FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2006, AT 10:00 A.M. EST 

Chris Savage or Jessica Young 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (06)-10 

CB06-179 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

October 2006

Summary

 New orders for manufactured goods in October, down 

three of the last four months, decreased $19.3 billion or 

4.7 percent to $390.3 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This was the largest decrease since July 

of 2000 and followed a 1.7 percent September increase. 

 Shipments, up two of the last three months, increased 

$0.4 billion or 0.1 percent to $389.9 billion. This 

followed a 4.2 percent September decrease. 

 Unfilled orders, up seventeen of the last eighteen 

months, increased $8.2 billion or 1.2 percent to $666.5 

billion. This was at the highest level since the series was 

first stated on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 4.1 

percent September increase. The unfilled orders-toshipments ratio was 4.56, up from 4.46 in September. 

 Inventories, up twelve of the last thirteen months, 

increased $1.8 billion or 0.4 percent to $481.1 billion. 

This followed a 0.6 percent September increase. The 

inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.23, unchanged from 

September. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

October, down following two consecutive monthly 

increases, decreased $18.8 billion or 8.2 percent to 

$210.2 billion, revised from the previously published 8.3 

percent decrease. This was the largest decrease since 

July of 2000 and followed an 8.7 percent September 

increase. 

 Transportation equipment, down following two 

consecutive monthly increases, had the largest decrease, 

$16.5 billion or 21.6 percent to $59.8 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

decreased $0.5 billion or 0.3 percent to $180.2 billion. 

 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in October, 

up two of the last three months, increased $0.9 billion or 

0.4 percent to $209.7 billion, revised from the previously 

published 0.6 percent increase. This followed a 2.7 

percent September decrease. 

 

 Machinery, up seven of the last eight months, had the 

largest increase, $0.5 billion or 1.9 percent to $28.3 

billion. 

 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

three consecutive months, decreased $0.5 billion or 0.3 

percent to $180.2 billion. This was due to petroleum and coal products, which decreased $1.1 billion or 3.4 

percent to $31.4 billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

October, up seventeen of the last eighteen months, 

increased $8.2 billion or 1.2 percent to $666.5 billion, 

unchanged from the previously published increase. This 

was at the highest level since the series began and 

followed a 4.1 percent September increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up seventeen of the last 

eighteen months, had the largest increase, $5.1 billion or 

1.5 percent to $358.3 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in October, 

up nine of the last ten months, increased $2.2 billion or 

0.8 percent to $293.8 billion, unchanged from the 

previously published increase. This followed a 1.2 

percent September increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up seven of the last eight 

months, had the largest increase, $0.9 billion or 1.3 

percent to $68.2 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

two consecutive months, decreased $0.4 billion or 0.2 

percent to $187.3 billion. This was due to petroleum and coal products, which decreased $1.3 billion or 4.3 

percent to $27.9 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, October materials and supplies 

increased 0.9 percent in durable goods and decreased 2.1 

percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 

1.1 percent in durable goods and 2.2 percent in 

nondurable goods. Finished goods increased 0.2 percent 

in durable goods and 0.3 percent in nondurable goods. 

Figures in text, other than year-to-date, 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 November is scheduled for release on December 22, 2006, at 8:30 a.m. EST and the full report on 

January 4, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. EST. See back page for survey description. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Oct. Sept. Aug. Sept. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sept. Aug. Oct. 2006/

2006p 2006r 2006 Oct. Sept. Aug. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 2006p 2005 2005

 All manufacturing industries .................. 389,854 389,406 406,519 0.1 -4.2 0.8 397,966 404,983 419,934 394,000 3,982,783 3,772,568 5.6

 Excluding transportation ................... 335,179 335,016 349,738 0.0 -4.2 0.1 341,098 347,369 360,436 334,895 3,422,470 3,221,557 6.2

 Excluding defense .............................. 379,975 380,004 396,653 0.0 -4.2 0.7 388,379 394,886 410,141 385,313 3,889,523 3,685,149 5.5

 With unfilled orders ........................... 146,138 147,679 150,590 -1.0 -1.9 2.1 146,698 155,865 153,234 138,676 1,455,631 1,334,953 9.0

 Durable goods industries ........................209,694 208,774 214,555 0.4 -2.7 2.1 213,274 220,521 219,735 206,589 2,104,846 1,974,022 6.6

 Wood products................................. ...... 7,606 7,819 8,018 -2.7 -2.5 0.3 7,971 8,299 8,550 9,497 84,403 88,137 -4.2

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 9,915 9,863 9,917 0.5 -0.5 -0.8 10,534 10,028 10,813 10,187 101,408 93,954 7.9

 Primary metals............................ .......... 18,987 19,292 19,958 -1.6 -3.3 0.0 19,355 19,445 20,705 16,848 189,695 163,299 16.2

 Iron and steel mills............................ 8,681 8,878 9,234 -2.2 -3.9 0.3 8,881 8,969 9,544 8,017 88,521 81,563 8.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 8,708 8,784 9,065 -0.9 -3.1 0.0 8,813 8,792 9,425 7,117 84,469 65,805 28.4

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,598 1,630 1,659 -2.0 -1.7 -1.7 1,661 1,684 1,736 1,714 16,705 15,931 4.9

 Fabricated metal products...................... 24,618 24,600 25,037 0.1 -1.7 1.3 25,586 25,519 26,623 24,121 248,517 230,555 7.8

 Machinery............................................. 28,332 27,797 28,169 1.9 -1.3 1.7 28,240 28,236 27,730 25,159 273,470 244,859 11.7

 Farm machinery................................. 1,614 1,569 1,588 2.9 -1.2 0.3 1,463 1,410 1,515 1,343 16,205 15,897 1.9

 Construction machinery..................... 3,008 2,943 3,207 2.2 -8.2 4.7 2,910 2,790 3,108 2,709 30,736 26,682 15.2

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery........................ 1,190 1,192 1,199 -0.2 -0.6 6.2 1,140 1,260 1,200 946 11,101 9,056 22.6

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,366 3,127 3,153 7.6 -0.8 -5.5 3,621 3,199 2,669 2,813 29,151 25,367 14.9

 Photographic equipment...................... 661 651 667 1.5 -2.4 3.3 711 696 654 688 6,346 5,994 5.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,737 3,657 3,694 2.2 -1.0 2.1 3,547 4,020 3,942 2,960 35,001 29,612 18.2

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,949 2,756 2,759 7.0 -0.1 0.1 3,104 2,906 2,839 2,769 27,978 24,784 12.9

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,356 3,603 3,548 -6.9 1.6 7.3 3,371 3,607 3,573 3,181 34,035 31,107 9.4

 Material handling equipment............... 2,232 2,172 2,158 2.8 0.6 -1.2 2,201 2,223 2,189 1,882 21,397 18,602 15.0

