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FOR RELEASE AT 10:00 AM EDT, MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2018 

MONTHLY FULL REPORT ON MANUFACTURERS’ SHIPMENTS, INVENTORIES 

AND ORDERS APRIL 2018 

Release Number: CB 18-86 M3-2 (18)-04 

June 4, 2018 — The U.S. Census Bureau announces the April full report on manufacturers’ shipments, 

inventories and orders: 

MANUFACTURED GOODS – NEW ORDERS

APRIL 2018 $494.4 billion            ‐0.8%°

MARCH 2018  

(revised) $498.4 billion             +1.7%°

Next release: July 3, 2018

Data adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes. 

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

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

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

intervals be computed. 

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

June 4, 2018. 

Summary 

New orders for manufactured goods in April, down following two consecutive monthly increases, decreased 

$4.0 billion or 0.8 percent to $494.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.7 

percent March increase. Shipments, up eleven of the last twelve months, increased $0.1 billion or virtually 

unchanged to $492.8 billion. This followed a 0.7 percent March increase. Unfilled orders, up five of the 

last six months, increased $5.4 billion or 0.5 percent to $1,153.1 billion. This followed a 0.8 percent March 

increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.73, up from 6.66 in March. Inventories, up eighteen 

consecutive months, increased $2.2 billion or 0.3 percent to $666.9 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent 

March increase. The inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.35, unchanged from March. 

New Orders 

New orders for manufactured durable goods in April, down following two consecutive monthly increases, 

decreased $4.1 billion or 1.6 percent to $248.6 billion, up from the previously published 1.7 percent 

decrease. This followed a 2.7 percent March increase. Transportation equipment, also down following two 

consecutive monthly increases, drove the decrease, $5.5 billion or 6.0 percent to $87.2 billion. New orders 

for manufactured nondurable goods increased $0.1 billion or 0.1 percent to $245.8 billion.

May-17 Jun-17 Jul-17 Aug-17 Sep-17 Oct-17 Nov-17 Dec-17 Jan-18 Feb-18 Mar-18 Apr-18

% Change -0.8% 3.6% -3.4% 1.6% 2.9% -1.5% 2.0% 1.8% -1.6% 2.0% 1.7% -0.8%

-4.0%

-3.0%

-2.0%

-1.0%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

MANUFACTURERS' NEW ORDERS 2017-2018

Seasonally Adjusted, Month-To-Month Percentage Change

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

June 4, 2018
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Shipments 

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in April, down following eight consecutive monthly increases, 

decreased less than $0.1 billion or virtually unchanged to $247.0 billion, up from the previously published 

0.1 percent decrease. This followed a 0.8 percent March increase. Transportation equipment, down 

following three consecutive monthly increases, drove the decrease, $1.7 billion or 2.0 percent to $83.0 

billion. Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up ten of the last eleven months, increased $0.1 

billion or 0.1 percent to $245.8 billion. This followed a 0.6 percent March increase. Food products, up five 

of the last six months, drove the increase, $0.3 billion or 0.5 percent to $68.1 billion. 

Unfilled Orders 

Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in April, up five of the last six months, increased $5.4 

billion or 0.5 percent to $1,153.1 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This followed 

a 0.8 percent March increase. Transportation equipment, also up five of the last six months, led the 

increase, $4.2 billion or 0.5 percent to $796.1 billion. 

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in April, up seventeen of the last eighteen months, increased 

$1.3 billion or 0.3 percent to $401.9 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This 

followed a 0.2 percent March increase. Fabricated metal products, up fifteen of the last sixteen months, led 

the increase, $0.4 billion or 0.8 percent to $52.0 billion. Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up 

ten consecutive months, increased $0.8 billion or 0.3 percent to $265.0 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent 

March increase. Chemical products, up six of the last seven months, led the increase, $0.4 billion or 0.5 

percent to $87.8 billion. By stage of fabrication, April materials and supplies increased 0.5 percent in 

durable goods and increased 0.3 percent nondurable goods. Work in process increased 0.5 percent in both 

durable goods and nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 0.1 percent in durable goods and increased 

0.2 percent in nondurable goods. 

The Advance Report on durable goods for May is scheduled for release on June 27, 2018 at 8:30 a.m. EDT 

and the Full Report on July 3, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. View the full schedule in the Economic Briefing 

Room: <www.census.gov/economic-indicators/>. The full text and tables of this release can be found at 

<www.census.gov/m3>.

EXPLANATORY NOTES 

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

data for semiconductor manufacturing. 

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

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

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

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

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

cost or market value), and inventories by stage of fabrication (materials and supplies, work-in-process, and 

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

units that represent approximately 3,100 companies and provide an indication of month-to-month change for 

the Manufacturing Sector. These reporting units may be divisions of diversified large companies, large 

homogenous companies, or single-unit manufacturers in 92 industry categories, which are combined into 65 

publication levels due to the small monthly panel size. The survey methodology assumes that the month-tomonth changes of the total operations of the reporting units in the M3 panel effectively represent the monthto-month movements of all establishments that make up the category. The companies for which shipments 

data are currently reported or imputed in the M3 survey represent approximately 64 percent of the total 

value of shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 2012 Economic Census, and these companies 

include almost two-thirds of the manufacturing companies with $500 million or more in shipments in the 

2012 Economic Census. The companies for which shipments data are currently reported in the M3 survey 

represent approximately 57 percent of the total value of shipments for manufacturing establishments in the 

2012 Economic Census. Statistics based on the M3 panel differ from the results that would be obtained 

from a complete enumeration of all manufacturing companies. The M3 panel is not based on a probability 

sample; therefore, the sampling errors that are normally provided with sample surveys cannot be measured. 

Nonsampling errors are attributable to many sources. The use of company or divisional reports to estimate 

the monthly change for establishments is one source of nonsampling error. The use of primarily large 

companies to represent the month-to-month movement of all companies is another potential source. Any 

corrections will be published in the full report. Corrections received after the full report will be released in 

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

benchmark publication. Additional survey documentation can be found on our web site: 

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

RESOURCES 

API 

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

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

before. 

<www.census.gov/developers/>. 
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NEW TIME SERIES 

Beginning with the release of June 2018 data on July 26, 2018, historical estimates of the Monthly Advance 

Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders will be available on a seasonally adjusted 

basis as well as a not seasonally adjusted basis at: <https://www.census.gov/econ/currentdata/>. Also, 

monthly data for the Advance report will be available in the Census Application Programming Interface 

(API). 

FRED Mobile App 

Receive the latest updates on the nation’s key economic indicators by downloading 

the FRED App <https://fred.stlouisfed.org/fred-mobile/> for both Apple and 

Android devices. FRED, the signature database of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. 

Louis, now incorporates the Census Bureau’s 13 economic indicators. 

Benchmark notice 

Revised historical data from the Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey were 

issued on May 17, 2018. These revisions result from: 

• benchmarking the M3 shipments and inventories data to the 2016 Annual Survey of Manufactures 

(ASM) and revised 2015 ASM data on a 2012 NAICS basis; 

• incorporating the unfilled orders to shipments ratios obtained from the 2016/2015 Manufacturers’ 

Unfilled Orders (M3UFO) Survey by applying these ratios to the respective ASM shipments data, as 

well as incorporating revised unfilled orders to shipments ratios for prior years by applying them to the 

respective ASM shipments data; 

• adjusting the new orders data to be consistent with the benchmarked shipments and unfilled orders data; 

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

reported data; 

• updating the seasonally adjusted data based on the results of benchmarking and the recent annual review 

of the seasonal adjustment models. 

