US Manufacturing Output Stalls in May

US manufacturing output was unchanged in June 2026 after a 0.1% increase in the previous month, as a 0.1% decline in durable goods production was offset by a 0.2% increase in nondurable goods output. Within durable manufacturing, declines were broad-based, with wood products, nonmetallic mineral products, machinery, and electrical equipment, appliances, and components each falling by more than 0.5%. Meanwhile, the gain in nondurable manufacturing was driven by a 2.1% increase in petroleum and coal products output.

Manufacturing output in the United States was unchanged in May, missing market expectations for a 0.3% rise, following an upwardly revised 0.7% increase in April. Production of durable goods rose 0.8%, with output increasing in almost all categories. Within durables, the indexes for wood products, nonmetallic mineral products, primary metals, and motor vehicles and parts each grew by more than 1%. Production of nondurable goods fell 0.9% in May, with declines across almost all categories. Capacity utilization in manufacturing was unchanged in May at 75.7%, a level 2.5 percentage points below its long-run average (1972–2025).

Manufacturing output in the United States rose 0.6% in April 2026, the most since February 2025 and more than market expectations of a 0.2% gain. The production of durables increased 1.2%, with gains in most categories. The largest increase was in the output of motor vehicles and parts, which jumped 3.7%. Nondurable manufacturing production edged down 0.1%, as declines in several categories—notably the indexes for chemicals and for plastics and rubber products, which both decreased 0.9%, were mostly offset by increases in the indexes for food, beverage, and tobacco products, for printing and support, and for petroleum and coal products. Capacity utilization for manufacturing moved up 0.4 percentage point to 75.8% in April and is now 2.4 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2025) average.