 Computers and electronic products ......... 34,807 34,518 35,745 0.8 -3.4 1.0 33,777 39,250 34,421 32,541 345,598 320,818 7.7

 Computers........................................ 2,816 4,417 4,770 -36.2 -7.4 -6.5 3,190 4,567 4,395 5,283 44,824 46,384 -3.4

 Computer storage devices................... 645 669 714 -3.6 -6.3 15.0 393 1,073 575 362 6,120 5,465 12.0

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,285 1,197 1,226 7.4 -2.4 1.3 1,117 1,479 1,130 1,025 11,576 11,818 -2.0

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 5,281 5,408 5,349 -2.3 1.1 10.4 4,949 6,467 4,917 4,577 52,376 45,879 14.2

 Defense communications equipment... 540 544 561 -0.7 -3.0 12.4 535 611 573 402 5,247 3,955 32.7

 Audio and video equipment.................. 1,020 972 938 4.9 3.6 3.9 1,257 1,030 923 1,149 8,929 8,917 0.1

 Semiconductors ................................. 7,697 5,930 6,796 29.8 -12.7 -1.1 7,659 6,556 6,804 6,327 67,972 62,409 8.9

 Electronic components....................... 5,124 5,085 4,993 0.8 1.8 -1.2 5,020 5,645 5,035 4,401 48,396 42,434 14.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 920 931 966 -1.2 -3.6 5.7 854 1,045 991 797 9,305 9,128 1.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,975 2,905 2,969 2.4 -2.2 2.7 2,933 2,979 2,978 2,648 28,238 25,611 10.3

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 5,857 5,851 5,871 0.1 -0.3 -0.7 5,127 7,132 5,527 4,871 56,890 52,691 8.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,201 10,014 10,367 1.9 -3.4 0.8 10,258 10,937 10,679 9,788 101,025 92,565 9.1

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,096 1,059 1,149 3.5 -7.8 1.2 1,088 1,154 1,170 1,024 10,639 10,043 5.9

 Household appliances........................ 2,114 2,111 2,146 0.1 -1.6 4.2 2,052 2,297 2,252 2,115 20,829 20,268 2.8

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,304 3,234 3,283 2.2 -1.5 -0.3 3,291 3,587 3,321 3,057 32,450 29,204 11.1

 Batteries........................................... 552 498 577 10.8 -13.7 4.3 638 577 589 589 5,299 5,026 5.4

 Transportation equipment...................... 54,675 54,390 56,781 0.5 -4.2 5.6 56,868 57,614 59,498 59,105 560,313 551,011 1.7

 Automobiles..................................... 6,604 6,385 6,888 3.4 -7.3 5.8 7,319 6,792 7,600 7,866 69,976 71,424 -2.0

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 9,943 9,614 10,550 3.4 -8.9 7.8 11,424 10,398 11,478 14,175 115,273 124,084 -7.1

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,211 2,173 2,290 1.7 -5.1 2.6 2,404 2,234 2,329 2,156 22,065 19,800 11.4

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 18,418 18,409 19,708 0.0 -6.6 3.8 19,715 18,994 21,201 20,265 189,018 191,639 -1.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 8,191 8,863 8,158 -7.6 8.6 9.2 7,025 9,218 7,710 6,436 76,333 57,824 32.0

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,712 3,427 3,614 8.3 -5.2 6.4 3,480 3,842 3,587 3,035 33,717 32,285 4.4

 Ships and boats................................. 2,013 2,114 2,123 -4.8 -0.4 11.8 2,044 2,197 2,172 1,916 19,950 21,302 -6.3

 Furniture and related products................. 7,620 7,567 7,635 0.7 -0.9 1.5 7,679 7,672 8,068 7,488 76,305 72,071 5.9

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 12,933 12,914 12,928 0.1 -0.1 0.2 13,006 13,521 12,648 11,855 124,112 116,753 6.3

 Nondurable goods industries................... 180,160 180,632 191,964 -0.3 -5.9 -0.6 184,692 184,462 200,199 187,411 1,877,937 1,798,546 4.4

 Food products....................................... 44,137 44,133 44,574 0.0 -1.0 0.1 46,026 45,411 45,538 46,179 440,928 441,000 0.0

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 4,235 4,379 4,183 -3.3 4.7 -1.3 4,528 4,407 4,327 4,494 42,424 42,918 -1.2

 Dairy products.................................. 6,018 5,864 5,989 2.6 -2.1 -1.0 6,045 5,915 6,138 6,214 59,594 61,800 -3.6

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 13,604 13,721 14,047 -0.9 -2.3 -1.0 13,702 14,042 14,508 14,150 139,277 142,724 -2.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 10,106 9,694 10,382 4.3 -6.6 5.9 10,098 9,797 10,957 9,681 99,708 95,613 4.3

 Beverages......................................... 6,418 6,337 6,464 1.3 -2.0 1.9 6,410 6,440 7,039 6,338 64,708 62,356 3.8

 Tobacco............................................ 3,688 3,357 3,918 9.9 -14.3 13.1 3,688 3,357 3,918 3,343 35,000 33,257 5.2

 Textile mills........................................... 2,778 2,742 2,776 1.3 -1.2 -3.0 2,811 2,886 2,890 2,860 28,348 30,672 -7.6

 Textile products................................... 2,769 2,782 2,811 -0.5 -1.0 -2.9 2,850 2,876 2,962 3,025 29,062 28,866 0.7

 Apparel................................................ 2,945 2,887 2,866 2.0 0.7 -1.9 3,282 2,964 3,024 3,179 29,750 27,931 6.5

 Leather and allied products..................... 514 507 486 1.4 4.3 -2.0 500 528 529 429 4,783 4,715 1.4

 Paper products...................................... 13,597 13,626 13,760 -0.2 -1.0 0.2 13,760 13,575 14,100 13,032 137,488 132,121 4.1

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,092 6,146 6,137 -0.9 0.1 -1.5 6,197 6,092 6,325 6,017 61,812 59,914 3.2

 Paperboard containers........................ 3,989 3,967 3,996 0.6 -0.7 1.1 4,074 3,914 4,212 3,707 39,184 37,194 5.4

 Printing................................................. 7,635 7,615 7,685 0.3 -0.9 -0.1 8,231 8,009 7,873 7,972 75,442 74,948 0.7

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 31,377 32,470 39,334 -3.4 -17.5 -3.7 32,210 34,061 42,855 37,786 374,006 337,228 10.9

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 28,661 29,761 36,461 -3.7 -18.4 -4.1 29,145 30,988 39,408 35,017 345,924 313,985 10.2

 Chemical products.................................. 47,697 47,460 49,856 0.5 -4.8 -0.2 47,783 47,353 51,066 46,056 485,904 461,144 5.4

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 2,360 2,502 2,424 -5.7 3.2 4.3 1,729 1,962 2,010 1,668 23,470 24,291 -3.4

