.2 3,237 3,322 3,316 3,295 -1.8

 Apparel................................................. 4,360 4,396 4,448 -0.8 -1.2 -1.0 4,151 4,441 4,618 4,140 0.3

 Leather and allied products...................... 1,056 1,027 1,020 2.8 0.7 0.6 1,050 1,021 1,039 1,042 0.8

 Paper products....................................... 15,814 15,775 15,541 0.2 1.5 0.3 15,666 15,614 15,386 14,932 4.9

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 6,905 6,912 6,842 -0.1 1.0 0.3 6,836 6,799 6,724 6,593 3.7

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,490 4,440 4,302 1.1 3.2 0.7 4,418 4,373 4,275 4,041 9.3

 Printing.................................................. 6,776 6,670 6,723 1.6 -0.8 0.7 6,783 6,935 7,024 6,900 -1.7

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 32,342 34,773 39,863 -7.0 -12.8 -8.2 31,775 35,777 41,419 34,256 -7.2

 Petroleum refineries............................. 29,544 32,044 37,281 -7.8 -14.0 -8.8 29,051 33,056 38,778 32,056 -9.4

 Chemical products..................................... 68,414 68,995 68,778 -0.8 0.3 -1.7 67,889 68,280 68,410 65,954 2.9

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 3,687 3,541 3,386 4.1 4.6 3.8 3,678 3,275 2,937 2,881 27.7

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 24,050 24,034 23,890 0.1 0.6 -1.0 24,053 24,082 24,146 23,720 1.4

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,128 3,139 3,163 -0.4 -0.8 0.9 2,981 3,009 3,115 2,962 0.6

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 22,503 22,813 22,905 -1.4 -0.4 -1.4 22,094 22,568 22,749 21,157 4.4

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

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

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

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

 Topical Series 1

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted2

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date Percent

Industry Change6

Nov. Oct. Sept. Oct. - Sept. - Aug. - Nov. Oct. Sept. Nov. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Nov. Oct. Sept. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 393,795 415,900 431,492 -5.3 -3.6 -3.1 375,693 431,372 448,947 427,915 4,818,123 4,660,547 3.4

 Construction materials and supplies...... 41,417 42,812 43,563 -3.3 -1.7 -1.2 38,192 45,630 46,505 41,877 484,944 495,672 -2.2

 Information technology......................... 25,861 26,175 26,628 -1.2 -1.7 -0.4 24,920 25,236 30,902 26,665 290,750 289,328 0.5

 Computers and related products .......... 4,277 4,626 4,703 -7.5 -1.6 -1.3 3,874 4,648 5,542 5,227 53,590 58,175 -7.9

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 29,509 29,519 31,131 0.0 -5.2 3.2 27,433 33,256 32,634 38,391 362,118 446,501 -18.9

 Capital goods...................................... 72,772 73,765 76,747 -1.3 -3.9 1.2 68,489 72,868 82,737 72,842 827,965 807,299 2.6

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 63,827 64,469 67,540 -1.0 -4.5 1.1 59,265 63,669 73,180 64,548 729,855 722,684 1.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 61,070 61,218 63,567 -0.2 -3.7 1.7 56,508 60,782 69,075 59,316 684,514 671,838 1.9

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,945 9,296 9,207 -3.8 1.0 1.6 9,224 9,199 9,557 8,294 98,110 84,615 15.9

 Consumer goods.................................. 154,610 165,659 174,757 -6.7 -5.2 -5.6 152,094 173,854 180,146 180,078 1,980,632 1,862,874 6.3

 Consumer durable goods..................... 26,890 27,496 28,731 -2.2 -4.3 -0.1 25,712 30,057 30,406 34,698 329,044 385,679 -14.7

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 127,720 138,163 146,026 -7.6 -5.4 -6.6 126,382 143,797 149,740 145,380 1,651,588 1,477,195 11.8

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 384,586 403,315 429,286 -4.6 -6.0 -3.1 363,825 415,242 442,008 428,971 4,790,649 4,684,783 2.3

 Construction materials and supplies...... 40,729 42,236 43,047 -3.6 -1.9 -2.6 36,502 44,514 45,558 41,862 486,954 501,272 -2.9

 Information technology......................... 26,966 25,500 26,769 5.7 -4.7 -2.3 25,330 24,825 31,424 25,907 292,752 292,969 -0.1

