FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2011, AT 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Chris Savage or Adriana Stoica 

Manufacturing and Construction Division 

(301) 763-4832 

M3-2 (11)-08 

CB11-166 

 Full Report on Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders 

August 2011 

Summary 

 New orders for manufactured goods in August, down 

two of the last three months, decreased $0.8 billion or 

0.2 percent to $451.0 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau 

reported today. This followed a 2.1 percent July 

increase. Excluding transportation, new orders 

decreased 0.2 percent. 

 Shipments, down following two consecutive monthly 

increases, decreased $0.9 billion or 0.2 percent to $450.2 

billion. This followed a 1.2 percent July increase. 

 Unfilled orders, up sixteen of the last seventeen 

months, increased $7.6 billion or 0.9 percent to $878.8 

billion. This followed a 0.9 percent July increase. The 

unfilled orders-to-shipments ratio was 6.08, up from 

6.06 in July. 

 Inventories, up twenty two of the last twenty three 

months, increased $2.4 billion or 0.4 percent to $601.2 

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

first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 

0.6 percent July increase. The inventories-to-shipments 

ratio was 1.34, up from 1.33 in July. 

New Orders 

 New orders for manufactured durable goods in August, 

down two of the last three months, decreased $0.2 

billion or 0.1 percent to $201.9 billion, unchanged from 

the previously published decrease. This followed a 4.2 

percent July increase. 

 Fabricated metal products, down two consecutive 

months, had the largest decrease, $0.1 billion or 0.5 

percent to $25.5 billion. 

 New orders for manufactured nondurable goods 

decreased $0.6 billion or 0.3 percent to $249.2 billion. 

 

Shipments 

 Shipments of manufactured durable goods in August, 

down following three consecutive monthly increases, 

decreased $0.3 billion or 0.1 percent to $201.1 billion, 

revised from the previously published 0.2 percent 

decrease. This followed a 2.1 percent July increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, down following two 

consecutive monthly increases, decreased $2.2 billion or 

4.6 percent to $47.1 billion. 

 Shipments of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

following two consecutive monthly increases, decreased 

$0.6 billion or 0.3 percent to $249.2 billion. This 

followed a 0.4 percent July increase. Petroleum and coal 

products, down four of the last five months, drove the 

decrease, down $1.8 billion or 2.5 percent to $69.1 

billion. 

 

Unfilled Orders 

 Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in 

August, up sixteen of the last seventeen months, 

increased $7.6 billion or 0.9 percent to $878.8 billion, 

unchanged from the previously published increase. This 

followed a 0.9 percent July increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, up eight consecutive 

months, had the largest increase, $6.1 billion or 1.2 

percent to $507.6 billion. 

Inventories 

 Inventories of manufactured durable goods in August, 

up twenty consecutive months, increased $3.3 billion or 

0.9 percent to $365.4 billion, unchanged from the 

previously published increase. This was at the highest 

level since the series was first published on a NAICS 

basis and followed a 1.1 percent July increase. 

 

 Transportation equipment, also up twenty consecutive months, had the largest increase, $1.4 billion or 1.3 

percent to $112.3 billion. 

 Inventories of manufactured nondurable goods, down 

four consecutive months, decreased $0.8 billion or 0.4 

percent to $235.8 billion. This followed a 0.1 percent 

July decrease. Petroleum and coal products, also down 

four consecutive months, drove the decrease, down $1.6 

billion or 3.1 percent to $49.8 billion. 

 By stage of fabrication, August materials and supplies 

increased 0.8 percent in durable goods and 0.7 percent in 

nondurable goods. Work in process increased 0.7 

percent in durable goods and decreased 2.8 percent in 

nondurable goods. Finished goods increased 1.2 percent 

in durable goods and decreased 0.1 percent in 

nondurable goods. 

Figures in text are adjusted for seasonality but not for inflation. 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 September is scheduled for release on October 26, 2011, at 8:30 a.m. EDT and the full report on 

November 3, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. See back page for survey description. 
 2 

Table 1. Value of Manufacturers' Shipments for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Aug. July June 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

 All manufacturing industries.................. 450,249 451,182 446,021 -0.2 1.2 0.6 470,438 437,119 472,262 414,891 3,540,420 3,165,798 11.8

 Excluding transportation................... 403,147 401,832 399,920 0.3 0.5 0.6 420,859 397,695 421,334 367,983 3,174,577 2,814,469 12.8

 Excluding defense.............................. 440,365 441,699 436,020 -0.3 1.3 0.6 460,755 428,675 461,164 403,948 3,461,500 3,070,005 12.8

 With unfilled orders............................ 144,623 143,721 142,720 0.6 0.7 1.3 149,785 133,150 155,683 136,309 1,122,266 1,040,481 7.9

 Durable goods industries......................... 201,082 201,376 197,263 -0.1 2.1 1.1 209,371 186,229 213,291 190,606 1,558,755 1,446,806 7.7

 Wood products....................................... 5,263 5,339 5,254 -1.4 1.6 0.0 5,708 5,512 5,834 5,646 42,636 44,786 -4.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products.................... 7,885 7,834 7,841 0.7 -0.1 0.6 8,959 8,149 8,749 8,618 62,964 61,560 2.3

 Primary metals....................................... 24,181 24,353 23,941 -0.7 1.7 3.4 25,860 23,583 25,721 19,537 188,368 146,660 28.4

 Iron and steel mills............................ 10,967 11,177 11,237 -1.9 -0.5 0.9 11,567 10,686 12,199 10,107 91,326 75,854 20.4

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals.......... 11,530 11,493 11,036 0.3 4.1 6.2 12,491 11,303 11,666 7,978 83,905 59,988 39.9

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,684 1,683 1,668 0.1 0.9 3.4 1,802 1,594 1,856 1,452 13,137 10,818 21.4

 Fabricated metal products....................... 25,011 24,848 25,053 0.7 -0.8 1.0 27,269 24,146 26,745 25,465 198,442 187,698 5.7

 Machinery............................................. 31,280 29,737 29,527 5.2 0.7 4.2 31,439 27,770 31,880 26,170 231,130 206,339 12.0

 Farm machinery................................. 3,528 2,971 2,446 18.7 21.5 7.4 3,675 2,823 2,439 2,323 21,533 18,391 17.1

 Construction machinery..................... 4,301 4,105 3,729 4.8 10.1 5.1 4,307 3,937 3,789 2,910 29,498 21,188 39.2

 Mining, oil field, and 

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,857 1,774 1,712 4.7 3.6 -1.1 1,818 1,589 1,858 1,400 13,072 12,256 6.7

 Industrial machinery.......................... 3,358 3,221 3,246 4.3 -0.8 4.1 3,006 2,916 3,700 2,548 24,696 21,007 17.6

 Photographic equipment...................... 640 612 636 4.6 -3.8 -3.8 687 541 648 702 5,130 5,322 -3.6

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............ 2,608 2,608 2,635 0.0 -1.0 0.2 2,808 2,672 3,478 2,915 21,180 22,198 -4.6

 Metalworking machinery..................... 1,943 1,965 1,950 -1.1 0.8 2.9 2,054 1,792 2,163 1,934 14,783 14,626 1.1

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment....... 3,912 3,560 4,272 9.9 -16.7 22.1 3,926 3,253 4,383 3,109 29,344 24,679 18.9

 Material handling equipment............... 2,627 2,513 2,546 4.5 -1.3 -0.6 2,772 2,332 2,703 2,313 19,829 16,995 16.7

