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New orders for manufactured durable goods in May Inventories of manufactured durable goods in May,
increased $2.8 billion or 1.8 percent to $163.9 billion, down five consecutive months, decreased $2.5 billion or
the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This was the 0.8 percent to $323.3 billion. This followed a 1.1
third increase in the last four months and followed a 1.8 percent April decrease.
percent April increase. Excluding transportation, new
orders increased 1.1 percent. Excluding defense, new Primary metals, down eight consecutive months, had
orders also increased 1.4 percent. the largest decrease, $0.9 billion or 3.0 percent to $27.1
billion.
Machinery, up three of the last four months, had the
largest increase, $1.6 billion or 7.7 percent to $22.5 Capital Goods
billion.
Nondefense new orders for capital goods in May
Shipments increased $4.9 billion or 10.0 percent to $53.8 billion.
Shipments decreased $0.2 billion or 0.3 percent to $56.3
Shipments of manufactured durable goods in May, billion. Unfilled orders decreased $2.5 billion or 0.6
down ten consecutive months, decreased $3.6 billion or percent to $429.7 billion. Inventories decreased $0.5
2.1 percent to $169.9 billion. This was the longest billion or 0.3 percent to $142.1 billion.
streak of consecutive monthly decreases since the series
was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and Defense new orders for capital goods in May increased
followed a 0.5 percent April decrease. $0.8 billion or 7.4 percent to $12.0 billion. Shipments
increased $0.1 billion or 1.0 percent to $10.4 billion.
Transportation equipment, down two consecutive Unfilled orders increased $1.7 billion or 1.2 percent to
months, had the largest decrease, $2.7 billion or 6.0 $144.4 billion. Inventories decreased $0.1 billion or 0.4
percent to $42.2 billion. percent to $20.2 billion.
Unfilled orders for manufactured durable goods in Revised seasonally adjusted April figures for all
May, down eight consecutive months, decreased $2.0 manufacturing industries were: new orders, $344.7
billion or 0.3 percent to $747.5 billion. This followed a billion (revised from $344.4 billion); shipments, $357.1
1.1 percent April decrease. billion (revised from $357.3 billion); unfilled orders,
$749.5 billion (revised from $748.7 billion); and total
Machinery, down eight consecutive months, had the inventories, $516.5 billion (revised from $517.6 billion).
largest decrease, $0.8 billion or 0.9 percent to $87.7
billion.
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>.
Revised and more detailed estimates, plus nondurable goods data, will be published on July 2, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EDT. The
advance report on durable goods for June is scheduled for release on July 29, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. EDT. See back page for survey
description.
2
DURABLE GOODS
Total:
Shipments………………………….. 169,885 173,469 174,417 -2.1 -0.5 -1.9 169,855 170,883 215,193 850,007 1,053,058 -19.3
4
New Orders ………………………… 163,920 161,098 158,279 1.8 1.8 -2.2 160,867 154,329 213,150 784,272 1,072,012 -26.8
Excluding transportation:
Shipments………………………….. 127,666 128,546 129,366 -0.7 -0.6 -2.9 127,275 127,323 161,351 633,715 781,966 -19.0
4
New Orders ………………………… 121,733 120,374 119,932 1.1 0.4 -2.8 121,423 118,563 157,800 595,982 778,145 -23.4
Excluding defense:
Shipments………………………….. 156,454 160,104 161,209 -2.3 -0.7 -2.1 156,472 158,003 203,217 787,211 997,778 -21.1
4
New Orders ………………………… 148,948 146,921 146,065 1.4 0.6 -2.4 148,220 142,497 203,004 722,696 1,014,258 -28.7
r
NA Not Available Revised
1
Shipments and new orders are the totals for the period and are adjusted for trading-day and calendar-month variations; unfilled orders and total inventories are as of the end of the period and are not
adjusted for trading-day or calendar-month variations.
2
Based on advance sample. 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."
3
The Capital Goods Industries include Nondefense : 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.
Defense Capital Goods include : small arms and ordnance, communications equipment, aircraft; missiles, space vehicles, and parts, ships and boats, and search and navigation equipment.
4
Data on new and unfilled orders are not available for the semiconductor industry. Estimates and percent changes for new orders and unfilled orders exclude semiconductor industry data.
Inventories for semiconductor industry data are included in computers and electronic products and total durable goods industries, but are not shown separately.
3
DURABLE GOODS
Total:
Unfilled Orders4……………………. 747,501 749,487 757,692 -0.3 -1.1 -1.7 751,926 757,116 817,565 -8.0
Total Inventories………………….. 323,251 325,725 329,460 -0.8 -1.1 -1.7 324,457 326,530 333,452 -2.7
Excluding transportation:
Unfilled Orders4……………………. 308,121 310,075 314,081 -0.6 -1.3 -2.0 312,093 314,147 357,995 -12.8
Total Inventories………………….. 230,074 232,234 236,252 -0.9 -1.7 -2.0 230,476 232,480 246,167 -6.4
Excluding defense:
Unfilled Orders4……………………. 587,119 590,646 599,663 -0.6 -1.5 -2.0 590,590 595,044 663,782 -11.0
Total Inventories………………….. 297,005 299,450 303,450 -0.8 -1.3 -1.9 298,081 300,155 308,799 -3.5
Capital goods: 3
Unfilled Orders……………………. 574,177 575,035 581,684 -0.1 -1.1 -1.5 576,429 580,785 611,290 -5.7
Total Inventories………………….. 162,313 162,889 163,184 -0.4 -0.2 -1.1 163,332 163,405 156,345 4.5
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-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 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-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.