FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2008, AT 10:00 A.M. EST 

Chris Savage or Jessica Young 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (08)-10 

CB08-177 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

October 2008 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in October, down 

three consecutive months, decreased $21.9 billion or 5.1 

percent to $407.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This followed a 3.1 percent September 

decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders 

decreased 4.2 percent. 

 Shipments, also down three consecutive months, 

decreased $13.8 billion or 3.2 percent to $417.7 billion. 

This followed a 3.1 percent September decrease. 

 Unfilled orders, down for the first time in twenty-six 

months, decreased $5.1 billion or 0.6 percent to $823.1 billion. This followed a 0.2 percent September increase. The unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 5.69, up from 

5.50 in September. 

 Inventories, down two consecutive months, decreased 

$3.2 billion or 0.6 percent to $555.1 billion. This 

followed a 0.8 percent September decrease. The 

inventories-to-shipments ratio was 1.33, up from 1.29 in 

September. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

October, down three consecutive months, decreased 

$14.3 billion or 6.9 percent to $191.7 billion, revised 

from the previously published 6.2 percent decrease. 

This followed a slight September decrease. 

 Transportation equipment, down two of the last three 

months, had the largest decrease, $6.1 billion or 11.2 

percent to $48.7 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

decreased $7.6 billion or 3.4 percent to $215.6 billion. 

 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in October, 

down three consecutive months, decreased $6.2 billion 

or 3.0 percent to $202.1 billion, revised from the 

previously published 2.4 percent decrease. This 

followed a slight September decrease. 

 Transportation equipment, down two of the last three 

months, had the largest decrease, $2.6 billion or 5.2 

percent to $48.2 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

three consecutive months, decreased $7.6 billion or 3.4 

percent to $215.6 billion. This followed a 5.8 percent 

September decrease. This decrease was led by 

petroleum and coal products, which decreased $6.5 

billion or 12.2 percent to $47.2 billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

October, down for the first time in twenty-six months, 

decreased $5.1 billion or 0.6 percent to $823.1 billion, 

unchanged from the previously published decrease. This followed a 0.2 percent September increase. 

 

 Primary metals, down three consecutive months, had 

the largest decrease, $2.9 billion or 11.2 percent to $23.3 

billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in October, 

up fifteen of the last sixteen months, increased $1.5 

billion or 0.4 percent to $341.3 billion, unchanged from the previously published increase. This was at the 

highest level since the series was first stated on a NAICS 

basis in 1992 and followed a 0.2 percent September 

increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up twenty-one of the last 

twenty-two months, had the largest increase, $1.4 billion 

or 1.6 percent to $90.0 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

two consecutive months, decreased $4.7 billion or 2.1 

percent to $213.9 billion. This followed a 2.3 percent 

September decrease. Petroleum and coal products drove 

the decrease, down $4.8 billion or 12.0 percent to $35.1 

billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, October materials and supplies 

increased 0.2 percent in durable goods and decreased 3.2 

percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 1.2 percent in durable goods and decreased 5.5 percent 

in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 0.3 

percent in durable goods and increased slightly in 

nondurable goods. 

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

The advance report on durable goods for November is scheduled for release on December 24, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. EST and the full 

report on January 6, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EST. See back page for survey description and 2009 release dates. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Oct. Sept. Aug. Sept. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sept. Aug. Oct. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Oct. Sept. Aug. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

 All manufacturing industries .................. 417,703 431,492 445,455 -3.2 -3.1 -3.7 431,748 448,947 456,897 444,046 4,442,806 4,232,632 5.0

 Excluding transportation ................... 369,520 380,665 395,690 -2.9 -3.8 -3.1 380,636 395,198 405,764 383,441 3,915,479 3,650,874 7.2

 Excluding defense .............................. 405,627 419,296 433,775 -3.3 -3.3 -3.7 419,860 436,065 445,417 434,788 4,327,625 4,139,502 4.5

 With unfilled orders ........................... 144,736 150,543 150,376 -3.9 0.1 -4.2 146,968 160,182 152,372 152,375 1,521,309 1,494,596 1.8

 Durable goods industries ........................202,075 208,240 208,339 -3.0 0.0 -4.2 208,678 220,680 210,847 220,960 2,122,628 2,146,742 -1.1

 Wood products................................. ...... 8,050 7,963 8,109 1.1 -1.8 -1.7 8,437 8,537 8,693 8,833 82,757 86,715 -4.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 9,017 9,188 9,226 -1.9 -0.4 -2.2 9,846 9,640 9,883 10,556 94,350 101,918 -7.4

 Primary metals............................ .......... 19,986 22,260 23,118 -10.2 -3.7 -3.4 20,604 22,850 23,845 21,257 225,728 204,911 10.2

 Iron and steel mills............................ 10,034 11,694 12,374 -14.2 -5.5 -4.4 10,313 11,927 12,684 9,975 116,011 97,058 19.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 8,124 8,639 8,848 -6.0 -2.4 -2.6 8,386 8,858 9,198 9,571 90,912 90,784 0.1

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,828 1,927 1,896 -5.1 1.6 -0.3 1,905 2,065 1,963 1,711 18,805 17,069 10.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 27,564 27,848 27,943 -1.0 -0.3 -2.2 28,883 29,301 29,590 28,589 281,741 276,670 1.8

 Machinery............................................. 28,598 30,105 28,955 -5.0 4.0 -0.6 28,764 30,832 27,975 28,150 293,424 277,007 5.9

 Farm machinery................................. 2,697 3,006 2,721 -10.3 10.5 8.8 2,459 2,924 2,345 2,023 24,902 19,747 26.1

 Construction machinery..................... 2,508 2,499 2,443 0.4 2.3 -0.1 2,561 2,437 2,368 2,367 24,341 22,185 9.7

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery........................ 1,845 1,674 1,617 10.2 3.5 0.1 1,842 1,766 1,599 1,502 15,779 14,281 10.5

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,651 2,785 2,772 -4.8 0.5 0.4 3,054 2,933 2,436 3,588 29,357 32,789 -10.5

 Photographic equipment...................... 588 575 546 2.3 5.3 -3.5 637 604 513 598 5,426 6,111 -11.2

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,638 3,758 3,888 -3.2 -3.3 -3.1 3,459 4,114 4,059 3,490 40,243 36,320 10.8

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,367 2,407 2,380 -1.7 1.1 -7.7 2,507 2,557 2,416 2,521 24,388 23,051 5.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,524 4,401 3,567 -19.9 23.4 1.3 3,547 4,389 3,513 3,367 37,899 34,288 10.5

 Material handling equipment............... 2,313 2,357 2,372 -1.9 -0.6 -3.7 2,289 2,394 2,370 2,295 25,076 23,177 8.2

 Computers and electronic products ......... 31,583 30,574 31,283 3.3 -2.3 -5.6 31,271 34,668 29,516 31,529 316,348 316,340 0.0

 Computers........................................ 2,914 2,701 2,873 7.9 -6.0 -4.9 3,276 2,779 2,676 3,879 30,504 33,346 -8.5

 Computer storage devices................... 649 702 606 -7.5 15.8 -8.2 377 1,122 476 399 6,352 6,489 -2.1

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,232 1,300 1,284 -5.2 1.2 1.5 1,117 1,641 1,171 1,274 12,982 13,113 -1.0

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 4,636 4,914 4,880 -5.7 0.7 -7.5 3,968 6,321 4,557 4,525 48,985 50,155 -2.3

 Defense communications equipment... 763 735 629 3.8 16.9 -14.2 744 780 654 469 6,730 5,209 29.2

 Audio and video equipment.................. 624 629 609 -0.8 3.3 -7.7 778 600 556 941 6,289 7,372 -14.7

 Semiconductors ................................. 5,202 3,902 4,552 33.3 -14.3 -18.6 6,315 3,461 4,259 5,510 50,450 53,707 -6.1

 Electronic components....................... 3,771 3,847 3,868 -2.0 -0.5 -0.9 3,559 4,293 3,825 3,880 39,092 40,211 -2.8

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 912 988 944 -7.7 4.7 0.5 842 1,147 929 994 9,727 9,776 -0.5

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,751 2,724 2,672 1.0 1.9 1.7 2,753 2,774 2,628 2,529 27,006 25,966 4.0

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,600 7,601 7,827 0.0 -2.9 -1.2 6,916 9,157 7,266 6,494 72,951 65,728 11.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,468 10,527 10,554 -0.6 -0.3 -4.6 10,636 11,374 10,823 10,953 106,992 106,536 0.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,026 1,025 1,029 0.1 -0.4 -0.5 1,035 1,152 1,032 1,115 10,291 11,364 -9.4

 Household appliances........................ 1,877 1,843 1,845 1.8 -0.1 -7.5 1,932 2,050 1,913 2,071 19,137 19,989 -4.3

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,455 3,501 3,492 -1.3 0.3 -5.0 3,330 3,824 3,487 3,408 35,614 34,482 3.3

 Batteries........................................... 954 930 875 2.6 6.3 -1.9 1,127 964 862 827 8,342 6,571 27.0

 Transportation equipment...................... 48,183 50,827 49,765 -5.2 2.1 -8.2 51,112 53,749 51,133 60,605 527,327 581,758 -9.4

 Automobiles..................................... 6,473 6,855 6,719 -5.6 2.0 -8.3 7,338 7,273 7,132 9,027 70,608 81,870 -13.8

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 7,247 7,682 7,480 -5.7 2.7 -4.9 8,417 8,246 7,802 12,872 85,966 116,389 -26.1

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,246 1,386 1,265 -10.1 9.6 -4.0 1,373 1,442 1,218 1,468 14,052 16,173 -13.1

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 14,652 15,208 14,688 -3.7 3.5 -11.8 16,198 15,673 15,675 19,754 164,129 193,678 -15.3

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 6,917 7,695 8,130 -10.1 -5.4 -11.5 6,278 7,979 7,946 8,060 80,397 81,832 -1.8

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,784 5,201 4,707 -8.0 10.5 -6.8 4,683 5,623 4,669 3,275 45,296 32,283 40.3

 Ships and boats................................. 2,221 2,060 2,237 7.8 -7.9 -2.1 2,171 2,122 2,224 2,272 23,011 22,035 4.4

 Furniture and related products................. 6,065 6,327 6,419 -4.1 -1.4 -1.8 6,253 6,507 6,892 7,051 64,999 69,064 -5.9

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 12,561 12,621 12,967 -0.5 -2.7 -2.4 12,872 13,222 12,497 13,437 128,962 125,823 2.5

 Nondurable goods industries................... 215,628 223,252 237,116 -3.4 -5.8 -3.2 223,070 228,267 246,050 223,086 2,320,178 2,085,890 11.2

 Food products....................................... 51,114 51,691 51,751 -1.1 -0.1 -1.3 53,437 53,324 53,033 51,314 509,265 473,535 7.5

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 6,222 6,250 6,147 -0.4 1.7 -2.5 6,704 6,491 6,106 5,801 60,020 49,747 20.7

 Dairy products.................................. 6,979 7,039 7,064 -0.9 -0.4 -3.1 7,080 7,110 7,208 7,733 72,481 70,704 2.5

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 15,549 15,809 15,731 -1.6 0.5 0.7 15,677 15,881 16,559 14,714 153,473 144,265 6.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 11,677 11,613 11,681 0.6 -0.6 -1.1 11,815 11,612 12,260 11,737 115,070 110,302 4.3

 Beverages......................................... 7,875 7,869 7,819 0.1 0.6 0.0 8,013 7,868 8,398 7,896 78,041 74,205 5.2

 Tobacco............................................ 3,802 3,744 3,862 1.5 -3.1 -3.0 3,802 3,744 3,862 3,841 37,029 36,097 2.6

 Textile mills........................................... 2,731 2,813 2,864 -2.9 -1.8 -1.9 2,835 2,891 3,002 3,132 29,023 31,055 -6.5

 Textile products................................... 2,100 2,147 2,226 -2.2 -3.5 -3.0 2,136 2,150 2,408 2,570 23,224 25,948 -10.5

 Apparel................................................ 2,546 2,629 2,653 -3.2 -0.9 -2.2 2,837 2,751 2,849 2,809 26,307 24,660 6.7

 Leather and allied products..................... 464 496 477 -6.5 4.0 0.6 475 562 524 543 4,875 5,324 -8.4

 Paper products...................................... 14,464 14,704 14,759 -1.6 -0.4 1.0 14,793 14,975 14,983 14,548 145,365 140,722 3.3

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,920 7,036 7,106 -1.6 -1.0 1.7 7,026 7,141 7,238 6,942 70,013 67,649 3.5

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,082 4,111 4,121 -0.7 -0.2 -0.8 4,305 4,187 4,252 4,263 41,213 40,007 3.0

 Printing................................................. 8,086 8,070 8,125 0.2 -0.7 -2.6 8,822 8,382 8,262 9,449 81,787 84,172 -2.8

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 47,206 53,755 64,621 -12.2 -16.8 -8.0 48,846 56,092 69,916 50,214 613,362 456,414 34.4

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 44,002 50,601 61,328 -13.0 -17.5 -8.7 45,141 52,586 66,067 47,183 583,224 429,460 35.8

 Chemical products.................................. 57,866 57,542 60,213 0.6 -4.4 -0.9 58,901 57,375 60,380 57,961 591,009 555,496 6.4

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 3,797 3,845 3,986 -1.2 -3.5 3.9 2,845 3,311 3,585 2,412 37,223 28,123 32.4

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 14,760 14,707 14,080 0.4 4.5 -2.2 16,144 14,498 14,050 15,919 144,975 149,724 -3.2

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,726 2,680 2,772 1.7 -3.3 0.1 2,816 2,722 2,940 3,010 28,438 29,007 -2.0

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 17,374 17,792 17,746 -2.3 0.3 -2.8 18,173 18,153 18,433 18,809 180,891 178,262 1.5

p Preliminary r

 Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Year to date
 3

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Oct. Sept. Aug. Sept. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sept. Aug. Oct. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Oct. Sept. Aug. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

All manufacturing industries 2................... 407,370 429,286 443,200 -5.1 -3.1 -4.3 416,741 442,008 450,987 444,064 4,428,323 4,255,812 4.1

 Excluding transportation 2

................... 358,703 374,477 391,266 -4.2 -4.3 -3.6 367,799 387,186 398,402 380,535 3,876,793 3,617,842 7.2

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 395,749 413,595 430,776 -4.3 -4.0 -4.5 405,207 426,609 440,220 433,769 4,309,448 4,163,814 3.5

 With unfilled orders 2.......................... 139,605 152,239 152,673 -8.3 -0.3 -6.4 138,276 156,704 150,721 157,903 1,557,276 1,571,483 -0.9

 Durable goods industries 2..................... 191,742 206,034 206,084 -6.9 0.0 -5.5 193,671 213,741 204,937 220,978 2,108,145 2,169,922 -2.8

 Primary metals............................ ............ 17,043 20,113 21,371 -15.3 -5.9 -12.5 16,964 19,850 22,223 20,882 220,222 203,452 8.2

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 7,588 9,866 10,786 -23.1 -8.5 -21.0 7,409 9,392 11,367 9,774 112,042 96,059 16.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,731 8,307 8,645 -6.9 -3.9 -1.8 7,778 8,417 8,905 9,395 89,462 90,354 -1.0

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,724 1,940 1,940 -11.1 0.0 -0.6 1,777 2,041 1,951 1,713 18,718 17,039 9.9

 Fabricated metal products...................... 26,934 27,470 27,731 -2.0 -0.9 -1.8 27,476 28,335 28,545 28,712 282,103 280,087 0.7

 Machinery............................................. 27,883 30,643 30,578 -9.0 0.2 -6.6 28,366 30,496 28,759 30,216 307,916 286,164 7.6

 Construction machinery....................... 2,172 2,919 2,780 -25.6 5.0 -11.8 2,131 2,418 2,574 1,728 27,538 22,369 23.1

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 1,762 1,938 1,861 -9.1 4.1 -5.5 1,835 1,981 1,903 1,918 18,351 14,435 27.1

 Industrial machinery............................ 2,330 2,683 2,826 -13.2 -5.1 -16.8 3,093 2,578 1,949 4,403 30,781 34,738 -11.4

 Photographic equipment...................... 604 737 514 -18.0 43.4 -13.8 642 776 483 573 5,799 6,118 -5.2

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,974 3,586 4,375 10.8 -18.0 -17.2 3,672 3,892 4,690 3,795 44,185 40,018 10.4

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,219 2,411 2,536 -8.0 -4.9 -1.4 2,375 2,511 2,488 2,797 25,191 24,118 4.4

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 3,706 4,384 3,465 -15.5 26.5 -3.8 3,627 4,047 3,380 4,034 38,531 34,283 12.4

 Material handling equipment............... 2,165 2,285 2,675 -5.3 -14.6 2.8 2,006 2,559 2,405 2,374 24,786 23,994 3.3

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 26,037 26,949 27,626 -3.4 -2.5 1.9 24,854 31,811 25,042 26,637 268,007 268,851 -0.3

 Computers........................................ 2,584 2,721 2,954 -5.0 -7.9 2.4 2,946 2,799 2,757 3,288 30,381 33,356 -8.9

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,926 4,495 5,577 9.6 -19.4 1.7 4,528 6,033 4,835 4,601 49,599 51,382 -3.5

 Defense communications equipment... 744 775 628 -4.0 23.4 54.3 664 951 474 366 7,261 5,789 25.4

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components....................... 3,592 3,846 3,999 -6.6 -3.8 5.7 3,358 4,169 4,172 4,116 39,475 40,866 -3.4

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 1,094 913 1,156 19.8 -21.0 0.0 994 1,178 1,119 1,107 10,871 11,008 -1.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,558 3,209 2,687 -20.3 19.4 14.0 2,512 3,483 2,146 3,209 26,347 26,356 0.0

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,505 7,828 7,587 -4.1 3.2 -3.8 6,954 9,242 6,817 6,701 73,170 67,852 7.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,681 10,190 10,302 -5.0 -1.1 -3.3 9,825 10,651 10,300 10,874 107,484 108,273 -0.7

 Electric lighting equipment................... 878 1,130 967 -22.3 16.9 1.0 818 1,145 923 1,093 10,429 11,830 -11.8

 Household appliances.......................... 1,652 1,872 1,833 -11.8 2.1 -3.1 1,730 2,046 1,949 2,104 19,054 20,333 -6.3

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,211 3,329 3,371 -3.5 -1.2 -1.7 3,158 3,490 3,252 3,626 36,263 36,580 -0.9

 Transportation equipment........................ 48,667 54,809 51,934 -11.2 5.5 -9.4 48,942 54,822 52,585 63,529 551,530 637,970 -13.5

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 14,489 14,905 14,652 -2.8 1.7 -11.4 15,744 15,118 15,276 19,279 161,747 191,113 -15.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 9,390 9,866 7,658 -4.8 28.8 -37.7 6,118 8,764 7,868 11,135 105,173 138,317 -24.0

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 5,284 5,839 5,189 -9.5 12.5 -11.8 5,166 5,617 4,557 3,246 47,662 29,945 59.2

 Ships and boats................................. 1,497 3,790 1,955 -60.5 93.9 -3.6 1,429 3,708 1,706 1,936 22,989 22,494 2.2

 Furniture and related products................. 5,757 6,062 6,485 -5.0 -6.5 -1.3 5,977 6,351 6,655 7,344 65,306 69,991 -6.7

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 215,628 223,252 237,116 -3.4 -5.8 -3.2 223,070 228,267 246,050 223,086 2,320,178 2,085,890 11.2

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

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

2

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

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

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

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

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

Year to date
 4 

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

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

All manufacturing industries 1................... 823,094 828,225 826,529 -0.6 0.2 0.3 807,783 816,475 819,953 734,765 9.9

 Excluding transportation 1................... 352,202 357,817 360,103 -1.6 -0.6 0.0 346,785 353,307 357,858 330,114 5.1

 Excluding defense 1............................. 664,233 668,909 670,708 -0.7 -0.3 0.2 652,780 661,118 667,113 589,248 10.8

 Durable goods industries 1..................... 823,094 828,225 826,529 -0.6 0.2 0.3 807,783 816,475 819,953 734,765 9.9

 Primary metals........................................ 23,269 26,212 28,359 -11.2 -7.6 -5.8 21,757 25,397 28,397 25,486 -14.6

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 13,439 15,885 17,713 -15.4 -10.3 -8.2 12,481 15,385 17,920 15,171 -17.7

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 6,875 7,268 7,600 -5.4 -4.4 -2.6 6,427 7,035 7,476 7,372 -12.8

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,955 3,059 3,046 -3.4 0.4 1.5 2,849 2,977 3,001 2,943 -3.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 60,926 61,556 61,934 -1.0 -0.6 -0.3 59,781 61,188 62,154 58,666 1.9

 Machinery............................................. 106,610 107,325 106,787 -0.7 0.5 1.5 104,879 105,277 105,613 87,541 19.8

 Construction machinery....................... 15,227 15,563 15,143 -2.2 2.8 2.3 14,273 14,703 14,722 10,945 30.4

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 7,354 7,437 7,173 -1.1 3.7 3.5 7,403 7,410 7,195 4,435 66.9

 Industrial machinery............................ 16,463 16,784 16,886 -1.9 -0.6 0.3 16,335 16,296 16,651 14,956 9.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,872 1,856 1,694 0.9 9.6 -1.9 1,879 1,874 1,702 1,627 15.5

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 17,400 17,064 17,236 2.0 -1.0 2.9 17,440 17,227 17,449 12,281 42.0

 Metalworking machinery....................... 8,577 8,725 8,721 -1.7 0.0 1.8 8,482 8,614 8,660 7,419 14.3

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 14,539 14,357 14,374 1.3 -0.1 -0.7 14,160 14,080 14,422 12,969 9.2

 Material handling equipment............... 9,985 10,133 10,205 -1.5 -0.7 3.1 9,616 9,899 9,734 9,565 0.5

 Computers and electronic products 1...... 124,817 125,161 124,884 -0.3 0.2 0.7 123,876 123,978 123,374 120,971 2.4

 Computers......................................... 3,594 3,924 3,904 -8.4 0.5 2.1 3,594 3,924 3,904 3,495 2.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 29,404 29,114 29,533 1.0 -1.4 2.4 29,341 28,781 29,069 29,502 -0.5

 Defense communications equipment... 8,256 8,275 8,235 -0.2 0.5 0.0 8,221 8,301 8,130 7,355 11.8

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 10,610 10,789 10,790 -1.7 0.0 1.2 10,639 10,840 10,964 10,655 -0.2

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 7,788 7,606 7,681 2.4 -1.0 2.8 7,745 7,593 7,562 6,783 14.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 37,216 37,409 36,924 -0.5 1.3 0.0 36,542 36,783 36,074 36,310 0.6

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 27,949 28,044 27,817 -0.3 0.8 -0.9 27,794 27,756 27,671 26,871 3.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 23,819 24,606 24,943 -3.2 -1.4 -1.0 23,556 24,367 25,090 23,587 -0.1

 Electric lighting equipment................... 2,566 2,714 2,609 -5.5 4.0 -2.3 2,494 2,711 2,718 2,460 1.4

 Household appliances.......................... 476 701 672 -32.1 4.3 -1.8 489 691 695 854 -42.7

 Electrical equipment............................ 15,401 15,645 15,817 -1.6 -1.1 -0.8 15,378 15,550 15,884 15,133 1.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 470,892 470,408 466,426 0.1 0.9 0.5 460,998 463,168 462,095 404,651 13.9

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 16,879 17,042 17,345 -1.0 -1.7 -0.2 16,183 16,637 17,192 17,868 -9.4

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 311,580 309,107 306,936 0.8 0.7 -0.2 305,391 305,551 304,766 253,743 20.4

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 46,970 46,470 45,832 1.1 1.4 1.1 45,668 45,185 45,191 39,809 14.7

 Ships and boats................................. 20,829 21,553 19,823 -3.4 8.7 -1.4 19,981 20,723 19,137 20,021 -0.2

 Furniture and related products................. 6,896 7,204 7,469 -4.3 -3.5 0.9 7,071 7,347 7,503 7,594 -6.9

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

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

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 555,136 558,296 562,781 -0.6 -0.8 0.7 558,664 559,375 567,598 525,845 6.2

 Excluding transportation ...................... 465,182 469,720 474,001 -1.0 -0.9 0.7 467,462 470,734 477,724 446,799 4.6

 Excluding defense ............................. 530,470 533,977 538,235 -0.7 -0.8 0.7 533,889 534,992 542,938 503,501 6.0

 With unfilled orders ............................. 273,574 272,691 272,575 0.3 0.0 1.0 274,731 271,925 274,853 250,446 9.7

 Durable goods industries ........................ 341,256 339,728 339,033 0.4 0.2 0.8 342,335 338,638 341,870 316,294 8.2

 Wood products................................. ....... 10,602 10,648 10,547 -0.4 1.0 0.4 10,739 10,712 10,534 11,404 -5.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 12,076 12,024 11,975 0.4 0.4 0.8 11,664 11,810 11,907 11,264 3.6

 Primary metals............................ ............ 34,966 35,168 35,073 -0.6 0.3 3.0 34,677 35,268 35,367 30,514 13.6

 Iron and steel mills............................... 20,362 20,335 20,053 0.1 1.4 5.4 20,315 20,570 20,296 16,436 23.6

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 11,779 12,042 12,288 -2.2 -2.0 -0.3 11,558 12,013 12,402 11,518 0.3

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,825 2,791 2,732 1.2 2.2 1.7 2,804 2,685 2,669 2,560 9.5

 Fabricated metal products......................... 44,798 44,942 44,791 -0.3 0.3 1.0 44,581 44,847 44,907 41,555 7.3

 Machinery.............................................. 54,713 54,629 54,435 0.2 0.4 0.3 54,586 54,225 54,576 51,832 5.3

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,226 3,171 3,138 1.7 1.1 2.6 2,937 2,944 2,942 2,438 20.5

 Construction machinery........................ 5,651 5,760 5,647 -1.9 2.0 0.1 5,647 5,748 5,549 5,205 8.5

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 4,697 4,581 4,467 2.5 2.6 0.9 4,655 4,540 4,515 4,072 14.3

 Industrial machinery............................. 6,889 6,909 6,895 -0.3 0.2 0.4 6,769 6,900 7,029 6,524 3.8

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,330 1,343 1,348 -1.0 -0.4 -2.2 1,348 1,345 1,356 1,585 -15.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,798 4,811 4,797 -0.3 0.3 0.4 4,815 4,740 4,813 4,831 -0.3