 Computers and related products .......... 4,827 4,292 4,723 12.5 -9.1 -2.5 4,424 4,314 5,562 5,295 54,013 58,253 -7.3

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 29,074 29,214 30,828 -0.5 -5.2 2.4 27,093 32,820 32,079 38,801 359,414 444,346 -19.1

 Capital goods...................................... 70,986 71,326 80,062 -0.5 -10.9 1.9 65,275 69,652 82,827 79,247 861,056 880,620 -2.2

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 62,532 63,487 67,923 -1.5 -6.5 -1.1 57,376 61,514 71,141 73,233 762,480 799,880 -4.7

 Excluding aircraft............................. 60,656 58,373 62,547 3.9 -6.7 -3.4 55,259 58,930 67,017 58,942 695,486 686,525 1.3

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,454 7,839 12,139 7.8 -35.4 23.3 7,899 8,138 11,686 6,014 98,576 80,740 22.1

 Consumer goods.................................. 154,594 165,382 174,750 -6.5 -5.4 -5.4 152,112 173,643 180,146 180,049 1,979,729 1,863,821 6.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 26,874 27,219 28,724 -1.3 -5.2 1.3 25,730 29,846 30,406 34,669 328,141 386,626 -15.1

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 127,720 138,163 146,026 -7.6 -5.4 -6.6 126,382 143,797 149,740 145,380 1,651,588 1,477,195 11.8

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 815,362 820,672 828,225 -0.6 -0.9 0.2 798,400 806,675 816,475 741,403 (X) (X) 7.7

 Construction materials and supplies...... 54,034 54,722 55,298 -1.3 -1.0 -0.9 52,578 54,268 55,384 49,444 (X) (X) 6.3

 Information technology......................... 122,204 121,099 121,774 0.9 -0.6 0.1 120,426 120,016 120,427 116,325 (X) (X) 3.5

 Computers and related products .......... 4,140 3,590 3,924 15.3 -8.5 0.5 4,140 3,590 3,924 3,563 (X) (X) 16.2

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 16,302 16,737 17,042 -2.6 -1.8 -1.7 15,861 16,201 16,637 18,278 (X) (X) -13.2

 Capital goods...................................... 620,680 622,466 624,905 -0.3 -0.4 0.5 608,548 611,762 614,978 549,693 (X) (X) 10.7

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................479,673 480,968 481,950 -0.3 -0.2 0.1 471,440 473,329 475,484 420,991 (X) (X) 12.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 202,618 203,032 205,877 -0.2 -1.4 -0.5 199,756 201,005 202,857 187,709 (X) (X) 6.4

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 141,007 141,498 142,955 -0.3 -1.0 2.1 137,108 138,433 139,494 128,702 (X) (X) 6.5

 Consumer goods.................................. 8,178 8,194 8,471 -0.2 -3.3 -0.1 8,261 8,243 8,454 9,724 (X) (X) -15.0

 Consumer durable goods..................... 8,178 8,194 8,471 -0.2 -3.3 -0.1 8,261 8,243 8,454 9,724 (X) (X) -15.0 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 553,426 554,990 558,296 -0.3 -0.6 -0.8 553,947 559,181 559,375 526,508 (X) (X) 5.2

 Construction materials and supplies...... 60,923 61,017 61,174 -0.2 -0.3 0.4 59,886 60,626 61,020 58,315 (X) (X) 2.7

 Information technology......................... 42,125 42,404 42,369 -0.7 0.1 0.4 42,906 42,916 42,087 41,350 (X) (X) 3.8

 Computers and related products .......... 4,889 4,853 5,039 0.7 -3.7 0.2 5,145 4,935 5,021 5,220 (X) (X) -1.4

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 22,501 22,837 22,904 -1.5 -0.3 -1.6 22,395 22,878 22,867 24,416 (X) (X) -8.3

 Capital goods...................................... 162,927 161,112 159,247 1.1 1.2 0.2 164,925 162,214 158,534 146,643 (X) (X) 12.5

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................143,405 141,864 140,368 1.1 1.1 0.3 145,367 142,971 139,664 128,617 (X) (X) 13.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 108,844 108,972 108,679 -0.1 0.3 0.1 110,095 109,464 107,804 104,535 (X) (X) 5.3

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 19,522 19,248 18,879 1.4 2.0 -1.0 19,558 19,243 18,870 18,026 (X) (X) 8.5

 Consumer goods.................................. 156,115 158,668 163,554 -1.6 -3.0 -2.3 157,155 162,905 166,402 158,658 (X) (X) -0.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 28,593 28,731 28,725 -0.5 0.0 0.9 28,802 29,123 28,910 29,439 (X) (X) -2.2

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 127,522 129,937 134,829 -1.9 -3.6 -3.0 128,353 133,782 137,492 129,219 (X) (X) -0.7

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable.

