Manufacturers' Shipments,

 Inventories, and Orders: August 2004 Issued October 2004

 M3-1(04)-08

 For Wire Transmission 10:00 a.m. E.D.T., October 4, 2004 Current 

 Industrial

 Reports

For data, call 301-763-4673. For inquiries, contact Chris Savage or Patrick Kent, Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories and Orders Branch, Manufacturing and 

Construction Divison (MCD), Washington, DC 20233-6900 or call 301-763-4832.

The advance report on durable goods for September is scheduled for October 27, 2004 at 8:30 a.m. and the full report on November 3, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 20402 

Our Internet address is : http://www.census.gov/m3

Total Manufacturing Shipments

and Three Month Moving Average

300

320

340

360

380

Aug-02

Oct-02

Dec-02

Feb-03Apr-03

Jun-03

Aug-03

Oct-03

Dec-03

Feb-04Apr-04

Jun-04

Aug-04

300

320

340

360

380

 Shipments Average

Billions Of Dollars

Total Manufacturing Inventories

and Three Month Moving Average

420

440

460

480

500

Aug-02

Oct-02

Dec-02

Feb-03Apr-03

Jun-03

Aug-03

Oct-03

Dec-03

Feb-04Apr-04

Jun-04

Aug-04

420

440

460

480

500

 Inventories Average

Billions Of Dollars
 2

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.

Summary

New orders for manufactured goods in August

decreased $0.3 billion or 0.1 percent to $370.5 billion, the

Department of Commerce, Census Bureau reported today. 

This followed a 1.7 percent July increase.

Shipments, up five of the last six months, increased

$4.0 billion or 1.1 percent to $376.1 billion. This was at

the highest level since the series was first stated on a

NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.9 percent July

increase.

Unfilled orders, up twelve of the last thirteen months,

increased $1.8 billion or 0.3 percent to $535.6 billion. 

This followed a 1.2 percent July increase. The unfilled

orders-to-shipments ratio was 3.90, down from 3.92 in

July.

Inventories, up nine consecutive months, increased

$2.2 billion or 0.5 percent to $460.9 billion. This

followed a 1.0 percent July increase. The inventories-toshipments ratio was unchanged at 1.23.

New Orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in August

decreased $0.6 billion or 0.3 percent to $195.8 billion,

revised from the previously published $0.9 billion

decrease.

Transportation equipment had the largest decrease,

$4.4 billion or 7.4 percent to $55.1 billion. The decrease

in transportation equipment offsets increases in other

industry categories.

New orders for manufactured nondurable goods

increased $0.3 billion or 0.2 percent to $174.7 billion.

Shipments

Shipments of manufactured durable goods in August,

up five of the last seven months, increased $3.7 billion or

1.9 percent to $201.4 billion, revised from the previously

published $3.4 billion increase.

 Transportation equipment, up three of the last four

months, had the largest increase, $2.4 billion or 4.6

percent to $54.6 billion. Wood products increased $0.6

billion or 7.1 percent to $9.8 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, up

eleven of the last twelve months, increased $0.3 billion

or 0.2 percent to $174.7 billion. This was at the highest

level since the series began in 1992. Petroleum and

coal products had the largest increase, $0.4 billion or

1.3 percent to $29.1 billion. This was also at the highest

level since the series began in 1992. 

Unfilled Orders

 Unfilled orders of manufactured durable goods in

August, up twelve of the last thirteen months, increased

$1.8 billion or 0.3 percent to $535.6 billion, unchanged

from the previously published increase.

 Fabricated metal products, up eleven of the last

thirteen months, had the largest increase, $0.8 billion or

1.8 percent to $45.2 billion. Primary metals, up fifteen

consecutive months, increased $0.5 billion or 2.6

percent to $20.2 billion.

Inventories

Inventories of manufactured durable goods in

August, up nine consecutive months, increased $1.7

billion or 0.6 percent to $276.6 billion, unchanged from

the previously published increase.

Fabricated metal products, up seven consecutive

months, had the largest increase, $0.5 billion or 1.5

percent to $34.0 billion. Primary metals, up ten

consecutive months, increased $0.4 billion or 2.2

percent to $19.5 billion.

Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, up

eight consecutive months, increased $0.5 billion or 0.3

percent to $184.3 billion. This was at the highest level

since the series began in 1992. Plastic and rubber

products, up ten consecutive months, had the largest

increase, $0.3 billion or 1.4 percent to $21.9 billion. 

This was also at the highest level since the series began

in 1992.

By stage of fabrication, August materials and

supplies increased 0.5 percent in durable goods and

decreased 0.1 percent in nondurable goods. Work in

process increased 0.1 percent in durable goods and

decreased 0.2 percent in nondurable goods. Finished

goods increased 1.5 percent in durable goods and 0.7

percent in nondurable goods.

SEE BACK PAGE FOR SURVEY DESCRIPTION

Our internet address is: http://www.census.gov/m3

For data, call 301-763-4673. For inquiries, contact Chris Savage or Patrick Kent, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Branch,

Manufacturing and Construction Division (MCD), Washington, DC 20233-6900, or call 301-763-4832.

The advance report on durable goods for September is scheduled for October 27, 2004 at 8:30 A.M. EDT and the full report on November 3,

2004 at 10:00 A.M. EST. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.
 3 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2004/

2004p 2004r 2004 Aug. July June 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 2004p 2003 2003

 All manufacturing industries .................. 376,139 372,105 368,804 1.1 0.9 1.1 381,799 344,364 394,087 335,985 2,895,554 2,605,814 11.1

 Excluding transportation ................... 321,511 319,872 314,555 0.5 1.7 1.2 326,351 306,319 334,516 285,603 2,466,366 2,204,501 11.9

 Excluding defense .............................. 366,243 362,407 359,175 1.1 0.9 1.2 372,331 335,444 383,807 327,088 2,819,095 2,536,921 11.1

 With unfilled orders ........................... 137,498 136,338 134,058 0.9 1.7 1.6 137,012 121,774 146,019 119,157 1,051,550 945,208 11.3

 Durable goods industries ........................ 201,447 197,698 196,708 1.9 0.5 1.2 202,321 173,628 215,454 177,143 1,547,842 1,392,261 11.2

 Wood products................................. ...... 9,788 9,139 9,162 7.1 -0.3 -4.9 10,609 9,370 10,144 8,457 73,765 59,620 23.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 7,601 7,543 7,471 0.8 1.0 0.5 8,394 7,818 8,057 7,927 60,097 58,018 3.6

 Primary metals............................ .......... 14,510 14,217 13,782 2.1 3.2 4.1 14,834 13,287 14,522 10,758 108,157 87,982 22.9

 Iron and steel mills............................ 7,095 6,928 6,539 2.4 5.9 7.1 7,258 6,525 6,945 4,771 50,229 40,223 24.9

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 5,819 5,693 5,680 2.2 0.2 1.1 5,931 5,347 5,883 4,724 45,674 37,484 21.8

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,596 1,596 1,563 0.0 2.1 3.5 1,645 1,415 1,694 1,263 12,254 10,275 19.3

