DDP
PrintIndustrial Production and Capacity Utilization - G.17
Current Release (250 KB PDF) (ASCII)
Industrial production increased 0.2 percent in August after having advanced 0.9 percent in July. Manufacturing rose 0.5 percent in August, after a similarly sized gain in July, and the rates of change were revised down slightly in April, May, and June. In August, the output of mines moved up 1.2 percent. The output of utilities decreased 3.0 percent, as temperatures moderated somewhat from the previous month. At 94.0 percent of its 2007 average, total industrial production for August was 3.4 percent above its year-earlier level. Capacity utilization for total industry edged up to 77.4 percent, a rate 1.9 percentage points above its level from a year earlier but 3.0 percentage points below its long-run (1972--2010) average.
Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization: Summary
| Industrial production | 2007=100 | Percent change | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2011 | Aug. '10 to Aug. '11 |
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| Mar.[r] | Apr.[r] | May[r] | June[r] | July[r] | Aug.[p] | Mar.[r] | Apr.[r] | May[r] | June[r] | July[r] | Aug.[p] | ||
| Total index | 93.1 | 92.7 | 93.0 | 93.0 | 93.9 | 94.0 | .7 | -.4 | .3 | .1 | .9 | .2 | 3.4 |
| Previous estimates | 93.1 | 92.8 | 93.0 | 93.3 | 94.2 | .7 | -.3 | .2 | .4 | .9 | |||
| Major market groups | |||||||||||||
| Final Products | 94.4 | 94.2 | 94.7 | 94.4 | 95.3 | 95.7 | .1 | -.3 | .6 | -.3 | .9 | .4 | 3.3 |
| Consumer goods | 93.2 | 92.8 | 93.1 | 92.7 | 93.5 | 93.7 | .2 | -.4 | .3 | -.4 | .9 | .2 | 1.2 |
| Business equipment | 94.6 | 94.5 | 95.8 | 95.9 | 97.0 | 97.7 | .0 | -.2 | 1.4 | .1 | 1.1 | .7 | 9.4 |
| Nonindustrial supplies | 83.7 | 83.4 | 84.0 | 83.9 | 84.6 | 84.3 | .9 | -.4 | .7 | -.2 | .9 | -.4 | 1.9 |
| Construction | 75.2 | 75.2 | 76.3 | 76.4 | 77.1 | 76.9 | 1.1 | .0 | 1.4 | .2 | .9 | -.2 | 4.2 |
| Materials | 95.1 | 94.6 | 94.4 | 94.9 | 95.8 | 95.9 | 1.1 | -.5 | -.2 | .6 | .9 | .1 | 3.9 |
| Major industry groups | |||||||||||||
| Manufacturing (see note below) | 90.1 | 89.6 | 89.7 | 89.8 | 90.3 | 90.7 | .7 | -.5 | .1 | .0 | .6 | .5 | 3.8 |
| Previous estimates | 90.1 | 89.7 | 89.9 | 90.0 | 90.6 | .6 | -.4 | .2 | .2 | .6 | |||
| Mining | 104.2 | 104.9 | 105.5 | 106.0 | 107.2 | 108.5 | 1.6 | .7 | .5 | .5 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 5.6 |
| Utilities | 100.7 | 99.7 | 100.5 | 100.4 | 103.3 | 100.2 | -.3 | -.9 | .8 | -.1 | 2.8 | -3.0 | -2.4 |
| Capacity utilization | Percent of capacity | Capacity growth |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average 1972- 2010 |
1988- 89 high |
1990- 91 low |
1994- 95 high |
2009 low |
2010 Aug. |
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| 2011 | Aug. '10 to Aug. '11 |
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| Mar.[r] | Apr.[r] | May[r] | June[r] | July[r] | Aug.[p] | ||||||||
| Total industry | 80.4 | 85.2 | 78.8 | 85.1 | 67.3 | 75.5 | 77.0 | 76.6 | 76.7 | 76.7 | 77.3 | 77.4 | .9 |
| Previous estimates | 77.0 | 76.6 | 76.7 | 76.9 | 77.5 | ||||||||
| Manufacturing (see note below) | 79.0 | 85.5 | 77.3 | 84.7 | 64.4 | 72.6 | 74.8 | 74.4 | 74.4 | 74.4 | 74.7 | 75.0 | .4 |
| Previous estimates | 74.8 | 74.4 | 74.6 | 74.6 | 75.0 | ||||||||
| Mining | 87.4 | 86.3 | 83.8 | 88.5 | 79.0 | 87.7 | 88.0 | 88.4 | 88.7 | 89.0 | 89.9 | 90.8 | 2.0 |
| Utilities | 86.6 | 92.9 | 84.3 | 93.3 | 79.2 | 82.8 | 79.6 | 78.7 | 79.3 | 79.1 | 81.2 | 78.7 | 2.7 |
| Stage-of-process groups | |||||||||||||
| Crude | 86.4 | 87.7 | 84.3 | 89.6 | 77.6 | 86.3 | 87.3 | 87.1 | 86.7 | 87.0 | 87.6 | 88.1 | 1.6 |
| Primary and semifinished | 81.3 | 86.5 | 77.9 | 87.9 | 64.9 | 72.8 | 74.1 | 73.6 | 73.9 | 74.0 | 74.7 | 74.4 | -.1 |
| Finished | 77.3 | 83.3 | 77.4 | 80.7 | 66.8 | 74.2 | 76.1 | 75.8 | 75.8 | 75.6 | 76.0 | 76.4 | 1.6 |
Market Groups
The production indexes for most major market groups moved up in August. The output of consumer goods rose 0.2 percent. Consumer durables recorded an increase of 1.3 percent largely because of further gains in automotive products. The production indexes for home electronics and for appliances, furniture, and carpeting both edged up, while the output of miscellaneous goods slipped. The output of nondurable consumer goods declined 0.1 percent: A decrease in residential sales by utilities more than offset increases in the production of consumer fuels and of non-energy nondurables. The output of non-energy nondurables has been little changed, on net, over the past year, as a gain for chemical products has about offset lower output for paper products, clothing, and foods and tobacco.