 Computers and electronic products2.......... 31,059 30,990 30,467 0.2 1.7 -1.2 30,234 30,073 32,276 30,129 239,508 233,696 2.5

 Computers........................................ 4,133 4,294 4,107 -3.7 4.6 3.6 3,890 4,967 4,453 4,030 31,906 28,143 13.4

 Computer storage devices..................... 747 628 671 18.9 -6.4 -5.9 633 419 1,045 496 5,031 4,536 10.9

 Other peripheral equipment................ 925 900 966 2.8 -6.8 3.8 848 663 1,331 777 6,635 6,168 7.6

 Nondefense communications

 equipment.................................... 2,558 2,567 2,567 -0.4 0.0 -2.5 2,433 2,191 2,996 3,022 20,244 24,439 -17.2

 Defense communications equipment.... 489 466 510 4.9 -8.6 5.4 478 460 517 516 3,868 4,379 -11.7

 Audio and video equipment.................... 245 250 254 -2.0 -1.6 2.4 198 204 233 154 1,749 1,686 3.7

 Electronic components......................... 3,200 3,210 3,258 -0.3 -1.5 -5.1 3,252 2,975 3,567 3,651 26,118 26,964 -3.1

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,189 1,220 1,202 -2.5 1.5 -2.9 1,221 1,027 1,357 1,017 9,305 8,271 12.5

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment..................................... 2,774 2,720 2,719 2.0 0.0 -1.6 2,809 2,364 2,897 2,876 21,456 24,023 -10.7

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments................. 7,454 7,442 7,647 0.2 -2.7 1.8 7,088 6,385 8,448 6,898 57,359 54,241 5.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,226 9,921 10,150 3.1 -2.3 0.0 10,718 9,349 10,986 10,059 79,935 75,096 6.4

 Electric lighting equipment..................... 1,016 1,020 1,028 -0.4 -0.8 2.9 1,042 968 1,057 992 7,934 7,679 3.3

 Household appliances........................ 1,498 1,524 1,547 -1.7 -1.5 -1.5 1,556 1,400 1,703 1,612 12,404 12,669 -2.1

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,915 3,649 3,721 7.3 -1.9 0.4 4,053 3,407 4,241 3,644 29,504 27,156 8.6

 Batteries........................................... 862 802 868 7.5 -7.6 -3.2 928 738 885 887 6,462 6,250 3.4

 Transportation equipment........................ 47,102 49,350 46,101 -4.6 7.0 0.3 49,579 39,424 50,928 46,908 365,843 351,329 4.1

 Automobiles..................................... 5,072 5,325 5,170 -4.8 3.0 1.2 5,728 4,285 5,575 5,575 40,632 38,942 4.3

 Light trucks and utility vehicles.............. 7,822 9,506 7,955 -17.7 19.5 4.6 8,427 6,262 8,519 7,683 61,957 51,357 20.6

 Heavy duty trucks ............................. 1,986 1,937 1,879 2.5 3.1 -4.7 2,145 1,704 2,007 1,535 14,085 12,194 15.5

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers.................................... 14,197 14,996 13,875 -5.3 8.1 -2.6 15,540 12,236 14,810 14,595 114,231 106,734 7.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts................ 7,753 7,550 6,937 2.7 8.8 3.2 7,768 6,319 8,467 6,938 54,657 51,241 6.7

 Defense aircraft and parts.................. 4,061 3,819 4,213 6.3 -9.4 -0.7 3,871 3,320 4,969 4,461 32,188 39,104 -17.7

 Ships and boats................................. 2,342 2,309 2,280 1.4 1.3 2.7 2,289 2,091 2,437 2,340 18,417 19,151 -3.8

 Furniture and related products.................. 5,577 5,421 5,522 2.9 -1.8 -0.8 5,999 5,506 5,763 5,532 44,311 41,145 7.7

 Miscellaneous durable goods................. 13,498 13,583 13,407 -0.6 1.3 1.1 13,606 12,717 14,409 12,542 105,618 98,497 7.2

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 249,167 249,806 248,758 -0.3 0.4 0.2 261,067 250,890 258,971 224,285 1,981,665 1,718,992 15.3

 Food products....................................... 62,171 61,571 61,078 1.0 0.8 0.1 63,254 59,473 61,151 55,568 478,655 431,159 11.0

 Grain and oilseed milling....................... 8,436 8,269 8,219 2.0 0.6 -1.4 8,821 7,985 7,976 7,208 64,642 55,171 17.2

 Dairy products.................................. 9,554 9,486 9,368 0.7 1.3 2.9 9,801 9,432 9,456 8,484 72,631 63,599 14.2

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products... 17,411 17,165 17,181 1.4 -0.1 0.4 17,707 17,042 17,732 16,241 136,235 127,292 7.0

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 12,296 12,004 12,604 2.4 -4.8 4.0 12,969 11,854 13,409 12,261 95,873 85,623 12.0

 Beverages......................................... 9,385 9,469 9,670 -0.9 -2.1 1.9 10,058 9,319 10,475 9,496 75,085 65,061 15.4

 Tobacco............................................ 2,911 2,535 2,934 14.8 -13.6 11.6 2,911 2,535 2,934 2,765 20,788 20,562 1.1

 Textile mills........................................... 2,585 2,611 2,623 -1.0 -0.5 -0.9 2,690 2,525 2,789 2,588 21,090 19,911 5.9

 Textile products................................... 1,836 1,826 1,854 0.5 -1.5 1.2 1,920 1,866 1,998 1,862 14,948 14,699 1.7

 Apparel................................................ 1,347 1,291 1,280 4.3 0.9 1.3 1,491 1,282 1,272 1,350 9,979 9,523 4.8

 Leather and allied products...................... 312 318 320 -1.9 -0.6 -3.0 331 316 341 325 2,518 2,476 1.7

 Paper products...................................... 14,306 14,399 14,373 -0.6 0.2 0.3 14,990 14,307 14,852 15,083 115,467 113,581 1.7

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills....... 6,742 6,754 6,785 -0.2 -0.5 1.8 7,071 6,766 6,973 7,015 53,956 52,835 2.1

 Paperboard containers........................ 4,226 4,317 4,296 -2.1 0.5 -0.7 4,461 4,303 4,460 4,592 34,854 33,876 2.9

 Printing................................................. 7,068 6,892 6,961 2.6 -1.0 -1.4 7,272 6,432 6,890 7,062 55,009 54,891 0.2

 Petroleum and coal products.................. 69,097 70,862 69,172 -2.5 2.4 -0.5 75,121 76,728 73,495 54,134 563,559 412,980 36.5

 Petroleum refineries.......................... 64,707 66,541 64,891 -2.8 2.5 -1.0 69,669 71,761 68,343 50,332 530,985 387,115 37.2

 Chemical products..................................... 61,991 61,828 62,377 0.3 -0.9 0.1 63,617 59,990 65,306 57,998 495,470 451,817 9.7

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 5,323 5,296 5,264 0.5 0.6 2.0 4,665 4,239 5,583 3,673 44,392 34,781 27.6

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 15,371 15,174 15,867 1.3 -4.4 0.6 15,859 14,499 16,388 16,372 123,292 124,620 -1.1

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives.......... 2,476 2,481 2,478 -0.2 0.1 1.1 2,745 2,627 2,820 2,747 20,401 20,663 -1.3

 Plastics and rubber products.................. 16,158 16,204 16,116 -0.3 0.5 1.7 17,412 16,117 17,468 16,054 129,097 122,332 5.5

p

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

1

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

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

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

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

2 Estimates and percent changes of shipments for the semiconductor industry are no longer shown separately, but are included in computers and electronic products, and all other applicable

 aggregate totals. 