 Fabricated metal products...................... 23,235 23,173 22,828 0.3 1.5 1.0 24,371 22,079 24,035 20,848 179,272 162,755 10.1

 Machinery............................................. 24,826 25,116 24,340 -1.2 3.2 4.7 24,020 23,739 27,085 20,304 192,747 167,578 15.0

 Farm machinery................................. 1,915 1,880 1,718 1.9 9.4 1.7 1,807 1,793 1,776 1,285 14,565 11,695 24.5

 Construction machinery..................... 2,465 2,364 2,272 4.3 4.0 1.0 2,330 2,267 2,577 1,678 18,835 14,027 34.3

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery......................... 909 902 881 0.8 2.4 5.9 894 879 954 685 6,711 5,551 20.9

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,229 3,595 3,400 -10.2 5.7 12.5 2,840 3,565 3,851 2,678 25,803 23,004 12.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 869 931 880 -6.7 5.8 -4.2 827 868 1,013 831 6,959 6,213 12.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 2,754 2,809 2,818 -2.0 -0.3 3.8 2,910 2,808 3,477 2,718 22,307 20,233 10.3

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,093 2,129 2,095 -1.7 1.6 12.3 2,146 1,910 2,342 1,710 15,539 13,324 16.6

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,277 3,265 3,162 0.4 3.3 5.8 3,202 2,766 3,438 2,538 24,633 21,016 17.2

 Material handling equipment............... 1,551 1,502 1,458 3.3 3.0 -0.3 1,481 1,446 1,536 1,247 11,853 10,580 12.0

 Computers and electronic products ......... 39,876 39,372 38,226 1.3 3.0 0.2 37,531 34,500 43,361 33,241 296,363 259,784 14.1

 Computers........................................ 5,296 5,474 5,081 -3.3 7.7 -3.3 5,107 5,762 5,067 4,634 41,582 35,524 17.1

 Computer storage devices................... 1,516 1,522 1,506 -0.4 1.1 18.0 1,136 981 2,565 1,008 10,539 9,407 12.0

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,744 1,647 1,530 5.9 7.6 -7.2 1,541 1,321 1,923 1,320 11,813 11,018 7.2

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 7,034 6,516 6,280 7.9 3.8 -2.8 6,428 5,251 7,226 5,538 49,242 43,764 12.5

 Defense communications equipment... 529 503 518 5.2 -2.9 5.7 536 457 542 460 4,068 3,338 21.9

 Audio and video equipment.................. 753 699 675 7.7 3.6 0.7 745 622 625 653 4,933 4,929 0.1

 Semiconductors ................................. 7,384 7,522 7,158 -1.8 5.1 -1.9 7,085 6,521 7,646 6,181 54,864 45,013 21.9

 Electronic components........................ 4,587 4,597 4,543 -0.2 1.2 2.4 4,550 4,191 4,875 4,127 34,824 31,904 9.2

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 855 820 947 4.3 -13.4 1.1 853 754 1,051 831 7,006 6,571 6.6

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,710 2,731 2,569 -0.8 6.3 -6.1 2,577 2,590 2,698 2,392 20,462 18,825 8.7

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 6,921 6,788 6,879 2.0 -1.3 7.2 6,437 5,551 8,611 5,612 52,893 45,723 15.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,204 9,054 8,741 1.7 3.6 -0.3 9,170 8,279 9,547 8,188 69,175 65,702 5.3

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,086 1,094 1,023 -0.7 6.9 -3.6 1,056 925 1,078 945 8,292 8,039 3.1

 Household appliances........................ 2,088 2,069 2,049 0.9 1.0 2.4 2,153 1,912 2,255 2,048 15,833 15,275 3.7

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,738 2,691 2,615 1.7 2.9 -1.0 2,743 2,495 2,928 2,400 20,757 19,408 7.0

 Batteries........................................... 517 497 498 4.0 -0.2 2.5 505 403 540 450 3,674 3,431 7.1

 Transportation equipment...................... 54,628 52,233 54,249 4.6 -3.7 0.9 55,448 38,045 59,571 50,382 429,188 401,313 6.9

 Automobiles..................................... 7,698 7,195 7,508 7.0 -4.2 2.4 8,104 4,390 8,253 6,987 60,089 56,284 6.8

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 10,870 9,524 11,065 14.1 -13.9 1.0 11,447 5,509 12,259 10,438 89,399 82,399 8.5

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,277 1,300 1,235 -1.8 5.3 6.6 1,302 1,246 1,385 1,057 9,726 8,528 14.0

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 18,661 18,652 18,360 0.0 1.6 1.2 19,118 13,793 19,722 17,989 147,945 142,174 4.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 6,334 5,904 6,226 7.3 -5.2 -5.8 5,921 4,643 7,255 5,048 45,712 43,321 5.5

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 3,735 3,542 3,706 5.4 -4.4 1.1 3,511 3,198 4,061 3,358 29,132 25,213 15.5

 Ships and boats................................. 2,362 2,450 2,450 -3.6 0.0 1.4 2,491 2,078 2,504 2,294 18,908 16,599 13.9

 Furniture and related products................. 6,384 6,471 6,196 -1.3 4.4 -1.3 6,803 6,120 6,268 6,367 49,551 45,860 8.0

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 11,395 11,380 11,713 0.1 -2.8 3.8 11,141 10,391 12,864 10,671 89,527 83,649 7.0

 Nondurable goods industries................... 174,692 174,407 172,096 0.2 1.3 1.0 179,478 170,736 178,633 158,842 1,347,712 1,213,553 11.1

 Food products....................................... 41,293 41,942 41,464 -1.5 1.2 0.3 42,016 39,983 41,894 39,689 317,830 299,662 6.1

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 3,090 3,457 3,412 -10.6 1.3 -0.3 3,163 3,289 3,247 4,235 26,930 32,255 -16.5

 Dairy products.................................. 6,452 6,632 6,711 -2.7 -1.2 -2.5 6,436 6,478 6,964 5,684 50,892 42,374 20.1

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 12,954 12,618 12,575 2.7 0.3 2.0 13,552 12,360 13,035 11,803 95,136 88,543 7.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 9,269 9,020 9,454 2.8 -4.6 5.9 9,674 9,263 10,023 9,123 72,621 70,858 2.5

 Beverages......................................... 6,065 5,929 5,903 2.3 0.4 -1.2 6,470 6,172 6,472 5,971 47,964 45,919 4.5

 Tobacco............................................ 3,204 3,091 3,551 3.7 -13.0 20.3 3,204 3,091 3,551 3,152 24,657 24,939 -1.1

 Textile mills........................................... 3,490 3,504 3,330 -0.4 5.2 -4.0 3,630 3,259 3,586 3,401 27,594 26,389 4.6

 Textile products................................... 3,160 3,147 3,121 0.4 0.8 0.4 3,397 3,202 3,306 3,156 25,482 23,074 10.4

 Apparel................................................ 4,675 4,768 4,786 -2.0 -0.4 -0.8 5,065 4,928 4,702 4,772 37,191 34,366 8.2