These revisions spanned the seasonally adjusted data for January 2002 through March 2018 and the data not 

seasonally adjusted for January 2007 through March 2018. An updated Press Release contains revised 

monthly tables for January 2018 through March 2018. Please call M3 staff on (301) 763-4832 with any 

questions. 

###
Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry % Change

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2018p 2017 2017

 All manufacturing industries.................. 492,846 492,699 489,307 0.0 0.7 0.2 489,168 518,285 455,059 449,373 1,916,289 1,789,195 7.1

 Excluding transportation................... 409,885 408,057 406,749 0.4 0.3 0.2 408,092 423,257 375,948 375,195 1,588,856 1,480,611 7.3

 Excluding defense.............................. 479,001 480,177 476,259 -0.2 0.8 0.4 476,683 503,911 442,728 438,516 1,866,156 1,743,341 7.0

 With unfilled orders............................ 171,295 172,312 170,466 -0.6 1.1 0.6 166,950 186,953 158,472 152,634 664,649 617,562 7.6

 Durable goods industries......................... 247,015 247,016 245,051 0.0 0.8 0.7 243,543 266,715 229,193 221,573 959,801 894,344 7.3

 Wood products....................................... 9,271 9,305 9,354 -0.4 -0.5 -0.1 9,868 9,322 8,459 9,540 35,752 34,703 3.0

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 10,859 10,765 10,757 0.9 0.1 0.7 10,872 10,652 9,231 10,201 40,113 38,742 3.5

 Primary metals....................................... 21,241 20,792 20,229 2.2 2.8 2.3 21,608 22,103 19,438 18,044 82,862 72,762 13.9

 Iron and steel mills............................ 10,552 10,220 9,830 3.2 4.0 2.4 10,730 10,737 9,381 8,890 40,466 35,271 14.7

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 9,288 9,189 9,020 1.1 1.9 2.5 9,474 9,892 8,749 7,889 36,936 32,316 14.3

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,401 1,383 1,379 1.3 0.3 1.2 1,404 1,474 1,308 1,265 5,460 5,175 5.5

 Fabricated metal products....................... 32,424 31,937 31,973 1.5 -0.1 0.7 32,347 32,970 29,943 28,521 125,199 112,975 10.8

 Machinery............................................. 32,168 32,079 32,518 0.3 -1.4 1.8 32,491 35,617 30,689 29,715 127,337 117,038 8.8

 Farm machinery................................. 2,474 2,457 2,434 0.7 0.9 1.7 3,167 3,122 2,750 2,509 11,207 9,181 22.1

 Construction machinery..................... 2,940 2,845 3,008 3.3 -5.4 6.1 3,090 3,162 2,909 2,646 11,588 10,236 13.2

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,471 1,474 1,480 -0.2 -0.4 -8.0 1,329 1,563 1,369 1,268 5,801 5,296 9.5

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,634 2,539 2,614 3.7 -2.9 2.9 2,498 2,893 2,290 2,469 9,828 9,941 -1.1

 Photographic equipment...................... 533 525 540 1.5 -2.8 4.2 477 629 472 491 2,019 2,037 -0.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,780 3,787 3,711 -0.2 2.0 -1.1 3,693 4,139 3,021 3,539 13,920 13,503 3.1

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,826 2,793 2,975 1.2 -6.1 5.3 2,598 2,986 2,639 2,340 10,813 9,593 12.7

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,968 4,217 4,145 -5.9 1.7 2.6 4,083 4,385 4,133 3,943 16,445 14,776 11.3

 Material handling equipment............... 2,690 2,683 2,687 0.3 -0.1 2.6 2,623 2,877 2,548 2,331 10,452 9,565 9.3

 Computers and electronic products2

.......... 26,396 26,071 26,275 1.2 -0.8 -0.3 24,252 28,053 23,009 22,577 99,094 94,032 5.4

 Computers........................................ 761 736 761 3.4 -3.3 1.3 734 763 560 807 2,660 3,164 -15.9

 Computer storage devices..................... 278 252 287 10.3 -12.2 -13.6 195 359 188 394 978 1,932 -49.4

 Other peripheral equipment................ 769 643 684 19.6 -6.0 -9.6 666 739 527 474 2,562 2,138 19.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 3,205 3,114 3,056 2.9 1.9 -2.3 2,840 3,645 2,443 2,395 11,418 10,181 12.2

 Defense communications equipment.... 267 266 263 0.4 1.1 0.0 258 288 265 239 1,020 943 8.2

 Audio and video equipment.................... 229 236 240 -3.0 -1.7 11.6 187 218 201 211 758 873 -13.2

 Electronic components......................... 3,533 3,527 3,596 0.2 -1.9 -0.3 3,367 3,692 3,184 3,170 13,444 12,605 6.7

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,547 1,499 1,513 3.2 -0.9 -2.1 1,382 1,718 1,418 1,261 5,867 5,443 7.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,759 2,731 2,755 1.0 -0.9 -4.3 2,582 2,879 2,595 2,513 10,437 9,930 5.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 9,006 8,978 8,831 0.3 1.7 0.9 8,178 10,111 7,936 7,294 33,664 30,040 12.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 11,384 11,179 11,084 1.8 0.9 1.2 11,139 11,812 10,171 10,166 42,973 40,660 5.7

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,073 1,052 1,051 2.0 0.1 -0.2 1,063 1,074 981 1,038 4,076 4,153 -1.9

 Household appliances........................ 1,727 1,697 1,704 1.8 -0.4 -0.1 1,690 1,804 1,506 1,716 6,421 6,711 -4.3

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,044 3,089 3,075 -1.5 0.5 2.9 2,898 3,528 2,873 2,756 11,932 11,640 2.5

 Batteries........................................... 962 938 920 2.6 2.0 -1.5 900 886 796 809 3,453 3,301 4.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 82,961 84,642 82,558 -2.0 2.5 0.3 81,076 95,028 79,111 74,178 327,433 308,584 6.1

 Automobiles..................................... 9,649 9,548 9,655 1.1 -1.1 1.2 9,312 10,346 9,588 9,652 38,353 39,462 -2.8

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 19,532 18,753 18,091 4.2 3.7 1.9 19,973 21,233 18,256 15,072 75,295 64,841 16.1

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 2,608 2,649 2,717 -1.5 -2.5 1.8 2,608 2,906 2,441 2,189 10,294 8,387 22.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 26,546 26,137 26,354 1.6 -0.8 0.8 27,056 28,548 26,459 25,209 106,722 102,472 4.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 10,876 14,927 12,814 -27.1 16.5 0.8 9,198 17,397 10,462 10,604 46,683 46,494 0.4

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,393 4,180 4,562 5.1 -8.4 -0.2 3,653 5,035 3,979 3,539 16,055 15,529 3.4

 Ships and boats................................. 2,882 2,779 2,808 3.7 -1.0 2.9 2,895 3,066 2,794 2,598 10,960 10,476 4.6

 Furniture and related products.................. 6,513 6,491 6,521 0.3 -0.5 1.6 6,404 6,585 6,293 6,107 25,256 24,356 3.7

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,798 13,755 13,782 0.3 -0.2 0.3 13,486 14,573 12,849 12,524 53,782 50,492 6.5

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 245,831 245,683 244,256 0.1 0.6 -0.3 245,625 251,570 225,866 227,800 956,488 894,851 6.9

 Food products....................................... 68,123 67,776 67,543 0.5 0.3 1.4 66,082 69,116 64,683 64,347 264,395 256,914 2.9