Year to date
 3

Table 2. Value of Manufacturers' New Orders for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted 

Monthly Percent Change Monthly

Industry Percent

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Aug. July June 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

All manufacturing industries2...................... 451,045 451,885 442,711 -0.2 2.1 -0.4 468,533 433,515 465,286 406,032 3,533,034 3,127,659 13.0

 Excluding transportation2...................... 397,862 398,627 396,392 -0.2 0.6 0.4 412,798 392,752 416,263 362,903 3,151,485 2,789,340 13.0

 Excluding defense2.............................. 440,842 441,705 431,725 -0.2 2.3 -0.2 459,598 426,740 453,434 396,341 3,448,687 3,034,619 13.6

 With unfilled orders2

............................. 152,261 151,297 145,513 0.6 4.0 -2.0 154,749 137,588 153,667 133,684 1,167,477 1,049,913 11.2

 Durable goods industries2........................ 201,878 202,079 193,953 -0.1 4.2 -1.1 207,466 182,625 206,315 181,747 1,551,369 1,408,667 10.1

 Primary metals........................................ 24,360 24,438 22,749 -0.3 7.4 0.3 25,983 23,701 23,933 19,843 188,667 152,273 23.9

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 10,796 11,101 9,642 -2.7 15.1 -8.1 11,475 10,638 10,155 10,378 89,556 80,626 11.1

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 11,777 11,614 11,425 1.4 1.7 8.6 12,613 11,427 11,967 7,955 85,398 60,542 41.1

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 1,787 1,723 1,682 3.7 2.4 0.5 1,895 1,636 1,811 1,510 13,713 11,105 23.5

 Fabricated metal products........................ 25,519 25,648 25,865 -0.5 -0.8 4.0 27,225 24,852 26,677 25,217 204,149 190,281 7.3

 Machinery............................................. 32,611 32,621 32,015 0.0 1.9 -1.4 32,084 30,688 33,494 27,155 252,731 216,570 16.7

 Construction machinery....................... 4,020 4,575 4,181 -12.1 9.4 11.5 3,953 4,465 3,884 3,026 31,393 21,871 43.5

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 1,662 2,680 2,275 -38.0 17.8 -19.9 1,759 2,545 2,240 1,666 17,484 13,946 25.4

 Industrial machinery............................ 3,496 2,770 3,381 26.2 -18.1 1.0 2,832 2,706 3,685 2,481 25,673 22,372 14.8

 Photographic equipment...................... 636 628 691 1.3 -9.1 -2.5 670 566 691 703 5,252 5,396 -2.7

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 2,553 2,929 2,631 -12.8 11.3 -19.9 2,400 2,887 3,514 3,114 24,967 24,551 1.7

 Metalworking machinery....................... 1,999 2,089 2,111 -4.3 -1.0 6.1 2,093 1,884 2,289 1,927 15,953 14,494 10.1

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 4,776 4,689 5,542 1.9 -15.4 21.2 4,714 4,428 5,634 3,492 34,523 25,868 33.5

 Material handling equipment.................. 2,853 2,613 2,371 9.2 10.2 -9.5 2,910 2,279 2,479 2,162 20,650 17,672 16.9

 Computers and electronic products2......... 23,896 23,749 24,618 0.6 -3.5 0.9 22,320 20,958 27,383 24,297 185,324 185,610 -0.2

 Computers........................................ 4,112 3,970 4,237 3.6 -6.3 2.6 3,869 4,643 4,583 4,066 31,550 28,090 12.3

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 2,426 2,266 2,992 7.1 -24.3 18.0 2,493 1,805 3,216 3,854 19,053 23,750 -19.8

 Defense communications equipment...... 524 470 474 11.5 -0.8 3.9 370 306 555 361 3,366 4,356 -22.7

 Electronic components......................... 3,134 3,243 3,181 -3.4 1.9 -7.1 3,326 3,070 3,437 3,684 26,329 27,958 -5.8

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 1,190 1,157 1,300 2.9 -11.0 3.1 1,199 997 1,478 1,001 9,588 8,218 16.7

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 2,732 2,781 2,833 -1.8 -1.8 0.7 2,337 2,011 2,977 2,894 20,757 23,559 -11.9

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 7,358 7,664 7,247 -4.0 5.8 -2.5 6,532 6,464 8,056 6,552 58,026 54,014 7.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components................................... 10,307 10,163 10,440 1.4 -2.7 0.4 10,511 9,866 11,194 10,151 82,941 78,665 5.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,025 1,020 1,042 0.5 -2.1 3.7 1,054 939 1,150 1,004 8,068 7,795 3.5

 Household appliances.......................... 1,539 1,492 1,593 3.2 -6.3 2.9 1,562 1,446 1,635 1,502 12,505 12,694 -1.5

 Electrical equipment............................ 3,822 3,818 3,846 0.1 -0.7 0.8 3,825 3,740 4,355 3,768 31,184 28,959 7.7

 Transportation equipment........................ 53,183 53,258 46,319 -0.1 15.0 -6.6 55,735 40,763 49,023 43,129 381,549 338,319 12.8

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers..................................... 14,334 15,138 13,955 -5.3 8.5 -2.0 15,343 12,400 14,553 14,310 113,785 105,433 7.9

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 13,515 10,947 7,302 23.5 49.9 -24.0 14,463 8,879 7,246 4,935 69,460 47,543 46.1

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 5,013 4,093 4,090 22.5 0.1 -20.5 4,426 2,931 4,746 3,429 35,108 38,399 -8.6

 Ships and boats.................................. 1,840 1,948 2,612 -5.5 -25.4 6.1 1,404 1,137 2,714 1,451 19,682 15,078 30.5

 Furniture and related products................. 5,411 5,438 5,467 -0.5 -0.5 -0.2 5,390 5,411 5,641 5,174 44,932 41,674 7.8

 Nondurable goods industries..................... 249,167 249,806 248,758 -0.3 0.4 0.2 261,067 250,890 258,971 224,285 1,981,665 1,718,992 15.3

p

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

1

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

 adjusted estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday

and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not

adjusted for price changes.

2

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

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

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

calculated. For further details on survey design, methodology, and data limitations see <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/>.

Year to date
 4 

Table 3. Value of Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

2011p 2011r 2011 Aug. July June 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

All manufacturing industries2...................... 878,755 871,117 863,541 0.9 0.9 0.3 874,669 869,705 865,267 808,105 8.2

 Excluding transportation2...................... 371,121 369,564 365,896 0.4 1.0 0.7 369,703 370,895 367,796 327,201 13.0

 Excluding defense2............................. 708,205 700,886 694,007 1.0 1.0 0.3 705,838 700,126 694,019 646,895 9.1

 Durable goods industries2

........................ 878,755 871,117 863,541 0.9 0.9 0.3 874,669 869,705 865,267 808,105 8.2

 Primary metals........................................ 31,779 31,600 31,515 0.6 0.3 -3.6 31,960 31,837 31,719 29,314 9.0

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 17,396 17,567 17,643 -1.0 -0.4 -8.3 17,752 17,844 17,892 18,121 -2.0

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,906 10,659 10,538 2.3 1.1 3.8 10,753 10,631 10,507 8,412 27.8

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 3,477 3,374 3,334 3.1 1.2 0.4 3,455 3,362 3,320 2,781 24.2