 Leather and allied products..................... 901 896 909 0.6 -1.4 3.6 969 874 946 1,009 6,954 7,202 -3.4

 Paper products...................................... 14,864 14,602 14,844 1.8 -1.6 5.2 15,263 14,385 15,402 13,390 114,222 105,836 7.9

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,101 6,089 6,001 0.2 1.5 0.9 6,378 6,073 6,164 5,755 47,680 46,191 3.2

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,036 3,984 3,857 1.3 3.3 3.3 4,202 3,941 3,997 3,707 30,491 29,353 3.9

 Printing................................................. 7,838 8,009 8,160 -2.1 -1.9 2.1 8,062 7,544 8,097 8,041 61,751 62,083 -0.5

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 29,060 28,673 26,798 1.3 7.0 -2.0 30,895 29,548 28,332 22,357 215,582 158,949 35.6

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 26,768 26,453 24,646 1.2 7.3 -2.0 28,167 26,982 25,733 20,372 198,375 145,536 36.3

 Basic chemicals...................................... 42,942 42,861 42,263 0.2 1.4 1.2 42,879 41,244 44,257 38,241 333,416 301,695 10.5

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 1,793 1,804 1,723 -0.6 4.7 4.0 1,390 1,558 1,992 1,258 14,995 13,440 11.6

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 10,149 10,270 10,080 -1.2 1.9 2.4 10,072 9,511 10,048 9,496 76,886 77,291 -0.5

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,551 2,465 2,495 3.5 -1.2 -1.5 2,738 2,609 2,691 2,491 20,812 19,296 7.9

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 17,200 16,985 16,967 1.3 0.1 2.4 17,628 16,506 18,088 15,663 135,069 123,439 9.4

p Preliminary r

 Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Year to date
 4

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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2004/

2004p 2004r 2004 Aug. July June 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 2004p 2003 2003

All manufacturing industries 2................... 370,535 370,838 364,818 -0.1 1.7 1.2 371,852 341,356 385,255 329,567 2,869,410 2,566,480 11.8

 Excluding transportation 2................... 315,442 311,374 308,970 1.3 0.8 0.6 317,592 298,277 325,383 279,617 2,434,006 2,164,174 12.5

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 360,861 361,448 353,682 -0.2 2.2 0.5 364,750 335,281 374,476 320,021 2,793,381 2,490,987 12.1

 With unfilled orders 2

.......................... 139,278 142,593 137,230 -2.3 3.9 1.6 134,150 125,287 144,833 118,920 1,080,270 950,887 13.6

 Durable goods industries 2........................ 195,843 196,431 192,722 -0.3 1.9 1.3 192,374 170,620 206,622 170,725 1,521,698 1,352,927 12.5

 Primary metals............................ ............ 15,020 15,020 13,973 0.0 7.5 1.9 15,290 13,997 14,393 11,107 112,481 88,166 27.6

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 7,513 7,508 6,629 0.1 13.3 4.6 7,782 6,977 6,813 5,226 52,857 40,498 30.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 5,904 5,847 5,790 1.0 1.0 0.9 5,855 5,553 5,948 4,620 47,056 37,382 25.9

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,603 1,665 1,554 -3.7 7.1 -4.7 1,653 1,467 1,632 1,261 12,568 10,286 22.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 24,047 23,047 23,123 4.3 -0.3 2.4 24,824 21,916 23,804 20,926 186,613 162,696 14.7

 Machinery............................................. 24,831 24,783 24,575 0.2 0.8 1.5 23,629 23,229 26,486 20,240 197,508 166,397 18.7

 Construction machinery....................... 2,441 2,354 2,199 3.7 7.0 -1.3 2,274 1,968 2,260 1,689 20,002 14,138 41.5

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery......................... 881 860 893 2.4 -3.7 -1.4 866 837 966 898 7,026 5,624 24.9

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,352 3,636 3,764 -7.8 -3.4 16.5 2,807 3,830 3,927 2,388 27,081 23,063 17.4

 Photographic equipment...................... 857 908 852 -5.6 6.6 -6.3 809 864 960 841 7,014 6,419 9.3

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 2,652 2,727 2,712 -2.8 0.6 -8.3 2,763 2,747 3,216 2,876 22,712 20,780 9.3

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,098 2,135 2,084 -1.7 2.4 4.9 2,032 1,887 2,346 1,643 16,046 13,299 20.7

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 3,510 3,022 2,997 16.1 0.8 -4.7 3,441 2,560 3,262 2,486 25,300 18,648 35.7

 Material handling equipment............... 1,475 1,451 1,503 1.7 -3.5 -3.2 1,285 1,261 1,573 1,054 11,588 10,151 14.2

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 32,166 30,741 32,090 4.6 -4.2 -1.2 28,176 26,133 35,667 27,155 245,036 219,611 11.6

 Computers........................................ 5,069 5,092 5,673 -0.5 -10.2 -1.6 4,980 5,151 5,595 5,200 40,975 36,226 13.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 6,646 6,053 5,756 9.8 5.2 -7.0 4,701 4,554 5,758 4,685 47,598 47,852 -0.5

 Defense communications equipment... 393 544 529 -27.8 2.8 38.1 400 498 553 377 3,952 3,431 15.2

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components........................ 5,062 4,313 4,662 17.4 -7.5 -6.6 5,125 3,862 5,187 4,298 36,826 29,683 24.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 892 903 911 -1.2 -0.9 -10.9 824 858 988 800 7,245 6,796 6.6

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,661 2,784 2,896 -4.4 -3.9 -2.1 1,964 2,050 3,033 2,813 21,708 19,389 12.0

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 6,883 6,631 7,412 3.8 -10.5 5.3 6,224 5,737 8,908 5,516 55,310 47,112 17.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,436 9,040 8,473 4.4 6.7 -5.1 9,390 8,545 9,005 8,273 70,946 65,911 7.6

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,291 963 818 34.1 17.7 -29.4 1,278 805 873 1,114 8,688 8,192 6.1

 Household appliances.......................... 2,285 2,133 1,919 7.1 11.2 -6.3 2,400 2,051 2,015 1,962 16,089 15,299 5.2

 Electrical equipment............................ 2,676 2,646 2,673 1.1 -1.0 1.7 2,638 2,518 2,907 2,377 21,307 19,747 7.9

 Transportation equipment........................ 55,093 59,464 55,848 -7.4 6.5 4.8 54,260 43,079 59,872 49,950 435,404 402,306 8.2

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 18,959 18,704 18,630 1.4 0.4 0.4 19,139 14,044 19,683 17,694 149,356 141,838 5.3

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 7,129 12,475 6,130 -42.9 103.5 -9.2 6,890 10,737 7,153 4,628 51,805 36,836 40.6

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 2,916 3,007 5,152 -3.0 -41.6 81.3 1,613 1,894 5,258 2,511 24,207 29,275 -17.3

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,311 2,322 2,120 -0.5 9.5 -1.7 2,180 1,446 1,949 3,772 17,421 15,963 9.1

 Furniture and related products................. 6,341 6,348 6,273 -0.1 1.2 -1.4 6,536 6,216 6,309 6,065 50,325 46,090 9.2

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 174,692 174,407 172,096 0.2 1.3 1.0 179,478 170,736 178,633 158,842 1,347,712 1,213,553 11.1

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: M3-1(02), "Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: 1992-2002."