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 8,306 8,060 7,911 3.1 1.9 2.9 7,809 8,180 7,663 6,854 31,535 29,070 8.5

 Dairy products.................................. 9,554 9,732 9,734 -1.8 0.0 5.1 9,213 9,954 8,972 9,411 37,203 37,964 -2.0

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 19,822 19,374 19,216 2.3 0.8 0.4 19,688 19,535 18,295 18,832 75,547 73,645 2.6

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 12,116 12,461 12,223 -2.8 1.9 0.6 12,173 12,737 11,395 12,433 47,514 48,571 -2.2

 Beverages......................................... 8,594 8,472 8,525 1.4 -0.6 1.4 8,651 8,748 7,697 8,681 32,558 33,814 -3.7

 Tobacco............................................ 3,522 3,989 3,698 -11.7 7.9 -1.3 3,522 3,989 3,698 3,752 14,956 14,757 1.3

 Textile mills........................................... 2,486 2,458 2,452 1.1 0.2 0.4 2,558 2,574 2,395 2,456 9,818 9,609 2.2

 Textile products................................... 2,248 2,208 2,195 1.8 0.6 2.5 2,338 2,303 2,139 2,152 8,719 8,226 6.0

 Apparel................................................ 941 945 942 -0.4 0.3 -1.2 836 886 891 777 3,492 3,264 7.0

 Leather and allied products...................... 431 418 403 3.1 3.7 1.3 446 429 399 421 1,632 1,675 -2.6

 Paper products...................................... 15,976 16,020 15,954 -0.3 0.4 0.0 15,548 16,303 14,891 14,417 62,631 59,042 6.1

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,552 6,541 6,526 0.2 0.2 0.5 6,391 6,644 6,056 6,070 25,654 24,814 3.4

 Paperboard containers........................ 5,582 5,554 5,524 0.5 0.5 -0.3 5,478 5,665 5,114 5,046 21,811 20,678 5.5

 Printing................................................. 6,511 6,484 6,519 0.4 -0.5 0.7 6,543 6,620 5,895 6,437 25,295 25,573 -1.1

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 53,252 52,944 52,144 0.6 1.5 -3.2 53,996 51,589 44,858 43,360 200,288 162,596 23.2

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 49,357 49,078 48,310 0.6 1.6 -3.1 50,222 48,030 41,697 39,855 186,636 149,718 24.7

 Chemical products..................................... 63,946 64,234 64,168 -0.4 0.1 0.0 65,094 68,477 59,995 61,969 255,247 243,726 4.7

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,276 2,279 2,309 -0.1 -1.3 -3.8 3,113 3,165 2,551 3,101 10,908 11,051 -1.3

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 20,709 20,703 20,768 0.0 -0.3 -0.2 20,517 21,250 19,086 18,724 81,567 73,912 10.4

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 3,804 3,765 3,724 1.0 1.1 -0.4 4,157 4,057 3,366 3,740 14,904 13,660 9.1

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 19,801 19,735 19,713 0.3 0.1 0.0 20,011 20,536 18,325 19,031 77,457 75,655 2.4

Year to date

p

 Preliminary 

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

1

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

include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results 

of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 2

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

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

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

<http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, April Full Report, June 4, 2018. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>. 
Table 2. Value of Manufacturers' New Orders for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry % Change

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2018p 2017 2017

All manufacturing industries2........................ 494,448 498,443 490,295 -0.8 1.7 2.0 489,344 529,870 458,838 447,430 1,925,665 1,778,538 8.3

 Excluding transportation2

...................... 407,280 405,746 403,564 0.4 0.5 0.3 407,409 424,101 377,277 374,907 1,590,152 1,481,853 7.3

 Excluding defense2

.............................. 481,719 486,024 474,705 -0.9 2.4 0.9 477,755 513,364 445,195 435,182 1,875,869 1,735,349 8.1

 With unfilled orders2............................. 176,671 181,891 175,517 -2.9 3.6 6.0 170,755 201,910 165,720 154,343 689,372 622,898 10.7

 Durable goods industries2......................... 248,617 252,760 246,039 -1.6 2.7 4.5 243,719 278,300 232,972 219,630 969,177 883,687 9.7

 Primary metals........................................ 21,708 21,415 20,455 1.4 4.7 3.6 22,221 22,966 20,441 18,339 85,854 74,466 15.3

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 10,945 10,702 10,195 2.3 5.0 4.5 11,230 11,453 10,182 8,876 43,152 36,074 19.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 9,354 9,327 8,908 0.3 4.7 3.1 9,584 10,047 8,935 8,206 37,163 33,101 12.3

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,409 1,386 1,352 1.7 2.5 0.6 1,407 1,466 1,324 1,257 5,539 5,291 4.7

 Fabricated metal products........................ 33,379 32,775 32,344 1.8 1.3 0.4 34,038 34,818 31,367 29,666 131,522 117,693 11.8

 Machinery............................................. 31,687 31,903 32,939 -0.7 -3.1 3.3 32,337 35,436 32,048 31,102 130,362 122,134 6.7

 Construction machinery........................ 2,766 2,771 3,078 -0.2 -10.0 8.0 2,878 3,156 3,127 2,911 12,012 11,326 6.1

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,357 1,535 1,444 -11.6 6.3 -8.5 1,125 1,598 1,462 1,265 5,740 5,379 6.7

 Industrial machinery............................ 2,383 2,649 2,626 -10.0 0.9 9.7 2,408 3,075 2,305 2,441 10,119 10,294 -1.7

 Photographic equipment....................... 476 494 519 -3.6 -4.8 5.1 396 547 456 502 1,855 2,062 -10.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 3,749 3,734 3,763 0.4 -0.8 -0.5 3,694 4,192 3,158 3,555 14,345 14,024 2.3

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,789 2,670 3,180 4.5 -16.0 9.0 2,752 2,776 3,013 2,734 11,375 9,918 14.7

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment........... 3,845 4,177 4,124 -7.9 1.3 3.7 3,983 4,205 4,062 3,937 16,122 14,930 8.0

 Material handling equipment.................. 2,793 2,757 2,695 1.3 2.3 3.1 2,688 2,997 2,743 2,340 10,947 10,251 6.8

 Computers and electronic products2........... 22,767 22,513 22,187 1.1 1.5 -1.1 21,021 25,805 20,072 19,279 86,255 80,991 6.5

 Computers........................................ 765 826 782 -7.4 5.6 3.2 738 853 581 826 2,782 3,246 -14.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 3,193 3,100 3,074 3.0 0.8 -4.7 2,988 3,725 3,003 2,774 12,346 11,828 4.4

 Defense communications equipment....... 252 257 265 -1.9 -3.0 -3.3 253 328 272 231 1,058 985 7.4

 Electronic components......................... 3,568 3,587 3,677 -0.5 -2.4 -0.9 3,514 3,592 3,413 3,351 14,058 13,060 7.6

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,621 1,606 1,513 0.9 6.1 -0.5 1,566 1,793 1,419 1,443 6,211 5,820 6.7

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,679 2,848 2,580 -5.9 10.4 -0.9 2,536 3,506 2,397 2,312 10,478 9,923 5.6

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments..................... 9,145 8,904 8,859 2.7 0.5 0.3 8,144 10,423 7,848 7,096 34,085 30,396 12.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 11,486 11,279 11,004 1.8 2.5 2.6 11,267 12,023 10,429 10,088 43,778 41,816 4.7

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,075 1,056 1,047 1.8 0.9 -1.5 1,073 1,087 994 1,071 4,162 4,267 -2.5