 Fabricated metal products......................... 64,886 64,378 63,578 0.8 1.3 1.3 64,995 65,039 64,333 61,238 6.1

 Machinery.............................................. 116,294 114,963 112,079 1.2 2.6 2.3 115,879 115,234 112,316 86,513 33.9

 Construction machinery....................... 9,993 10,274 9,804 -2.7 4.8 4.8 9,843 10,197 9,669 6,772 45.3

 Mining, oil field, and

 gas field machinery.......................... 12,950 13,145 12,239 -1.5 7.4 4.8 13,098 13,157 12,201 8,309 57.6

 Industrial machinery............................ 15,027 14,889 15,340 0.9 -2.9 0.9 14,865 15,039 15,249 12,160 22.2

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,999 2,003 1,987 -0.2 0.8 2.8 2,001 2,018 1,993 2,295 -12.8

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 20,890 20,945 20,624 -0.3 1.6 0.0 20,867 21,275 21,060 15,951 30.8

 Metalworking machinery....................... 5,474 5,418 5,294 1.0 2.3 3.1 5,438 5,399 5,307 3,983 36.5

 Turbines, generators, and other 

 power transmission equipment.......... 19,924 19,060 17,931 4.5 6.3 7.6 19,864 19,076 17,901 11,944 66.3

 Material handling equipment.................. 8,550 8,324 8,224 2.7 1.2 -2.1 8,384 8,246 8,299 7,058 18.8

 Computers and electronic products2......... 123,640 123,961 124,329 -0.3 -0.3 0.2 122,284 123,329 124,402 120,126 1.8

 Computers......................................... 3,298 3,319 3,643 -0.6 -8.9 3.7 3,298 3,319 3,643 3,491 -5.5

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 22,237 22,369 22,670 -0.6 -1.3 1.9 22,053 21,993 22,379 22,721 -2.9

 Defense communications equipment...... 6,035 6,000 5,996 0.6 0.1 -0.6 5,845 5,953 6,107 6,138 -4.8

 Electronic components.......................... 11,480 11,546 11,513 -0.6 0.3 -0.7 11,642 11,568 11,473 11,588 0.5

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 8,794 8,793 8,856 0.0 -0.7 1.1 8,808 8,830 8,860 8,941 -1.5

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 43,984 44,026 43,965 -0.1 0.1 0.3 43,331 43,803 44,156 42,053 3.0

 Electromedical, measuring,

 and control instruments.................... 27,812 27,908 27,686 -0.3 0.8 -1.4 27,307 27,863 27,784 25,194 8.4

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 26,121 26,040 25,798 0.3 0.9 1.1 26,258 26,465 25,948 22,200 18.3

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,095 1,086 1,086 0.8 0.0 1.3 1,151 1,139 1,168 1,082 6.4

 Household appliances.......................... 846 805 837 5.1 -3.8 5.8 805 799 753 569 41.5

 Electrical equipment............................. 14,580 14,673 14,504 -0.6 1.2 0.9 14,717 14,945 14,612 12,517 17.6

 Transportation equipment........................ 507,634 501,553 497,645 1.2 0.8 0.0 504,966 498,810 497,471 480,904 5.0

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 13,862 13,725 13,583 1.0 1.0 0.6 13,350 13,547 13,383 12,599 6.0

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 353,412 347,650 344,253 1.7 1.0 0.1 352,219 345,524 342,964 327,381 7.6

 Defense aircraft and parts.................... 55,579 54,627 54,353 1.7 0.5 -0.2 55,025 54,470 54,859 50,366 9.3

 Ships and boats.................................. 18,504 19,006 19,367 -2.6 -1.9 1.7 18,201 19,086 20,040 18,858 -3.5

 Furniture and related products................. 6,925 7,091 7,074 -2.3 0.2 -0.8 6,851 7,460 7,555 6,292 8.9

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

1

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

adjusted estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday

and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not

adjusted for price changes.

2

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

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

Table 4. Value of Manufacturers' Inventories for Industry Groups1

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

2011p 2011r 2011 Aug. July June 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

 All manufacturing industries..................... 601,185 598,758 595,119 0.4 0.6 0.4 606,352 604,143 593,816 536,698 13.0

 Excluding transportation...................... 488,882 487,894 486,014 0.2 0.4 0.2 493,122 492,168 485,071 441,650 11.7

 Excluding defense............................. 575,119 572,812 569,327 0.4 0.6 0.4 580,371 578,183 568,102 511,852 13.4

 With unfilled orders............................. 300,253 297,399 294,156 1.0 1.1 0.8 302,485 300,003 293,483 264,460 14.4

 Durable goods industries........................ 365,357 362,100 358,215 0.9 1.1 0.6 368,144 364,914 357,232 325,155 13.2

 Wood products........................................ 8,479 8,452 8,467 0.3 -0.2 -1.7 8,462 8,333 8,312 8,374 1.1

 Nonmetallic mineral products................... 10,921 10,844 10,838 0.7 0.1 0.6 10,868 10,892 10,907 10,188 6.7

 Primary metals......................................... 34,843 34,282 33,853 1.6 1.3 0.2 35,066 34,965 34,270 29,502 18.9

 Iron and steel mills.............................. 21,859 21,298 20,893 2.6 1.9 0.3 21,999 21,903 21,306 18,063 21.8

 Aluminum and nonferrous metals......... 10,968 10,981 10,987 -0.1 -0.1 0.2 11,074 11,091 11,010 9,643 14.8

 Ferrous metal foundries....................... 2,016 2,003 1,973 0.6 1.5 -0.2 1,993 1,971 1,954 1,796 11.0

 Fabricated metal products......................... 46,068 45,689 45,269 0.8 0.9 0.5 46,270 46,195 45,443 41,369 11.8

 Machinery.............................................. 59,264 58,562 57,759 1.2 1.4 0.9 59,475 58,525 57,280 51,857 14.7

 Farm machinery.................................. 3,475 3,337 3,249 4.1 2.7 1.5 3,314 3,230 3,290 2,558 29.6

 Construction machinery........................ 5,767 5,498 5,428 4.9 1.3 3.8 5,706 5,420 5,449 4,353 31.1

 Mining, oil field, 

 and gas field machinery.................... 7,229 7,185 7,053 0.6 1.9 0.3 7,350 7,335 7,107 6,278 17.1

 Industrial machinery............................ 6,757 6,683 6,566 1.1 1.8 0.8 6,849 6,631 6,577 6,249 9.6

 Photographic equipment...................... 1,610 1,582 1,539 1.8 2.8 -0.1 1,635 1,634 1,546 1,494 9.4

 Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning,

 and refrigeration equipment............... 4,220 4,242 4,251 -0.5 -0.2 -0.6 4,248 4,298 4,253 4,062 4.6

 Metalworking machinery....................... 4,718 4,721 4,666 -0.1 1.2 2.8 4,813 4,807 4,657 4,120 16.8

 Turbines, generators, and other

 power transmission equipment.......... 7,540 7,466 7,323 1.0 2.0 0.4 7,709 7,461 6,985 6,242 23.5

 Material handling equipment.................. 3,676 3,635 3,536 1.1 2.8 1.8 3,673 3,638 3,518 3,234 13.6

 Computers and electronic products2......... 48,441 48,568 48,259 -0.3 0.6 0.3 49,231 48,807 47,583 45,994 7.0

 Computers......................................... 3,132 3,248 3,005 -3.6 8.1 -1.1 3,338 3,201 2,986 3,244 2.9

 Computer storage devices.................... 1,385 1,381 1,359 0.3 1.6 8.5 1,435 1,410 1,307 1,333 7.7