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 12,753 12,502 13,576 2.0 -7.9 -1.1 13,485 12,534 14,111 13,211 129,003 123,042 4.8

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,812 2,841 2,817 -1.0 0.9 4.5 2,769 2,862 3,044 2,536 28,225 26,906 4.9

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 16,605 16,716 17,434 -0.7 -4.1 0.6 17,141 17,002 18,405 17,212 172,518 164,308 5.0

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

Oct. Sept. Aug. Sept. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sept. Aug. Oct. 2006/

2006p 2006r 2006 Oct. Sept. Aug. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 2006p 2005 2005

All manufacturing industries 2................... 390,332 409,612 402,609 -4.7 1.7 -0.3 397,253 419,865 411,362 394,416 3,998,560 3,756,356 6.4

 Excluding transportation 2

................... 330,529 333,334 343,915 -0.8 -3.1 -0.9 336,521 342,896 351,587 331,427 3,387,074 3,183,630 6.4

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 380,606 394,650 391,337 -3.6 0.8 -0.5 388,320 405,317 401,817 384,621 3,901,312 3,680,375 6.0

 With unfilled orders 2.......................... 154,313 173,815 153,476 -11.2 13.3 -0.8 153,644 177,303 151,466 145,419 1,539,380 1,381,150 11.5

 Durable goods industries 2..................... 210,172 228,980 210,645 -8.2 8.7 0.0 212,561 235,403 211,163 207,005 2,120,623 1,957,810 8.3

 Primary metals............................ ............ 19,045 18,902 19,503 0.8 -3.1 -2.7 18,789 18,614 20,368 17,408 189,949 164,346 15.6

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 8,622 8,390 8,774 2.8 -4.4 -3.4 8,328 8,168 9,314 8,761 87,959 81,980 7.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 8,912 8,907 9,140 0.1 -2.5 -1.0 8,892 8,824 9,434 6,932 85,216 66,424 28.3

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,511 1,605 1,589 -5.9 1.0 -8.4 1,569 1,622 1,620 1,715 16,774 15,942 5.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 24,521 25,064 25,595 -2.2 -2.1 2.7 25,007 25,576 26,432 24,401 254,486 236,855 7.4

 Machinery............................................. 30,296 29,582 28,608 2.4 3.4 -1.0 30,738 29,024 27,521 26,373 285,264 251,857 13.3

 Construction machinery....................... 3,702 4,193 3,011 -11.7 39.3 -0.5 3,797 3,556 2,752 3,100 32,282 28,425 13.6

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 1,397 1,249 1,294 11.8 -3.5 -11.2 1,333 1,220 1,327 920 12,512 9,905 26.3

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,605 3,092 3,073 16.6 0.6 -5.7 4,161 2,992 2,311 2,940 31,491 24,994 26.0

 Photographic equipment...................... 641 594 840 7.9 -29.3 34.2 712 624 815 750 6,550 6,441 1.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,154 4,016 3,935 3.4 2.1 -0.8 3,843 4,027 4,307 3,005 37,135 30,771 20.7

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,666 3,136 3,046 -15.0 3.0 1.2 2,875 3,240 2,975 2,762 28,930 25,866 11.8

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 3,381 3,698 3,634 -8.6 1.8 4.6 3,321 3,587 3,672 3,102 35,784 31,235 14.6

 Material handling equipment............... 2,417 1,895 2,029 27.5 -6.6 -15.0 2,264 2,195 1,824 1,927 21,943 19,615 11.9

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 27,458 30,702 30,040 -10.6 2.2 -2.1 26,762 34,769 27,486 26,158 287,206 264,910 8.4

 Computers........................................ 2,867 4,551 4,414 -37.0 3.1 -15.7 3,241 4,701 4,039 4,999 44,391 45,966 -3.4

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,939 6,248 6,122 -21.0 2.1 23.2 4,841 7,443 5,029 4,971 54,907 47,669 15.2

 Defense communications equipment... 366 382 578 -4.2 -33.9 -42.2 464 632 369 370 5,324 4,705 13.2

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components....................... 5,324 5,249 5,200 1.4 0.9 -0.6 5,194 5,657 5,450 4,375 49,471 42,594 16.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 978 1,073 1,033 -8.9 3.9 -15.0 884 1,173 1,008 841 10,664 9,709 9.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,387 3,202 3,153 5.8 1.6 -18.0 3,159 3,313 2,793 2,201 30,931 26,268 17.8

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 6,000 6,550 6,070 -8.4 7.9 3.1 5,469 7,602 5,597 5,166 59,168 55,672 6.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,772 10,291 9,859 4.7 4.4 -8.9 11,009 10,870 9,982 10,132 105,557 95,268 10.8

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,192 903 814 32.0 10.9 -22.0 1,161 928 794 989 10,720 10,209 5.0

 Household appliances.......................... 2,284 1,966 2,022 16.2 -2.8 -13.6 2,248 2,099 2,156 2,211 21,131 20,630 2.4

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,469 3,595 3,265 -3.5 10.1 -13.6 3,620 3,807 3,236 2,980 35,418 30,655 15.5

 Transportation equipment........................ 59,803 76,278 58,694 -21.6 30.0 3.6 60,732 76,969 59,775 62,989 611,486 572,726 6.8

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 18,645 18,755 19,573 -0.6 -4.2 1.0 19,702 19,163 20,645 20,511 190,706 192,339 -0.8

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 13,195 23,801 7,981 -44.6 198.2 -19.2 11,384 23,135 7,358 8,984 122,088 88,052 38.7

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 3,627 2,987 3,301 21.4 -9.5 8.2 3,128 2,733 2,518 5,632 30,318 26,625 13.9

 Ships and boats................................. 1,795 1,770 2,960 1.4 -40.2 75.7 1,759 1,841 2,823 1,398 22,507 16,741 34.4

 Furniture and related products................. 7,627 7,655 7,468 -0.4 2.5 0.1 7,817 7,823 7,573 7,961 76,626 73,424 4.4

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 180,160 180,632 191,964 -0.3 -5.9 -0.6 184,692 184,462 200,199 187,411 1,877,937 1,798,546 4.4

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(05), "Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: 1992-2005."

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

Oct. Sept. Aug. Sept. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sept. Aug. Oct. Oct.