 Household appliances.......................... 1,709 1,790 1,710 -4.5 4.7 -2.1 1,699 1,957 1,409 1,753 6,624 6,774 -2.2

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,033 3,028 3,038 0.2 -0.3 5.8 2,960 3,406 2,931 2,756 11,935 11,929 0.1

 Transportation equipment........................ 87,168 92,697 86,731 -6.0 6.9 10.8 81,935 105,769 81,561 72,523 335,513 296,685 13.1

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 26,665 26,390 26,559 1.0 -0.6 1.8 26,676 28,817 27,306 25,093 107,293 103,536 3.6

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 16,234 22,845 14,211 -28.9 60.8 14.5 11,502 26,361 10,707 7,410 55,216 36,538 51.1

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 3,854 3,581 3,881 7.6 -7.7 43.0 3,418 4,746 2,590 5,464 13,493 18,748 -28.0

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,685 2,839 6,164 -5.4 -53.9 563.5 2,595 3,503 6,226 2,971 13,383 6,388 109.5

 Furniture and related products................... 6,487 6,348 6,488 2.2 -2.2 1.1 6,667 6,931 6,517 6,361 26,236 25,950 1.1

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 245,831 245,683 244,256 0.1 0.6 -0.3 245,625 251,570 225,866 227,800 956,488 894,851 6.9

Year to date

p

 Preliminary 

r

 Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment. 

1

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

and new orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal 

variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 2

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

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

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

<http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, April Full Report, June 4, 2018. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>. 
Table 3. Value of Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly % Change

Industry April

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2017

All manufacturing industries2...................... 1,153,145 1,147,769 1,138,190 0.5 0.8 0.4 1,161,135 1,157,330 1,142,373 1,120,003 3.7

 Excluding transportation2...................... 357,041 355,872 354,348 0.3 0.4 0.2 363,216 360,270 356,054 346,919 4.7

 Excluding defense2

............................. 975,251 968,759 959,077 0.7 1.0 0.3 981,291 976,590 963,765 939,705 4.4

 Durable goods industries2........................ 1,153,145 1,147,769 1,138,190 0.5 0.8 0.4 1,161,135 1,157,330 1,142,373 1,120,003 3.7

 Primary metals........................................ 29,622 29,155 28,532 1.6 2.2 0.8 30,870 30,257 29,394 27,579 11.9

 Iron and steel mills............................... 16,078 15,685 15,203 2.5 3.2 2.5 16,904 16,404 15,688 13,657 23.8

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............. 10,371 10,305 10,167 0.6 1.4 -1.1 10,733 10,623 10,468 10,942 -1.9

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 3,173 3,165 3,162 0.3 0.1 -0.8 3,233 3,230 3,238 2,980 8.5

 Fabricated metal products......................... 82,357 81,402 80,564 1.2 1.0 0.5 83,697 82,006 80,158 76,415 9.5

 Machinery.............................................. 102,978 103,459 103,635 -0.5 -0.2 0.4 104,362 104,516 104,697 101,003 3.3

 Construction machinery......................... 6,045 6,219 6,293 -2.8 -1.2 1.1 6,422 6,634 6,640 5,771 11.3

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 4,478 4,592 4,531 -2.5 1.3 -0.8 4,478 4,682 4,647 4,589 -2.4

 Industrial machinery............................. 8,521 8,772 8,662 -2.9 1.3 0.1 8,757 8,847 8,665 8,843 -1.0

 Photographic equipment........................ 1,656 1,713 1,744 -3.3 -1.8 -1.2 1,666 1,747 1,829 1,720 -3.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment................ 6,334 6,365 6,418 -0.5 -0.8 0.8 6,536 6,535 6,482 6,044 8.1

 Metalworking machinery........................ 8,139 8,176 8,299 -0.5 -1.5 2.5 8,327 8,173 8,383 8,149 2.2

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment............ 29,589 29,712 29,752 -0.4 -0.1 -0.1 29,497 29,597 29,777 30,215 -2.4

 Material handling equipment................... 11,780 11,677 11,603 0.9 0.6 0.1 11,920 11,855 11,735 10,665 11.8

 Computers and electronic products2............. 113,716 113,571 113,294 0.1 0.2 0.0 114,978 114,580 113,456 112,436 2.3

 Computers......................................... 2,000 1,996 1,906 0.2 4.7 1.1 2,000 1,996 1,906 1,661 20.4

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 24,047 24,059 24,073 0.0 -0.1 0.1 24,557 24,409 24,329 22,694 8.2

 Defense communications equipment........ 1,455 1,470 1,479 -1.0 -0.6 0.1 1,468 1,473 1,433 1,395 5.2

 Electronic components.......................... 12,251 12,216 12,156 0.3 0.5 0.7 12,436 12,289 12,389 11,567 7.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 19,420 19,346 19,239 0.4 0.6 0.0 19,417 19,233 19,158 18,861 2.9

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 26,849 26,929 26,812 -0.3 0.4 -0.6 27,246 27,292 26,665 28,710 -5.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments...................... 27,694 27,555 27,629 0.5 -0.3 0.1 27,854 27,888 27,576 27,548 1.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 19,338 19,236 19,136 0.5 0.5 -0.4 19,837 19,709 19,498 19,804 0.2

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,416 1,414 1,410 0.1 0.3 -0.3 1,431 1,421 1,408 1,348 6.2

 Household appliances........................... 1,335 1,353 1,260 -1.3 7.4 0.5 1,387 1,378 1,225 1,156 20.0

 Electrical equipment............................. 7,724 7,735 7,796 -0.1 -0.8 -0.5 7,838 7,776 7,898 8,100 -3.2

 Transportation equipment......................... 796,104 791,897 783,842 0.5 1.0 0.5 797,919 797,060 786,319 773,084 3.2

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 26,773 26,654 26,401 0.4 1.0 0.8 27,078 27,458 27,189 25,546 6.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 601,713 596,355 588,437 0.9 1.3 0.2 601,643 599,339 590,375 577,756 4.1

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 69,111 69,650 70,249 -0.8 -0.9 -1.0 69,932 70,167 70,456 75,015 -6.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 29,064 29,261 29,201 -0.7 0.2 13.0 29,477 29,777 29,340 25,140 17.3

 Furniture and related products................... 8,417 8,443 8,586 -0.3 -1.7 -0.4 8,859 8,596 8,250 9,085 -2.5

p

 Preliminary 

r

 Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment. 