 Other peripheral equipment................... 1,450 1,432 1,422 1.3 0.7 0.7 1,531 1,480 1,408 1,499 2.1

 Nondefense communications

 equipment...................................... 7,309 7,220 7,279 1.2 -0.8 2.4 7,347 7,159 7,017 6,709 9.5

 Defense communications equipment...... 2,747 2,703 2,664 1.6 1.5 0.9 2,747 2,703 2,664 2,484 10.6

 Audio and video equipment.................. 523 528 534 -0.9 -1.1 1.3 563 539 508 551 2.2

 Electronic components.......................... 7,071 7,168 7,173 -1.4 -0.1 -0.1 7,072 7,280 6,988 6,786 4.2

 Nondefense search and navigation

 equipment...................................... 3,232 3,201 3,187 1.0 0.4 -1.0 3,260 3,219 3,148 3,067 6.3

 Defense search and navigation

 equipment....................................... 2,699 2,773 2,788 -2.7 -0.5 -4.2 2,722 2,814 2,764 2,901 -6.2

 Electromedical, measuring 

 and control instruments.................... 12,922 12,945 12,930 -0.2 0.1 0.7 13,169 12,958 12,733 11,899 10.7

 Electrical equipment, appliances, 

 and components.................................... 15,601 15,529 15,519 0.5 0.1 0.2 15,805 15,742 15,547 14,860 6.4

 Electric lighting equipment................... 1,781 1,760 1,745 1.2 0.9 0.9 1,830 1,795 1,770 1,700 7.6

 Household appliances.......................... 2,200 2,199 2,222 0.0 -1.0 -0.2 2,307 2,285 2,227 2,216 4.1

 Electrical equipment............................. 5,024 5,013 5,033 0.2 -0.4 0.3 4,963 5,023 4,950 4,774 4.0

 Batteries............................................ 998 1,002 1,022 -0.4 -2.0 -1.4 1,043 1,039 1,042 1,085 -3.9

 Transportation equipment......................... 112,303 110,864 109,105 1.3 1.6 1.2 113,230 111,975 108,745 95,048 19.1

 Automobiles....................................... 3,146 3,107 2,870 1.3 8.3 -1.1 3,227 3,225 2,744 2,631 22.7

 Light trucks and utility vehicles............. 3,125 3,093 2,912 1.0 6.2 2.0 3,352 3,107 2,878 2,748 22.0

 Heavy duty trucks ............................... 1,452 1,476 1,488 -1.6 -0.8 -5.0 1,486 1,520 1,473 1,463 1.6

 Motor vehicle bodies, parts, 

 and trailers...................................... 17,928 17,809 17,736 0.7 0.4 1.0 17,931 17,891 17,521 16,291 10.1

 Nondefense aircraft and parts............... 61,462 60,313 59,188 1.9 1.9 2.3 61,933 61,114 59,354 47,159 31.3

 Defense aircraft and parts..................... 14,413 14,368 14,265 0.3 0.7 -2.3 14,484 14,458 14,304 13,981 3.6

 Ships and boats.................................. 3,434 3,349 3,356 2.5 -0.2 1.2 3,358 3,268 3,344 2,927 14.7

 Furniture and related products................. 6,850 6,829 6,784 0.3 0.7 0.3 6,906 6,941 6,918 6,569 5.1

 Miscellaneous durable goods.................... 22,587 22,481 22,362 0.5 0.5 0.2 22,831 22,539 22,227 21,394 6.7

 Nondurable goods industries...................... 235,828 236,658 236,904 -0.4 -0.1 0.0 238,208 239,229 236,584 211,543 12.6

 Food products........................................ 45,206 45,007 44,827 0.4 0.4 0.6 45,321 44,405 43,354 41,768 8.5

 Grain and oilseed milling........................ 5,437 5,443 5,493 -0.1 -0.9 -2.6 5,226 5,371 5,310 5,036 3.8

 Dairy products.................................... 6,093 6,016 5,886 1.3 2.2 2.6 6,281 6,271 6,099 5,488 14.4

 Meat, poultry, and seafood products...... 8,570 8,551 8,574 0.2 -0.3 0.2 8,548 8,438 8,286 8,158 4.8

 Beverage and tobacco products................ 16,355 16,499 16,420 -0.9 0.5 0.2 15,792 15,964 15,937 15,654 0.9

 Beverages......................................... 12,896 13,022 12,967 -1.0 0.4 0.2 12,544 12,689 12,627 12,268 2.2

 Tobacco............................................ 3,459 3,477 3,453 -0.5 0.7 0.4 3,248 3,275 3,310 3,386 -4.1

 Textile mills............................................ 3,645 3,631 3,589 0.4 1.2 1.4 3,633 3,641 3,603 3,076 18.1

 Textile products...................................... 3,047 3,030 2,999 0.6 1.0 0.3 3,076 3,057 3,040 2,761 11.4

 Apparel................................................. 2,560 2,521 2,461 1.5 2.4 0.2 2,696 2,653 2,526 2,268 18.9

 Leather and allied products...................... 902 897 891 0.6 0.7 0.2 924 916 894 774 19.4

 Paper products....................................... 14,045 13,991 13,943 0.4 0.3 0.1 14,056 13,940 13,777 13,801 1.8

 Pulp, paper, and paperboard mills.......... 6,007 5,987 5,948 0.3 0.7 -0.2 5,993 5,949 5,818 5,752 4.2

 Paperboard containers......................... 4,032 4,004 4,011 0.7 -0.2 0.6 4,021 3,985 3,988 4,078 -1.4

 Printing.................................................. 5,525 5,552 5,528 -0.5 0.4 0.3 5,600 5,620 5,503 5,434 3.1

 Petroleum and coal products..................... 49,807 51,383 52,417 -3.1 -2.0 -2.5 51,906 54,083 53,752 39,038 33.0

 Petroleum refineries............................. 46,360 47,990 49,095 -3.4 -2.3 -2.7 48,295 50,547 50,363 35,853 34.7

 Chemical products..................................... 73,675 73,262 72,984 0.6 0.4 0.5 74,201 73,972 73,337 67,746 9.5

 Pesticides, fertilizers, and other

 agricultural chemicals....................... 3,859 3,726 3,666 3.6 1.6 1.6 3,511 3,486 3,504 3,132 12.1

 Pharmaceuticals and medicines............. 25,255 25,199 25,449 0.2 -1.0 -0.1 25,648 25,548 25,890 25,076 2.3

 Paints, coatings, and adhesives............. 3,119 3,092 3,106 0.9 -0.5 -0.6 3,129 3,132 3,177 2,937 6.5

 Plastics and rubber products..................... 21,061 20,885 20,845 0.8 0.2 2.8 21,003 20,978 20,861 19,223 9.3

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

1

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

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

where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes. 2 Estimates of inventories for the semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products and all other applicable agregates totals, 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 Series1, 2

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Year to date Percent

Industry Change6

Aug. July June July - June - May - Aug. July June Aug. 2011/

2011p 2011r 2011 Aug. July June 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 2011p 2010 2010

SHIPMENTS

 All manufacturing industries................... 450,249 451,182 446,021 -0.2 1.2 0.6 470,438 437,119 472,262 414,891 3,540,420 3,165,798 11.8

 Construction materials and supplies...... 37,400 37,192 37,170 0.6 0.1 1.4 41,744 38,207 41,786 38,814 296,365 287,093 3.2

 Information technology......................... 24,592 24,445 24,728 0.6 -1.1 0.6 23,939 22,433 27,497 23,870 189,554 185,825 2.0