1

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories.

2

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

3

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

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

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

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

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

and supplies.

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

and search and navigation equipment.

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 

6

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

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

NEW ORDERS

UNFILLED ORDERS

TOTAL INVENTORIES
 7

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Nov. Oct. Sept. Oct. - Sept. - Aug. - Nov. Oct. Sept. Nov. Nov.

2008p 2008r 2008 Nov. Oct. Sept. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 08/07

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 188,720 190,387 192,639 -0.9 -1.2 0.0 188,799 191,669 193,210 181,995 3.7

 Durable goods industries........................ 117,040 116,603 116,330 0.4 0.2 0.4 117,773 117,376 116,723 109,578 7.5

 Wood products................................... 4,288 4,322 4,326 -0.8 -0.1 0.7 4,598 4,658 4,499 4,810 -4.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,707 4,890 4,906 -3.7 -0.3 0.3 4,677 4,873 4,902 4,569 2.4

 Primary metals.................................... 14,461 14,084 13,733 2.7 2.6 2.5 14,608 14,337 13,982 11,370 28.5

 Fabricated metal products..................... 17,038 17,082 17,211 -0.3 -0.7 2.1 16,809 16,992 17,268 15,153 10.9

 Machinery.......................................... 21,531 21,322 21,068 1.0 1.2 0.4 21,625 21,429 20,996 19,911 8.6

 Computers and electronic products ...... 15,437 15,612 15,636 -1.1 -0.2 0.8 15,696 15,752 15,781 16,186 -3.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 5,943 6,094 6,203 -2.5 -1.8 -0.7 5,921 6,016 6,074 5,712 3.7

 Transportation equipment..................... 22,280 21,894 21,836 1.8 0.3 -1.9 22,471 22,021 21,821 20,721 8.4

 Furniture and related products............... 3,715 3,697 3,788 0.5 -2.4 -3.4 3,684 3,656 3,781 3,781 -2.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,640 7,606 7,623 0.4 -0.2 1.2 7,684 7,642 7,619 7,365 4.3

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 71,680 73,784 76,309 -2.9 -3.3 -0.6 71,026 74,293 76,487 72,417 -1.9

 Food products.................................... 13,499 13,712 13,578 -1.6 1.0 -2.0 13,832 14,276 13,367 13,955 -0.9

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,509 4,537 4,482 -0.6 1.2 1.5 4,522 4,525 4,412 4,448 1.7

 Textiles.............................................. 1,157 1,169 1,162 -1.0 0.6 -1.4 1,131 1,147 1,155 1,172 -3.5

 Textile products.................................. 1,304 1,336 1,325 -2.4 0.8 0.8 1,288 1,338 1,337 1,241 3.8

 Apparel............................................. 1,028 1,024 1,071 0.4 -4.4 0.0 1,001 1,025 1,077 1,027 -2.5

 Leather and allied products................... 359 366 364 -1.9 0.5 1.4 359 369 368 402 -10.7

 Paper products.................................... 7,534 7,567 7,469 -0.4 1.3 0.3 7,481 7,545 7,415 7,170 4.3

 Printing ............................................. 3,089 3,013 3,078 2.5 -2.1 0.9 3,068 3,036 3,203 3,073 -0.2

 Petroleum and coal products................ 10,146 10,984 12,180 -7.6 -9.8 -8.7 9,702 11,207 12,635 11,130 -12.8

 Chemical products................................ 20,251 20,951 22,329 -3.3 -6.2 4.0 19,909 20,743 22,227 20,231 -1.6

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 8,804 9,125 9,271 -3.5 -1.6 0.1 8,733 9,082 9,291 8,568 1.9

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 166,378 165,668 166,126 0.4 -0.3 -0.6 167,990 168,140 166,119 150,620 11.5

 Durable goods industries........................ 127,983 126,385 124,799 1.3 1.3 0.3 128,729 127,496 124,488 112,608 14.3

 Wood products................................... 1,923 1,956 1,945 -1.7 0.6 0.4 1,898 1,932 1,932 2,008 -5.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,411 1,387 1,353 1.7 2.5 3.0 1,319 1,310 1,322 1,241 6.3