1

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

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

as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 2

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

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

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

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

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, April Full Report, June 4, 2018. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our 

website at <www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.
Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly % Change

Industry April

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2017

 All manufacturing industries...................... 666,867 664,712 663,710 0.3 0.2 0.3 670,203 663,752 667,814 639,170 4.9

 Excluding transportation........................ 538,360 536,595 534,999 0.3 0.3 0.3 540,774 535,630 537,472 513,703 5.3

 Excluding defense............................. 640,218 637,762 636,805 0.4 0.2 0.4 643,501 636,825 640,869 612,748 5.0

 With unfilled orders............................. 326,948 325,827 325,277 0.3 0.2 0.5 328,738 324,901 327,407 313,005 5.0

 Durable goods industries........................ 401,852 400,538 399,816 0.3 0.2 0.5 403,974 399,879 403,399 384,975 4.9

 Wood products........................................ 12,132 12,100 12,048 0.3 0.4 1.0 12,066 12,380 12,455 11,497 4.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products..................... 14,065 14,061 13,961 0.0 0.7 -0.2 14,363 14,383 14,233 13,757 4.4

 Primary metals......................................... 34,196 34,056 33,725 0.4 1.0 0.3 34,179 33,839 33,767 31,804 7.5

 Iron and steel mills............................... 19,193 19,185 19,067 0.0 0.6 -0.1 19,016 19,012 19,060 17,754 7.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals............ 13,047 12,920 12,711 1.0 1.6 0.9 13,163 12,858 12,687 12,166 8.2

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 1,956 1,951 1,947 0.3 0.2 -0.6 2,000 1,969 2,020 1,884 6.2

 Fabricated metal products......................... 52,027 51,592 51,228 0.8 0.7 0.6 52,373 51,711 51,421 48,283 8.5

 Machinery.............................................. 67,862 67,751 67,310 0.2 0.7 0.6 68,081 67,599 67,913 64,715 5.2

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,629 3,627 3,608 0.1 0.5 1.4 3,645 3,826 3,883 3,463 5.3

 Construction machinery......................... 5,524 5,531 5,541 -0.1 -0.2 1.2 5,593 5,561 5,566 5,191 7.7

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 5,327 5,356 5,316 -0.5 0.8 -1.1 5,378 5,389 5,402 5,740 -6.3

 Industrial machinery............................. 8,312 8,296 8,196 0.2 1.2 1.5 8,171 8,457 8,270 7,582 7.8

 Photographic equipment....................... 1,700 1,674 1,643 1.6 1.9 0.6 1,659 1,595 1,676 1,552 6.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,976 4,929 4,905 1.0 0.5 0.6 5,228 5,008 4,998 5,325 -1.8

 Metalworking machinery........................ 5,826 5,776 5,833 0.9 -1.0 -0.3 5,805 5,707 5,841 5,598 3.7

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment............ 9,517 9,755 9,607 -2.4 1.5 1.1 9,557 9,475 9,610 8,764 9.0

 Material handling equipment.................. 5,619 5,575 5,566 0.8 0.2 0.1 5,586 5,470 5,467 4,988 12.0

 Computers and electronic products2

............ 43,304 43,211 43,269 0.2 -0.1 0.8 43,588 42,643 43,694 41,831 4.2

 Computers......................................... 1,502 1,534 1,565 -2.1 -2.0 -0.7 1,465 1,473 1,615 1,461 0.3

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,034 1,032 1,049 0.2 -1.6 1.1 1,006 955 1,114 1,068 -5.8

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,108 1,110 1,098 -0.2 1.1 -0.6 1,139 1,068 1,112 1,150 -1.0

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,721 4,609 4,638 2.4 -0.6 0.1 4,698 4,513 4,751 4,603 2.1

 Defense communications equipment........ 664 662 660 0.3 0.3 0.9 664 662 660 648 2.5

 Audio and video equipment.................... 583 586 565 -0.5 3.7 -0.5 558 536 549 633 -11.8

 Electronic components.......................... 7,477 7,503 7,416 -0.3 1.2 1.2 7,688 7,462 7,440 7,266 5.8

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,575 2,581 2,572 -0.2 0.3 0.2 2,586 2,549 2,553 2,553 1.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,611 2,605 2,606 0.2 0.0 0.0 2,666 2,625 2,639 2,592 2.9

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments...................... 15,193 15,205 15,181 -0.1 0.2 0.8 15,245 15,038 15,143 14,586 4.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 18,426 18,400 18,336 0.1 0.3 0.4 18,705 18,414 18,408 17,492 6.9

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 2,202 2,210 2,211 -0.4 0.0 0.5 2,227 2,177 2,200 2,090 6.6

 Household appliances........................... 2,808 2,817 2,820 -0.3 -0.1 0.0 2,866 2,844 2,876 2,707 5.9

 Electrical equipment............................. 5,107 5,097 5,081 0.2 0.3 0.7 5,215 5,100 5,133 4,834 7.9

 Batteries............................................ 1,844 1,855 1,858 -0.6 -0.2 0.7 1,853 1,825 1,792 1,820 1.8

 Transportation equipment......................... 128,507 128,117 128,711 0.3 -0.5 0.6 129,429 128,122 130,342 125,467 3.2

 Automobiles....................................... 3,840 3,918 3,973 -2.0 -1.4 2.4 3,918 3,975 4,082 3,801 3.1

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 4,452 4,414 4,402 0.9 0.3 1.3 4,394 4,251 4,447 3,916 12.2

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 2,064 2,013 1,928 2.5 4.4 2.4 2,121 2,029 1,990 1,979 7.2

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 25,213 25,326 25,227 -0.4 0.4 -0.3 25,164 25,378 25,459 23,479 7.2

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 65,638 64,913 65,673 1.1 -1.2 0.9 66,556 65,098 66,847 65,146 2.2

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 12,734 12,910 12,902 -1.4 0.1 0.1 12,748 12,818 12,906 12,655 0.7

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,905 2,918 2,974 -0.4 -1.9 0.7 2,917 2,963 2,978 3,087 -5.5

 Furniture and related products.................... 7,932 7,936 7,961 -0.1 -0.3 0.5 7,838 7,775 7,880 7,382 6.2

 Miscellaneous durable goods..................... 23,401 23,314 23,267 0.4 0.2 0.2 23,352 23,013 23,286 22,747 2.7

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 265,015 264,174 263,894 0.3 0.1 0.0 266,229 263,873 264,415 254,195 4.7

 Food products........................................ 54,846 54,882 54,844 -0.1 0.1 0.7 53,611 53,707 54,519 53,111 0.9

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,527 5,454 5,418 1.3 0.7 1.3 5,419 5,405 5,568 5,484 -1.2

 Dairy products.................................... 7,525 7,532 7,497 -0.1 0.5 -1.1 7,721 7,536 7,448 7,955 -2.9

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products....... 9,303 9,369 9,413 -0.7 -0.5 2.3 9,200 9,417 9,415 8,874 3.7

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 24,715 24,621 24,595 0.4 0.1 0.8 24,926 24,754 24,923 24,279 2.7

 Beverages......................................... 19,975 19,901 19,861 0.4 0.2 0.9 20,220 19,968 19,974 19,622 3.0

 Tobacco............................................ 4,740 4,720 4,734 0.4 -0.3 0.3 4,706 4,786 4,949 4,657 1.1

 Textile mills............................................ 3,183 3,192 3,190 -0.3 0.1 0.0 3,196 3,182 3,191 3,091 3.4

 Textile products...................................... 3,403 3,417 3,406 -0.4 0.3 0.4 3,420 3,434 3,444 3,353 2.0

 Apparel................................................. 1,895 1,913 1,919 -0.9 -0.3 0.5 1,865 1,875 1,908 1,877 -0.6

 Leather and allied products....................... 777 773 769 0.5 0.5 0.0 781 756 755 777 0.5

 Paper products....................................... 15,815 15,827 15,828 -0.1 0.0 -0.1 15,877 15,941 15,981 15,728 0.9

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills........... 6,483 6,527 6,516 -0.7 0.2 -0.2 6,535 6,608 6,607 6,659 -1.9

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,957 4,960 4,955 -0.1 0.1 0.3 4,961 4,998 5,015 4,701 5.5

 Printing.................................................. 5,408 5,429 5,415 -0.4 0.3 -0.2 5,439 5,416 5,388 5,444 -0.1

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 41,212 40,820 40,830 1.0 0.0 -0.3 41,894 39,989 40,034 34,952 19.9

 Petroleum refineries............................. 35,908 35,599 35,837 0.9 -0.7 -0.4 36,544 34,783 34,943 30,118 21.3