2006p 2006r 2006 Oct. Sept. Aug. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 06/05

All manufacturing industries 1................... 666,450 658,275 632,139 1.2 4.1 0.5 656,177 649,231 627,793 537,434 22.1

 Excluding transportation 1................... 308,145 305,098 300,850 1.0 1.4 0.3 303,864 300,782 298,699 267,872 13.4

 Excluding defense 1............................. 517,977 509,649 489,073 1.6 4.2 0.3 511,644 504,044 487,057 399,527 28.1

 Durable goods industries 1..................... 666,450 658,275 632,139 1.2 4.1 0.5 656,177 649,231 627,793 537,434 22.1

 Primary metals........................................ 26,710 26,652 27,042 0.2 -1.4 -1.7 25,528 26,094 26,925 22,829 11.8

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 16,345 16,404 16,892 -0.4 -2.9 -2.7 15,563 16,116 16,917 14,088 10.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,411 7,207 7,084 2.8 1.7 1.1 7,109 7,030 6,998 6,018 18.1

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,954 3,041 3,066 -2.9 -0.8 -2.2 2,856 2,948 3,010 2,723 4.9

 Fabricated metal products...................... 53,725 53,822 53,358 -0.2 0.9 1.1 53,074 53,653 53,596 47,023 12.9

 Machinery............................................. 75,010 73,046 71,261 2.7 2.5 0.6 73,499 71,001 70,213 59,063 24.4

 Construction machinery....................... 9,886 9,192 7,942 7.6 15.7 -2.4 9,122 8,235 7,469 6,610 38.0

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 3,805 3,598 3,541 5.8 1.6 2.8 3,745 3,552 3,592 2,343 59.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 11,170 10,931 10,966 2.2 -0.3 -0.7 11,184 10,644 10,851 9,189 21.7

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,495 1,515 1,572 -1.3 -3.6 12.4 1,498 1,497 1,569 1,326 13.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 9,500 9,083 8,724 4.6 4.1 2.8 9,173 8,877 8,870 6,028 52.2

 Metalworking machinery....................... 7,229 7,512 7,132 -3.8 5.3 4.2 7,157 7,386 7,052 6,418 11.5

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 11,849 11,824 11,729 0.2 0.8 0.7 11,683 11,733 11,753 9,150 27.7

 Material handling equipment............... 8,667 8,482 8,759 2.2 -3.2 -1.5 8,400 8,337 8,365 7,085 18.6

 Computers and electronic products 1...... 118,162 117,814 115,700 0.3 1.8 1.0 117,155 116,511 114,436 107,821 8.7

 Computers......................................... 4,269 4,218 4,084 1.2 3.3 -8.0 4,269 4,218 4,084 4,516 -5.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 29,271 29,613 28,773 -1.2 2.9 2.8 29,050 29,158 28,182 27,416 6.0

 Defense communications equipment... 6,519 6,693 6,855 -2.6 -2.4 0.2 6,570 6,641 6,620 6,827 -3.8

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 12,410 12,210 12,046 1.6 1.4 1.7 12,385 12,211 12,199 11,312 9.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 5,793 5,735 5,593 1.0 2.5 1.2 5,732 5,702 5,574 4,393 30.5

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 38,028 37,616 37,319 1.1 0.8 0.5 37,340 37,114 36,780 34,260 9.0

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 21,872 21,729 21,030 0.7 3.3 1.0 21,809 21,467 20,997 19,097 14.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 22,457 21,886 21,609 2.6 1.3 -2.3 22,366 21,615 21,682 17,682 26.5

 Electric lighting equipment................... 2,092 1,996 2,152 4.8 -7.2 -13.5 2,054 1,981 2,207 1,856 10.7

 Household appliances.......................... 905 735 880 23.1 -16.5 -12.4 884 688 886 940 -6.0

 Electrical equipment............................ 13,380 13,215 12,854 1.2 2.8 -0.1 13,443 13,114 12,894 10,126 32.8

 Transportation equipment........................ 358,305 353,177 331,289 1.5 6.6 0.6 352,313 348,449 329,094 269,562 30.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 19,564 19,337 18,991 1.2 1.8 -0.7 18,780 18,793 18,624 16,160 16.2

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 215,149 210,145 195,207 2.4 7.7 -0.1 213,189 208,830 194,913 138,502 53.9

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 43,595 43,680 44,120 -0.2 -1.0 -0.7 42,109 42,461 43,570 43,170 -2.5

 Ships and boats................................. 16,097 16,315 16,659 -1.3 -2.1 5.3 15,419 15,704 16,060 13,468 14.5

 Furniture and related products................. 7,200 7,193 7,105 0.1 1.2 -2.3 7,361 7,223 7,072 8,020 -8.2

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

Oct. Sept. Aug. Sept. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sept. Aug. Oct. Oct.

2006p 2006r 2006 Oct. Sept. Aug. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 06/05

 All manufacturing industries .................. 481,078 479,304 476,356 0.4 0.6 0.6 484,211 479,556 480,282 451,922 7.1

 Excluding transportation ...................... 412,830 411,929 409,921 0.2 0.5 0.8 415,019 411,879 412,984 386,297 7.4

 Excluding defense ............................. 461,907 460,049 457,310 0.4 0.6 0.6 464,931 460,149 461,099 432,406 7.5

 With unfilled orders ............................. 229,066 227,002 223,688 0.9 1.5 0.5 229,587 226,009 225,679 210,471 9.1

 Durable goods industries ........................ 293,782 291,562 288,246 0.8 1.2 0.7 294,417 290,572 291,117 271,783 8.3

 Wood products................................. ...... 11,354 11,525 11,692 -1.5 -1.4 0.3 11,415 11,501 11,536 11,820 -3.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 11,300 11,222 11,018 0.7 1.9 1.1 10,951 11,054 11,031 9,730 12.5

 Primary metals............................ ............ 30,040 29,577 28,590 1.6 3.5 2.0 29,721 29,374 28,569 24,909 19.3

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 16,856 16,605 15,876 1.5 4.6 2.6 16,781 16,648 15,936 14,159 18.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,925 10,776 10,547 1.4 2.2 0.9 10,747 10,617 10,508 8,699 23.5

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,259 2,196 2,167 2.9 1.3 2.6 2,193 2,109 2,125 2,051 6.9

 Fabricated metal products...................... 37,912 37,525 37,003 1.0 1.4 1.5 37,391 37,112 37,101 33,726 10.9

 Machinery............................................. 46,272 46,148 45,422 0.3 1.6 0.6 46,262 45,921 45,803 43,234 7.0

 Farm machinery................................. 2,138 2,128 2,173 0.5 -2.1 0.7 1,969 2,011 2,064 2,069 -4.8

 Construction machinery........................ 4,417 4,313 4,158 2.4 3.7 0.6 4,386 4,257 4,083 3,631 20.8

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................. 2,979 2,994 2,907 -0.5 3.0 1.3 2,936 2,985 2,979 2,395 22.6

 Industrial machinery............................ 7,289 7,288 7,130 0.0 2.2 2.6 7,144 7,261 7,293 6,352 12.5

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,347 1,358 1,388 -0.8 -2.2 -1.7 1,371 1,393 1,401 1,470 -6.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,095 4,057 4,054 0.9 0.1 1.1 4,096 3,985 4,103 3,789 8.1

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,069 4,248 4,120 -4.2 3.1 -0.3 4,154 4,299 4,204 4,440 -6.4