 Primary metals.................................... 10,183 10,561 10,824 -3.6 -2.4 -0.8 9,970 10,435 10,752 9,790 1.8

 Fabricated metal products..................... 13,459 13,467 13,367 -0.1 0.7 -1.0 13,373 13,594 13,489 12,480 7.2

 Machinery.......................................... 15,434 15,561 15,697 -0.8 -0.9 3.6 15,736 15,731 15,767 14,654 7.4

 Computers and electronic products ...... 21,720 21,660 21,217 0.3 2.1 0.1 22,144 22,028 20,874 19,580 13.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,194 3,208 3,198 -0.4 0.3 2.1 3,089 3,126 3,061 3,047 1.4

 Transportation equipment..................... 55,930 53,819 52,412 3.9 2.7 -0.4 56,439 54,528 52,496 45,039 25.3

 Furniture and related products............... 1,242 1,262 1,292 -1.6 -2.3 5.9 1,231 1,248 1,290 1,286 -4.3

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,487 3,504 3,494 -0.5 0.3 0.0 3,530 3,564 3,505 3,483 1.3

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 38,395 39,283 41,327 -2.3 -4.9 -3.2 39,261 40,644 41,631 38,012 3.3

 Food products.................................... 2,493 2,535 2,363 -1.7 7.3 3.3 2,912 3,069 2,262 2,883 1.0

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,175 4,201 4,269 -0.6 -1.6 -0.5 4,528 4,531 4,263 4,712 -3.9

 Textiles.............................................. 864 881 909 -1.9 -3.1 -1.3 862 886 917 935 -7.8

 Textile products.................................. 403 421 417 -4.3 1.0 -0.5 402 425 418 446 -9.9

 Apparel............................................. 631 640 652 -1.4 -1.8 -2.5 616 644 657 663 -7.1

 Leather and allied products................... 119 106 96 12.3 10.4 5.5 113 102 96 85 32.9

 Paper products.................................... 1,588 1,561 1,550 1.7 0.7 0.9 1,562 1,534 1,558 1,395 12.0

 Printing ............................................. 1,676 1,643 1,676 2.0 -2.0 -0.8 1,728 1,820 1,848 1,939 -10.9

 Petroleum and coal products................ 8,854 9,354 12,257 -5.3 -23.7 -8.9 8,838 9,790 12,432 9,113 -3.0

 Chemical products................................ 15,058 15,399 14,576 -2.2 5.6 -1.4 15,186 15,325 14,647 13,398 13.3

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 2,534 2,542 2,562 -0.3 -0.8 0.8 2,514 2,518 2,533 2,443 2.9

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 198,328 198,935 199,531 -0.3 -0.3 -1.7 197,158 199,372 200,046 193,893 1.7

 Durable goods industries........................ 97,649 98,180 98,599 -0.5 -0.4 -0.1 97,002 97,507 97,427 95,890 1.2

 Wood products................................... 4,343 4,328 4,377 0.3 -1.1 1.5 4,144 4,167 4,281 4,421 -6.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,918 5,792 5,765 2.2 0.5 -0.1 5,654 5,496 5,586 5,502 2.8

 Primary metals.................................... 9,341 10,148 10,611 -8.0 -4.4 -1.4 9,131 9,910 10,534 9,253 -1.3

 Fabricated metal products..................... 14,117 14,177 14,364 -0.4 -1.3 -0.5 13,787 13,993 14,090 13,588 1.5

 Machinery.......................................... 18,203 17,986 17,864 1.2 0.7 -2.4 18,143 17,550 17,462 17,750 2.2

 Computers and electronic products ...... 10,154 10,147 10,169 0.1 -0.2 -1.2 10,331 10,306 10,084 9,936 4.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 5,880 5,870 5,965 0.2 -1.6 1.4 5,850 5,879 5,783 5,849 0.0

 Transportation equipment..................... 14,350 14,423 14,328 -0.5 0.7 3.0 14,500 14,646 14,324 14,296 1.4

 Furniture and related products............... 2,797 2,829 2,795 -1.1 1.2 0.3 2,786 2,840 2,803 3,021 -7.8

 Miscellaneous products........................ 12,546 12,480 12,361 0.5 1.0 1.2 12,676 12,720 12,480 12,274 3.3

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 100,679 100,755 100,932 -0.1 -0.2 -3.2 100,156 101,865 102,619 98,003 2.2