Year to date
 5 

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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. Aug.

2004p 2004r 2004 Aug. July June 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 04/03

All manufacturing industries 1................... 535,572 533,792 527,537 0.3 1.2 0.6 531,136 533,998 530,485 486,358 9.2

 Excluding transportation 1

................... 275,421 274,106 275,082 0.5 -0.4 0.6 273,639 275,313 276,834 240,949 13.6

 Excluding defense 1

............................. 375,537 373,535 366,972 0.5 1.8 0.5 373,609 374,105 367,747 335,213 11.5

 Durable goods industries 1

........................ 535,572 533,792 527,537 0.3 1.2 0.6 531,136 533,998 530,485 486,358 9.2

 Primary metals........................................ 20,236 19,726 18,923 2.6 4.2 1.0 20,326 19,870 19,160 14,643 38.8

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 11,765 11,347 10,767 3.7 5.4 0.8 11,895 11,371 10,919 8,075 47.3

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 5,804 5,719 5,565 1.5 2.8 2.0 5,800 5,876 5,670 4,379 32.5

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,667 2,660 2,591 0.3 2.7 -0.3 2,631 2,623 2,571 2,189 20.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 45,215 44,403 44,529 1.8 -0.3 0.7 45,362 44,909 45,072 36,841 23.1

 Machinery.............................................. 48,020 48,015 48,348 0.0 -0.7 0.5 47,643 48,034 48,544 41,239 15.5

 Construction machinery....................... 4,104 4,128 4,138 -0.6 -0.2 -1.7 3,873 3,929 4,228 2,120 82.7

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery......................... 1,377 1,405 1,447 -2.0 -2.9 0.8 1,377 1,405 1,447 971 41.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 8,625 8,502 8,461 1.4 0.5 4.5 8,616 8,649 8,384 7,531 14.4

 Photographic equipment...................... 875 887 910 -1.4 -2.5 -3.0 882 900 904 760 16.1

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,593 4,695 4,777 -2.2 -1.7 -2.2 4,652 4,799 4,860 4,543 2.4

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,567 4,562 4,556 0.1 0.1 -0.2 4,467 4,581 4,604 3,618 23.5

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 9,934 9,701 9,944 2.4 -2.4 -1.6 10,005 9,766 9,972 8,362 19.6

 Material handling equipment............... 4,816 4,892 4,943 -1.6 -1.0 0.9 4,596 4,792 4,977 4,460 3.0

 Computers and electronic products 1

...... 134,567 134,893 136,002 -0.2 -0.8 0.8 132,693 134,963 136,809 123,657 7.3

 Computers......................................... 8,111 8,338 8,720 -2.7 -4.4 7.3 8,198 8,325 8,936 8,826 -7.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 46,017 46,405 46,868 -0.8 -1.0 -1.1 44,736 46,463 47,160 45,893 -2.5

 Defense communications equipment... 3,273 3,409 3,368 -4.0 1.2 0.3 3,273 3,409 3,368 3,035 7.8

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

 Electronic components.......................... 15,873 15,398 15,682 3.1 -1.8 0.8 15,931 15,356 15,685 13,263 20.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 4,824 4,787 4,704 0.8 1.8 -0.8 4,820 4,849 4,745 4,714 2.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 38,112 38,161 38,108 -0.1 0.1 0.9 37,320 37,933 38,473 34,198 9.1

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 18,357 18,395 18,552 -0.2 -0.8 3.0 18,415 18,628 18,442 13,728 34.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 15,026 14,794 14,808 1.6 -0.1 -1.8 15,186 14,966 14,700 14,001 8.5

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,593 1,388 1,519 14.8 -8.6 -11.9 1,653 1,431 1,551 1,608 2.8

 Household appliances.......................... 994 797 733 24.7 8.7 -15.1 1,023 776 637 923 10.8

 Electrical equipment............................ 8,774 8,836 8,881 -0.7 -0.5 0.7 8,823 8,928 8,905 8,410 4.9

 Transportation equipment........................ 260,151 259,686 252,455 0.2 2.9 0.6 257,497 258,685 253,651 245,409 4.9

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 15,374 15,076 15,024 2.0 0.3 1.8 15,031 15,010 14,759 11,797 27.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 111,775 110,980 104,409 0.7 6.3 -0.1 111,164 110,195 104,101 105,009 5.9

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 56,408 57,227 57,762 -1.4 -0.9 2.6 55,845 57,743 59,047 60,026 -7.0

 Ships and boats.................................. 19,713 19,764 19,892 -0.3 -0.6 -1.6 18,974 19,285 19,917 20,012 -5.2

 Furniture and related products................. 6,058 6,101 6,224 -0.7 -2.0 1.3 6,130 6,397 6,301 5,484 11.8

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. Aug.

2004p 2004r 2004 Aug. July June 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 04/03

 All manufacturing industries..................... 460,877 458,681 454,310 0.5 1.0 1.0 465,072 461,464 452,403 443,020 5.0

 Excluding transportation...................... 392,043 389,432 385,799 0.7 0.9 1.1 395,301 391,393 384,372 374,506 5.6

 Excluding defense............................. 436,967 434,635 430,035 0.5 1.1 1.0 440,802 437,069 427,998 419,619 5.0

 With unfilled orders............................. 215,584 214,428 211,893 0.5 1.2 0.9 217,981 216,197 211,005 207,963 4.8

 Durable goods industries........................ 276,552 274,834 271,849 0.6 1.1 0.9 279,474 276,952 270,653 265,538 5.2

 Wood products........................................ 10,296 10,230 10,181 0.6 0.5 -0.7 10,059 9,988 10,016 9,211 9.2

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 9,363 9,303 9,198 0.6 1.1 -0.4 9,362 9,350 9,282 9,752 -4.0

 Primary metals........................................ 19,497 19,070 18,829 2.2 1.3 1.6 19,634 19,187 18,746 17,782 10.4

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 10,755 10,307 10,180 4.3 1.2 3.6 10,906 10,419 10,074 9,717 12.2

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 6,908 6,960 6,889 -0.7 1.0 -1.1 6,914 6,962 6,870 6,414 7.8

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,834 1,803 1,760 1.7 2.4 1.6 1,814 1,806 1,802 1,651 9.9

 Fabricated metal products......................... 33,961 33,470 32,903 1.5 1.7 1.3 34,104 33,669 32,862 31,048 9.8

 Machinery.............................................. 44,670 44,315 43,837 0.8 1.1 1.4 44,975 44,212 43,494 41,654 8.0

 Farm machinery.................................. 2,398 2,422 2,409 -1.0 0.5 2.3 2,311 2,360 2,385 2,079 11.2