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 5,180 5,126 5,040 1.1 1.7 -0.1 5,366 5,156 5,139 4,746 13.1

 Material handling equipment............... 2,998 2,913 2,874 2.9 1.4 1.1 3,011 2,870 2,862 2,857 5.4

 Computers and electronic products ......... 45,925 45,643 45,675 0.6 -0.1 1.5 46,682 45,593 46,832 42,849 8.9

 Computers......................................... 1,055 1,274 1,216 -17.2 4.8 2.7 1,050 1,338 1,302 1,167 -10.0

 Computer storage devices................... 1,098 1,106 1,049 -0.7 5.4 1.1 1,177 1,064 1,129 1,112 5.8

 Other peripheral equipment................ 2,062 2,076 1,984 -0.7 4.6 0.2 2,165 2,059 2,069 2,174 -0.4

 Nondefense communications

 equipment..................................... 9,256 9,091 8,967 1.8 1.4 0.0 9,435 8,945 9,071 9,118 3.5

 Defense communications equipment... 971 962 996 0.9 -3.4 3.3 984 971 998 1,036 -5.0

 Audio and video equipment.................. 1,096 1,050 988 4.4 6.3 7.9 1,297 1,184 1,053 1,016 27.7

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 6,830 6,519 6,715 4.8 -2.9 0.5 6,904 6,528 6,816 6,381 8.2

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,867 2,896 2,875 -1.0 0.7 -0.1 2,882 2,886 2,899 2,568 12.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,511 2,477 2,512 1.4 -1.4 1.9 2,527 2,490 2,593 2,303 9.7

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 10,011 9,883 10,086 1.3 -2.0 3.1 10,032 9,738 10,305 9,451 6.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 14,051 13,982 14,116 0.5 -0.9 1.8 13,914 13,672 14,160 12,485 11.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,680 1,666 1,743 0.8 -4.4 4.1 1,661 1,631 1,783 1,506 10.3

 Household appliances.......................... 2,084 2,146 2,151 -2.9 -0.2 0.3 2,063 2,074 2,120 2,018 2.2

 Electrical equipment............................ 5,007 4,836 4,806 3.5 0.6 0.1 4,981 4,681 4,829 4,087 21.9

 Batteries............................................ 455 462 577 -1.5 -19.9 0.3 478 489 607 551 -13.2

 Transportation equipment...................... 68,248 67,375 66,435 1.3 1.4 -1.1 69,192 67,677 67,298 65,625 5.4

 Automobiles....................................... 2,432 2,002 2,139 21.5 -6.4 -6.6 2,385 2,066 2,266 2,051 16.3

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 3,130 3,287 3,540 -4.8 -7.1 11.6 3,194 3,415 3,742 3,418 -6.6

 Heavy duty trucks .............................. 1,431 1,397 1,403 2.4 -0.4 0.0 1,454 1,423 1,431 1,323 9.9

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 17,285 17,302 17,148 -0.1 0.9 -0.1 17,331 17,252 17,024 17,041 1.7

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 24,210 23,738 22,682 2.0 4.7 -4.2 24,848 23,788 23,140 21,885 13.5

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 11,933 12,065 11,798 -1.1 2.3 -0.3 12,050 12,170 11,862 11,822 1.9

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,860 2,800 2,867 2.1 -2.3 -0.1 2,834 2,802 2,840 2,626 7.9

 Furniture and related products................. 8,781 8,688 8,644 1.1 0.5 0.9 8,744 8,689 8,758 8,133 7.5

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 19,899 19,877 19,651 0.1 1.2 0.4 20,145 19,979 20,029 19,272 4.5

 Nondurable goods industries................... 187,296 187,742 188,110 -0.2 -0.2 0.4 189,794 188,984 189,165 180,139 5.4

 Food products........................................ 34,185 33,559 33,416 1.9 0.4 0.5 36,451 34,180 33,336 34,681 5.1

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 4,082 4,268 4,338 -4.4 -1.6 3.0 4,421 4,271 4,065 4,191 5.5

 Dairy products.................................... 3,692 3,698 3,620 -0.2 2.2 0.2 3,658 3,684 3,657 3,834 -4.6

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 6,117 6,097 6,087 0.3 0.2 1.5 6,227 6,157 6,032 5,737 8.5

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 15,394 15,198 15,365 1.3 -1.1 -0.3 15,953 15,448 15,082 16,303 -2.1

 Beverages......................................... 11,052 10,835 10,960 2.0 -1.1 0.0 11,507 11,061 10,797 11,561 -0.5

 Tobacco............................................ 4,342 4,363 4,405 -0.5 -1.0 -1.1 4,446 4,387 4,285 4,742 -6.2

 Textile mills........................................... 3,475 3,575 3,553 -2.8 0.6 0.8 3,413 3,535 3,553 3,528 -3.3

 Textile products...................................... 3,122 3,127 3,138 -0.2 -0.4 -0.3 3,097 3,133 3,161 3,039 1.9

 Apparel................................................. 4,148 4,147 4,500 0.0 -7.8 0.6 4,172 4,318 4,662 4,740 -12.0

 Leather and allied products..................... 781 771 757 1.3 1.8 1.7 783 787 773 805 -2.7

 Paper products....................................... 14,603 14,632 14,585 -0.2 0.3 0.5 14,442 14,561 14,557 14,249 1.4

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,641 6,638 6,609 0.0 0.4 0.9 6,524 6,583 6,584 6,401 1.9

 Paperboard containers........................ 3,842 3,860 3,885 -0.5 -0.6 -0.4 3,793 3,855 3,887 3,825 -0.8

 Printing.................................................. 6,059 6,041 5,994 0.3 0.8 -0.3 6,371 6,425 6,322 6,232 2.2

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 27,880 29,144 30,149 -4.3 -3.3 0.4 28,388 29,934 31,216 26,338 7.8

 Petroleum refineries............................. 25,097 26,391 27,581 -4.9 -4.3 0.0 25,639 27,121 28,471 24,401 5.1

 Chemical products.................................. 58,025 57,957 57,182 0.1 1.4 0.4 57,488 57,503 57,505 52,616 9.3

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,516 2,488 2,579 1.1 -3.5 -0.3 2,325 2,154 2,208 2,249 3.4

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 20,992 20,920 20,108 0.3 4.0 -0.7 21,096 21,096 20,704 18,240 15.7

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 2,862 2,877 2,900 -0.5 -0.8 0.9 2,786 2,820 2,898 2,688 3.6

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 19,624 19,591 19,471 0.2 0.6 0.9 19,236 19,160 18,998 17,608 9.2

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

Oct. Sept. Aug. Sept. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sept. Aug. Oct. 2006/

2006p 2006r 2006 Oct. Sept. Aug. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 2006p 2005 2005

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 389,854 389,406 406,519 0.1 -4.2 0.8 397,966 404,983 419,934 394,000 3,982,783 3,772,568 5.6