 Food products.................................... 21,372 20,968 21,210 1.9 -1.1 -0.2 21,940 22,102 22,277 20,898 5.0

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 6,459 6,407 6,385 0.8 0.3 0.1 6,409 6,665 6,508 6,148 4.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,681 1,661 1,631 1.2 1.8 4.1 1,662 1,643 1,615 1,605 3.6

 Textile products.................................. 1,573 1,545 1,559 1.8 -0.9 -0.2 1,547 1,559 1,561 1,608 -3.8

 Apparel............................................. 2,701 2,732 2,725 -1.1 0.3 -1.1 2,534 2,772 2,884 2,450 3.4

 Leather and allied products................... 578 555 560 4.1 -0.9 -0.7 578 550 575 555 4.1

 Paper products.................................... 6,692 6,647 6,522 0.7 1.9 0.2 6,623 6,535 6,413 6,367 4.0

 Printing ............................................. 2,011 2,014 1,969 -0.1 2.3 1.8 1,987 2,079 1,973 1,888 5.2

 Petroleum and coal products................ 13,342 14,435 15,426 -7.6 -6.4 -7.3 13,235 14,780 16,352 14,013 -5.6

 Chemical products................................ 33,105 32,645 31,873 1.4 2.4 -5.4 32,794 32,212 31,536 32,325 1.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 11,165 11,146 11,072 0.2 0.7 -3.1 10,847 10,968 10,925 10,146 6.9

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 Nov Oct Sep Aug Nov Oct Sep Aug

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

 All manufacturing industries2

...................... 1.41 1.33 1.29 1.26 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

.................................. 1.76 1.70 1.63 1.63 5.82 5.69 5.50 5.50

 Wood products.............................................. 1.34 1.32 1.34 1.30 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.45 1.35 1.31 1.30 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.86 1.75 1.58 1.52 1.17 1.17 1.18 1.23

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.62 1.62 1.61 1.60 2.25 2.28 2.28 2.29

 Machinery..................................................... 1.92 1.93 1.81 1.88 4.14 4.20 4.06 4.17

 Computers and electronic products 2

................ 1.58 1.52 1.54 1.50 5.46 5.36 5.32 5.27

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.56 1.47 1.46 1.45 2.59 2.48 2.56 2.58

 Transportation equipment.............................. 2.00 1.87 1.74 1.78 14.84 14.18 13.48 13.60

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.32 1.29 1.24 1.23 1.23 1.27 1.29 1.33

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.87 1.87 1.86 1.79 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 1.06 1.00 0.98 0.94 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.73 0.73 0.72 0.72 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.33 1.29 1.30 1.29 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.45 1.37 1.32 1.28 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.64 1.59 1.54 1.48 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 1.74 1.75 1.69 1.69 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.39 2.24 2.06 2.13 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 1.12 1.10 1.06 1.05 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.87 0.74 0.74 0.67 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.29 1.20 1.20 1.16 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.35 1.32 1.29 1.31 (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.

Nov2 Nov2 Nov2 Nov2

Industry 2007- 2007- 2007- 2007-

Nov1 Oct Nov1 Oct Nov1 Oct Nov1 Oct

2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008

 All manufacturing industries.......... (X) 0.3 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.2 (X) 0.1

Durable goods industries....................... -0.5 0.4 -0.5 0.8 0.0 0.2 -0.1 0.1

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

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

 Primary metals.................................... -0.5 0.5 0.2 1.0 0.6 0.6 -0.5 0.2

 Fabricated metal products................... -0.2 0.4 0.0 0.8 0.1 0.3 -0.3 0.2

 Machinery.......................................... -1.2 0.3 -1.7 1.2 -0.3 0.5 0.4 0.2

 Computers and electronic products ..... -0.3 1.0 0.1 0.8 0.1 0.2 -0.1 0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. -0.2 0.5 -2.1 3.4 -0.3 1.5 0.0 0.5

 Transportation equipment................... -0.1 0.6 -0.2 1.3 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

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

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.6 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.2

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

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

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

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Textile products................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.1

 Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

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

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

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

 publication.

2

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

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

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
9

Survey Description 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

publication. 

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

2009 Release Dates for M3 Survey 

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

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

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

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

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

March 2009 Apr. 24, 2009 May 1, 2009 

April 2009 May 28, 2009 Jun. 3, 2009 

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

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

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

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

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

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

November 2009 Dec. 24, 2009