 Construction machinery........................ 4,110 4,164 4,015 -1.3 3.7 3.6 4,069 4,096 3,958 3,427 18.7

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................. 2,352 2,333 2,407 0.8 -3.1 0.9 2,394 2,360 2,452 2,299 4.1

 Industrial machinery............................ 7,139 6,905 6,969 3.4 -0.9 0.5 7,188 6,866 6,975 6,641 8.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,412 1,409 1,412 0.2 -0.2 0.4 1,421 1,411 1,398 1,404 1.2

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 4,457 4,371 4,246 2.0 2.9 0.4 4,509 4,375 4,196 4,139 8.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,272 4,348 4,362 -1.7 -0.3 -0.1 4,439 4,434 4,332 4,402 0.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 4,749 4,717 4,608 0.7 2.4 2.1 4,877 4,756 4,513 4,214 15.7

 Material handling equipment............... 2,440 2,419 2,394 0.9 1.0 2.9 2,468 2,389 2,414 2,357 4.7

 Computers and electronic products......... 48,862 48,583 48,222 0.6 0.7 1.4 50,041 49,462 47,777 48,132 4.0

 Computers......................................... 2,564 2,520 2,463 1.7 2.3 5.4 2,752 2,481 2,525 2,759 -0.3

 Computer storage devices................... 1,223 1,226 1,215 -0.2 0.9 2.6 1,322 1,263 1,154 1,312 0.8

 Other peripheral equipment................ 2,448 2,457 2,404 -0.4 2.2 1.8 2,559 2,504 2,317 2,457 4.2

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 9,696 9,536 9,351 1.7 2.0 -0.4 9,910 9,696 9,127 9,818 0.9

 Defense communications equipment...... 1,209 1,176 1,250 2.8 -5.9 -6.4 1,209 1,176 1,250 1,297 -6.8

 Audio and video equipment.................. 1,084 1,058 1,014 2.5 4.3 5.4 1,168 1,106 984 1,034 13.0

 Semiconductors1

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

 Electronic components.......................... 7,910 8,004 7,946 -1.2 0.7 3.2 7,932 8,292 7,857 7,563 4.9

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,443 2,439 2,470 0.2 -1.3 1.2 2,467 2,485 2,457 2,636 -6.4

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,868 2,863 2,909 0.2 -1.6 2.3 2,938 2,900 2,934 2,832 3.7

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 10,284 10,251 10,243 0.3 0.1 0.8 10,514 10,278 10,149 10,375 1.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 13,004 12,820 12,629 1.4 1.5 1.0 12,983 12,847 12,681 12,307 5.5

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,459 1,456 1,454 0.2 0.1 2.4 1,512 1,511 1,494 1,508 0.3

 Household appliances.......................... 2,400 2,306 2,214 4.1 4.2 1.0 2,350 2,316 2,240 1,998 17.6

 Electrical equipment............................ 4,455 4,450 4,425 0.1 0.6 0.8 4,445 4,395 4,354 4,036 10.1

 Batteries............................................ 614 602 598 2.0 0.7 -1.0 650 630 622 578 12.5

 Transportation equipment...................... 68,834 69,249 68,511 -0.6 1.1 0.4 69,771 70,071 68,031 68,514 1.8

 Automobiles....................................... 2,229 2,124 2,184 4.9 -2.7 4.8 2,316 2,241 2,157 1,900 21.9

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 2,475 2,428 2,506 1.9 -3.1 3.3 2,617 2,523 2,450 2,560 2.2

 Heavy duty trucks .............................. 805 796 803 1.1 -0.9 2.2 833 798 783 771 8.0

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 16,142 16,130 16,068 0.1 0.4 1.0 16,132 16,285 16,005 15,393 4.8

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 23,984 24,426 23,542 -1.8 3.8 0.2 24,327 24,513 23,158 25,242 -3.6

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 11,496 11,609 11,683 -1.0 -0.6 0.9 11,711 11,857 11,763 11,008 6.4

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,121 3,133 3,268 -0.4 -4.1 0.5 3,125 3,153 3,272 2,778 12.5

 Furniture and related products................. 8,282 8,185 8,117 1.2 0.8 1.7 8,409 8,393 8,319 7,882 6.7

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 19,783 19,609 19,422 0.9 1.0 0.7 20,136 19,773 19,445 19,256 4.6

 Nondurable goods industries................... 184,325 183,847 182,461 0.3 0.8 1.0 185,598 184,512 181,750 177,482 4.6

 Food products........................................ 33,847 34,013 34,037 -0.5 -0.1 1.0 33,980 33,509 32,825 33,226 2.3

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 2,797 2,849 3,146 -1.8 -9.4 -3.6 2,620 2,676 2,913 3,445 -23.9

 Dairy products.................................... 4,030 4,044 4,110 -0.3 -1.6 0.0 4,109 4,205 4,289 3,550 15.7

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 6,327 6,391 6,342 -1.0 0.8 1.5 6,206 6,340 6,251 5,936 4.5

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 14,926 14,648 14,735 1.9 -0.6 1.5 14,471 14,006 14,351 14,195 1.9

 Beverages......................................... 10,269 10,037 10,101 2.3 -0.6 2.3 9,997 9,710 9,986 9,560 4.6

 Tobacco............................................ 4,657 4,611 4,634 1.0 -0.5 -0.2 4,474 4,296 4,365 4,635 -3.5

 Textile mills........................................... 4,811 4,826 4,863 -0.3 -0.8 0.0 4,855 4,907 4,910 5,082 -4.5

 Textile products...................................... 5,195 5,189 5,152 0.1 0.7 1.0 5,221 5,236 5,236 5,041 3.6

 Apparel................................................. 7,111 7,018 6,946 1.3 1.0 1.1 7,339 7,358 7,256 7,535 -2.6

 Leather and allied products..................... 1,592 1,606 1,629 -0.9 -1.4 -0.4 1,640 1,651 1,645 1,664 -1.4

 Paper products....................................... 14,757 14,644 14,342 0.8 2.1 0.0 14,751 14,628 14,329 14,800 -0.3

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 6,257 6,300 6,122 -0.7 2.9 -1.2 6,232 6,283 6,118 6,635 -6.1

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,455 4,339 4,236 2.7 2.4 1.5 4,460 4,341 4,225 4,149 7.5

 Printing.................................................. 6,500 6,462 6,399 0.6 1.0 -0.4 6,955 6,780 6,418 6,632 4.9

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 17,407 17,770 16,962 -2.0 4.8 1.2 17,831 18,259 17,411 16,043 11.1

 Petroleum refineries............................. 15,727 16,115 15,350 -2.4 5.0 1.1 16,078 16,526 15,710 14,453 11.2

 Basic chemicals...................................... 56,310 56,109 56,186 0.4 -0.1 1.1 56,805 56,562 56,128 53,250 6.7

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 2,388 2,396 2,399 -0.3 -0.1 2.0 2,064 2,083 2,153 2,010 2.7

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 23,454 23,524 23,906 -0.3 -1.6 1.3 24,045 23,986 24,130 21,471 12.0

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 2,834 2,830 2,822 0.1 0.3 0.7 2,824 2,856 2,851 2,762 2.2

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 21,869 21,562 21,210 1.4 1.7 1.6 21,750 21,616 21,241 20,014 8.7

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.
 7 

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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2004/

2004p 2004r 2004 Aug. July June 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 2004p 2003 2003

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 376,139 372,105 368,804 1.1 0.9 1.1 381,799 344,364 394,087 335,985 2,895,554 2,605,814 11.1

 Construction materials and supplies...... 40,351 39,457 39,119 2.3 0.9 -0.6 43,528 39,460 42,770 37,232 311,683 277,533 12.3

 Information technology......................... 31,549 30,887 29,961 2.1 3.1 0.2 29,436 27,200 34,599 26,109 234,253 208,629 12.3

 Computers and related products .......... 8,556 8,643 8,117 -1.0 6.5 -0.8 7,784 8,064 9,555 6,962 63,934 55,949 14.3

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 38,506 36,671 38,168 5.0 -3.9 1.5 39,971 24,938 41,619 36,471 307,159 289,385 6.1

 Capital goods...................................... 72,949 71,777 70,403 1.6 2.0 1.0 69,908 65,156 79,103 61,570 554,241 494,588 12.1

 Nondefense capital goods 3.................. 64,507 63,458 62,363 1.7 1.8 1.8 61,743 57,396 70,693 53,890 488,748 435,777 12.2

 Excluding aircraft............................. 61,889 61,415 60,055 0.8 2.3 2.6 59,398 55,875 67,845 51,781 470,022 416,206 12.9

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,442 8,319 8,040 1.5 3.5 -4.3 8,165 7,760 8,410 7,680 65,493 58,811 11.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 142,739 141,038 141,151 1.2 -0.1 1.1 147,244 130,486 146,691 130,911 1,102,078 997,643 10.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 34,891 33,120 34,920 5.3 -5.2 1.6 35,981 24,481 37,808 33,004 276,596 258,591 7.0

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 107,848 107,918 106,231 -0.1 1.6 1.0 111,263 106,005 108,883 97,907 825,482 739,052 11.7

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 370,535 370,838 364,818 -0.1 1.7 1.2 371,852 341,356 385,255 329,567 2,869,410 2,566,480 11.8

 Construction materials and supplies...... 41,039 39,070 38,920 5.0 0.4 -1.2 43,947 39,016 42,035 37,592 317,636 277,960 14.3

 Information technology......................... 30,628 30,137 30,845 1.6 -2.3 -0.5 26,429 25,903 34,110 26,068 236,412 215,589 9.7

 Computers and related products .......... 8,329 8,261 8,709 0.8 -5.1 0.2 7,657 7,453 10,083 7,528 63,327 56,651 11.8

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 38,804 36,723 38,438 5.7 -4.5 1.1 39,992 25,189 41,580 36,176 308,570 289,049 6.8

 Capital goods...................................... 73,015 78,012 73,591 -6.4 6.0 4.9 66,198 68,504 79,527 61,425 568,102 503,210 12.9

 Nondefense capital goods 3.................. 64,505 69,879 63,934 -7.7 9.3 1.5 59,804 63,213 70,269 53,039 501,442 437,843 14.5

 Excluding aircraft............................. 60,859 61,322 60,983 -0.8 0.6 1.8 56,257 55,655 66,784 51,010 476,456 423,354 12.5

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,510 8,133 9,657 4.6 -15.8 34.7 6,394 5,291 9,258 8,386 66,660 65,367 2.0

 Consumer goods.................................. 142,969 140,998 141,132 1.4 -0.1 0.7 147,355 130,746 146,441 130,577 1,102,553 997,474 10.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 35,121 33,080 34,901 6.2 -5.2 0.1 36,092 24,741 37,558 32,670 277,071 258,422 7.2

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 107,848 107,918 106,231 -0.1 1.6 1.0 111,263 106,005 108,883 97,907 825,482 739,052 11.7

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 535,572 533,792 527,537 0.3 1.2 0.6 531,136 533,998 530,485 486,358 (X) (X) 9.2

 Construction materials and supplies...... 37,598 36,910 37,297 1.9 -1.0 -0.5 37,822 37,403 37,847 31,560 (X) (X) 19.8

 Information technology......................... 123,234 124,155 124,905 -0.7 -0.6 0.7 121,331 124,338 125,635 114,214 (X) (X) 6.2

 Computers and related products .......... 8,111 8,338 8,720 -2.7 -4.4 7.3 8,198 8,325 8,936 8,826 (X) (X) -7.1

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 15,374 15,076 15,024 2.0 0.3 1.8 15,031 15,010 14,759 11,797 (X) (X) 27.4

 Capital goods...................................... 375,955 375,889 369,654 0.0 1.7 0.9 371,658 375,368 372,020 347,333 (X) (X) 7.0

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................234,243 234,245 227,824 0.0 2.8 0.7 232,241 234,180 228,363 215,468 (X) (X) 7.8

 Excluding aircraft............................. 147,109 148,139 148,232 -0.7 -0.1 0.6 145,718 148,859 149,079 135,419 (X) (X) 7.6

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 141,712 141,644 141,830 0.0 -0.1 1.2 139,417 141,188 143,657 131,865 (X) (X) 5.7

 Consumer goods.................................. 13,049 12,819 12,859 1.8 -0.3 -0.1 13,086 12,975 12,715 11,698 (X) (X) 11.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 13,049 12,819 12,859 1.8 -0.3 -0.1 13,086 12,975 12,715 11,698 (X) (X) 11.9 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 460,877 458,681 454,310 0.5 1.0 1.0 465,072 461,464 452,403 443,020 (X) (X) 5.0

 Construction materials and supplies...... 50,081 49,530 48,710 1.1 1.7 0.9 50,058 49,606 48,581 46,573 (X) (X) 7.5

 Information technology......................... 39,778 39,415 39,172 0.9 0.6 0.9 40,764 39,771 38,760 40,571 (X) (X) 0.5

 Computers and related products .......... 6,235 6,203 6,082 0.5 2.0 3.4 6,633 6,248 5,996 6,528 (X) (X) 1.6

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 21,651 21,478 21,561 0.8 -0.4 1.7 21,898 21,847 21,395 20,624 (X) (X) 6.2

 Capital goods...................................... 128,703 128,454 127,041 0.2 1.1 0.7 130,616 129,098 126,215 126,455 (X) (X) 3.3

 Nondefense capital goods 3

..................109,403 109,066 107,324 0.3 1.6 0.9 111,087 109,493 106,384 107,506 (X) (X) 3.3

 Excluding aircraft............................. 91,995 91,292 90,436 0.8 0.9 1.1 93,439 91,727 89,852 89,591 (X) (X) 4.3

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 19,300 19,388 19,717 -0.5 -1.7 0.1 19,529 19,605 19,831 18,949 (X) (X) 3.1

 Consumer goods.................................. 142,274 142,059 141,290 0.2 0.5 1.1 143,708 142,637 140,670 136,620 (X) (X) 5.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 29,361 28,900 28,672 1.6 0.8 1.8 29,857 29,317 28,644 27,622 (X) (X) 8.1

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 112,913 113,159 112,618 -0.2 0.5 1.0 113,851 113,320 112,026 108,998 (X) (X) 4.5

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable.