 Chemical products..................................... 87,766 87,362 87,232 0.5 0.1 -0.3 88,806 88,471 87,957 86,268 2.9

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals........................ 4,720 4,603 4,496 2.5 2.4 2.5 4,870 4,911 4,938 4,842 0.6

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines.............. 35,820 35,457 35,301 1.0 0.4 -1.0 36,218 35,889 35,309 35,101 3.2

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.............. 3,864 3,849 3,830 0.4 0.5 -0.3 4,006 3,959 3,921 3,746 6.9

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 25,995 25,938 25,866 0.2 0.3 -0.2 26,414 26,348 26,315 25,315 4.3

p Preliminary 

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

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

orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on 

the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 

2

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

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

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

<http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, April Full Report, June 4, 2018. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>. 
Table 5. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments, New Orders, Unfilled Orders, and Total Inventories for 

 Topical Series1, 2

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date

Industry % Change6

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2018p 2017 2017

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries................... 492,846 492,699 489,307 0.0 0.7 0.2 489,168 518,285 455,059 449,373 1,916,289 1,789,195 7.1

 Construction materials and supplies....... 50,723 50,411 50,087 0.6 0.6 0.0 51,612 50,913 44,565 47,644 191,513 180,848 5.9

 Information technology......................... 24,200 23,637 23,490 2.4 0.6 -0.6 22,321 26,138 20,843 20,093 89,413 82,326 8.6

 Computers and related products........... 1,808 1,631 1,732 10.9 -5.8 -5.9 1,595 1,861 1,275 1,675 6,200 7,234 -14.3

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 58,335 57,087 56,817 2.2 0.5 1.3 58,949 63,033 56,744 52,122 230,664 215,162 7.2

 Capital goods...................................... 86,090 88,306 86,524 -2.5 2.1 0.1 81,896 97,981 78,801 75,383 332,963 307,094 8.4

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 74,067 77,654 75,648 -4.6 2.7 1.0 70,819 85,881 68,309 66,107 290,029 268,846 7.9

 Excluding aircraft............................. 67,299 66,728 67,199 0.9 -0.7 1.0 65,417 73,191 61,921 59,491 259,983 239,796 8.4

 Defense capital goods4........................ 12,023 10,652 10,876 12.9 -2.1 -5.2 11,077 12,100 10,492 9,276 42,934 38,248 12.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 208,960 207,742 206,028 0.6 0.8 0.0 207,526 213,382 192,825 187,597 809,201 743,384 8.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 42,793 41,830 41,373 2.3 1.1 1.4 42,984 46,106 40,990 37,819 167,100 155,951 7.1

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 166,167 165,912 164,655 0.2 0.8 -0.3 164,542 167,276 151,835 149,778 642,101 587,433 9.3

 All manufacturing industries5

................... 494,448 498,443 490,295 -0.8 1.7 2.0 489,344 529,870 458,838 447,430 1,925,665 1,778,538 8.3

 Construction materials and supplies....... 51,496 51,097 50,796 0.8 0.6 0.7 53,049 52,498 45,865 48,633 196,834 184,633 6.6

 Information technology......................... 24,382 23,887 23,318 2.1 2.4 -0.1 22,538 27,447 21,414 20,129 91,656 85,538 7.2

 Computers and related products........... 1,812 1,721 1,753 5.3 -1.8 -5.1 1,599 1,951 1,296 1,694 6,322 7,316 -13.6

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 58,454 57,340 57,022 1.9 0.6 1.7 58,569 63,302 57,591 52,006 231,235 216,226 6.9

 Capital goods...................................... 89,400 94,837 90,972 -5.7 4.2 9.6 83,542 108,637 83,151 75,516 346,321 304,147 13.9

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 78,439 84,205 77,475 -6.8 8.7 3.5 73,521 94,171 71,269 65,753 303,310 270,473 12.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 67,125 66,478 67,149 1.0 -1.0 1.6 65,911 73,995 64,066 61,376 265,470 249,150 6.6

 Defense capital goods4

........................ 10,961 10,632 13,497 3.1 -21.2 66.3 10,021 14,466 11,882 9,763 43,011 33,674 27.7

 Consumer goods.................................. 208,926 207,820 205,985 0.5 0.9 0.0 207,473 213,592 192,795 187,624 809,690 743,906 8.8

 Consumer durable goods..................... 42,759 41,908 41,330 2.0 1.4 1.1 42,931 46,316 40,960 37,846 167,589 156,473 7.1

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 166,167 165,912 164,655 0.2 0.8 -0.3 164,542 167,276 151,835 149,778 642,101 587,433 9.3

 All manufacturing industries5

................... 1,153,145 1,147,769 1,138,190 0.5 0.8 0.4 1,161,135 1,157,330 1,142,373 1,120,003 (X) (X) 3.7

 Construction materials and supplies....... 56,927 56,154 55,468 1.4 1.2 1.3 57,892 56,455 54,870 51,911 (X) (X) 11.5

 Information technology......................... 111,984 111,802 111,552 0.2 0.2 -0.2 113,389 113,172 111,863 111,789 (X) (X) 1.4

 Computers and related products........... 2,000 1,996 1,906 0.2 4.7 1.1 2,000 1,996 1,906 1,661 (X) (X) 20.4

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 26,773 26,654 26,401 0.4 1.0 0.8 27,078 27,458 27,189 25,546 (X) (X) 6.0

 Capital goods...................................... 858,294 854,984 848,453 0.4 0.8 0.5 862,451 860,805 850,149 835,767 (X) (X) 3.2

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 713,641 709,269 702,718 0.6 0.9 0.3 716,093 713,391 705,101 691,899 (X) (X) 3.5

 Excluding aircraft............................. 217,107 217,281 217,531 -0.1 -0.1 0.0 219,977 219,483 218,679 216,938 (X) (X) 1.4

 Defense capital goods4........................ 144,653 145,715 145,735 -0.7 0.0 1.8 146,358 147,414 145,048 143,868 (X) (X) 1.7

 Consumer goods.................................. 5,065 5,099 5,021 -0.7 1.6 -0.8 5,300 5,353 5,143 5,088 (X) (X) 4.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 5,065 5,099 5,021 -0.7 1.6 -0.8 5,300 5,353 5,143 5,088 (X) (X) 4.2

 All manufacturing industries................... 666,867 664,712 663,710 0.3 0.2 0.3 670,203 663,752 667,814 639,170 (X) (X) 4.9

 Construction materials and supplies....... 70,515 70,093 69,637 0.6 0.7 0.6 71,374 70,871 70,571 66,767 (X) (X) 6.9

 Information technology......................... 38,397 38,262 38,190 0.4 0.2 0.4 38,467 37,713 38,466 37,123 (X) (X) 3.6

 Computers and related products........... 3,644 3,676 3,712 -0.9 -1.0 -0.2 3,610 3,496 3,841 3,679 (X) (X) -1.9

 Motor vehicle and parts......................... 35,569 35,671 35,530 -0.3 0.4 0.4 35,597 35,633 35,978 33,175 (X) (X) 7.3

 Capital goods...................................... 198,565 197,966 198,122 0.3 -0.1 0.7 199,649 197,538 199,770 191,948 (X) (X) 4.0

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 176,321 175,394 175,583 0.5 -0.1 0.7 177,366 174,897 177,195 170,181 (X) (X) 4.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 122,703 122,438 121,903 0.2 0.4 0.5 122,950 121,540 122,526 117,415 (X) (X) 4.7

 Defense capital goods4

........................ 22,244 22,572 22,539 -1.5 0.1 0.1 22,283 22,641 22,575 21,767 (X) (X) 2.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 200,917 200,143 199,934 0.4 0.1 0.1 200,775 198,275 199,518 190,538 (X) (X) 5.4

 Consumer durable goods..................... 29,825 29,813 29,773 0.0 0.1 0.6 29,729 29,416 30,136 28,455 (X) (X) 4.5

 Consumer nondurable goods................ 171,092 170,330 170,161 0.4 0.1 0.0 171,046 168,859 169,382 162,083 (X) (X) 5.5

NEW ORDERS 

UNFILLED ORDERS 

TOTAL INVENTORIES 

X

 Not Applicable 

p

 Preliminary 

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

1

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

include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of 

the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 2 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories. 