 Computers and related products........... 5,805 5,822 5,744 -0.3 1.4 2.4 5,371 6,049 6,829 5,303 43,572 38,847 12.2

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 29,077 31,764 28,879 -8.5 10.0 -0.2 31,840 24,487 30,911 29,388 230,905 209,227 10.4

 Capital goods...................................... 78,827 76,690 76,144 2.8 0.7 1.7 78,785 70,850 83,353 71,746 593,131 563,095 5.3

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 71,290 69,370 68,410 2.8 1.4 2.1 71,303 64,231 75,062 63,077 531,199 485,534 9.4

 Excluding aircraft............................. 66,519 64,677 64,513 2.8 0.3 2.0 66,441 60,428 70,287 58,857 499,958 455,005 9.9

 Defense capital goods4....................... 7,537 7,320 7,734 3.0 -5.4 -1.9 7,482 6,619 8,291 8,669 61,932 77,561 -20.2

 Consumer goods.................................. 195,022 197,692 195,158 -1.4 1.3 0.4 204,493 194,492 202,325 175,009 1,551,361 1,330,111 16.6

 Consumer durable goods..................... 25,377 27,300 25,632 -7.0 6.5 2.2 26,807 21,879 27,362 25,159 202,218 185,253 9.2

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 169,645 170,392 169,526 -0.4 0.5 0.1 177,686 172,613 174,963 149,850 1,349,143 1,144,858 17.8

 All manufacturing industries5.................. 451,045 451,885 442,711 -0.2 2.1 -0.4 468,533 433,515 465,286 406,032 3,533,034 3,127,659 13.0

 Construction materials and supplies...... 37,264 37,690 37,411 -1.1 0.7 0.7 40,825 38,462 41,525 38,834 301,989 290,544 3.9

 Information technology......................... 24,457 24,165 25,219 1.2 -4.2 1.6 22,806 21,457 27,806 24,306 188,969 186,015 1.6

 Computers and related products........... 5,784 5,498 5,874 5.2 -6.4 1.7 5,350 5,725 6,959 5,339 43,216 38,794 11.4

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 29,214 31,906 28,959 -8.4 10.2 0.1 31,643 24,651 30,654 29,103 230,459 207,926 10.8

 Capital goods...................................... 85,623 82,333 79,870 4.0 3.1 -2.4 84,593 73,343 84,552 70,037 629,975 565,366 11.4

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 77,843 74,125 71,136 5.0 4.2 -2.4 77,576 68,011 75,439 62,165 562,439 490,742 14.6

 Excluding aircraft............................. 67,470 66,897 67,097 0.9 -0.3 0.8 66,062 62,536 71,727 59,835 518,523 463,678 11.8

 Defense capital goods4....................... 7,780 8,208 8,734 -5.2 -6.0 -3.0 7,017 5,332 9,113 7,872 67,536 74,624 -9.5

 Consumer goods.................................. 194,907 197,683 195,112 -1.4 1.3 0.4 204,238 194,652 201,991 174,703 1,551,295 1,330,508 16.6

 Consumer durable goods..................... 25,262 27,291 25,586 -7.4 6.7 2.5 26,552 22,039 27,028 24,853 202,152 185,650 8.9

 Consumer nondurable goods.............. 169,645 170,392 169,526 -0.4 0.5 0.1 177,686 172,613 174,963 149,850 1,349,143 1,144,858 17.8

 All manufacturing industries5

.................. 878,755 871,117 863,541 0.9 0.9 0.3 874,669 869,705 865,267 808,105 (X) (X) 8.2

 Construction materials and supplies...... 58,167 58,303 57,805 -0.2 0.9 0.4 58,056 58,975 58,720 52,323 (X) (X) 11.0

 Information technology......................... 123,759 123,894 124,174 -0.1 -0.2 0.4 122,228 123,361 124,337 118,865 (X) (X) 2.8

 Computers and related products........... 3,298 3,319 3,643 -0.6 -8.9 3.7 3,298 3,319 3,643 3,491 (X) (X) -5.5

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 13,862 13,725 13,583 1.0 1.0 0.6 13,350 13,547 13,383 12,599 (X) (X) 6.0

 Capital goods...................................... 668,355 661,559 655,916 1.0 0.9 0.6 665,056 659,248 656,755 612,472 (X) (X) 8.6

 Nondefense capital goods3.................. 516,778 510,225 505,470 1.3 0.9 0.5 514,780 508,507 504,727 468,048 (X) (X) 10.0

 Excluding aircraft............................. 205,641 204,690 202,470 0.5 1.1 1.3 204,659 205,038 202,930 178,294 (X) (X) 14.8

 Defense capital goods4....................... 151,577 151,334 150,446 0.2 0.6 0.7 150,276 150,741 152,028 144,424 (X) (X) 4.1

 Consumer goods.................................. 4,657 4,772 4,781 -2.4 -0.2 -1.0 4,544 4,799 4,639 4,374 (X) (X) 3.9

 Consumer durable goods..................... 4,657 4,772 4,781 -2.4 -0.2 -1.0 4,544 4,799 4,639 4,374 (X) (X) 3.9

 All manufacturing industries................... 601,185 598,758 595,119 0.4 0.6 0.4 606,352 604,143 593,816 536,698 (X) (X) 13.0

 Construction materials and supplies...... 57,377 57,027 56,814 0.6 0.4 0.0 57,721 57,469 56,802 53,784 (X) (X) 7.3

 Information technology......................... 42,988 42,960 42,590 0.1 0.9 0.5 43,803 43,114 42,020 40,624 (X) (X) 7.8

 Computers and related products........... 5,967 6,061 5,786 -1.6 4.8 1.5 6,304 6,091 5,701 6,076 (X) (X) 3.8

 Motor vehicle and parts........................ 25,651 25,485 25,006 0.7 1.9 0.5 25,996 25,743 24,616 23,133 (X) (X) 12.4

 Capital goods...................................... 187,447 185,440 183,270 1.1 1.2 1.0 188,894 186,408 182,573 162,384 (X) (X) 16.3

 Nondefense capital goods3

.................. 166,887 165,025 162,954 1.1 1.3 1.4 168,490 166,069 162,374 142,672 (X) (X) 18.1

 Excluding aircraft............................. 114,073 113,218 112,084 0.8 1.0 0.9 115,323 113,515 111,219 103,573 (X) (X) 11.3

 Defense capital goods4

....................... 20,560 20,415 20,316 0.7 0.5 -2.3 20,404 20,339 20,199 19,712 (X) (X) 3.5

 Consumer goods.................................. 178,260 179,531 180,038 -0.7 -0.3 -0.6 180,981 181,636 179,267 160,769 (X) (X) 12.6

 Consumer durable goods..................... 27,091 26,944 26,515 0.5 1.6 0.0 27,670 27,104 26,035 25,546 (X) (X) 8.3

 Consumer nondurable goods............... 151,169 152,587 153,523 -0.9 -0.6 -0.7 153,311 154,532 153,232 135,223 (X) (X) 13.4

X Not Applicable p Preliminary r Revised data due to late receipts and concurrent seasonal adjustment.

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

estimates of shipments and new orders include adjusted data for non-calendar reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, as well as seasonal variation, based on the results of the latest annual review of the model parameters. Estimates are not adjusted for price changes.

2

 Topical series are regroupings of the separate industry categories.

3

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

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

material handling equipment; all other machinery; electronic computers; computer storage devices; other computer peripheral equipment; communications equipment; search and navigation

equipment; electromedical, measuring, and control instruments; electrical equipment; other electrical equipment, appliances, and components; heavy duty trucks; aircraft; railroad rolling stock;

ships and boats; office and institutional furniture; and medical equipment and supplies.

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

and search and navigation equipment.

5 Estimates and percent changes exclude semiconductor industry data. 

6

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

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 Group1 

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

Seasonally Adjusted Not Seasonally Adjusted

Monthly Percent Change Monthly Percent

Industry Change

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

2011p 2011r 2011 Aug. July June 2011p 2011r 2011 2010 11/10

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

 All manufacturing industries..................... 196,955 195,469 194,955 0.8 0.3 -0.1 197,816 197,181 194,985 176,906 11.8

 Durable goods industries........................ 116,629 115,723 114,983 0.8 0.6 0.2 117,076 116,657 114,413 106,786 9.6

 Wood products................................... 3,113 3,106 3,136 0.2 -1.0 -3.4 3,107 3,015 2,955 3,154 -1.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 4,371 4,335 4,351 0.8 -0.4 1.0 4,381 4,343 4,355 4,046 8.3

 Primary metals.................................... 14,142 13,900 13,714 1.7 1.4 -0.2 14,205 14,112 13,899 12,118 17.2

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,493 16,390 16,312 0.6 0.5 0.3 16,584 16,518 16,367 14,696 12.8

 Machinery.......................................... 22,098 21,890 21,664 1.0 1.0 1.6 22,232 22,068 21,463 19,255 15.5

 Computers and electronic products...... 18,507 18,429 18,109 0.4 1.8 -1.2 18,561 18,438 17,811 16,676 11.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 6,561 6,557 6,534 0.1 0.4 0.4 6,642 6,667 6,596 6,400 3.8

 Transportation equipment.................. 20,831 20,591 20,691 1.2 -0.5 0.1 20,777 20,904 20,505 20,583 0.9

 Furniture and related products............ 3,334 3,378 3,321 -1.3 1.7 1.9 3,335 3,408 3,347 3,103 7.5

 Miscellaneous products........................ 7,179 7,147 7,151 0.4 -0.1 0.0 7,252 7,184 7,115 6,755 7.4

 Nondurable goods industries................. 80,326 79,746 79,972 0.7 -0.3 -0.6 80,740 80,524 80,572 70,120 15.1

 Food products................................... 14,941 14,786 14,483 1.0 2.1 -0.3 14,539 14,577 14,142 13,686 6.2

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 4,332 4,344 4,334 -0.3 0.2 1.0 4,080 4,148 4,206 4,115 -0.9

 Textiles.............................................. 1,289 1,303 1,324 -1.1 -1.6 0.2 1,301 1,326 1,337 1,149 13.2

 Textile products.................................. 1,398 1,400 1,394 -0.1 0.4 1.5 1,414 1,430 1,417 1,253 12.8

 Apparel............................................. 885 866 847 2.2 2.2 1.0 897 887 862 636 41.0

 Leather and allied products................ 309 310 313 -0.3 -1.0 2.3 316 314 309 276 14.5

 Paper products................................... 6,698 6,660 6,662 0.6 0.0 -0.1 6,722 6,592 6,569 6,590 2.0

 Printing ............................................ 2,652 2,678 2,681 -1.0 -0.1 -0.5 2,677 2,709 2,693 2,614 2.4

 Petroleum and coal products............... 15,713 15,659 16,459 0.3 -4.9 -5.4 16,450 16,444 17,275 11,276 45.9

 Chemical products............................. 23,360 23,037 22,868 1.4 0.7 1.2 23,501 23,221 23,132 20,737 13.3

 Plastics and rubber products............... 8,749 8,703 8,607 0.5 1.1 2.4 8,843 8,876 8,630 7,788 13.5

WORK IN PROCESS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 187,055 187,275 186,284 -0.1 0.5 0.9 187,772 188,551 185,309 162,054 15.9

 Durable goods industries........................ 142,474 141,416 139,595 0.7 1.3 1.0 143,549 142,668 139,407 121,606 18.0

 Wood products................................... 1,511 1,518 1,529 -0.5 -0.7 -0.4 1,507 1,505 1,532 1,402 7.5

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 1,204 1,205 1,207 -0.1 -0.2 0.8 1,192 1,217 1,239 1,147 3.9

 Primary metals.................................... 10,139 9,954 9,801 1.9 1.6 -0.3 10,372 10,320 10,017 8,639 20.1

 Fabricated metal products.................. 12,776 12,639 12,413 1.1 1.8 1.0 12,857 12,735 12,354 11,252 14.3

 Machinery.......................................... 14,917 15,159 15,054 -1.6 0.7 -0.1 15,142 15,243 14,948 14,006 8.1

 Computers and electronic products...... 18,238 18,362 18,374 -0.7 -0.1 0.9 18,564 18,543 18,313 18,140 2.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 3,726 3,680 3,658 1.3 0.6 1.0 3,805 3,737 3,653 3,337 14.0

 Transportation equipment.................. 75,531 74,557 73,222 1.3 1.8 1.5 75,635 74,985 72,981 59,412 27.3

 Furniture and related products............ 1,091 1,067 1,060 2.2 0.7 -1.7 1,091 1,077 1,068 978 11.6

 Miscellaneous products........................ 3,341 3,275 3,277 2.0 -0.1 0.9 3,384 3,306 3,302 3,293 2.8

 Nondurable goods industries................. 44,581 45,859 46,689 -2.8 -1.8 0.6 44,223 45,883 45,902 40,448 9.3

 Food products................................... 3,570 3,628 3,617 -1.6 0.3 0.7 3,053 3,093 3,064 2,820 8.3

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 5,502 5,538 5,522 -0.7 0.3 -0.3 4,969 5,056 5,184 4,942 0.5

 Textiles.............................................. 836 836 815 0.0 2.6 0.4 847 847 813 728 16.3

 Textile products.................................. 478 469 453 1.9 3.5 -1.9 480 465 454 429 11.9

 Apparel............................................. 378 368 369 2.7 -0.3 1.9 397 390 383 373 6.4

 Leather and allied products................ 99 95 91 4.2 4.4 -1.1 98 93 93 75 30.7

 Paper products................................... 1,269 1,288 1,267 -1.5 1.7 2.8 1,294 1,305 1,272 1,273 1.6

 Printing ............................................ 1,249 1,243 1,216 0.5 2.2 0.5 1,284 1,247 1,144 1,234 4.1

 Petroleum and coal products............... 14,805 15,834 16,383 -6.5 -3.4 0.5 15,282 16,661 16,388 11,955 27.8

 Chemical products............................. 14,403 14,549 14,867 -1.0 -2.1 0.4 14,537 14,731 15,046 14,475 0.4

 Plastics and rubber products............... 1,992 2,011 2,089 -0.9 -3.7 4.9 1,982 1,995 2,061 2,144 -7.6

FINISHED GOODS

 All manufacturing industries..................... 217,175 216,014 213,880 0.5 1.0 0.4 220,764 218,411 213,522 197,738 11.6

 Durable goods industries........................ 106,254 104,961 103,637 1.2 1.3 0.7 107,519 105,589 103,412 96,763 11.1

 Wood products................................... 3,855 3,828 3,802 0.7 0.7 -0.8 3,848 3,813 3,825 3,818 0.8

 Nonmetallic mineral products............... 5,346 5,304 5,280 0.8 0.5 0.3 5,295 5,332 5,313 4,995 6.0

 Primary metals.................................... 10,562 10,428 10,338 1.3 0.9 1.4 10,489 10,533 10,354 8,745 19.9

 Fabricated metal products.................. 16,799 16,660 16,544 0.8 0.7 0.3 16,829 16,942 16,722 15,421 9.1

 Machinery.......................................... 22,249 21,513 21,041 3.4 2.2 0.9 22,101 21,214 20,869 18,596 18.8

 Computers and electronic products...... 11,696 11,777 11,776 -0.7 0.0 1.6 12,106 11,826 11,459 11,178 8.3

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components.............................. 5,314 5,292 5,327 0.4 -0.7 -0.6 5,358 5,338 5,298 5,123 4.6

 Transportation equipment.................. 15,941 15,716 15,192 1.4 3.4 1.1 16,818 16,086 15,259 15,053 11.7

 Furniture and related products............ 2,425 2,384 2,403 1.7 -0.8 -1.0 2,480 2,456 2,503 2,488 -0.3

 Miscellaneous products........................ 12,067 12,059 11,934 0.1 1.0 0.2 12,195 12,049 11,810 11,346 7.5

 Nondurable goods industries................. 110,921 111,053 110,243 -0.1 0.7 0.1 113,245 112,822 110,110 100,975 12.2

 Food products................................... 26,695 26,593 26,727 0.4 -0.5 1.0 27,729 26,735 26,148 25,262 9.8

 Beverage and tobacco products........... 6,521 6,617 6,564 -1.5 0.8 0.1 6,743 6,760 6,547 6,597 2.2

 Textiles.............................................. 1,520 1,492 1,450 1.9 2.9 3.1 1,485 1,468 1,453 1,199 23.9

 Textile products.................................. 1,171 1,161 1,152 0.9 0.8 -0.3 1,182 1,162 1,169 1,079 9.5

 Apparel............................................. 1,297 1,287 1,245 0.8 3.4 -0.7 1,402 1,376 1,281 1,259 11.4

 Leather and allied products................ 494 492 487 0.4 1.0 -0.8 510 509 492 423 20.6

 Paper products................................... 6,078 6,043 6,014 0.6 0.5 -0.2 6,040 6,043 5,936 5,938 1.7

 Printing ............................................ 1,624 1,631 1,631 -0.4 0.0 1.4 1,639 1,664 1,666 1,586 3.3

 Petroleum and coal products............... 19,289 19,890 19,575 -3.0 1.6 -2.4 20,174 20,978 20,089 15,807 27.6

 Chemical products............................. 35,912 35,676 35,249 0.7 1.2 0.0 36,163 36,020 35,159 32,534 11.2

 Plastics and rubber products............... 10,320 10,171 10,149 1.5 0.2 2.7 10,178 10,107 10,170 9,291 9.5

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

1

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

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

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

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 Group3

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

Inventory/Shipments ratio Unfilled Orders/Shipments ratio1

Industry Aug Jul Jun May Aug Jul Jun May

2011p 2011r 2011 2011 2011p 2011r 2011 2011

All manufacturing industries2............................ 1.34 1.33 1.33 1.34 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Durable goods industries2

.................................. 1.82 1.80 1.82 1.82 6.08 6.06 6.05 6.11

 Wood products.............................................. 1.61 1.58 1.61 1.64 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Nonmetallic mineral products......................... 1.39 1.38 1.38 1.38 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Primary metals.............................................. 1.44 1.41 1.41 1.46 1.31 1.30 1.32 1.41

 Fabricated metal products.............................. 1.84 1.84 1.81 1.82 2.68 2.68 2.62 2.61

 Machinery..................................................... 1.89 1.97 1.96 2.02 4.29 4.40 4.24 4.31

 Computers and electronic products2

................ 1.56 1.57 1.58 1.56 5.67 5.66 5.65 5.63

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components........................................ 1.53 1.57 1.53 1.53 2.79 2.86 2.78 2.76

 Transportation equipment.............................. 2.38 2.25 2.37 2.35 15.75 15.39 16.00 15.90

 Furniture and related products........................ 1.23 1.26 1.23 1.22 1.43 1.51 1.48 1.47

 Miscellaneous products.................................. 1.67 1.66 1.67 1.68 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Nondurable goods industries............................. 0.95 0.95 0.95 0.95 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Food products.............................................. 0.73 0.73 0.73 0.73 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Beverage and tobacco products...................... 1.33 1.37 1.30 1.35 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textiles........................................................ 1.41 1.39 1.37 1.34 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Textile products............................................ 1.66 1.66 1.62 1.63 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Apparel......................................................... 1.90 1.95 1.92 1.94 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Leather and allied products............................. 2.89 2.82 2.78 2.69 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Paper products.............................................. 0.98 0.97 0.97 0.97 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Printing......................................................... 0.78 0.81 0.79 0.78 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Petroleum and coal products........................... 0.72 0.73 0.76 0.77 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Chemical products......................................... 1.19 1.18 1.17 1.17 (X) (X) (X) (X)

 Plastics and rubber products........................... 1.30 1.29 1.29 1.28 (X) (X) (X) (X)

X Not Applicable p

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

1

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

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

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

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

trucks; and miscellaneous furniture.

2 Unfilled orders to shipments ratio excludes semiconductor manufacturing.

Aug2 Aug2 Aug2 Aug2

Industry 2010- 2010- 2010- 2010-

Aug1 Jul Aug1 Jul Aug1 Jul Aug1 Jul

2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011

All manufacturing industries.................. (X) 0.3 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.1 (X) 0.2

Durable goods industries....................... 0.1 0.4 0.0 0.8 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2

 Wood products................................... (X) 0.8 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

 Primary metals.................................... 0.0 0.9 0.5 2.3 0.5 1.2 -0.1 0.5

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

 Machinery.......................................... 0.1 0.9 -0.1 1.9 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.2

 Computers and electronic products..... 0.0 0.7 -0.7 1.0 -0.1 0.2 0.0 0.2

 Electrical equipment, appliances,

 and components............................. 0.0 0.8 0.1 0.9 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.2

 Transportation equipment.................... 0.0 0.7 0.2 1.4 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2

 Furniture and related products............. (X) 0.5 (X) 1.0 (X) 0.5 (X) 0.4

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

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

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

 Beverage and tobacco products............ (X) 0.5 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.2

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

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

 Apparel.............................................. (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

 Leather and allied products.................... (X) 0.9 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.5

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

 Printing.............................................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.7

 Petroleum and coal products................. (X) 1.0 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 1.2

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

 Plastics and rubber products................. (X) 0.6 (X) (NA) (X) (NA) (X) 0.6

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.

3

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

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

reporters. Seasonally adjusted estimates include concurrent adjustments for holiday and trading-day differences, where appropriate, 

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

for price changes.

Table 8. Revisions to Previously Published Monthly Percent Changes3

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

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-inprocess, 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 65 

publication levels. The survey methodology assumes that the month-to-month changes of the total 

operations of those companies in the monthly survey effectively represent the month-to-month 

movements of all establishments that make up the category. The current coverage levels in the survey 

show that reported data in the monthly survey represent approximately 60 percent of the shipments 

estimates at the total manufacturing level. Data published represent manufacturing in a calendar month. 

The data collection is based on a voluntary survey authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code. 

The data presented in this release are based on data obtained from a panel of 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-to-month movement of 

all companies is another potential source. Any corrections will be published in the full report. 

Corrections received after the full report will be released in the next month’s advance report. Any 

revisions made later than two months will be reflected in the annual benchmark publication. 

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