1

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories. 2

 Shipments and new orders are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations. 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

and search and navigation equipment. 5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 6

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

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

NEW ORDERS

UNFILLED ORDERS

TOTAL INVENTORIES
 8

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

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. Aug.

2004p 2004r 2004 Aug. July June 2004p 2004r 2004 2003 04/03

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 150,989 150,674 148,934 0.2 1.2 0.8 151,360 151,629 148,113 143,598 5.4

 Durable goods industries ........................ 90,378 89,972 89,017 0.5 1.1 1.1 91,055 90,862 88,144 84,771 7.4

 Wood products................................... 3,936 3,915 3,846 0.5 1.8 -1.1 3,874 3,749 3,549 3,517 10.2

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 3,359 3,375 3,344 -0.5 0.9 0.1 3,378 3,384 3,335 3,382 -0.1

 Primary metals.................................... 7,525 7,349 7,188 2.4 2.2 5.2 7,627 7,427 7,112 5,835 30.7

 Fabricated metal products..................... 12,840 12,442 12,095 3.2 2.9 0.9 12,931 12,501 12,051 11,064 16.9

 Machinery.......................................... 13,133 13,011 12,925 0.9 0.7 1.2 13,269 13,133 12,845 12,641 5.0

 Computers and electronic products ...... 16,928 17,182 17,094 -1.5 0.5 2.0 17,111 17,470 17,091 17,097 0.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 4,755 4,672 4,625 1.8 1.0 0.3 4,728 4,658 4,602 4,648 1.7

 Transportation equipment.................. 17,806 17,894 17,787 -0.5 0.6 -1.5 17,910 18,238 17,452 17,048 5.1

 Furniture and related products............ 3,562 3,586 3,492 -0.7 2.7 2.8 3,574 3,629 3,512 3,276 9.1

 Miscellaneous products........................ 6,534 6,546 6,621 -0.2 -1.1 3.5 6,653 6,673 6,595 6,263 6.2

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 60,611 60,702 59,917 -0.1 1.3 0.3 60,305 60,767 59,969 58,827 2.5

 Food products.................................... 9,408 9,632 9,755 -2.3 -1.3 -1.2 9,128 9,525 9,620 10,120 -9.8

 Beverage and tobacco products............ 5,283 5,174 5,261 2.1 -1.7 0.2 5,132 4,969 5,161 5,345 -4.0

 Textiles.............................................. 1,353 1,354 1,368 -0.1 -1.0 0.2 1,353 1,365 1,366 1,393 -2.9

 Textile products.................................. 1,880 1,874 1,850 0.3 1.3 1.9 1,909 1,910 1,865 1,728 10.5

 Apparel............................................. 1,636 1,624 1,625 0.7 -0.1 2.5 1,618 1,626 1,654 1,684 -3.9

 Leather and allied products................... 454 451 455 0.7 -0.9 0.7 469 468 466 448 4.7

 Paper products................................... 6,539 6,703 6,616 -2.4 1.3 1.1 6,511 6,668 6,571 6,788 -4.1

 Printing ............................................. 2,874 2,877 2,870 -0.1 0.2 3.5 2,949 2,963 2,894 2,793 5.6

 Petroleum and coal products............... 5,513 5,771 5,121 -4.5 12.7 -1.4 5,534 5,910 5,304 4,670 18.5

 Basic chemicals................................... 17,858 17,571 17,440 1.6 0.8 0.0 17,891 17,624 17,558 16,527 8.3

 Plastics and rubber products............... 7,813 7,671 7,556 1.9 1.5 1.1 7,811 7,739 7,510 7,331 6.5

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 132,321 132,313 131,100 0.0 0.9 1.2 133,667 132,765 129,685 129,102 3.5

 Durable goods industries ........................ 100,719 100,638 98,974 0.1 1.7 0.9 102,027 101,233 98,211 97,477 4.7

 Wood products................................... 1,939 1,989 1,985 -2.5 0.2 -1.2 1,935 1,987 1,986 1,952 -0.9

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,185 1,164 1,183 1.8 -1.6 -1.1 1,178 1,167 1,195 1,195 -1.4

 Primary metals.................................... 6,435 6,226 6,179 3.4 0.8 -0.4 6,467 6,269 6,200 6,024 7.4

 Fabricated metal products..................... 9,704 9,762 9,759 -0.6 0.0 0.5 9,839 9,869 9,756 9,461 4.0

 Machinery.......................................... 15,644 15,665 15,431 -0.1 1.5 0.7 16,028 15,769 15,411 14,770 8.5

 Computers and electronic products ...... 19,863 19,559 19,210 1.6 1.8 0.5 20,275 19,887 18,996 18,277 10.9

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 3,035 2,993 3,018 1.4 -0.8 1.0 3,057 3,024 3,050 2,909 5.1

 Transportation equipment.................. 37,929 38,474 37,705 -1.4 2.0 1.7 38,155 38,371 37,080 37,745 1.1

 Furniture and related products............ 1,659 1,597 1,609 3.9 -0.7 2.9 1,665 1,616 1,618 1,546 7.7

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,326 3,209 2,895 3.6 10.8 -0.3 3,428 3,274 2,919 3,598 -4.7

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 31,602 31,675 32,126 -0.2 -1.4 2.1 31,640 31,532 31,474 31,625 0.0

 Food products.................................... 3,392 3,275 3,226 3.6 1.5 0.8 3,156 3,033 2,949 2,771 13.9

 Beverage and tobacco products............ 4,991 4,801 4,869 4.0 -1.4 2.8 4,623 4,296 4,453 4,212 9.8

 Textiles.............................................. 1,260 1,257 1,262 0.2 -0.4 -1.3 1,261 1,265 1,262 1,290 -2.2

 Textile products.................................. 686 689 694 -0.4 -0.7 -0.6 687 692 701 710 -3.2

 Apparel............................................. 1,161 1,137 1,145 2.1 -0.7 -1.0 1,172 1,172 1,209 1,238 -5.3

 Leather and allied products................... 167 161 171 3.7 -5.8 0.6 164 160 158 160 2.5

 Paper products................................... 1,270 1,251 1,216 1.5 2.9 -0.8 1,308 1,275 1,226 1,180 10.8

 Printing ............................................. 1,770 1,762 1,733 0.5 1.7 -7.0 1,995 1,931 1,704 1,985 0.5

 Petroleum and coal products............... 3,468 3,860 3,747 -10.2 3.0 4.0 3,565 4,016 3,723 4,497 -20.7

 Basic chemicals................................... 10,829 10,885 11,484 -0.5 -5.2 4.0 11,127 11,119 11,530 11,181 -0.5