3

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

machinery; photographic equipment; metalworking machinery; turbines and generators; other power transmission equipment; pumps and compressors; material handling equipment; all other machinery; electronic computers; 

computer storage devices; other computer peripheral equipment; communications equipment; search and navigation equipment; electromedical, measuring, and control instruments; electrical equipment; other electrical 

equipment, appliances, and components; heavy duty trucks; aircraft; railroad rolling stock; ships and boats; office and institutional furniture; and medical equipment and supplies. 4

 Defense capital goods industries include: small arms and ordnance; communications equipment; aircraft; missiles, space vehicles, and parts; ships and boats; and search and navigation equipment. 5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 6

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

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

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

<http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, April Full Report, June 4, 2018. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>. 
Table 6. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories, by Stage of Fabrication, by Industry Group1 

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly % Change

Industry April

Apr. Mar. Feb. Mar. - Feb. - Jan. - Apr. Mar. Feb. Apr. 2018/

2018p 2018r 2018 Apr. Mar. Feb. 2018p 2018r 2018 2017 2017

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries....................... 227,015 226,050 225,051 0.4 0.4 0.6 227,220 225,546 225,611 216,790 4.8

 Durable goods industries.......................... 136,796 136,110 135,111 0.5 0.7 0.8 136,478 135,439 135,399 129,540 5.4

 Wood products................................... 5,019 5,014 4,962 0.1 1.0 0.4 4,794 4,996 5,139 4,507 6.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 5,833 5,806 5,727 0.5 1.4 1.0 5,869 5,839 5,742 5,466 7.4

 Primary metals.................................... 12,396 12,363 12,509 0.3 -1.2 2.9 12,058 12,087 12,401 11,275 6.9

 Fabricated metal products........................ 19,234 18,988 18,805 1.3 1.0 0.3 19,215 18,902 18,774 17,722 8.4

 Machinery.......................................... 26,335 26,248 25,979 0.3 1.0 0.8 26,323 26,116 25,960 23,999 9.7

 Computers and electronic products........ 18,282 18,069 18,048 1.2 0.1 2.6 18,397 17,935 18,143 17,076 7.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 7,723 7,662 7,485 0.8 2.4 0.8 7,842 7,665 7,461 7,222 8.6

 Transportation equipment..................... 30,443 30,442 30,059 0.0 1.3 -0.3 30,499 30,522 30,292 31,082 -1.9

 Furniture and related products............... 3,811 3,795 3,827 0.4 -0.8 -1.1 3,785 3,762 3,813 3,664 3.3

 Miscellaneous products......................... 7,720 7,723 7,710 0.0 0.2 -0.3 7,696 7,615 7,674 7,527 2.2

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 90,219 89,940 89,940 0.3 0.0 0.4 90,742 90,107 90,212 87,250 4.0

 Food products.................................... 18,117 18,014 17,786 0.6 1.3 1.4 17,882 17,726 17,651 18,592 -3.8

 Beverage and tobacco products................... 5,909 5,867 5,942 0.7 -1.3 0.5 5,978 5,958 6,095 5,826 2.6

 Textiles.............................................. 1,100 1,090 1,083 0.9 0.6 0.2 1,105 1,089 1,084 1,071 3.2

 Textile products................................... 1,308 1,314 1,306 -0.5 0.6 0.5 1,304 1,315 1,310 1,266 3.0

 Apparel............................................. 487 493 495 -1.2 -0.4 1.4 492 492 493 544 -9.6

 Leather and allied products.................... 246 243 242 1.2 0.4 0.4 246 238 238 240 2.5

 Paper products.................................... 7,970 7,969 7,959 0.0 0.1 0.3 7,966 8,048 8,062 7,667 3.9

 Printing ............................................. 2,765 2,785 2,752 -0.7 1.2 0.3 2,782 2,789 2,749 2,693 3.3

 Petroleum and coal products................. 12,049 11,896 11,980 1.3 -0.7 1.9 12,318 11,836 11,710 10,123 21.7

 Chemical products................................ 29,418 29,471 29,579 -0.2 -0.4 -0.5 29,744 29,723 29,879 28,866 3.0

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 10,850 10,798 10,816 0.5 -0.2 -0.2 10,925 10,893 10,941 10,362 5.4

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 206,186 205,190 204,478 0.5 0.3 0.2 207,762 205,328 206,354 193,372 7.4

 Durable goods industries.......................... 150,875 150,154 150,607 0.5 -0.3 0.7 152,304 150,296 152,388 144,521 5.4

 Wood products................................... 2,204 2,185 2,170 0.9 0.7 2.0 2,256 2,270 2,233 2,099 7.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 1,527 1,529 1,542 -0.1 -0.8 -1.0 1,581 1,592 1,595 1,588 -0.4

 Primary metals.................................... 10,081 9,974 9,682 1.1 3.0 -2.5 10,214 9,912 9,692 9,383 8.9

 Fabricated metal products........................ 13,670 13,622 13,528 0.4 0.7 1.2 13,648 13,595 13,533 12,638 8.0

 Machinery.......................................... 18,867 18,814 18,677 0.3 0.7 1.0 18,821 18,606 18,832 17,789 5.8

 Computers and electronic products........ 13,281 13,356 13,292 -0.6 0.5 0.4 13,545 13,344 13,434 13,410 1.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,848 3,818 3,841 0.8 -0.6 1.3 3,925 3,822 3,887 3,637 7.9

 Transportation equipment..................... 82,217 81,727 82,821 0.6 -1.3 0.9 83,137 82,094 84,121 79,409 4.7

 Furniture and related products............... 1,442 1,426 1,415 1.1 0.8 3.2 1,432 1,413 1,410 1,172 22.2

 Miscellaneous products......................... 3,738 3,703 3,639 0.9 1.8 0.0 3,745 3,648 3,651 3,396 10.3

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 55,311 55,036 53,871 0.5 2.2 -0.9 55,458 55,032 53,966 48,851 13.5

 Food products.................................... 6,523 6,549 6,416 -0.4 2.1 1.0 6,156 6,376 6,633 5,622 9.5

 Beverage and tobacco products................... 9,403 9,343 9,228 0.6 1.2 1.0 9,441 9,443 9,425 9,126 3.5

 Textiles.............................................. 705 710 712 -0.7 -0.3 1.0 710 707 712 684 3.8

 Textile products................................... 410 416 409 -1.4 1.7 -1.9 417 419 414 417 0.0

 Apparel............................................. 322 318 316 1.3 0.6 -2.8 318 305 319 285 11.6

 Leather and allied products.................... 74 75 74 -1.3 1.4 0.0 75 78 75 88 -14.8

 Paper products.................................... 1,270 1,249 1,238 1.7 0.9 -1.4 1,273 1,253 1,231 1,260 1.0

