FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2009, AT 10:00 A.M. EST 

Chris Savage or Jessica Young 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (08)-12 

CB09-19 

Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

December 2008 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in December, 

down five consecutive months, decreased $14.8 billion 

or 3.9 percent to $362.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This was the longest streak of 

consecutive monthly decreases since the series was first 

published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 6.5 

percent November decrease. Excluding transportation, 

new orders decreased 4.4 percent. 

 Shipments, also down five consecutive months, 

decreased $11.3 billion or 2.9 percent to $377.6 billion. 

This was the longest streak of consecutive monthly 

decreases since March-July 1998 and followed a 6.5 

percent November decrease. 

 Unfilled orders, down three consecutive months, 

decreased $11.0 billion or 1.4 percent to $801.9 billion. 

This followed a 0.9 percent November decrease. The 

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

5.87 in November. 

 Inventories, down four consecutive months, decreased 

$8.0 billion or 1.4 percent to $544.3 billion. This was 

the largest percent decrease since the series was first 

published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 0.5 

percent November decrease. The inventories-toshipments ratio was 1.44, up from 1.42 in November. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in 

December, down five consecutive months, decreased 

$5.4 billion or 3.0 percent to $175.6 billion, revised from 

the previously published 2.6 percent decrease. This also 

was the longest streak of consecutive monthly decreases 

since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 

1992 and followed a 4.0 percent November decrease. 

 Computers and electronic products, down three of the 

last four months, had the largest decrease, $1.7 billion or 

6.5 percent to $24.9 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

decreased $9.4 billion or 4.8 percent to $186.8 billion. 

 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in 

December, down five consecutive months, decreased 

$1.9 billion or 1.0 percent to $190.8 billion, revised from 

the previously published 0.7 percent decrease. This 

followed a 4.2 percent November decrease. 

 

 Primary metals, down five consecutive months, had 

the largest decrease, $1.4 billion or 7.5 percent to $16.6 

billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

five consecutive months, decreased $9.4 billion or 4.8 

percent to $186.8 billion. This followed an 8.7 percent 

November decrease. This decrease was led by 

petroleum and coal products, which decreased $6.5 

billion or 18.2 percent to $29.3 billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

December, down three consecutive months, decreased 

$11.0 billion or 1.4 percent to $801.9 billion, revised 

from the previously published 1.3 percent decrease. 

This followed a 0.9 percent November decrease. 

 

 Machinery, down three consecutive months, had the 

largest decrease, $4.0 billion or 3.8 percent to $100.2 

billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in 

December, up seventeen of the last eighteen months, 

increased $1.2 billion or 0.4 percent to $343.5 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 0.3 percent 

November increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up twenty-three of the last 

twenty-four months, had the largest increase, $2.8 billion 

or 3.0 percent to $95.5 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

four consecutive months, decreased $9.2 billion or 4.4 

percent to $200.8 billion. This also was the largest 

percent decrease since the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.8 percent 

November decrease. Petroleum and coal products led 

the decrease, down $5.2 billion or 16.2 percent to $26.8 

billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, December materials and 

supplies decreased 0.6 percent in durable goods and 4.8 

percent in nondurable goods. Work in process increased 2.0 percent in durable goods and decreased 3.3 percent 

in nondurable goods. Finished goods decreased 0.6 

percent in durable goods and 4.5 percent in nondurable 

goods. 

Figures in text are in seasonally adjusted current dollars. Figures on new and unfilled orders exclude data for semiconductor manufacturing. For data, call (301) 763-4673 or go to <http://www.census.gov/m3>. The advance report on durable goods for January is scheduled for release on February 26, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. EST and the full 

report on March 5, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EST. See back page for survey description and 2009 release dates. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

 All manufacturing industries .................. 377,642 388,928 415,900 -2.9 -6.5 -3.6 370,041 372,138 431,372 420,528 5,184,609 5,081,075 2.0

 Excluding transportation ................... 331,102 342,992 367,827 -3.5 -6.8 -3.4 322,849 327,781 380,252 366,488 4,565,725 4,388,039 4.0

 Excluding defense .............................. 366,211 377,074 403,802 -2.9 -6.6 -3.7 357,264 359,884 419,444 409,651 5,044,357 4,967,067 1.6

 With unfilled orders ........................... 137,883 138,596 144,247 -0.5 -3.9 -4.2 137,712 130,637 147,079 147,853 1,789,769 1,787,073 0.2

 Durable goods industries ........................190,845 192,772 201,119 -1.0 -4.2 -3.4 189,576 181,580 208,711 208,047 2,493,817 2,562,863 -2.7

 Wood products................................. ...... 7,578 7,774 8,029 -2.5 -3.2 0.8 6,844 7,210 8,428 7,409 96,802 101,967 -5.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 8,153 8,315 8,925 -1.9 -6.8 -2.9 6,987 7,798 9,843 7,856 109,132 119,189 -8.4

 Primary metals............................ .......... 16,622 17,975 19,843 -7.5 -9.4 -10.9 14,021 15,928 20,628 17,540 255,701 241,511 5.9

 Iron and steel mills............................ 7,619 8,579 9,926 -11.2 -13.6 -15.1 6,643 7,531 10,313 8,821 130,185 114,967 13.2

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,328 7,718 8,108 -5.1 -4.8 -6.1 5,974 6,933 8,392 7,296 103,825 106,488 -2.5

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,675 1,678 1,809 -0.2 -7.2 -6.1 1,404 1,464 1,923 1,423 21,691 20,056 8.2

 Fabricated metal products...................... 25,921 26,990 27,563 -4.0 -2.1 -1.0 23,623 25,034 28,906 24,115 330,421 326,685 1.1

 Machinery............................................. 28,943 28,305 28,461 2.3 -0.5 -5.5 28,305 25,441 28,759 28,503 347,165 331,451 4.7

 Farm machinery................................. 2,418 2,563 2,646 -5.7 -3.1 -12.0 2,027 1,944 2,471 1,829 28,885 23,219 24.4

 Construction machinery..................... 2,277 2,521 2,562 -9.7 -1.6 2.5 2,257 2,191 2,638 2,324 28,866 26,605 8.5

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery........................ 1,823 1,759 1,824 3.6 -3.6 9.0 1,991 1,708 1,819 1,613 19,455 17,301 12.5

 Industrial machinery.......................... 2,688 2,741 2,682 -1.9 2.2 -3.7 3,030 2,230 3,026 3,531 34,589 38,850 -11.0

 Photographic equipment...................... 466 511 571 -8.8 -10.5 -0.7 523 561 629 646 6,502 7,392 -12.0

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 3,533 3,373 3,582 4.7 -5.8 -4.7 3,397 3,105 3,455 3,388 46,741 43,239 8.1

 Metalworking machinery..................... 2,237 2,294 2,344 -2.5 -2.1 -2.6 2,239 2,105 2,494 2,428 28,719 27,744 3.5

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 5,015 3,920 3,461 27.9 13.3 -21.4 4,742 3,723 3,480 4,171 46,297 42,021 10.2

 Material handling equipment............... 2,227 2,325 2,349 -4.2 -1.0 -0.3 2,162 2,118 2,343 2,344 29,410 27,787 5.8

 Computers and electronic products ......... 29,565 29,694 31,260 -0.4 -5.0 2.2 34,665 28,637 31,304 38,130 379,683 386,897 -1.9

 Computers........................................ 2,485 2,344 2,760 6.0 -15.1 2.2 2,768 2,146 3,161 4,161 35,303 40,838 -13.6

 Computer storage devices................... 632 579 626 9.2 -7.5 -10.8 1,160 427 370 1,199 7,932 8,241 -3.7

 Other peripheral equipment................ 1,428 1,305 1,240 9.4 5.2 -4.6 2,165 1,219 1,117 2,092 16,366 16,548 -1.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 4,679 5,079 4,692 -7.9 8.2 -4.5 6,115 5,232 3,975 6,941 60,339 62,132 -2.9

 Defense communications equipment... 631 789 766 -20.0 3.0 4.2 636 861 744 558 8,227 6,372 29.1

 Audio and video equipment.................. 549 548 600 0.2 -8.7 -4.6 702 685 776 958 7,674 9,392 -18.3

 Semiconductors ................................. 4,213 3,932 5,032 7.1 -21.9 29.0 3,966 3,537 6,330 4,560 57,968 63,849 -9.2

 Electronic components....................... 3,538 3,481 3,727 1.6 -6.6 -3.1 3,944 3,410 3,570 4,520 46,457 48,728 -4.7

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 958 871 939 10.0 -7.2 -5.0 1,027 823 877 1,036 11,612 11,870 -2.2

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,670 2,849 2,783 -6.3 2.4 2.2 2,883 2,905 2,774 3,016 32,815 31,637 3.7

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,253 7,403 7,567 -2.0 -2.2 -0.4 8,739 6,778 6,984 8,415 88,536 80,681 9.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,462 9,399 10,330 0.7 -9.0 -1.9 9,030 8,959 10,588 10,119 124,933 126,995 -1.6

 Electric lighting equipment................... 960 977 1,019 -1.7 -4.1 -0.6 999 914 1,036 1,126 12,205 13,530 -9.8

 Household appliances........................ 1,645 1,724 1,899 -4.6 -9.2 3.0 1,724 1,654 1,986 1,927 22,569 23,896 -5.6

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,334 3,107 3,427 7.3 -9.3 -2.1 3,086 2,855 3,359 3,233 41,584 40,998 1.4

 Batteries........................................... 715 696 882 2.7 -21.1 -5.2 765 872 1,004 799 9,856 8,225 19.8

 Transportation equipment...................... 46,540 45,936 48,073 1.3 -4.4 -5.4 47,192 44,357 51,120 54,040 618,884 693,036 -10.7

 Automobiles..................................... 5,719 6,158 6,427 -7.1 -4.2 -6.2 5,211 5,830 7,335 6,865 81,646 96,753 -15.6

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............ 6,684 7,083 7,232 -5.6 -2.1 -5.9 6,545 6,612 8,417 10,293 99,123 137,960 -28.2

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,412 1,343 1,263 5.1 6.3 -8.9 1,310 1,239 1,373 1,262 16,601 18,803 -11.7

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 13,865 14,472 14,597 -4.2 -0.9 -4.0 12,062 13,538 16,131 14,782 189,662 226,187 -16.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 8,042 6,134 6,861 31.1 -10.6 -10.8 9,945 6,164 6,284 10,181 96,512 101,127 -4.6

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,837 4,539 4,757 6.6 -4.6 -8.5 5,748 4,726 4,683 3,938 55,770 39,700 40.5

 Ships and boats................................. 2,108 2,156 2,227 -2.2 -3.2 8.1 2,073 2,156 2,190 2,341 27,259 26,616 2.4

 Furniture and related products................. 5,846 5,858 6,037 -0.2 -3.0 -4.6 5,630 5,701 6,245 6,480 76,322 82,266 -7.2

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 12,215 12,526 12,598 -2.5 -0.6 -0.2 13,279 12,515 12,890 13,855 154,774 152,866 1.2

 Nondurable goods industries................... 186,797 196,156 214,781 -4.8 -8.7 -3.8 180,465 190,558 222,661 212,481 2,690,792 2,518,212 6.9

 Food products....................................... 49,824 50,308 51,103 -1.0 -1.6 -1.1 49,604 51,435 53,688 49,429 610,555 573,563 6.4

 Grain and oilseed milling..................... 6,006 6,018 6,173 -0.2 -2.5 -1.2 5,744 6,187 6,704 5,318 71,951 60,731 18.5

 Dairy products.................................. 6,588 6,756 6,958 -2.5 -2.9 -1.2 6,630 6,948 7,099 7,562 86,078 86,143 -0.1

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 14,678 14,858 15,461 -1.2 -3.9 -2.2 14,162 14,938 15,690 14,452 182,586 173,441 5.3

 Beverage and tobacco products............... 11,486 11,380 11,712 0.9 -2.8 0.9 11,167 11,425 11,821 10,596 137,668 132,251 4.1

 Beverages......................................... 7,700 7,985 7,906 -3.6 1.0 0.5 7,381 8,030 8,015 7,291 93,454 89,332 4.6

 Tobacco............................................ 3,786 3,395 3,806 11.5 -10.8 1.7 3,786 3,395 3,806 3,305 44,214 42,919 3.0

 Textile mills........................................... 2,437 2,545 2,701 -4.2 -5.8 -4.0 2,109 2,456 2,825 2,648 33,578 36,587 -8.2

 Textile products................................... 1,877 1,982 2,077 -5.3 -4.6 -3.3 1,616 1,908 2,136 2,127 26,748 30,487 -12.3

 Apparel................................................ 2,467 2,493 2,505 -1.0 -0.5 -4.7 2,166 2,707 2,791 2,295 31,134 29,814 4.4

 Leather and allied products..................... 434 438 459 -0.9 -4.6 -7.5 411 408 477 489 5,696 6,299 -9.6

 Paper products...................................... 13,716 14,048 14,383 -2.4 -2.3 -2.2 13,474 13,495 14,790 13,783 172,331 168,500 2.3

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,647 6,782 6,901 -2.0 -1.7 -1.9 6,577 6,417 7,037 6,778 83,018 81,083 2.4

 Paperboard containers........................ 3,654 3,751 4,012 -2.6 -6.5 -2.4 3,466 3,577 4,291 3,727 48,242 47,721 1.1

 Printing................................................. 7,856 7,761 8,058 1.2 -3.7 -0.1 7,999 8,016 8,814 8,500 97,794 101,806 -3.9

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 29,340 35,887 46,956 -18.2 -23.6 -12.6 27,679 33,809 48,582 52,972 674,586 564,114 19.6

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 26,456 32,981 43,801 -19.8 -24.7 -13.4 25,330 31,256 44,901 51,022 639,570 532,813 20.0

 Chemical products.................................. 51,026 52,788 57,585 -3.3 -8.3 0.1 49,608 49,629 58,576 54,296 689,921 664,057 3.9

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals..................... 3,330 3,304 3,707 0.8 -10.9 -3.6 2,596 2,234 2,856 2,424 42,064 32,852 28.0

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............ 14,768 14,453 14,599 2.2 -1.0 -0.7 15,178 14,433 15,841 14,773 174,283 178,684 -2.5

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,260 2,505 2,698 -9.8 -7.2 0.7 1,878 2,141 2,821 2,391 32,462 33,954 -4.4

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 16,334 16,526 17,242 -1.2 -4.2 -3.1 14,632 15,270 18,161 15,346 210,781 210,734 0.0

p Preliminary r

 Revised NA Not available.

1

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

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

Year to date
 3

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

[Millions of Dollars]

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 1

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

All manufacturing industries 2................... 362,437 377,203 403,315 -3.9 -6.5 -6.0 367,211 359,293 415,242 446,381 5,153,328 5,131,164 0.4

 Excluding transportation 2

................... 319,445 334,138 355,543 -4.4 -6.0 -5.1 310,792 317,808 366,371 366,689 4,503,965 4,349,772 3.5

 Excluding defense 2

............................. 347,665 366,069 392,117 -5.0 -6.6 -5.2 346,106 348,633 403,905 427,386 5,002,885 5,012,496 -0.2

 With unfilled orders 2.......................... 126,891 130,803 136,694 -3.0 -4.3 -10.2 138,848 121,329 137,279 178,266 1,816,456 1,901,011 -4.4

 Durable goods industries 2..................... 175,640 181,047 188,534 -3.0 -4.0 -8.5 186,746 168,735 192,581 233,900 2,462,536 2,612,952 -5.8

 Primary metals............................ ............ 14,831 15,966 16,834 -7.1 -5.2 -16.3 12,521 14,175 16,943 18,593 246,897 241,829 2.1

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 6,204 6,667 7,436 -6.9 -10.3 -24.6 5,394 5,752 7,410 9,390 123,189 115,247 6.9

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 7,102 7,561 7,725 -6.1 -2.1 -7.0 5,867 6,863 7,767 7,800 102,181 106,563 -4.1

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 1,525 1,738 1,673 -12.3 3.9 -13.8 1,260 1,560 1,766 1,403 21,527 20,019 7.5

 Fabricated metal products...................... 24,987 26,058 26,667 -4.1 -2.3 -2.9 22,433 23,184 27,404 25,230 327,648 330,855 -1.0

 Machinery............................................. 24,948 26,449 27,206 -5.7 -2.8 -11.2 23,596 23,800 28,046 30,643 354,992 343,454 3.4

 Construction machinery....................... 1,239 1,711 1,875 -27.6 -8.7 -35.8 1,399 1,570 1,990 2,600 30,366 26,920 12.8

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 1,550 1,794 1,805 -13.6 -0.6 -6.9 1,482 1,888 1,865 1,979 21,751 17,851 21.8

 Industrial machinery............................ 2,080 2,083 2,282 -0.1 -8.7 -14.9 1,901 1,523 3,005 3,424 34,117 40,754 -16.3

 Photographic equipment...................... 501 501 586 0.0 -14.5 -20.5 502 506 637 551 6,802 7,278 -6.5

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 2,784 3,193 3,846 -12.8 -17.0 7.3 2,334 2,875 3,666 4,158 49,388 48,154 2.6

 Metalworking machinery....................... 2,030 2,071 2,163 -2.0 -4.3 -10.3 1,858 1,868 2,349 2,529 28,891 29,071 -0.6

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 4,249 4,584 3,826 -7.3 19.8 -12.7 4,559 4,386 3,615 4,820 47,464 42,575 11.5

 Material handling equipment............... 1,969 2,045 2,069 -3.7 -1.2 -9.5 2,097 1,925 1,963 2,534 28,765 28,945 -0.6

 Computers and electronic products 2...... 24,903 26,646 25,627 -6.5 4.0 -4.9 31,357 25,223 24,677 35,222 324,410 330,062 -1.7

 Computers........................................ 2,574 2,891 2,426 -11.0 19.2 -10.8 2,857 2,693 2,827 4,315 35,812 41,070 -12.8

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 4,417 4,872 4,961 -9.3 -1.8 10.4 5,538 4,642 4,539 6,918 59,790 62,584 -4.5

 Defense communications equipment... 730 668 738 9.3 -9.5 -4.8 1,045 623 664 940 8,929 7,287 22.5

 Semiconductors 2

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

 Electronic components....................... 3,278 3,387 3,548 -3.2 -4.5 -7.7 3,676 3,070 3,380 4,297 46,243 48,984 -5.6

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 884 2,030 1,025 -56.5 98.0 12.3 944 1,909 937 877 13,667 12,920 5.8

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,364 2,811 2,476 -15.9 13.5 -22.8 3,472 2,924 2,396 4,068 32,627 32,918 -0.9

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,518 7,041 7,459 6.8 -5.6 -4.7 9,238 6,417 7,045 8,884 88,916 83,509 6.5

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 9,397 8,662 9,155 8.5 -5.4 -10.2 8,518 8,026 9,436 9,711 123,639 128,209 -3.6

 Electric lighting equipment................... 861 817 715 5.4 14.3 -36.7 883 670 675 1,123 11,839 13,892 -14.8

 Household appliances.......................... 1,648 1,675 1,673 -1.6 0.1 -10.6 1,598 1,616 1,792 1,729 22,330 23,958 -6.8

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,351 2,696 3,050 24.3 -11.6 -8.4 2,686 2,434 3,074 2,707 41,299 42,692 -3.3

 Transportation equipment........................ 42,992 43,065 47,772 -0.2 -9.9 -12.8 56,419 41,485 48,871 79,692 649,363 781,392 -16.9

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 13,205 14,001 14,292 -5.7 -2.0 -4.1 11,750 13,234 15,695 15,069 186,682 224,319 -16.8

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 2,720 4,840 9,003 -43.8 -46.2 -8.7 13,479 5,350 6,118 28,458 124,002 184,484 -32.8

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 5,793 4,982 5,356 16.3 -7.0 -8.3 7,952 5,087 5,166 8,079 60,701 40,855 48.6

 Ships and boats................................. 3,844 1,705 1,346 125.5 26.7 -64.5 4,725 1,462 1,357 2,880 29,104 27,057 7.6

 Furniture and related products................. 5,693 5,450 5,647 4.5 -3.5 -6.8 4,849 5,183 5,969 5,682 75,330 82,363 -8.5

 Nondurable goods industries.................. 186,797 196,156 214,781 -4.8 -8.7 -3.8 180,465 190,558 222,661 212,481 2,690,792 2,518,212 6.9

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

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. Dec.

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

All manufacturing industries 1................... 801,887 812,879 820,672 -1.4 -0.9 -0.9 798,503 797,367 806,675 771,816 3.5

 Excluding transportation 1................... 338,199 345,643 350,565 -2.2 -1.4 -2.0 331,229 339,320 345,756 335,021 -1.1

 Excluding defense 1............................. 640,850 655,183 662,256 -2.2 -1.1 -1.0 637,003 644,195 651,909 620,507 2.7

 Durable goods industries 1..................... 801,887 812,879 820,672 -1.4 -0.9 -0.9 798,503 797,367 806,675 771,816 3.5

 Primary metals........................................ 19,403 21,194 23,203 -8.5 -8.7 -11.5 18,459 19,959 21,712 27,263 -32.3

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 10,068 11,483 13,395 -12.3 -14.3 -15.7 9,454 10,703 12,482 16,450 -42.5

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 6,502 6,728 6,885 -3.4 -2.3 -5.3 6,233 6,340 6,410 7,877 -20.9

 Ferrous metal foundries...................... 2,833 2,983 2,923 -5.0 2.1 -4.4 2,772 2,916 2,820 2,936 -5.6

 Fabricated metal products...................... 58,794 59,728 60,660 -1.6 -1.5 -1.5 56,646 57,836 59,686 59,419 -4.7

 Machinery............................................. 100,219 104,214 106,070 -3.8 -1.7 -1.2 98,214 102,923 104,564 90,387 8.7

 Construction machinery....................... 13,028 14,066 14,876 -7.4 -5.4 -4.4 12,576 13,434 14,055 11,076 13.5

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery........................ 7,180 7,453 7,418 -3.7 0.5 -0.3 7,127 7,636 7,456 4,831 47.5

 Industrial machinery............................ 15,118 15,726 16,384 -3.9 -4.0 -2.4 14,439 15,568 16,275 14,911 -3.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,896 1,861 1,871 1.9 -0.5 0.8 1,806 1,827 1,882 1,506 19.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 16,399 17,148 17,328 -4.4 -1.0 1.5 16,145 17,208 17,438 13,498 19.6

 Metalworking machinery....................... 8,114 8,321 8,544 -2.5 -2.6 -2.1 7,851 8,232 8,469 7,679 2.2

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment....... 14,620 15,386 14,722 -5.0 4.5 2.5 14,695 14,878 14,215 13,528 8.6

 Material handling equipment............... 9,315 9,573 9,853 -2.7 -2.8 -2.8 9,261 9,326 9,519 9,906 -6.5

 Computers and electronic products 1...... 124,995 125,444 124,560 -0.4 0.7 -0.5 124,462 123,804 123,681 121,767 2.2

 Computers......................................... 4,226 4,137 3,590 2.2 15.2 -8.5 4,226 4,137 3,590 3,717 13.7

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 28,914 29,176 29,383 -0.9 -0.7 0.9 28,178 28,755 29,345 28,727 -1.9

 Defense communications equipment... 8,225 8,126 8,247 1.2 -1.5 -0.3 8,392 7,983 8,221 7,690 9.1

 Semiconductors 1

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

 Electronic components....................... 10,256 10,516 10,610 -2.5 -0.9 -1.7 10,042 10,310 10,650 10,256 -2.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 8,777 8,851 7,692 -0.8 15.1 1.1 8,656 8,739 7,653 6,601 31.1

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 36,758 37,064 37,102 -0.8 -0.1 -0.8 37,013 36,424 36,405 37,201 -0.5

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 27,839 27,574 27,936 1.0 -1.3 -0.4 27,955 27,456 27,817 27,575 1.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 22,629 22,694 23,431 -0.3 -3.1 -4.8 21,770 22,282 23,215 23,064 -5.6

 Electric lighting equipment................... 2,151 2,250 2,410 -4.4 -6.6 -11.2 1,990 2,106 2,350 2,356 -15.5

 Household appliances.......................... 429 426 475 0.7 -10.3 -32.2 333 459 497 572 -41.8

 Electrical equipment............................ 14,874 14,857 15,268 0.1 -2.7 -2.4 14,444 14,844 15,265 14,729 -1.9

 Transportation equipment........................ 463,688 467,236 470,107 -0.8 -0.6 -0.1 467,274 458,047 460,919 436,795 7.0

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 15,606 16,266 16,737 -4.1 -2.8 -1.8 15,585 15,897 16,201 18,565 -16.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts.............. 304,633 309,955 311,249 -1.7 -0.4 0.7 308,105 304,571 305,385 280,615 9.8

 Defense aircraft and parts................... 48,468 47,512 47,069 2.0 0.9 1.3 48,233 46,029 45,668 43,302 11.4

 Ships and boats................................. 21,957 20,221 20,672 8.6 -2.2 -4.1 21,848 19,196 19,890 20,003 9.2

 Furniture and related products................. 6,253 6,406 6,814 -2.4 -6.0 -5.4 5,772 6,553 7,071 6,764 -14.7

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

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. Dec.

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

 All manufacturing industries ..................... 544,301 552,253 554,990 -1.4 -0.5 -0.6 529,521 552,910 559,181 515,952 2.6

 Excluding transportation ...................... 448,835 459,546 464,854 -2.3 -1.1 -1.0 438,088 459,509 467,986 437,775 0.1

 Excluding defense ............................. 519,057 527,012 530,218 -1.5 -0.6 -0.7 504,647 527,653 534,309 492,697 2.4

 With unfilled orders ............................. 275,987 274,582 273,466 0.5 0.4 0.3 267,964 275,375 274,776 247,138 8.4

 Durable goods industries ........................ 343,484 342,259 341,168 0.4 0.3 0.4 333,452 343,203 342,379 311,601 7.0

 Wood products................................. ....... 10,310 10,397 10,606 -0.8 -2.0 -0.4 10,303 10,460 10,757 11,106 -7.2

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 11,948 12,025 12,069 -0.6 -0.4 0.4 11,691 11,649 11,679 11,582 0.9

 Primary metals............................ ............ 32,182 33,651 34,793 -4.4 -3.3 -1.1 31,935 33,633 34,682 30,577 4.4

 Iron and steel mills............................... 18,733 19,721 20,272 -5.0 -2.7 -0.3 18,746 19,857 20,315 16,380 14.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,707 11,152 11,691 -4.0 -4.6 -2.9 10,460 10,985 11,545 11,582 -9.7

 Ferrous metal foundries........................ 2,742 2,778 2,830 -1.3 -1.8 1.4 2,729 2,791 2,822 2,615 4.4

 Fabricated metal products......................... 43,714 44,410 44,726 -1.6 -0.7 -0.5 42,718 43,870 44,579 41,384 3.2

 Machinery.............................................. 55,310 55,190 54,869 0.2 0.6 0.4 53,514 55,527 54,710 50,487 6.0

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,468 3,486 3,310 -0.5 5.3 4.4 3,515 3,455 2,953 2,872 22.4

 Construction machinery........................ 5,706 5,639 5,649 1.2 -0.2 -1.9 5,504 5,624 5,647 5,062 8.7

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 4,710 4,656 4,684 1.2 -0.6 2.2 4,528 4,647 4,659 4,009 12.9

 Industrial machinery............................. 6,847 6,920 6,900 -1.1 0.3 -0.1 6,636 7,053 6,776 6,334 4.8

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,436 1,396 1,352 2.9 3.3 0.7 1,363 1,406 1,364 1,229 10.9

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,778 4,787 4,800 -0.2 -0.3 -0.2 4,377 4,758 4,820 4,415 -0.9

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,329 5,295 5,298 0.6 -0.1 0.8 5,153 5,362 5,414 5,012 2.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 6,066 6,130 6,130 -1.0 0.0 0.8 5,797 6,345 6,353 5,561 4.2

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,425 3,371 3,405 1.6 -1.0 -1.0 3,305 3,385 3,430 3,096 6.8

 Computers and electronic products ......... 48,125 47,478 47,419 1.4 0.1 0.8 46,782 48,250 48,086 43,788 6.8

 Computers......................................... 1,262 1,220 1,179 3.4 3.5 -10.1 1,266 1,263 1,145 1,489 -15.0

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,692 1,571 1,552 7.7 1.2 -1.7 1,506 1,653 1,606 1,356 11.1

 Other peripheral equipment................... 2,301 2,147 2,122 7.2 1.2 -1.2 2,152 2,227 2,184 1,861 15.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 8,465 8,114 8,087 4.3 0.3 0.9 8,345 8,486 8,243 8,060 3.5

 Defense communications equipment...... 1,798 1,802 1,719 -0.2 4.8 5.3 1,798 1,802 1,719 1,158 55.3

 Audio and video equipment.................. 876 892 903 -1.8 -1.2 -0.6 861 992 1,016 923 -6.7

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

 Electronic components.......................... 6,557 6,746 6,700 -2.8 0.7 0.5 6,357 6,791 6,799 6,359 0.0

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 5,043 5,026 5,252 0.3 -4.3 2.2 4,871 4,957 5,401 4,399 10.7

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 3,648 3,624 3,685 0.7 -1.7 2.0 3,559 3,603 3,691 3,279 8.5

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 10,928 10,740 10,727 1.8 0.1 0.6 10,673 10,917 10,807 9,970 7.1

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 14,925 14,940 15,172 -0.1 -1.5 -1.3 14,427 14,789 15,021 14,391 0.3

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,724 1,743 1,755 -1.1 -0.7 -0.4 1,623 1,705 1,701 1,642 -1.2

 Household appliances.......................... 1,962 1,998 2,018 -1.8 -1.0 -2.6 1,765 1,993 2,088 1,834 -3.8

 Electrical equipment............................. 5,152 5,117 5,284 0.7 -3.2 -1.2 5,151 5,166 5,212 5,136 0.3

 Batteries............................................ 792 778 745 1.8 4.4 16.4 719 739 750 672 7.0

 Transportation equipment......................... 95,466 92,707 90,136 3.0 2.9 1.8 91,433 93,401 91,195 78,177 17.0

 Automobiles....................................... 2,532 2,550 2,608 -0.7 -2.2 1.6 2,233 2,532 2,563 2,445 -8.7

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 2,215 2,429 2,584 -8.8 -6.0 0.6 1,923 2,512 2,691 2,802 -31.4

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,602 1,683 1,674 -4.8 0.5 4.2 1,514 1,700 1,730 1,319 14.8

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 15,392 15,710 15,971 -2.0 -1.6 -1.2 14,861 15,660 15,894 16,791 -11.5

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 47,678 44,281 41,947 7.7 5.6 3.4 45,545 44,871 42,721 31,154 46.2

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 14,590 14,718 14,292 -0.9 3.0 2.4 14,371 14,724 14,397 13,213 8.8

 Ships and boats.................................. 2,809 2,932 2,947 -4.2 -0.5 2.3 2,763 2,937 2,931 2,915 -5.2

 Furniture and related products................. 7,634 7,738 7,788 -1.3 -0.6 -1.1 7,399 7,705 7,744 7,847 -5.7

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 23,870 23,723 23,590 0.6 0.6 0.5 23,250 23,919 23,926 22,262 4.4

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 200,817 209,994 213,822 -4.4 -1.8 -2.2 196,069 209,707 216,802 204,351 -4.1

 Food products........................................ 36,945 37,109 37,215 -0.4 -0.3 0.2 36,628 38,373 39,447 36,436 0.5

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 4,690 4,736 4,741 -1.0 -0.1 1.5 4,644 4,825 5,089 4,687 -0.9

 Dairy products.................................... 4,477 4,502 4,463 -0.6 0.9 0.9 4,147 4,314 4,452 4,276 -3.0

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 7,389 7,546 7,546 -2.1 0.0 -1.3 7,221 7,702 7,676 7,213 0.1

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 15,189 15,166 15,145 0.2 0.1 0.1 15,099 15,496 15,721 14,899 1.3

 Beverages......................................... 11,344 11,339 11,285 0.0 0.5 0.0 11,136 11,577 11,793 10,933 1.9

 Tobacco............................................ 3,845 3,827 3,860 0.5 -0.9 0.3 3,963 3,919 3,928 3,966 -0.1

 Textile mills............................................ 3,658 3,706 3,711 -1.3 -0.1 0.2 3,631 3,676 3,676 3,729 -2.6

 Textile products...................................... 3,218 3,265 3,302 -1.4 -1.1 0.0 3,123 3,238 3,322 3,239 -3.6

 Apparel................................................. 4,249 4,335 4,396 -2.0 -1.4 -1.2 4,080 4,154 4,441 4,220 -3.3

 Leather and allied products...................... 1,074 1,054 1,027 1.9 2.6 0.7 1,044 1,048 1,021 992 5.2

 Paper products....................................... 15,284 15,706 15,775 -2.7 -0.4 1.5 15,142 15,624 15,614 15,221 -0.5

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 6,640 6,806 6,912 -2.4 -1.5 1.0 6,613 6,803 6,799 6,773 -2.4

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,242 4,490 4,440 -5.5 1.1 3.2 4,235 4,419 4,373 4,150 2.0

 Printing.................................................. 6,918 6,822 6,670 1.4 2.3 -0.8 6,492 6,817 6,935 6,631 -2.1

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 26,755 31,916 34,773 -16.2 -8.2 -12.8 24,829 31,375 35,777 33,008 -24.8

 Petroleum refineries............................. 24,010 29,116 32,044 -17.5 -9.1 -14.0 22,243 28,647 33,056 30,755 -27.7

 Chemical products..................................... 66,274 68,439 68,995 -3.2 -0.8 0.3 65,044 67,837 68,280 64,505 0.8

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 3,302 3,688 3,541 -10.5 4.2 4.6 3,542 3,678 3,275 3,113 13.8

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 24,739 24,150 24,034 2.4 0.5 0.6 24,023 24,054 24,082 22,015 9.1

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,051 3,098 3,139 -1.5 -1.3 -0.8 2,863 2,974 3,009 2,934 -2.4

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 21,253 22,476 22,813 -5.4 -1.5 -0.4 20,957 22,069 22,568 21,471 -2.4

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

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. 2008/

2008p 2008r 2008 Dec. Nov. Oct. 2008p 2008r 2008 2007 2008p 2007 2007

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries .................. 377,642 388,928 415,900 -2.9 -6.5 -3.6 370,041 372,138 431,372 420,528 5,184,609 5,081,075 2.0

 Construction materials and supplies...... 40,056 41,000 42,812 -2.3 -4.2 -1.7 35,687 37,866 45,630 37,708 520,305 533,380 -2.5

 Information technology......................... 25,088 25,687 26,175 -2.3 -1.9 -1.7 29,734 24,915 25,236 32,730 320,479 322,058 -0.5

 Computers and related products .......... 4,545 4,228 4,626 7.5 -8.6 -1.6 6,093 3,792 4,648 7,452 59,601 65,627 -9.2

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 27,680 29,056 29,519 -4.7 -1.6 -5.2 25,128 27,219 33,256 33,202 387,032 479,703 -19.3

 Capital goods...................................... 73,620 72,244 73,765 1.9 -2.1 -3.9 79,537 68,444 72,868 82,300 907,457 889,599 2.0

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 65,134 63,155 64,469 3.1 -2.0 -4.5 70,479 59,005 63,669 73,755 800,074 796,439 0.5

 Excluding aircraft............................. 60,790 60,425 61,218 0.6 -1.3 -3.7 64,528 56,249 60,782 67,794 748,783 739,632 1.2

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 8,486 9,089 9,296 -6.6 -2.2 1.0 9,058 9,439 9,199 8,545 107,383 93,160 15.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 144,203 152,359 165,659 -5.4 -8.0 -5.2 142,124 150,368 173,854 174,679 2,121,030 2,037,553 4.1

 Consumer durable goods..................... 25,272 26,513 27,496 -4.7 -3.6 -4.3 25,195 25,593 30,057 32,777 354,120 418,456 -15.4

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 118,931 125,846 138,163 -5.5 -8.9 -5.4 116,929 124,775 143,797 141,902 1,766,910 1,619,097 9.1

 All manufacturing industries 5

................. 362,437 377,203 403,315 -3.9 -6.5 -6.0 367,211 359,293 415,242 446,381 5,153,328 5,131,164 0.4

 Construction materials and supplies...... 38,533 39,942 42,236 -3.5 -5.4 -1.9 33,594 36,118 44,514 38,832 520,164 540,104 -3.7

 Information technology......................... 24,948 26,538 25,500 -6.0 4.1 -4.7 30,769 25,093 24,825 34,829 323,284 327,798 -1.4

 Computers and related products .......... 4,634 4,775 4,292 -3.0 11.3 -9.1 6,182 4,339 4,314 7,606 60,110 65,859 -8.7

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 27,020 28,585 29,214 -5.5 -2.2 -5.2 24,816 26,915 32,820 33,489 384,052 477,835 -19.6

 Capital goods...................................... 67,757 68,653 71,326 -1.3 -3.7 -10.9 85,697 64,347 69,652 108,064 945,825 988,684 -4.3

 Nondefense capital goods 3

.................. 56,363 60,140 63,487 -6.3 -5.3 -6.5 68,985 56,392 61,514 91,579 830,481 891,459 -6.8

 Excluding aircraft............................. 57,110 58,995 58,373 -3.2 1.1 -6.7 59,635 54,271 58,930 68,869 754,133 755,394 -0.2

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 11,394 8,513 7,839 33.8 8.6 -35.4 16,712 7,955 8,138 16,485 115,344 97,225 18.6

 Consumer goods.................................. 144,150 152,342 165,382 -5.4 -7.9 -5.4 141,769 150,386 173,643 174,119 2,119,772 2,037,940 4.0

 Consumer durable goods..................... 25,219 26,496 27,219 -4.8 -2.7 -5.2 24,840 25,611 29,846 32,217 352,862 418,843 -15.8

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 118,931 125,846 138,163 -5.5 -8.9 -5.4 116,929 124,775 143,797 141,902 1,766,910 1,619,097 9.1

 All manufacturing industries 5................. 801,887 812,879 820,672 -1.4 -0.9 -0.9 798,503 797,367 806,675 771,816 (X) (X) 3.5

 Construction materials and supplies...... 52,141 53,664 54,722 -2.8 -1.9 -1.0 50,427 52,520 54,268 50,568 (X) (X) -0.3

 Information technology......................... 121,810 121,950 121,099 -0.1 0.7 -0.6 121,229 120,194 120,016 118,424 (X) (X) 2.4

 Computers and related products .......... 4,226 4,137 3,590 2.2 15.2 -8.5 4,226 4,137 3,590 3,717 (X) (X) 13.7

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 15,606 16,266 16,737 -4.1 -2.8 -1.8 15,585 15,897 16,201 18,565 (X) (X) -16.1

 Capital goods...................................... 613,012 618,875 622,466 -0.9 -0.6 -0.4 613,825 607,665 611,762 575,457 (X) (X) 6.7

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................469,182 477,953 480,968 -1.8 -0.6 -0.2 469,222 470,716 473,329 438,815 (X) (X) 6.9

 Excluding aircraft............................. 197,922 201,602 203,032 -1.8 -0.7 -1.4 194,134 199,027 201,005 188,784 (X) (X) 2.8

 Defense capital goods 4

....................... 143,830 140,922 141,498 2.1 -0.4 -1.0 144,603 136,949 138,433 136,642 (X) (X) 5.8

 Consumer goods.................................. 8,124 8,177 8,194 -0.6 -0.2 -3.3 7,906 8,261 8,243 9,164 (X) (X) -13.7

 Consumer durable goods..................... 8,124 8,177 8,194 -0.6 -0.2 -3.3 7,906 8,261 8,243 9,164 (X) (X) -13.7 

 All manufacturing industries .................. 544,301 552,253 554,990 -1.4 -0.5 -0.6 529,521 552,910 559,181 515,952 (X) (X) 2.6

 Construction materials and supplies...... 59,876 60,490 61,017 -1.0 -0.9 -0.3 58,103 59,544 60,626 57,949 (X) (X) 0.3

 Information technology......................... 43,190 42,293 42,404 2.1 -0.3 0.1 41,990 42,952 42,916 39,288 (X) (X) 6.9

 Computers and related products .......... 5,255 4,938 4,853 6.4 1.8 -3.7 4,924 5,143 4,935 4,706 (X) (X) 4.6

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 21,741 22,372 22,837 -2.8 -2.0 -0.3 20,531 22,404 22,878 23,357 (X) (X) -12.1

 Capital goods...................................... 167,259 163,341 161,112 2.4 1.4 1.2 162,155 164,972 162,214 142,487 (X) (X) 13.8

 Nondefense capital goods 3..................147,646 143,768 141,864 2.7 1.3 1.1 142,693 145,389 142,971 124,001 (X) (X) 15.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 109,919 108,983 108,972 0.9 0.0 0.3 106,690 110,119 109,464 100,652 (X) (X) 6.0

 Defense capital goods 4....................... 19,613 19,573 19,248 0.2 1.7 2.0 19,462 19,583 19,243 18,486 (X) (X) 5.3

 Consumer goods.................................. 150,122 155,389 158,668 -3.4 -2.1 -3.0 145,451 156,486 162,905 152,757 (X) (X) -4.8

 Consumer durable goods..................... 28,320 28,586 28,731 -0.9 -0.5 0.0 26,992 28,851 29,123 28,034 (X) (X) -3.7

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 121,802 126,803 129,937 -3.9 -2.4 -3.6 118,459 127,635 133,782 124,723 (X) (X) -5.0

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

Dec. Nov. Oct. Nov. - Oct. - Sep. - Dec. Nov. Oct. Dec. Dec.

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

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 184,115 188,292 190,387 -2.2 -1.1 -1.2 182,559 188,545 191,669 180,578 1.1

 Durable goods industries........................ 115,956 116,700 116,603 -0.6 0.1 0.2 115,228 117,633 117,376 108,656 6.0

 Wood products................................... 4,256 4,268 4,322 -0.3 -1.2 -0.1 4,535 4,576 4,658 4,712 -3.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,630 4,702 4,890 -1.5 -3.8 -0.3 4,609 4,675 4,873 4,611 0.0

 Primary metals.................................... 14,368 14,340 14,084 0.2 1.8 2.6 14,678 14,591 14,337 11,522 27.4

 Fabricated metal products..................... 16,350 16,928 17,082 -3.4 -0.9 -0.7 16,335 16,792 16,992 15,386 6.2

 Machinery.......................................... 21,201 21,537 21,322 -1.6 1.0 1.2 20,780 21,651 21,429 19,472 6.7

 Computers and electronic products ...... 15,398 15,376 15,612 0.1 -1.5 -0.2 15,279 15,639 15,752 15,555 -1.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 5,853 5,894 6,094 -0.7 -3.3 -1.8 5,824 5,875 6,016 5,827 -0.1

 Transportation equipment..................... 22,454 22,288 21,894 0.7 1.8 0.3 21,910 22,461 22,021 20,574 6.5

 Furniture and related products............... 3,693 3,725 3,697 -0.9 0.8 -2.4 3,640 3,699 3,656 3,734 -2.5

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,753 7,642 7,606 1.5 0.5 -0.2 7,638 7,674 7,642 7,263 5.2

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 68,159 71,592 73,784 -4.8 -3.0 -3.3 67,331 70,912 74,293 71,922 -6.4

 Food products.................................... 13,477 13,516 13,712 -0.3 -1.4 1.0 13,523 13,849 14,276 13,620 -0.7

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,400 4,476 4,537 -1.7 -1.3 1.2 4,559 4,503 4,525 4,606 -1.0

 Textiles.............................................. 1,116 1,146 1,169 -2.6 -2.0 0.6 1,118 1,129 1,147 1,208 -7.5

 Textile products.................................. 1,239 1,296 1,336 -4.4 -3.0 0.8 1,223 1,288 1,338 1,257 -2.7

 Apparel............................................. 1,027 1,030 1,024 -0.3 0.6 -4.4 1,037 1,004 1,025 1,109 -6.5

 Leather and allied products................... 358 356 366 0.6 -2.7 0.5 354 358 369 408 -13.2

 Paper products.................................... 7,329 7,481 7,567 -2.0 -1.1 1.3 7,314 7,479 7,545 7,189 1.7

 Printing ............................................. 3,201 3,137 3,013 2.0 4.1 -2.1 3,095 3,107 3,036 3,098 -0.1

 Petroleum and coal products................ 7,584 10,121 10,984 -25.1 -7.9 -9.8 7,038 9,640 11,207 10,552 -33.3

 Chemical products................................ 19,996 20,197 20,951 -1.0 -3.6 -6.2 19,610 19,841 20,743 20,262 -3.2

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 8,432 8,836 9,125 -4.6 -3.2 -1.6 8,460 8,714 9,082 8,613 -1.8

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 167,618 166,349 165,668 0.8 0.4 -0.3 161,707 167,865 168,140 146,591 10.3

 Durable goods industries........................ 130,621 128,071 126,385 2.0 1.3 1.3 125,633 128,711 127,496 109,639 14.6

 Wood products................................... 1,842 1,918 1,956 -4.0 -1.9 0.6 1,798 1,899 1,932 1,961 -8.3

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,410 1,408 1,387 0.1 1.5 2.5 1,332 1,318 1,310 1,256 6.1

 Primary metals.................................... 9,240 10,019 10,561 -7.8 -5.1 -2.4 8,849 9,948 10,435 9,610 -7.9

 Fabricated metal products..................... 13,383 13,418 13,467 -0.3 -0.4 0.7 12,927 13,333 13,594 12,610 2.5

 Machinery.......................................... 15,851 15,466 15,561 2.5 -0.6 -0.9 14,901 15,746 15,731 13,519 10.2

 Computers and electronic products ...... 22,156 21,857 21,660 1.4 0.9 2.1 21,270 22,255 22,028 18,558 14.6

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 3,164 3,165 3,208 0.0 -1.3 0.3 3,014 3,064 3,126 3,007 0.2

 Transportation equipment..................... 58,932 56,103 53,819 5.0 4.2 2.7 57,087 56,398 54,528 44,584 28.0

 Furniture and related products............... 1,214 1,241 1,262 -2.2 -1.7 -2.3 1,197 1,232 1,248 1,274 -6.0

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,429 3,476 3,504 -1.4 -0.8 0.3 3,258 3,518 3,564 3,260 -0.1

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 36,997 38,278 39,283 -3.3 -2.6 -4.9 36,074 39,154 40,644 36,952 -2.4

 Food products.................................... 2,301 2,431 2,535 -5.3 -4.1 7.3 2,482 2,879 3,069 2,682 -7.5

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 4,201 4,178 4,201 0.6 -0.5 -1.6 4,504 4,525 4,531 4,590 -1.9

 Textiles.............................................. 827 881 881 -6.1 0.0 -3.1 810 883 886 892 -9.2

 Textile products.................................. 404 401 421 0.7 -4.8 1.0 375 402 425 398 -5.8

 Apparel............................................. 625 629 640 -0.6 -1.7 -1.8 592 614 644 642 -7.8

 Leather and allied products................... 112 114 106 -1.8 7.5 10.4 106 109 102 84 26.2

 Paper products.................................... 1,461 1,579 1,561 -7.5 1.2 0.7 1,455 1,553 1,534 1,545 -5.8

 Printing ............................................. 1,722 1,681 1,643 2.4 2.3 -2.0 1,528 1,718 1,820 1,653 -7.6

 Petroleum and coal products................ 7,159 8,694 9,354 -17.7 -7.1 -23.7 6,552 8,755 9,790 9,443 -30.6

 Chemical products................................ 15,764 15,151 15,399 4.0 -1.6 5.6 15,309 15,206 15,325 12,549 22.0

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 2,421 2,539 2,542 -4.6 -0.1 -0.8 2,361 2,510 2,518 2,474 -4.6

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 192,568 197,612 198,935 -2.6 -0.7 -0.3 185,255 196,500 199,372 188,783 -1.9

 Durable goods industries........................ 96,907 97,488 98,180 -0.6 -0.7 -0.4 92,591 96,859 97,507 93,306 -0.8

 Wood products................................... 4,212 4,211 4,328 0.0 -2.7 -1.1 3,970 3,985 4,167 4,433 -10.4

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,908 5,915 5,792 -0.1 2.1 0.5 5,750 5,656 5,496 5,715 0.6

 Primary metals.................................... 8,574 9,292 10,148 -7.7 -8.4 -4.4 8,408 9,094 9,910 9,445 -11.0

 Fabricated metal products..................... 13,981 14,064 14,177 -0.6 -0.8 -1.3 13,456 13,745 13,993 13,388 0.5

 Machinery.......................................... 18,258 18,187 17,986 0.4 1.1 0.7 17,833 18,130 17,550 17,496 1.9

 Computers and electronic products ...... 10,571 10,245 10,147 3.2 1.0 -0.2 10,233 10,356 10,306 9,675 5.8

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................... 5,908 5,881 5,870 0.5 0.2 -1.6 5,589 5,850 5,879 5,557 0.6

 Transportation equipment..................... 14,080 14,316 14,423 -1.6 -0.7 0.7 12,436 14,542 14,646 13,019 -4.5

 Furniture and related products............... 2,727 2,772 2,829 -1.6 -2.0 1.2 2,562 2,774 2,840 2,839 -9.8

 Miscellaneous products........................ 12,688 12,605 12,480 0.7 1.0 1.0 12,354 12,727 12,720 11,739 5.2

 Nondurable goods industries.................... 95,661 100,124 100,755 -4.5 -0.6 -0.2 92,664 99,641 101,865 95,477 -2.9

 Food products.................................... 21,167 21,162 20,968 0.0 0.9 -1.1 20,623 21,645 22,102 20,134 2.4

 Beverage and tobacco products............. 6,588 6,512 6,407 1.2 1.6 0.3 6,036 6,468 6,665 5,703 5.8

 Textiles.............................................. 1,715 1,679 1,661 2.1 1.1 1.8 1,703 1,664 1,643 1,629 4.5

 Textile products.................................. 1,575 1,568 1,545 0.4 1.5 -0.9 1,525 1,548 1,559 1,584 -3.7

 Apparel............................................. 2,597 2,676 2,732 -3.0 -2.0 0.3 2,451 2,536 2,772 2,469 -0.7

 Leather and allied products................... 604 584 555 3.4 5.2 -0.9 584 581 550 500 16.8

 Paper products.................................... 6,494 6,646 6,647 -2.3 0.0 1.9 6,373 6,592 6,535 6,487 -1.8

 Printing ............................................. 1,995 2,004 2,014 -0.4 -0.5 2.3 1,869 1,992 2,079 1,880 -0.6

 Petroleum and coal products................ 12,012 13,101 14,435 -8.3 -9.2 -6.4 11,239 12,980 14,780 13,013 -13.6

 Chemical products................................ 30,514 33,091 32,645 -7.8 1.4 2.4 30,125 32,790 32,212 31,694 -5.0

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 10,400 11,101 11,146 -6.3 -0.4 0.7 10,136 10,845 10,968 10,384 -2.4

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 Dec Nov Oct Sep Dec Nov Oct Sep

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

 All manufacturing industries2

...................... 1.44 1.42 1.33 1.29 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

.................................. 1.80 1.78 1.70 1.63 5.82 5.87 5.69 5.50

 Wood products.............................................. 1.36 1.34 1.32 1.34 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.47 1.45 1.35 1.31 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.94 1.87 1.75 1.58 1.17 1.18 1.17 1.18

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.69 1.65 1.62 1.61 2.34 2.28 2.28 2.28

 Machinery..................................................... 1.91 1.95 1.93 1.81 3.86 4.14 4.20 4.06

 Computers and electronic products 2

................ 1.63 1.60 1.52 1.54 5.63 5.50 5.36 5.32

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.58 1.59 1.47 1.46 2.59 2.61 2.48 2.56

 Transportation equipment.............................. 2.05 2.02 1.87 1.74 14.17 14.90 14.18 13.48

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.31 1.32 1.29 1.24 1.21 1.24 1.27 1.29

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.95 1.89 1.87 1.86 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 1.08 1.07 1.00 0.98 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.74 0.74 0.73 0.72 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.32 1.33 1.29 1.30 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.50 1.46 1.37 1.32 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.71 1.65 1.59 1.54 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 1.72 1.74 1.75 1.69 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.47 2.41 2.24 2.06 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 1.11 1.12 1.10 1.06 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing......................................................... 0.88 0.88 0.83 0.83 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.91 0.89 0.74 0.74 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.30 1.30 1.20 1.20 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.30 1.36 1.32 1.29 (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.

Dec2 Dec2 Dec2 Dec2

Industry 2007- 2007- 2007- 2007-

Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov Dec1 Nov

2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008

 All manufacturing industries.......... (X) 0.3 (X) 0.6 (X) 0.2 (X) 0.1

Durable goods industries....................... -0.3 0.5 -0.4 0.9 -0.1 0.2 0.0 0.1

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.7 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

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

 Primary metals.................................... -0.1 0.6 -0.2 1.1 -0.1 0.6 -0.4 0.3

 Fabricated metal products................... -0.7 0.5 -0.5 1.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.2

 Machinery.......................................... -0.2 0.4 -0.7 1.6 -0.2 0.5 0.0 0.2

 Computers and electronic products ..... -0.3 1.0 0.7 0.9 -0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. -0.8 0.6 -0.9 3.6 0.0 1.5 0.1 0.5

 Transportation equipment................... 0.0 0.6 -0.8 1.4 -0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

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

 Miscellaneous products...................... (X) 0.7 (X) 0.9 (X) 0.8 (X) 0.2

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

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

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

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

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

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Leather and allied products.................. (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.1

 Petroleum and coal products............... (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.8

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

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

X Not Applicable NA Not Available

1

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

 publication.

2

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

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

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

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes

[Based on Seasonally Adjusted data]

Shipments New Orders Unfilled Orders Inventories
9

Survey Description 

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

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

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

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

approximately 4,300 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