 Construction materials and supplies...... 42,397 42,455 43,093 -0.1 -1.5 0.6 44,256 44,538 46,619 43,339 433,956 408,973 6.1

 Information technology......................... 25,782 27,266 27,835 -5.4 -2.0 1.7 24,998 31,067 26,583 25,504 267,384 249,993 7.0

 Computers and related products .......... 4,746 6,283 6,710 -24.5 -6.4 -3.2 4,700 7,119 6,100 6,670 62,520 63,667 -1.8

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 37,176 36,581 39,436 1.6 -7.2 5.1 40,862 38,418 42,608 44,462 396,332 406,947 -2.6

 Capital goods...................................... 74,444 75,747 76,398 -1.7 -0.9 2.4 72,475 80,946 74,811 68,640 738,013 668,135 10.5

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 66,266 67,915 68,173 -2.4 -0.4 2.0 64,440 72,640 66,626 61,241 659,839 593,948 11.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 60,913 61,903 62,940 -1.6 -1.6 1.3 60,202 66,528 61,642 57,438 611,046 563,685 8.4

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,178 7,832 8,225 4.4 -4.8 5.9 8,035 8,306 8,185 7,399 78,174 74,187 5.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 145,685 145,588 156,090 0.1 -6.7 0.0 151,714 150,312 163,166 159,191 1,535,695 1,489,905 3.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 33,126 32,652 34,103 1.5 -4.3 4.0 35,560 34,542 35,592 38,239 348,133 351,244 -0.9

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 112,559 112,936 121,987 -0.3 -7.4 -1.0 116,154 115,770 127,574 120,952 1,187,562 1,138,661 4.3

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 390,332 409,612 402,609 -4.7 1.7 -0.3 397,253 419,865 411,362 394,416 3,998,560 3,756,356 6.4

 Construction materials and supplies...... 42,818 42,537 43,080 0.7 -1.3 -0.1 44,173 43,998 46,115 43,528 438,736 414,075 6.0

 Information technology......................... 26,050 29,376 28,861 -11.3 1.8 -1.1 25,622 33,195 26,058 25,896 277,274 257,505 7.7

 Computers and related products .......... 4,797 6,417 6,354 -25.2 1.0 -10.1 4,751 7,253 5,744 6,386 62,087 63,249 -1.8

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 37,403 36,927 39,301 1.3 -6.0 3.7 40,849 38,587 42,052 44,708 398,020 407,647 -2.4

 Capital goods...................................... 81,117 100,205 79,237 -19.0 26.5 -0.8 79,432 102,794 74,011 74,488 803,258 704,220 14.1

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 73,214 86,687 69,569 -15.5 24.6 -2.0 72,069 89,685 65,837 65,819 720,538 639,045 12.8

 Excluding aircraft............................. 63,352 66,617 64,617 -4.9 3.1 1.1 63,812 70,224 61,171 59,463 633,005 577,127 9.7

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 7,903 13,518 9,668 -41.5 39.8 9.1 7,363 13,109 8,174 8,669 82,720 65,175 26.9

 Consumer goods.................................. 146,032 145,333 155,803 0.5 -6.7 -0.4 152,137 150,001 162,827 159,481 1,535,794 1,490,296 3.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 33,473 32,397 33,816 3.3 -4.2 2.1 35,983 34,231 35,253 38,529 348,232 351,635 -1.0

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 112,559 112,936 121,987 -0.3 -7.4 -1.0 116,154 115,770 127,574 120,952 1,187,562 1,138,661 4.3

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 666,450 658,275 632,139 1.2 4.1 0.5 656,177 649,231 627,793 537,434 (X) (X) 22.1

 Construction materials and supplies...... 44,889 44,468 44,386 0.9 0.2 0.0 44,154 44,237 44,777 38,347 (X) (X) 15.1

 Information technology......................... 113,327 113,059 110,949 0.2 1.9 0.9 112,253 111,629 109,501 102,595 (X) (X) 9.4

 Computers and related products .......... 4,269 4,218 4,084 1.2 3.3 -8.0 4,269 4,218 4,084 4,516 (X) (X) -5.5

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 19,564 19,337 18,991 1.2 1.8 -0.7 18,780 18,793 18,624 16,160 (X) (X) 16.2

 Capital goods...................................... 486,679 480,006 455,548 1.4 5.4 0.6 479,940 472,983 451,135 383,955 (X) (X) 25.0

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................350,911 343,963 325,191 2.0 5.8 0.4 347,613 339,984 322,939 257,069 (X) (X) 35.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 162,832 160,393 155,679 1.5 3.0 1.1 161,165 157,555 153,859 138,464 (X) (X) 16.4

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 135,768 136,043 130,357 -0.2 4.4 1.1 132,327 132,999 128,196 126,886 (X) (X) 4.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 8,780 8,433 8,688 4.1 -2.9 -3.2 8,781 8,358 8,669 10,239 (X) (X) -14.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 8,780 8,433 8,688 4.1 -2.9 -3.2 8,781 8,358 8,669 10,239 (X) (X) -14.2 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 481,078 479,304 476,356 0.4 0.6 0.6 484,211 479,556 480,282 451,922 (X) (X) 7.1

 Construction materials and supplies...... 56,514 56,364 55,903 0.3 0.8 1.4 55,687 55,815 56,139 51,300 (X) (X) 8.6

 Information technology......................... 37,589 37,530 37,383 0.2 0.4 1.8 38,159 37,372 38,146 36,199 (X) (X) 5.4

 Computers and related products .......... 4,215 4,456 4,249 -5.4 4.9 1.1 4,392 4,461 4,500 4,453 (X) (X) -1.4

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 24,278 23,988 24,230 1.2 -1.0 0.8 24,364 24,156 24,463 23,833 (X) (X) 2.2

 Capital goods...................................... 127,822 127,170 125,084 0.5 1.7 -0.2 128,818 126,709 126,789 120,967 (X) (X) 6.5

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................113,586 112,862 110,797 0.6 1.9 -0.1 114,590 112,354 112,429 106,116 (X) (X) 8.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 95,224 94,866 93,834 0.4 1.1 1.0 95,690 94,228 95,113 89,331 (X) (X) 7.1

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 14,236 14,308 14,287 -0.5 0.1 -0.4 14,228 14,355 14,360 14,851 (X) (X) -4.2

 Consumer goods.................................. 143,076 143,048 143,967 0.0 -0.6 0.3 146,797 145,271 145,940 140,483 (X) (X) 4.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,630 27,194 27,504 1.6 -1.1 1.1 27,968 27,485 28,156 27,115 (X) (X) 3.1

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 115,446 115,854 116,463 -0.4 -0.5 0.1 118,829 117,786 117,784 113,368 (X) (X) 4.8

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable.

1

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories.

2

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

3

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

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

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

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

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

and supplies.

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

and search and navigation equipment.

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 

6

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

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

NEW ORDERS

UNFILLED ORDERS

TOTAL INVENTORIES
 7

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Oct. Sept. Aug. Sept. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sept. Aug. Oct. Oct.

2006p 2006r 2006 Oct. Sept. Aug. 2006p 2006r 2006 2005 06/05

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 165,219 165,720 165,630 -0.3 0.1 1.0 166,164 166,083 165,845 156,524 6.2

 Durable goods industries........................ 101,351 100,487 99,878 0.9 0.6 1.3 101,856 100,784 100,538 93,801 8.6

 Wood products................................... 4,727 4,773 4,935 -1.0 -3.3 -0.4 5,063 4,939 4,892 5,460 -7.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,209 4,206 4,192 0.1 0.3 1.6 4,200 4,237 4,246 3,718 13.0

 Primary metals.................................... 10,778 10,867 10,362 -0.8 4.9 2.4 10,865 11,035 10,429 9,068 19.8

 Fabricated metal products.................. 14,248 14,129 13,901 0.8 1.6 1.0 13,962 14,045 13,920 12,146 15.0

 Machinery.......................................... 16,953 16,810 16,432 0.9 2.3 0.6 17,092 16,750 16,561 15,764 8.4

 Computers and electronic products ...... 16,889 16,330 16,739 3.4 -2.4 3.0 16,985 16,375 17,065 14,734 15.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,623 5,504 5,521 2.2 -0.3 0.6 5,590 5,404 5,534 5,110 9.4

 Transportation equipment.................. 17,729 17,678 17,649 0.3 0.2 0.5 17,866 17,810 17,632 17,971 -0.6

 Furniture and related products............ 3,545 3,517 3,525 0.8 -0.2 0.3 3,511 3,513 3,532 3,341 5.1

 Miscellaneous products........................ 6,650 6,673 6,622 -0.3 0.8 1.4 6,722 6,676 6,727 6,489 3.6

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 63,868 65,233 65,752 -2.1 -0.8 0.6 64,308 65,299 65,307 62,723 2.5

 Food products................................... 11,712 11,775 11,857 -0.5 -0.7 2.4 12,272 11,611 11,473 12,299 -0.2

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,586 4,520 4,590 1.5 -1.5 -2.3 4,593 4,564 4,472 4,940 -7.0

 Textiles.............................................. 1,056 1,067 1,065 -1.0 0.2 1.6 1,032 1,065 1,056 1,065 -3.1

 Textile products.................................. 1,327 1,322 1,322 0.4 0.0 0.8 1,309 1,331 1,328 1,204 8.7

 Apparel............................................. 1,153 1,167 1,192 -1.2 -2.1 -0.7 1,146 1,175 1,188 1,219 -6.0

 Leather and allied products................... 250 248 241 0.8 2.9 1.7 251 251 247 279 -10.0

 Paper products................................... 6,957 6,968 7,033 -0.2 -0.9 0.9 6,925 6,993 7,004 6,871 0.8

 Printing ............................................ 2,891 2,943 2,971 -1.8 -0.9 -0.3 2,949 3,072 3,046 2,713 8.7

 Petroleum and coal products............... 8,762 10,076 9,872 -13.0 2.1 -1.3 8,829 10,166 10,041 8,572 3.0

 Chemical products............................. 17,473 17,450 17,674 0.1 -1.3 0.8 17,330 17,348 17,663 16,343 6.0

 Plastics and rubber products............... 7,701 7,697 7,935 0.1 -3.0 1.6 7,672 7,723 7,789 7,218 6.3

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 133,121 131,326 129,656 1.4 1.3 -0.4 135,543 131,842 131,078 124,080 9.2

 Durable goods industries ........................ 102,619 101,486 99,572 1.1 1.9 -0.6 103,670 101,608 100,784 94,315 9.9

 Wood products................................... 2,134 2,179 2,232 -2.1 -2.4 1.1 2,132 2,181 2,230 1,973 8.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,286 1,272 1,244 1.1 2.3 1.1 1,219 1,251 1,254 1,063 14.7

 Primary metals.................................... 9,516 9,283 9,076 2.5 2.3 2.2 9,387 9,199 9,103 7,738 21.3

 Fabricated metal products.................. 11,118 10,923 10,821 1.8 0.9 1.6 11,124 10,882 10,935 9,854 12.9

 Machinery.......................................... 13,287 13,375 13,194 -0.7 1.4 -0.6 13,372 13,394 13,516 12,685 5.4

 Computers and electronic products ...... 20,296 20,135 20,097 0.8 0.2 0.4 20,770 20,110 20,627 19,479 6.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 2,859 2,867 2,951 -0.3 -2.8 3.9 2,808 2,807 3,003 2,501 12.3

 Transportation equipment.................. 37,295 36,600 35,117 1.9 4.2 -3.1 38,034 36,921 35,215 34,281 10.9

 Furniture and related products............ 1,627 1,650 1,636 -1.4 0.9 -0.7 1,611 1,648 1,639 1,603 0.5

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,201 3,202 3,204 0.0 -0.1 -0.6 3,213 3,215 3,262 3,138 2.4

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 30,502 29,840 30,084 2.2 -0.8 0.4 31,873 30,234 30,294 29,765 7.1

 Food products................................... 2,913 2,395 2,355 21.6 1.7 -2.3 3,471 2,324 2,157 2,862 21.3

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,658 4,526 4,552 2.9 -0.6 -0.6 5,035 4,564 4,251 4,956 1.6

 Textiles.............................................. 885 892 909 -0.8 -1.9 -1.4 880 889 909 1,014 -13.2

 Textile products.................................. 422 431 434 -2.1 -0.7 -2.3 423 433 434 481 -12.1

 Apparel............................................. 761 749 751 1.6 -0.3 -0.7 770 754 763 877 -12.2

 Leather and allied products................... 86 95 98 -9.5 -3.1 -8.4 83 96 99 88 -5.7

 Paper products................................... 1,198 1,177 1,167 1.8 0.9 1.7 1,170 1,177 1,191 1,146 2.1

 Printing ............................................ 1,461 1,445 1,411 1.1 2.4 -0.8 1,655 1,605 1,550 1,852 -10.6

 Petroleum and coal products............... 4,157 4,163 4,990 -0.1 -16.6 4.7 4,412 4,322 5,188 4,294 2.7

 Chemical products............................. 11,859 11,848 11,276 0.1 5.1 0.0 11,866 11,962 11,681 10,248 15.8

 Plastics and rubber products............... 2,102 2,119 2,141 -0.8 -1.0 0.1 2,108 2,108 2,071 1,947 8.3

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 182,738 182,258 181,070 0.3 0.7 0.9 182,504 181,631 183,359 171,318 6.5

 Durable goods industries ........................ 89,812 89,589 88,796 0.2 0.9 1.4 88,891 88,180 89,795 83,667 6.2

 Wood products................................... 4,493 4,573 4,525 -1.7 1.1 0.7 4,220 4,381 4,414 4,387 -3.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,805 5,744 5,582 1.1 2.9 0.9 5,532 5,566 5,531 4,949 11.8

 Primary metals.................................... 9,746 9,427 9,152 3.4 3.0 1.2 9,469 9,140 9,037 8,103 16.9

 Fabricated metal products.................. 12,546 12,473 12,281 0.6 1.6 1.9 12,305 12,185 12,246 11,726 4.9

 Machinery.......................................... 16,032 15,963 15,796 0.4 1.1 1.6 15,798 15,777 15,726 14,785 6.9

 Computers and electronic products ...... 8,740 9,178 8,839 -4.8 3.8 0.9 8,927 9,108 9,140 8,636 3.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,569 5,611 5,644 -0.7 -0.6 1.8 5,516 5,461 5,623 4,874 13.2

 Transportation equipment.................. 13,224 13,097 13,669 1.0 -4.2 2.4 13,292 12,946 14,451 13,373 -0.6

 Furniture and related products............ 3,609 3,521 3,483 2.5 1.1 2.2 3,622 3,528 3,587 3,189 13.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 10,048 10,002 9,825 0.5 1.8 0.1 10,210 10,088 10,040 9,645 5.9

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 92,926 92,669 92,274 0.3 0.4 0.3 93,613 93,451 93,564 87,651 6.8

 Food products................................... 19,560 19,389 19,204 0.9 1.0 -0.2 20,708 20,245 19,706 19,520 6.1

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 6,150 6,152 6,223 0.0 -1.1 1.4 6,325 6,320 6,359 6,407 -1.3

 Textiles.............................................. 1,534 1,616 1,579 -5.1 2.3 1.5 1,501 1,581 1,588 1,449 3.6

 Textile products.................................. 1,373 1,374 1,382 -0.1 -0.6 -0.6 1,365 1,369 1,399 1,354 0.8

 Apparel............................................. 2,234 2,231 2,557 0.1 -12.7 1.7 2,256 2,389 2,711 2,644 -14.7

 Leather and allied products................... 445 428 418 4.0 2.4 4.5 449 440 427 438 2.5

 Paper products................................... 6,448 6,487 6,385 -0.6 1.6 0.0 6,347 6,391 6,362 6,232 1.8

 Printing ............................................ 1,707 1,653 1,612 3.3 2.5 0.2 1,767 1,748 1,726 1,667 6.0

 Petroleum and coal products............... 14,961 14,905 15,287 0.4 -2.5 0.3 15,147 15,446 15,987 13,472 12.4

 Chemical products............................. 28,693 28,659 28,232 0.1 1.5 0.3 28,292 28,193 28,161 26,025 8.7

 Plastics and rubber products............... 9,821 9,775 9,395 0.5 4.0 0.5 9,456 9,329 9,138 8,443 12.0

p

 Preliminary r Revised

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

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

 to Shipments, by Industry Group

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Oct Sep Aug Jul Oct Sep Aug Jul

2006p 2006r 2006 2006 2006p 2006r 2006 2006

 All manufacturing industries2

...... 1.23 1.23 1.17 1.17 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

................... 1.40 1.40 1.34 1.36 4.56 4.46 4.20 4.26

 Wood products................................ 1.49 1.47 1.46 1.46 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products........... 1.14 1.14 1.11 1.09 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals................................. 1.58 1.53 1.43 1.40 1.41 1.38 1.35 1.38

 Fabricated metal products............... 1.54 1.53 1.48 1.48 2.25 2.26 2.20 2.20

 Machinery....................................... 1.63 1.66 1.61 1.63 2.88 2.86 2.75 2.78

 Computers and electronic products 2

.. 1.32 1.32 1.28 1.27 5.03 4.69 4.54 4.54

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 1.38 1.40 1.36 1.35 2.33 2.30 2.21 2.27

 Transportation equipment................. 1.25 1.24 1.17 1.25 9.98 9.75 8.94 9.35

 Furniture and related products........... 1.15 1.15 1.13 1.14 1.06 1.07 1.05 1.09

 Miscellaneous products.................... 1.54 1.54 1.52 1.52 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries.............. 1.04 1.04 0.98 0.97 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products................................... 0.77 0.76 0.75 0.75 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products......... 1.52 1.57 1.48 1.57 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................... 1.25 1.30 1.28 1.23 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................... 1.13 1.12 1.12 1.09 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel.......................................... 1.41 1.44 1.57 1.53 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............... 1.52 1.52 1.56 1.50 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Printing.......................................... 0.79 0.79 0.78 0.78 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............ 0.89 0.90 0.77 0.73 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products............................. 1.22 1.22 1.15 1.14 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products.............. 1.18 1.17 1.12 1.11 (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.

Oct2 Oct2 Oct2 Oct2

Industry 2005- 2005- 2005- 2005-

Oct1 Sep Oct1 Sep Oct1 Sep Oct1 Sep

2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006

 All manufacturing industries.......... (X) 0.3 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.2 (X) 0.2

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

 Wood products................................... (X) 1.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Primary metals.................................... -0.3 0.5 -0.3 1.2 -0.1 0.5 0.1 0.4

 Fabricated metal products................... -0.1 0.3 0.3 0.9 0.2 0.4 -0.1 0.3

 Machinery.......................................... 0.0 0.6 1.0 1.5 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.1

 Computers and electronic products ..... -0.3 0.6 -0.4 1.3 -0.1 0.2 0.0 0.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. -0.4 0.4 -0.4 1.7 -0.1 0.8 0.1 0.3

 Transportation equipment................... -0.1 0.5 0.1 1.2 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.4 (X) 0.7 (X) 0.6 (X) 0.2

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.8 (X) 1.3 (X) 1.5 (X) 0.4

Nondurable goods industries.................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Food products................................... (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Textile products................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.3

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 1.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 2.0

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 1.1 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.3

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

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

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

 publication.

2

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

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

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
9 

Survey Description 

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

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

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

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

approximately 4,200 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 62 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 4,200 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 4,200 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.

2007 Release Dates for M3 Survey

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

Nov 2006 January 4, 2007 

Dec 2006 January 26, 2007 February 2, 2007 

Jan 2007 February 27, 2007 March 6, 2007 

Feb 2007 March 28, 2007 April 4, 2007 

Mar 2007 April 25, 2007 May 2, 2007 

Apr 2007 May 24, 2007 June 4, 2007 

May 2007 June 27, 2007 July 3, 2007 

Jun 2007 July 26, 2007 August 2, 2007 

Jul 2007 August 24, 2007 August 31, 2007 

Aug 2007 September 26, 2007 October 4, 2007 

Sep 2007 October 25, 2007 November 2, 2007 

Oct 2007 November 28, 2007 December 5, 2007 

Nov 2007 December 27, 2007