 Printing ............................................. 1,099 1,105 1,100 -0.5 0.5 -1.7 1,099 1,101 1,092 1,121 -2.0

 Petroleum and coal products................. 12,887 13,006 12,502 -0.9 4.0 -3.4 13,369 12,968 12,322 10,268 30.2

 Chemical products................................ 19,556 19,231 18,867 1.7 1.9 -0.9 19,492 19,294 18,675 17,075 14.2

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 3,062 3,034 3,009 0.9 0.8 -0.2 3,108 3,088 3,068 2,905 7.0

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries....................... 233,666 233,472 234,181 0.1 -0.3 0.1 235,221 232,878 235,849 229,008 2.7

 Durable goods industries.......................... 114,181 114,274 114,098 -0.1 0.2 0.1 115,192 114,144 115,612 110,914 3.9

 Wood products................................... 4,909 4,901 4,916 0.2 -0.3 1.1 5,016 5,114 5,083 4,891 2.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products................. 6,705 6,726 6,692 -0.3 0.5 -0.9 6,913 6,952 6,896 6,703 3.1

 Primary metals.................................... 11,719 11,719 11,534 0.0 1.6 -0.1 11,907 11,840 11,674 11,146 6.8

 Fabricated metal products........................ 19,123 18,982 18,895 0.7 0.5 0.5 19,510 19,214 19,114 17,923 8.9

 Machinery.......................................... 22,660 22,689 22,654 -0.1 0.2 0.0 22,937 22,877 23,121 22,927 0.0

 Computers and electronic products........ 11,741 11,786 11,929 -0.4 -1.2 -1.5 11,646 11,364 12,117 11,345 2.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,855 6,920 7,010 -0.9 -1.3 -0.4 6,938 6,927 7,060 6,633 4.6

 Transportation equipment..................... 15,847 15,948 15,831 -0.6 0.7 0.7 15,793 15,506 15,929 14,976 5.5

 Furniture and related products............... 2,679 2,715 2,719 -1.3 -0.1 1.3 2,621 2,600 2,657 2,546 2.9

 Miscellaneous products......................... 11,943 11,888 11,918 0.5 -0.3 0.6 11,911 11,750 11,961 11,824 0.7

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 119,485 119,198 120,083 0.2 -0.7 0.2 120,029 118,734 120,237 118,094 1.6

 Food products.................................... 30,206 30,319 30,642 -0.4 -1.1 0.3 29,573 29,605 30,235 28,897 2.3

 Beverage and tobacco products................... 9,403 9,411 9,425 -0.1 -0.1 0.7 9,507 9,353 9,403 9,327 1.9

 Textiles.............................................. 1,378 1,392 1,395 -1.0 -0.2 -0.7 1,381 1,386 1,395 1,336 3.4

 Textile products................................... 1,685 1,687 1,691 -0.1 -0.2 1.0 1,699 1,700 1,720 1,670 1.7

 Apparel............................................. 1,086 1,102 1,108 -1.5 -0.5 1.0 1,055 1,078 1,096 1,048 0.7

 Leather and allied products.................... 457 455 453 0.4 0.4 -0.2 460 440 442 449 2.4

 Paper products.................................... 6,575 6,609 6,631 -0.5 -0.3 -0.4 6,638 6,640 6,688 6,801 -2.4

 Printing ............................................. 1,544 1,539 1,563 0.3 -1.5 0.1 1,558 1,526 1,547 1,630 -4.4

 Petroleum and coal products................. 16,276 15,918 16,348 2.2 -2.6 0.6 16,207 15,185 16,002 14,561 11.3

 Chemical products................................ 38,792 38,660 38,786 0.3 -0.3 0.1 39,570 39,454 39,403 40,327 -1.9

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 12,083 12,106 12,041 -0.2 0.5 -0.1 12,381 12,367 12,306 12,048 2.8

p

 Preliminary 

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

1

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

orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the 

results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 

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

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

<http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, April Full Report, June 4, 2018. Information on data sources and methodology can be found on our website at 

<www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/how_the_data_are_collected/index.html>.
Table 7. Ratios of Manufacturers' Inventories to Shipments and Unfilled Orders 

 to Shipments, by Industry Group 1

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

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio2

Industry Apr Mar Feb Jan Apr Mar Feb Jan

2018p 2018r 2018 2018 2018p 2018r 2018 2018

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

Durable goods industries3

.................................. 1.63 1.62 1.63 1.64 6.73 6.66 6.68 6.69

 Wood products.............................................. 1.31 1.30 1.29 1.27 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.61 1.64 1.67 1.70 1.39 1.40 1.41 1.43

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.60 1.62 1.60 1.60 2.61 2.62 2.59 2.60

 Machinery..................................................... 2.11 2.11 2.07 2.10 3.54 3.57 3.52 3.58

 Computers and electronic products3

................ 1.64 1.66 1.65 1.63 5.40 5.45 5.45 5.42

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.62 1.65 1.65 1.67 1.86 1.88 1.88 1.92

 Transportation equipment.............................. 1.55 1.51 1.56 1.56 15.56 14.75 15.05 14.90

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.22 1.22 1.22 1.23 1.47 1.47 1.50 1.53

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.70 1.69 1.69 1.69 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 1.08 1.08 1.08 1.08 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.81 0.81 0.81 0.82 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 2.04 1.98 2.01 2.01 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.28 1.30 1.30 1.31 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.51 1.55 1.55 1.58 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 2.01 2.02 2.04 2.00 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 1.80 1.85 1.91 1.93 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 0.99 0.99 0.99 0.99 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.77 0.77 0.78 0.76 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.37 1.36 1.36 1.36 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

Apr3 Apr3 Apr3 Apr3

Industry 2017- 2017- 2017- 2017-

Apr2 Mar Apr2 Mar Apr2 Mar Apr2 Mar

2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018 2018

 

All manufacturing industries.................. (X) 0.2 (X) 0.3 (X) 0.0 (X) 0.1

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

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

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

 Primary metals.................................... 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.8 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.3

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

 Machinery.......................................... 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.8 -0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1

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

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. -0.6 0.3 -0.8 0.9 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.1

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.7 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 0.9 (X) 0.6 (X) 0.4

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.2 (X) 0.2 (X) 0.3 (X) 0.1

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

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

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

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Leather and allied products.................... (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Paper products.................................... (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

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

 Petroleum and coal products................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.4

 Chemical products................................ (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.1

 Plastics and rubber products................. (X) 0.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

X

 Not Applicable 

p

 Preliminary 

r

 Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment. 

2

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

supplies; office supplies; other miscellaneous manufacturing; cutlery and handtools; farm and garden machinery; computer storage and 

peripheral devices; audio and video equipment; manufacturing and reproducing magnetic and optical media; batteries; automobiles; light 

trucks and utility vehicles; heavy duty trucks; and miscellaneous furniture. 

3

 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing. 

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

survey error is nonsampling error, which includes errors of coverage, response, and nonreporting. Since the survey panel is not a 

probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data 

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

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, April Full Report, June 4, 2018. Information 

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

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

X Not Applicable 

NA Not Available 

1

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

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

for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day 

differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model 

parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 

2

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

publication. 

3

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

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

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

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

component of survey error is nonsampling error, which includes errors of coverage, response, and nonreporting. Since the 

survey panel is not a probability sample, estimates of sampling error cannot be calculated. For further details on survey 

design, methodology, and data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) Survey, April Full Report, June 4, 2018. 

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

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes 1

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

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories