U.S. Durable Goods Orders Rise 1.8% to $345.4 Billion in September
Key Facts
U.S. durable goods orders rose by $6.3 billion, or 1.8%, to $345.4 billion in September, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That followed a revised 0.1% increase in August, and orders posted gains in six of the past seven months. The actual reading was 1.8%, against a forecast of 1.5% in the EL7 calendar, while the previous reading was 0.1%. Transportation equipment led the monthly increase, while orders excluding transportation rose at a slower pace. September’s figures point to improved demand for durable goods, with a large share of the gain concentrated in transportation.
Orders for transportation equipment increased by $5.2 billion, or 4.6%, to $119.8 billion, following gains in two of the previous three months. The Census Bureau said transportation equipment “led the increase,” after its orders fell 0.3% in August. By contrast, orders excluding transportation rose 0.5% in September, while orders excluding defense increased 2.2%. These measures show different rates of increase depending on which components are excluded, as transportation made a large contribution to the total. Nondefense aircraft and parts orders also rose 28.4% in September, after a 0.3% increase in August, but remained down 18.0% year to date compared with the same period in 2025.
The increase extended to nondefense capital goods, with new orders rising by $6.3 billion, or 6.2%, to $107.8 billion. Shipments of these goods increased by $1.7 billion, or 1.7%, to $97.1 billion. On a year-over-year basis, durable goods orders rose 8.0% in September, while nondefense durable goods orders increased 6.7% from January to September compared with the same period a year earlier. These figures show growth in orders and shipments in the nondefense capital goods measure, alongside a strong monthly increase in the total. The report’s figures are adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes; data on new and unfilled orders also exclude semiconductors.
Durable goods shipments rose by $3.0 billion, or 0.9%, to $336.8 billion in September, after falling 0.2% in August. Unfilled orders increased by $13.6 billion, or 0.8%, to $1,623.6 billion, while inventories rose by $1.9 billion, or 0.3%, to $610.0 billion. On a year-over-year basis, unfilled orders increased 9.0% and inventories rose 3.4% compared with September 2025. These indicators add detail to the demand reading on realized shipments, orders still unfilled and inventory levels. The monthly figures show shipments, unfilled orders and inventories all rising in September.
In separate data, U.S. industrial production rose 0.7% in September after a 0.1% increase in August, and grew at an annual rate of 2.8% in the third quarter, according to the Federal Reserve. Manufacturing output increased 0.3% during the month, the mining index rose 0.2%, and the utilities index climbed 3.5%. Capacity utilization was 76.9%, 2.5 percentage points below its 1972–2025 average. The monthly data show industrial production increasing while capacity utilization remained below that long-term average. The Federal Reserve is scheduled to release its annual revision to industrial production and capacity utilization indexes on November 24, adopting 2022 as the base year and adding new benchmark manufacturing data for 2023 and 2024, as well as updated capacity data from the Census Bureau’s fourth-quarter 2025 survey and other government sources.
Upcoming releases include the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ advance estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product, scheduled for October 29, and the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on October 27 and 28, with minutes due to be published on November 18. On November 3, the Census Bureau will release revised and more detailed estimates for September shipments, inventories and orders, along with data on nondurable goods. The advance report on durable goods orders for October is scheduled for release on November 25. These releases will provide subsequent updates on September’s figures and economic activity in the third quarter. The full orders report comes ahead of the next advance reading on durable goods.