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,259 5,258 5,292 0.0 -0.6 0.3 5,365 5,361 5,429 5,027 6.7

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 6,154 6,084 6,089 1.2 -0.1 -0.1 6,348 6,104 6,253 5,903 7.5

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,405 3,439 3,454 -1.0 -0.4 0.0 3,419 3,393 3,422 3,183 7.4

 Computers and electronic products ......... 47,422 47,022 46,999 0.9 0.0 1.0 48,043 46,739 47,923 45,078 6.6

 Computers......................................... 1,171 1,312 1,312 -10.7 0.0 2.5 1,139 1,426 1,412 1,400 -18.6

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,554 1,579 1,597 -1.6 -1.1 -1.2 1,605 1,493 1,690 1,534 4.6

 Other peripheral equipment................... 2,123 2,148 2,122 -1.2 1.2 0.6 2,184 2,102 2,209 2,047 6.7

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 8,106 8,017 8,401 1.1 -4.6 2.8 8,249 7,878 8,500 8,064 2.3

 Defense communications equipment...... 1,719 1,632 1,550 5.3 5.3 7.3 1,719 1,632 1,550 1,218 41.1

 Audio and video equipment.................. 905 908 919 -0.3 -1.2 0.1 1,016 992 962 965 5.3

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

 Electronic components.......................... 6,733 6,666 6,808 1.0 -2.1 -0.1 6,844 6,623 6,880 6,647 3.0

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 5,251 5,140 5,000 2.2 2.8 2.2 5,359 5,185 5,030 4,523 18.5

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 3,681 3,613 3,543 1.9 2.0 0.3 3,680 3,584 3,583 3,334 10.4

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 10,694 10,663 10,534 0.3 1.2 -0.6 10,772 10,495 10,739 10,435 3.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,265 15,366 15,262 -0.7 0.7 0.8 15,077 14,918 15,199 14,356 5.0

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,756 1,762 1,782 -0.3 -1.1 -0.2 1,701 1,702 1,804 1,645 3.4

 Household appliances.......................... 2,023 2,071 2,004 -2.3 3.3 2.1 2,086 2,030 1,991 2,092 -0.3

 Electrical equipment............................. 5,344 5,348 5,398 -0.1 -0.9 1.9 5,246 5,077 5,317 4,701 11.6

 Batteries............................................ 739 640 660 15.5 -3.0 -3.5 747 657 691 752 -0.7

 Transportation equipment......................... 89,954 88,576 88,780 1.6 -0.2 0.5 91,202 88,641 89,874 79,046 15.4

 Automobiles....................................... 2,614 2,568 2,504 1.8 2.6 0.6 2,562 2,610 2,594 2,525 1.5

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 2,610 2,568 2,592 1.6 -0.9 -3.1 2,691 2,678 2,687 3,323 -19.0

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,673 1,606 1,581 4.2 1.6 1.8 1,730 1,638 1,646 1,463 18.3

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 16,056 16,162 16,595 -0.7 -2.6 -0.9 15,947 15,941 16,480 17,370 -8.2

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 41,713 40,571 40,036 2.8 1.3 2.2 42,721 40,657 40,720 31,258 36.7

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 14,284 13,962 14,197 2.3 -1.7 -0.8 14,397 14,035 14,308 12,647 13.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,869 2,880 2,926 -0.4 -1.6 1.1 2,845 2,893 2,901 2,994 -5.0

 Furniture and related products................. 7,787 7,875 7,927 -1.1 -0.7 -0.2 7,734 7,874 8,010 8,075 -4.2

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 23,673 23,478 23,244 0.8 1.0 0.0 24,032 23,604 23,573 23,170 3.7

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 213,880 218,568 223,748 -2.1 -2.3 0.4 216,329 220,737 225,728 209,551 3.2

 Food products........................................ 36,919 37,151 37,390 -0.6 -0.6 -1.2 39,061 37,906 37,472 38,742 0.8

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 4,762 4,671 4,907 1.9 -4.8 -4.0 5,089 4,628 4,775 5,166 -1.5

 Dairy products.................................... 4,460 4,423 4,457 0.8 -0.8 0.1 4,450 4,448 4,560 4,669 -4.7

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 7,540 7,643 7,687 -1.3 -0.6 0.1 7,680 7,736 7,667 7,323 4.9

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 15,167 15,136 15,089 0.2 0.3 0.3 15,733 15,183 14,592 15,581 1.0

 Beverages......................................... 11,261 11,286 11,300 -0.2 -0.1 0.5 11,766 11,437 11,021 11,691 0.6

 Tobacco............................................ 3,906 3,850 3,789 1.5 1.6 -0.3 3,967 3,746 3,571 3,890 2.0

 Textile mills............................................ 3,709 3,702 3,666 0.2 1.0 -0.1 3,676 3,687 3,678 3,732 -1.5

 Textile products...................................... 3,313 3,301 3,295 0.4 0.2 0.2 3,327 3,316 3,320 3,352 -0.7

 Apparel................................................. 4,433 4,448 4,495 -0.3 -1.0 -0.9 4,463 4,618 4,684 4,385 1.8

 Leather and allied products...................... 1,017 1,020 1,014 -0.3 0.6 0.2 1,020 1,039 1,032 1,061 -3.9

 Paper products....................................... 15,821 15,541 15,493 1.8 0.3 0.7 15,629 15,386 15,472 14,845 5.3

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 6,937 6,842 6,819 1.4 0.3 0.0 6,795 6,724 6,804 6,474 5.0

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,459 4,302 4,273 3.6 0.7 1.9 4,392 4,275 4,259 4,052 8.4

 Printing.................................................. 6,634 6,723 6,675 -1.3 0.7 -1.0 6,904 7,024 6,931 7,208 -4.2

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 35,078 39,863 43,443 -12.0 -8.2 0.1 35,855 41,419 44,985 34,459 4.1

 Petroleum refineries............................. 32,396 37,281 40,863 -13.1 -8.8 -0.2 33,151 38,778 42,291 32,125 3.2

 Chemical products..................................... 68,840 68,778 69,952 0.1 -1.7 1.3 68,113 68,410 70,484 65,195 4.5

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 3,488 3,386 3,262 3.0 3.8 1.7 3,263 2,937 2,905 2,705 20.6

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 23,974 23,890 24,125 0.4 -1.0 1.6 24,001 24,146 24,786 23,620 1.6

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,141 3,163 3,135 -0.7 0.9 1.1 3,014 3,115 3,149 2,932 2.8

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 22,949 22,905 23,236 0.2 -1.4 1.5 22,548 22,749 23,078 20,991 7.4

p

 Preliminary r Revised NA Not available.

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

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

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

 Topical Series 1

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted2

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date Percent

Industry Change6

Oct. Sept. Aug. Sept. - Aug. - July - Oct. Sept. Aug. Oct. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Oct. Sept. Aug. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 417,703 431,492 445,455 -3.2 -3.1 -3.7 431,748 448,947 456,897 444,046 4,442,806 4,232,632 5.0

 Construction materials and supplies...... 43,077 43,563 44,070 -1.1 -1.2 -1.8 45,652 46,505 47,259 46,701 446,774 453,795 -1.5

 Information technology......................... 26,354 26,628 26,722 -1.0 -0.4 -3.5 25,246 30,902 25,474 26,269 265,840 262,663 1.2

 Computers and related products .......... 4,795 4,703 4,763 2.0 -1.3 -3.7 4,770 5,542 4,323 5,552 49,838 52,948 -5.9

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 29,618 31,131 30,152 -4.9 3.2 -9.1 33,326 32,634 31,827 43,121 334,755 408,110 -18.0

 Capital goods...................................... 73,906 76,747 75,853 -3.7 1.2 -2.9 72,724 82,737 73,646 74,117 759,332 734,457 3.4

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 64,636 67,540 66,795 -4.3 1.1 -3.3 63,565 73,180 64,611 66,620 670,486 658,136 1.9

 Excluding aircraft............................. 61,368 63,567 62,504 -3.5 1.7 -2.1 60,678 69,075 60,457 62,147 627,902 612,522 2.5

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 9,270 9,207 9,058 0.7 1.6 -0.5 9,159 9,557 9,035 7,497 88,846 76,321 16.4

 Consumer goods.................................. 166,202 174,757 185,131 -4.9 -5.6 -4.3 174,174 180,146 192,849 181,504 1,828,858 1,682,796 8.7

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,604 28,731 28,746 -3.9 -0.1 -5.0 30,051 30,406 29,272 37,843 303,326 350,981 -13.6

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 138,598 146,026 156,385 -5.1 -6.6 -4.2 144,123 149,740 163,577 143,661 1,525,532 1,331,815 14.5

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 407,370 429,286 443,200 -5.1 -3.1 -4.3 416,741 442,008 450,987 444,064 4,428,323 4,255,812 4.1

 Construction materials and supplies...... 42,815 43,047 44,202 -0.5 -2.6 -3.8 44,657 45,558 46,892 46,700 450,595 459,410 -1.9

 Information technology......................... 26,035 26,769 27,397 -2.7 -2.3 0.0 25,130 31,424 24,667 26,318 267,727 267,062 0.2

 Computers and related products .......... 4,465 4,723 4,844 -5.5 -2.5 0.7 4,440 5,562 4,404 4,961 49,715 52,958 -6.1

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 29,455 30,828 30,116 -4.5 2.4 -8.9 32,872 32,079 31,428 42,646 332,373 405,545 -18.0

 Capital goods...................................... 73,119 80,062 78,537 -8.7 1.9 -6.0 70,332 82,827 73,472 79,581 796,461 801,373 -0.6

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 64,851 67,923 68,694 -4.5 -1.1 -7.8 61,997 71,141 64,772 70,987 705,587 726,647 -2.9

 Excluding aircraft............................. 59,407 62,547 64,774 -5.0 -3.4 -2.3 59,413 67,017 60,479 63,494 640,710 627,583 2.1

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,268 12,139 9,843 -31.9 23.3 8.3 8,335 11,686 8,700 8,594 90,874 74,726 21.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 165,977 174,750 184,744 -5.0 -5.4 -4.5 173,993 180,146 192,421 181,629 1,827,967 1,683,772 8.6

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,379 28,724 28,359 -4.7 1.3 -6.4 29,870 30,406 28,844 37,968 302,435 351,957 -14.1

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 138,598 146,026 156,385 -5.1 -6.6 -4.2 144,123 149,740 163,577 143,661 1,525,532 1,331,815 14.5

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 823,094 828,225 826,529 -0.6 0.2 0.3 807,783 816,475 819,953 734,765 (X) (X) 9.9

 Construction materials and supplies...... 55,036 55,298 55,814 -0.5 -0.9 0.2 54,389 55,384 56,331 49,459 (X) (X) 10.0

 Information technology......................... 121,455 121,774 121,633 -0.3 0.1 0.6 120,311 120,427 119,905 117,083 (X) (X) 2.8

 Computers and related products .......... 3,594 3,924 3,904 -8.4 0.5 2.1 3,594 3,924 3,904 3,495 (X) (X) 2.8

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 16,879 17,042 17,345 -1.0 -1.7 -0.2 16,183 16,637 17,192 17,868 (X) (X) -9.4

 Capital goods...................................... 624,118 624,905 621,590 -0.1 0.5 0.4 612,586 614,978 614,888 543,288 (X) (X) 12.8

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................482,165 481,950 481,567 0.0 0.1 0.4 473,916 475,484 477,523 412,306 (X) (X) 14.9

 Excluding aircraft............................. 203,916 205,877 206,897 -1.0 -0.5 1.1 201,592 202,857 204,915 188,083 (X) (X) 7.2

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 141,953 142,955 140,023 -0.7 2.1 0.6 138,670 139,494 137,365 130,982 (X) (X) 5.9

 Consumer goods.................................. 8,246 8,471 8,478 -2.7 -0.1 -4.4 8,273 8,454 8,454 9,753 (X) (X) -15.2

 Consumer durable goods..................... 8,246 8,471 8,478 -2.7 -0.1 -4.4 8,273 8,454 8,454 9,753 (X) (X) -15.2 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 555,136 558,296 562,781 -0.6 -0.8 0.7 558,664 559,375 567,598 525,845 (X) (X) 6.2

 Construction materials and supplies...... 61,010 61,174 60,901 -0.3 0.4 0.8 60,557 61,020 61,137 58,948 (X) (X) 2.7

 Information technology......................... 42,392 42,369 42,214 0.1 0.4 1.0 42,837 42,087 42,929 40,739 (X) (X) 5.1

 Computers and related products .......... 4,848 5,039 5,031 -3.8 0.2 0.5 4,928 5,021 5,311 4,981 (X) (X) -1.1

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 22,953 22,904 23,272 0.2 -1.6 -0.8 22,930 22,867 23,407 24,681 (X) (X) -7.1

 Capital goods...................................... 160,796 159,247 158,991 1.0 0.2 0.7 162,029 158,534 160,623 144,192 (X) (X) 12.4

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................141,646 140,368 139,920 0.9 0.3 1.0 142,883 139,664 141,549 126,351 (X) (X) 13.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 108,951 108,679 108,517 0.3 0.1 0.7 109,376 107,804 109,601 103,208 (X) (X) 6.0

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 19,150 18,879 19,071 1.4 -1.0 -1.2 19,146 18,870 19,074 17,841 (X) (X) 7.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 158,853 163,554 167,403 -2.9 -2.3 0.0 162,642 166,402 169,792 160,183 (X) (X) 1.5

 Consumer durable goods..................... 28,833 28,725 28,471 0.4 0.9 0.2 29,203 28,910 28,893 29,493 (X) (X) -1.0

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 130,020 134,829 138,932 -3.6 -3.0 -0.1 133,439 137,492 140,899 130,690 (X) (X) 2.1

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable.

1

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories.

2

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

3

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

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

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

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

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

and supplies.

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

and search and navigation equipment.

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 

6

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

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

NEW ORDERS

UNFILLED ORDERS

TOTAL INVENTORIES
 7

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

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

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 190,484 192,639 192,667 -1.1 0.0 0.3 191,641 193,210 193,676 182,686 4.9

 Durable goods industries........................ 116,608 116,330 115,897 0.2 0.4 0.4 117,364 116,723 116,742 109,244 7.4

 Wood products................................... 4,307 4,326 4,297 -0.4 0.7 -0.2 4,627 4,499 4,318 4,842 -4.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,900 4,906 4,890 -0.1 0.3 -0.1 4,869 4,902 4,899 4,574 6.4

 Primary metals.................................... 14,112 13,733 13,404 2.8 2.5 3.2 14,336 13,982 13,579 11,514 24.5

 Fabricated metal products..................... 17,135 17,211 16,853 -0.4 2.1 1.5 17,008 17,268 16,858 15,057 13.0

 Machinery.......................................... 21,175 21,068 20,994 0.5 0.4 -0.1 21,352 20,996 21,102 20,206 5.7

 Computers and electronic products ...... 15,630 15,636 15,508 0.0 0.8 0.2 15,757 15,781 15,794 16,071 -2.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 6,149 6,203 6,247 -0.9 -0.7 1.2 6,059 6,074 6,204 5,530 9.6

 Transportation equipment..................... 21,892 21,836 22,250 0.3 -1.9 -1.3 22,053 21,821 22,422 20,339 8.4

 Furniture and related products............... 3,703 3,788 3,920 -2.2 -3.4 0.4 3,659 3,781 3,934 3,768 -2.9

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,605 7,623 7,534 -0.2 1.2 -0.5 7,644 7,619 7,632 7,343 4.1

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 73,876 76,309 76,770 -3.2 -0.6 0.1 74,277 76,487 76,934 73,442 1.1

 Food products.................................... 13,759 13,578 13,854 1.3 -2.0 -3.1 14,325 13,367 13,443 14,046 2.0

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,543 4,482 4,417 1.4 1.5 -0.1 4,520 4,412 4,232 4,420 2.3

 Textiles.............................................. 1,161 1,162 1,178 -0.1 -1.4 -2.3 1,138 1,155 1,176 1,175 -3.1

 Textile products.................................. 1,343 1,325 1,314 1.4 0.8 0.7 1,340 1,337 1,322 1,237 8.3

 Apparel............................................. 1,053 1,071 1,071 -1.7 0.0 -0.6 1,057 1,077 1,069 1,079 -2.0

 Leather and allied products................... 365 364 359 0.3 1.4 -1.6 369 368 362 414 -10.9

 Paper products.................................... 7,606 7,469 7,449 1.8 0.3 0.5 7,550 7,415 7,425 7,145 5.7

 Printing ............................................. 2,998 3,078 3,050 -2.6 0.9 -1.0 3,024 3,203 3,131 3,106 -2.6

 Petroleum and coal products................ 10,890 12,180 13,346 -10.6 -8.7 1.1 11,168 12,635 13,887 12,412 -10.0

 Chemical products................................ 20,959 22,329 21,467 -6.1 4.0 2.2 20,705 22,227 21,504 20,003 3.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 9,199 9,271 9,265 -0.8 0.1 -0.5 9,081 9,291 9,383 8,405 8.0

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 165,391 166,126 167,162 -0.4 -0.6 0.8 167,526 166,119 168,855 149,207 12.3

 Durable goods industries........................ 126,342 124,799 124,479 1.2 0.3 1.0 127,365 124,488 125,890 111,691 14.0

 Wood products................................... 1,963 1,945 1,938 0.9 0.4 0.6 1,934 1,932 1,955 1,986 -2.6

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,382 1,353 1,314 2.1 3.0 0.8 1,305 1,322 1,304 1,244 4.9

 Primary metals.................................... 10,682 10,824 10,909 -1.3 -0.8 0.3 10,426 10,752 11,040 9,718 7.3

 Fabricated metal products..................... 13,442 13,367 13,502 0.6 -1.0 0.3 13,572 13,489 13,722 12,984 4.5

 Machinery.......................................... 15,636 15,697 15,146 -0.4 3.6 2.4 15,712 15,767 15,375 14,502 8.3

 Computers and electronic products ...... 21,643 21,217 21,198 2.0 0.1 0.6 21,996 20,874 21,538 19,207 14.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,214 3,198 3,133 0.5 2.1 1.1 3,121 3,061 3,156 2,874 8.6

 Transportation equipment..................... 53,606 52,412 52,625 2.3 -0.4 1.5 54,479 52,496 53,030 44,304 23.0

 Furniture and related products............... 1,258 1,292 1,220 -2.6 5.9 -3.3 1,243 1,290 1,224 1,276 -2.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,516 3,494 3,494 0.6 0.0 -1.5 3,577 3,505 3,546 3,596 -0.5

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 39,049 41,327 42,683 -5.5 -3.2 0.1 40,161 41,631 42,965 37,516 7.1

 Food products.................................... 2,215 2,363 2,288 -6.3 3.3 0.2 2,592 2,262 2,073 3,099 -16.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,234 4,269 4,291 -0.8 -0.5 1.9 4,545 4,263 3,894 4,690 -3.1

 Textiles.............................................. 889 909 921 -2.2 -1.3 2.4 893 917 931 941 -5.1

 Textile products.................................. 419 417 419 0.5 -0.5 2.4 422 418 418 445 -5.2

 Apparel............................................. 645 652 669 -1.1 -2.5 -0.7 646 657 684 686 -5.8

 Leather and allied products................... 104 96 91 8.3 5.5 3.4 102 96 93 88 15.9

 Paper products.................................... 1,564 1,550 1,536 0.9 0.9 3.0 1,537 1,558 1,572 1,387 10.8

 Printing ............................................. 1,631 1,676 1,690 -2.7 -0.8 -0.5 1,814 1,848 1,794 2,124 -14.6

 Petroleum and coal products................ 9,433 12,257 13,455 -23.0 -8.9 -1.1 9,793 12,432 13,751 8,847 10.7

 Chemical products................................ 15,353 14,576 14,781 5.3 -1.4 0.1 15,288 14,647 15,231 12,788 19.5

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 2,562 2,562 2,542 0.0 0.8 0.8 2,529 2,533 2,524 2,421 4.5

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 199,261 199,531 202,952 -0.1 -1.7 0.9 199,497 200,046 205,067 193,952 2.9

 Durable goods industries........................ 98,306 98,599 98,657 -0.3 -0.1 1.2 97,606 97,427 99,238 95,359 2.4

 Wood products................................... 4,332 4,377 4,312 -1.0 1.5 0.9 4,178 4,281 4,261 4,576 -8.7

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,794 5,765 5,771 0.5 -0.1 1.6 5,490 5,586 5,704 5,446 0.8

 Primary metals.................................... 10,172 10,611 10,760 -4.1 -1.4 5.7 9,915 10,534 10,748 9,282 6.8

 Fabricated metal products..................... 14,221 14,364 14,436 -1.0 -0.5 1.1 14,001 14,090 14,327 13,514 3.6

 Machinery.......................................... 17,902 17,864 18,295 0.2 -2.4 -0.8 17,522 17,462 18,099 17,124 2.3

 Computers and electronic products ...... 10,149 10,169 10,293 -0.2 -1.2 3.2 10,290 10,084 10,591 9,800 5.0

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 5,902 5,965 5,882 -1.1 1.4 0.2 5,897 5,783 5,839 5,952 -0.9

 Transportation equipment..................... 14,456 14,328 13,905 0.9 3.0 -0.1 14,670 14,324 14,422 14,403 1.9

 Furniture and related products............... 2,826 2,795 2,787 1.1 0.3 0.5 2,832 2,803 2,852 3,031 -6.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 12,552 12,361 12,216 1.5 1.2 0.7 12,811 12,480 12,395 12,231 4.7

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 100,955 100,932 104,295 0.0 -3.2 0.7 101,891 102,619 105,829 98,593 3.3

 Food products.................................... 20,945 21,210 21,248 -1.2 -0.2 -0.1 22,144 22,277 21,956 21,597 2.5

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 6,390 6,385 6,381 0.1 0.1 -0.4 6,668 6,508 6,466 6,471 3.0

 Textiles.............................................. 1,659 1,631 1,567 1.7 4.1 0.2 1,645 1,615 1,571 1,616 1.8

 Textile products.................................. 1,551 1,559 1,562 -0.5 -0.2 -0.9 1,565 1,561 1,580 1,670 -6.3

 Apparel............................................. 2,735 2,725 2,755 0.4 -1.1 -1.0 2,760 2,884 2,931 2,620 5.3

 Leather and allied products................... 548 560 564 -2.1 -0.7 0.9 549 575 577 559 -1.8

 Paper products.................................... 6,651 6,522 6,508 2.0 0.2 0.3 6,542 6,413 6,475 6,313 3.6

 Printing ............................................. 2,005 1,969 1,935 1.8 1.8 -1.5 2,066 1,973 2,006 1,978 4.4

 Petroleum and coal products................ 14,755 15,426 16,642 -4.3 -7.3 0.3 14,894 16,352 17,347 13,200 12.8

 Chemical products................................ 32,528 31,873 33,704 2.1 -5.4 1.2 32,120 31,536 33,749 32,404 -0.9

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 11,188 11,072 11,429 1.0 -3.1 3.4 10,938 10,925 11,171 10,165 7.6

p

 Preliminary r Revised

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

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

 to Shipments, by Industry Group

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Oct Sep Aug Jul Oct Sep Aug Jul

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

 All manufacturing industries2

...... 1.33 1.29 1.26 1.21 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

................... 1.69 1.63 1.63 1.55 5.69 5.50 5.50 5.25

 Wood products................................ 1.32 1.34 1.30 1.27 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products........... 1.34 1.31 1.30 1.26 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals................................. 1.75 1.58 1.52 1.42 1.16 1.18 1.23 1.26

 Fabricated metal products............... 1.63 1.61 1.60 1.55 2.28 2.28 2.29 2.25

 Machinery....................................... 1.91 1.81 1.88 1.86 4.21 4.06 4.17 4.04

 Computers and electronic products 2

.. 1.50 1.54 1.50 1.40 5.35 5.32 5.27 5.08

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 1.46 1.46 1.45 1.37 2.50 2.56 2.58 2.48

 Transportation equipment................. 1.87 1.74 1.78 1.63 14.18 13.48 13.60 12.32

 Furniture and related products........... 1.28 1.24 1.23 1.21 1.29 1.29 1.33 1.29

 Miscellaneous products.................... 1.88 1.86 1.79 1.75 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries.............. 0.99 0.98 0.94 0.91 (X) (X) (X) (X)

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

 Beverage and tobacco products......... 1.30 1.30 1.29 1.27 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles.......................................... 1.36 1.32 1.28 1.26 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................... 1.58 1.54 1.48 1.43 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel.......................................... 1.74 1.69 1.69 1.67 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............... 2.19 2.06 2.13 2.14 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products................................ 1.09 1.06 1.05 1.05 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing.......................................... 0.82 0.83 0.82 0.81 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products............ 0.74 0.74 0.67 0.62 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products............................. 1.19 1.20 1.16 1.14 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products.............. 1.32 1.29 1.31 1.25 (X) (X) (X) (X)

p

 Preliminary r Revised X Not Applicable

1

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

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

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

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

trucks; and miscellaneous furniture.

2 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing.

Oct2 Oct2 Oct2 Oct2

Industry 2007- 2007- 2007- 2007-

Oct1 Sep Oct1 Sep Oct1 Sep Oct1 Sep

2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008

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

Durable goods industries...................... -0.6 0.4 -0.7 0.7 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1

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

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

 Primary metals.................................... -1.8 0.5 -2.7 0.9 -0.3 0.6 0.1 0.2

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

 Machinery.......................................... -1.6 0.3 -2.2 1.1 -0.1 0.4 0.2 0.2

 Computers and electronic products ..... 0.1 0.9 -1.0 0.8 -0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.4 0.4 0.3 3.0 -0.1 1.3 -0.2 0.5

 Transportation equipment................... -0.6 0.6 -0.1 1.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 0.7 (X) 0.4 (X) 0.3

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.6 (X) 0.9 (X) 0.9 (X) 0.2

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

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

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

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

 Textile products................................. (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.3

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.4

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 1.2 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.9

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

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

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

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

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

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

 publication.

2

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

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

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
9

Survey Description 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

publication. 

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

2009 Release Dates for M3 Survey 

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

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

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

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

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

March 2009 Apr. 24, 2009 May 1, 2009 

April 2009 May 28, 2009 Jun. 3, 2009 

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

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

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

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

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

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

November 2009 Dec. 24, 2009