 Plastics and rubber products............... 2,608 2,597 2,579 0.4 0.7 3.4 2,582 2,573 2,559 2,401 7.5

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 177,567 175,694 174,276 1.1 0.8 1.0 180,045 177,070 174,605 170,320 5.7

 Durable goods industries ........................ 85,455 84,224 83,858 1.5 0.4 0.8 86,392 84,857 84,298 83,290 3.7

 Wood products................................... 4,421 4,326 4,350 2.2 -0.6 -0.1 4,250 4,252 4,481 3,742 13.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,819 4,764 4,671 1.2 2.0 -0.6 4,806 4,799 4,752 5,175 -7.1

 Primary metals.................................... 5,537 5,495 5,462 0.8 0.6 -0.5 5,540 5,491 5,434 5,923 -6.5

 Fabricated metal products..................... 11,417 11,266 11,049 1.3 2.0 2.5 11,334 11,299 11,055 10,523 7.7

 Machinery.......................................... 15,893 15,639 15,481 1.6 1.0 2.2 15,678 15,310 15,238 14,243 10.1

 Computers and electronic products ...... 12,071 11,842 11,918 1.9 -0.6 2.1 12,655 12,105 11,690 12,758 -0.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,214 5,155 4,986 1.1 3.4 1.7 5,198 5,165 5,029 4,750 9.4

 Transportation equipment.................. 13,099 12,881 13,019 1.7 -1.1 -0.7 13,706 13,462 13,499 13,721 -0.1

 Furniture and related products............ 3,061 3,002 3,016 2.0 -0.5 -0.1 3,170 3,148 3,189 3,060 3.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 9,923 9,854 9,906 0.7 -0.5 -0.9 10,055 9,826 9,931 9,395 7.0

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 92,112 91,470 90,418 0.7 1.2 1.1 93,653 92,213 90,307 87,030 7.6

 Food products.................................... 21,047 21,106 21,056 -0.3 0.2 2.1 21,696 20,951 20,256 20,335 6.7

 Beverage and tobacco products............ 4,652 4,673 4,605 -0.4 1.5 1.7 4,716 4,741 4,737 4,638 1.7

 Textiles.............................................. 2,198 2,215 2,233 -0.8 -0.8 0.6 2,241 2,277 2,282 2,399 -6.6

 Textile products.................................. 2,629 2,626 2,608 0.1 0.7 0.7 2,625 2,634 2,670 2,603 0.8

 Apparel............................................. 4,314 4,257 4,176 1.3 1.9 1.1 4,549 4,560 4,393 4,613 -1.4

 Leather and allied products................... 971 994 1,003 -2.3 -0.9 -1.1 1,007 1,023 1,021 1,056 -4.6

 Paper products................................... 6,948 6,690 6,510 3.9 2.8 -1.0 6,932 6,685 6,532 6,832 1.5

 Printing ............................................. 1,856 1,823 1,796 1.8 1.5 0.6 2,011 1,886 1,820 1,854 8.5

 Petroleum and coal products............... 8,426 8,139 8,094 3.5 0.6 1.7 8,732 8,333 8,384 6,876 27.0

 Basic chemicals................................... 27,623 27,653 27,262 -0.1 1.4 0.7 27,787 27,819 27,040 25,542 8.8

 Plastics and rubber products............... 11,448 11,294 11,075 1.4 2.0 1.6 11,357 11,304 11,172 10,282 10.5

p

 Preliminary r Revised

See note at end of Table 2 relating to survey error and revisions.
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 Aug Jul Jun May Aug Jul Jun May

2004p 2004r 2004 2004 2004p 2004r 2004 2004

 All manufacturing industries2...... 1.23 1.23 1.23 1.23 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries 2

................... 1.37 1.39 1.38 1.39 3.90 3.92 3.94 3.97

 Wood products................................ 1.05 1.12 1.11 1.06 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products........... 1.23 1.23 1.23 1.24 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals................................. 1.34 1.34 1.37 1.40 1.39 1.39 1.37 1.42

 Fabricated metal products............... 1.46 1.44 1.44 1.44 2.02 1.99 2.03 2.04

 Machinery....................................... 1.80 1.76 1.80 1.86 2.16 2.13 2.20 2.30

 Computers and electronic products 2

.. 1.23 1.23 1.26 1.25 4.82 4.92 5.07 5.05

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 1.41 1.42 1.44 1.43 1.73 1.73 1.80 1.82

 Transportation equipment................. 1.26 1.33 1.26 1.27 7.48 7.59 7.33 7.31

 Furniture and related products........... 1.30 1.26 1.31 1.27 1.08 1.06 1.14 1.11

 Miscellaneous products.................... 1.74 1.72 1.66 1.71 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries.............. 1.06 1.05 1.06 1.06 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Beverage and tobacco products......... 1.61 1.62 1.56 1.63 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................... 1.38 1.38 1.46 1.40 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................... 1.64 1.65 1.65 1.64 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel.......................................... 1.52 1.47 1.45 1.42 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............... 1.77 1.79 1.79 1.87 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products................................ 0.99 1.00 0.97 1.02 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing.......................................... 0.83 0.81 0.78 0.80 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............ 0.60 0.62 0.63 0.61 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Basic chemicals............................... 1.31 1.31 1.33 1.33 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products.............. 1.27 1.27 1.25 1.26 (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.

Aug2 Aug2 Aug2 Aug2

Industry 2003- 2003- 2003- 2003-

Aug1 Jul Aug1 Jul Aug1 Jul Aug1 Jul

2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004

 All manufacturing industries........... (X) 0.4 (X) 0.6 (X) 0.1 (X) 0.1

Durable goods industries ...................... 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.7 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

 Wood products................................... (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products.............. (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

 Primary metals.................................... 0.3 0.8 0.5 1.6 0.4 0.9 0.1 0.1

 Fabricated metal products.................... 0.1 0.4 0.1 1.5 0.1 0.7 0.5 0.4

 Machinery.......................................... -0.1 0.8 0.2 1.3 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.2

 Computers and electronic products ..... 0.3 0.8 0.5 1.6 0.0 0.3 -0.6 0.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.3 0.5 2.6 0.8 1.4 0.5 0.1 0.4

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.0 0.3 -0.6 0.6 -0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.7 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.9 (X) 0.4

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.6 (X) 0.9 (X) 1.0 (X) 0.4

Nondurable goods industries.................. (X) 0.4 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Textiles............................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Textile products.................................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Leather and allied products................... (X) 2.3 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.4

 Paper products.................................... (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

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

 Petroleum and coal products................. (X) 1.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.0

 Basic chemicals.................................. (X) 0.5 (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
10

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-ofmonth 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 3,500 reporting units. 

Units may be divisions of diversified large

companies, large homogenous companies, or singleunit 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-to-month

changes of the total operations of those companies in

the monthly survey effectively represent the monthto-month 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 60 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 3,500 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 3,500 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-to-month

movement of all companies is another potential

source.

Additional survey documentation can be found on our

web site: http://www.census.gov/m3.