Canadian industrial capacity utilization fell to 78.5% in Q4 2025 from an upwardly revised 78.9% in the previous quarter, but came slightly above market expectations of 78.4%. Capacity utilization in the construction sector declined by 0.5 percentage points to 80.4%, marking the eighth drop in the past ten quarters, amid weaker activity in residential and engineering construction. The capacity utilization rate in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector also decreased, falling 0.6 percentage points to 77.1%, in line with lower oil sands extraction activity. Meanwhile, capacity utilization in the manufacturing sector slipped 0.3 percentage points to 77.7%, mainly due to declines in fabricated metal product manufacturing (-6.6 percentage points) and wood product manufacturing (-1.4 percentage points), the latter affected by the US government’s announcement of additional tariffs on Canadian lumber during the quarter. source: Statistics Canada

Capacity Utilization in Canada decreased to 78.50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 from 78.90 percent in the third quarter of 2025. Capacity Utilization in Canada averaged 81.63 percent from 1987 until 2025, reaching an all time high of 86.40 percent in the second quarter of 1988 and a record low of 69.60 percent in the second quarter of 2020. This page provides the latest reported value for - Canada Capacity Utilization - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Canada Capacity Utilization - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on March of 2026.

Capacity Utilization in Canada decreased to 78.50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 from 78.90 percent in the third quarter of 2025. Capacity Utilization in Canada is expected to be 80.50 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Canada Capacity Utilization is projected to trend around 81.00 percent in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2025-12-12 01:30 PM
Capacity Utilization
Q3 78.5% 77.6% 79.3% 79.2%
2026-03-13 12:30 PM
Capacity Utilization
Q4 78.5% 78.9% 78.4% 78.3%
2026-06-12 12:30 PM
Capacity Utilization
Q1 78.5% 80.5%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 288.00 260.00 Companies Jan 2026
Capacity Utilization 78.50 78.90 percent Dec 2025
New Motor Vehicle Sales 114415.00 126983.00 Units Jan 2026
Changes in Inventories -10099.00 13364.00 CAD Million Dec 2025
Corporate Profits 150155.00 151381.00 CAD Million Dec 2025
Industrial Production -0.60 -1.70 percent Dec 2025
Industrial Production Mom 1.00 -0.90 percent Dec 2025
Manufacturing Production -2.20 -5.60 percent Dec 2025
Manufacturing Sales MoM -3.00 0.60 percent Jan 2026
Mining Production 1.50 3.70 percent Dec 2025
New Orders 68901901.00 71439257.00 CAD Thousand Jan 2026
Wholesale Sales MoM -1.00 1.80 percent Jan 2026


Canada Capacity Utilization
The rates of capacity utilization are measures of the intensity with which industries use their production capacity. Capacity utilization is the percentage of actual to potential output.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
78.50 78.90 86.40 69.60 1987 - 2025 percent Quarterly
NSA

News Stream
Canada’s Industrial Capacity Utilization Falls in Q4
Canadian industrial capacity utilization fell to 78.5% in Q4 2025 from an upwardly revised 78.9% in the previous quarter, but came slightly above market expectations of 78.4%. Capacity utilization in the construction sector declined by 0.5 percentage points to 80.4%, marking the eighth drop in the past ten quarters, amid weaker activity in residential and engineering construction. The capacity utilization rate in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector also decreased, falling 0.6 percentage points to 77.1%, in line with lower oil sands extraction activity. Meanwhile, capacity utilization in the manufacturing sector slipped 0.3 percentage points to 77.7%, mainly due to declines in fabricated metal product manufacturing (-6.6 percentage points) and wood product manufacturing (-1.4 percentage points), the latter affected by the US government’s announcement of additional tariffs on Canadian lumber during the quarter.
2026-03-13
Canada’s Industrial Capacity Utilization Up in Q3
Canadian industrial capacity utilization rose to 78.5% in Q3 2025 from a downwardly revised 77.6% in the previous period, though missing market forecasts of 79.3%. Capacity utilization in the construction sector increased 1.3 percentage points to 80.2%, marking the first quarterly gain following eight consecutive declines, on higher activity in engineering construction. The capacity utilization rate in the manufacturing sector rose 1.2 percentage points to 77.8%, driven by petroleum and coal product manufacturing (+10.8 pp) and transportation equipment manufacturing (+1.8 pp). At the same time, capacity utilization in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector increased 0.7 percentage points to 77.1%, bolstered by oil and gas extraction. In contrast, the capacity utilization rate in the electric power generation, transmission and distribution sector fell 1.7 percentage points to 78.8%, amid reduced hydroelectric generation caused by dry conditions.
2025-12-12
Canada’s Industrial Capacity Utilization Falls in Q2
Canadian industrial capacity utilization declined to 79.3% in Q2 2025 from a downwardly revised 79.9% in the previous quarter, above market expectations of 78.8%. Sluggish performance in key resource sectors contributed to the decline. Capacity utilization in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector fell 1.0 percentage point to 75.9%, driven by reduced oil and gas output amid wildfires and scheduled maintenance. Utilities capacity use dropped 2.9 percentage points to 83.1% as dry weather curbed hydroelectric generation. Manufacturing utilization declined 0.7 percentage point to 76.7%, mainly due to declines in petroleum and coal products (-5.2 percentage points) and food manufacturing (-2.6 percentage points).
2025-09-12