The production of business equipment rose 0.7 percent in August and has gained 9.4 percent in the past 12 months. In August, the index for transit equipment moved up 1.6 percent, boosted by higher output of civilian aircraft, and the index for information processing equipment increased 1.1 percent. The production of industrial and other equipment was little changed for a second month; however, the index has increased 7.7 percent over the past 12 months.
In August, the index for defense and space equipment increased 1.5 percent, its largest increase in more than a year. This index is little changed, on net, from 12 months earlier.
The output of construction supplies decreased 0.2 percent in August after having climbed 0.9 percent in July. Over the past 12 months, the index for construction supplies has moved up 4.2 percent. Nevertheless, the index in August was more than 20 percent below its average level in 2007. The production of business supplies decreased 0.4 percent in August after having increased 0.9 percent in July; it has reversed little of its decline from late 2007 to early 2009.
The production of materials to be further processed in the industrial sector edged up 0.1 percent in August after having posted a gain of 0.9 percent in July. The output of durable materials increased 0.6 percent and was up for a fourth consecutive month in August. After averaging gains of nearly 2 percent in June and July, the production of consumer parts edged down 0.1 percent in August. Following a fall of 0.9 percent in July, the output of equipment parts increased 1.6 percent in August; the gains among its components were broadly based. Decreases for textile, paper, and chemical materials all contributed to a decline of 0.4 percent in the output of nondurable materials; the index has been little changed, on net, over the previous 12 months. The output of energy materials was unchanged in August, as increased extraction of natural gas, crude oil, and coal was offset by lower output for utilities.
Industry Groups
Manufacturing output increased 0.5 percent in August; it was 3.8 percent higher than its year-earlier level. Capacity utilization for manufacturing in August was 75.0 percent, a rate 10.6 percentage points above its trough in June 2009 but still 4.0 percentage points below its long-run average. The utilization rate for July was revised down 0.3 percentage point, a move that reflects, in part, a downward revision to chemical production from April to June.
The production index for durable goods manufacturing rose 0.8 percent in August, after having gained 0.9 percent in July. Among the major durable goods industries, gains of 1.0 percent or more were recorded in August in primary metals; computer and electronic products; electrical equipment, appliances, and components; motor vehicles and parts; aerospace and miscellaneous transportation equipment; and furniture and related products. Motor vehicle and parts production increased an average of 3.1 percent in July and August but has not yet returned to its level prior to the supply chain disruptions that resulted from the earthquake in Japan. Meanwhile, decreases in production in August were recorded in wood products, nonmetallic mineral products, and machinery. Overall, the index for durable manufacturing was 7.7 percent above its year-earlier level.
The index for nondurable manufacturing edged up 0.1 percent in August. The index for petroleum and coal products moved up 1.1 percent for the month, and a small increase was also recorded in chemical production. The indexes for the remaining nondurable manufacturing industry groups moved down, with the largest production declines recorded for textile and product mills and for printing and support. Nondurable manufacturing stood 0.9 percent above its year-earlier level.
The production index for mining increased 1.2 percent in August, primarily as a result of gains for crude oil, natural gas, and coal. Capacity utilization in mining rose to 90.8 percent, a rate 3.4 percentage points above its long-run average. The output of utilities moved down 3.0 percent; its operating rate fell to 78.7 percent, a rate that is 7.9 percentage points below its long-run average.
Capacity utilization rates in August at industries grouped by stage of process were as follows: At the crude stage, utilization increased 0.5 percentage point to 88.1 percent, a rate 1.7 percentage points above its long-run average; at the primary and semifinished stages, utilization fell 0.3 percentage point to 74.4 percent, a rate 6.9 percentage points below its long-run average; and at the finished stage, utilization rose 0.4 percentage point to 76.4 percent, a rate 0.9 percentage point below its long-run average.
Note. The statistics in this release cover output, capacity, and capacity utilization in the U.S. industrial sector, which is defined by the Federal Reserve to comprise manufacturing, mining, and electric and gas utilities. Mining is defined as all industries in sector 21 of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS); electric and gas utilities are those in NAICS sectors 2211 and 2212. Manufacturing comprises NAICS manufacturing industries (sector 31-33) plus the logging industry and the newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishing industries. Logging and publishing are classified elsewhere in NAICS (under agriculture and information respectively), but historically they were considered to be manufacturing and were included in the industrial sector under the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. In December 2002 the Federal Reserve reclassified all its industrial output data from the SIC system to NAICS.
