Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods climbed to $345.4 billion in September, marking the sixth increase in seven months as aircraft purchases, computer equipment and business investment supported continued manufacturing growth.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. manufacturers recorded another strong increase in durable goods orders in September, with new orders rising 1.8% to $345.4 billion as demand for transportation equipment and business machinery continued to strengthen, according to federal data released Tuesday.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported Oct. 27 that orders increased $6.3 billion from August, when they had risen 0.1%. September marked the sixth monthly increase in the past seven months, extending a period of growth in demand for goods designed to last at least three years.
During the first nine months of 2026, durable goods orders increased 8% compared with the same period in 2025, reflecting sustained demand across several manufacturing categories.
Transportation equipment accounted for most of September’s monthly increase. Orders in the sector rose $5.2 billion, or 4.6%, to $119.8 billion, led by a sharp increase in commercial aircraft purchases.
Orders for nondefense aircraft and parts jumped 28.4% to $25.3 billion, demonstrating how large aircraft contracts can significantly influence monthly manufacturing statistics. Motor vehicle and parts orders increased a more modest 0.3%.
Excluding transportation equipment, which frequently experiences substantial monthly fluctuations, durable goods orders still increased 0.5%. Orders excluding defense equipment rose 2.2%, indicating that the broader expansion was not limited to military procurement.
Computer manufacturing also contributed to the increase. Orders for computers and related equipment climbed 3.9% in September and were 20.3% higher during the first nine months of the year compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
The growth comes amid continued investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure, which has increased demand for computing equipment, data centers and related technology. However, the government figures do not isolate how much of the increase was directly attributable to AI-related spending.
An important measure of underlying business investment also remained positive.
Orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft, commonly called core capital goods, increased 0.5% in September to approximately $88 billion. The category includes machinery, computers and other equipment purchased by businesses and is closely monitored as an indicator of future investment activity.
Core capital goods orders were 10.9% higher during the first nine months of 2026 than during the same period last year.
Shipments of core capital goods, which feed into estimates of business equipment investment in gross domestic product, rose 1.2% in September to approximately $86.1 billion.
The increase suggests that companies continued purchasing and receiving equipment despite concerns about borrowing costs, inflation and the broader economic outlook.
Other manufacturing indicators also showed expansion.
Total shipments of durable goods increased 0.9% to $336.8 billion, while unfilled orders climbed 0.8% to approximately $1.62 trillion. The increase in backlogs indicates that manufacturers received more new business than they completed during the month.
Inventories rose 0.3% to approximately $610 billion, marking the 12th consecutive monthly increase.
Although growing order backlogs can support future manufacturing activity, they do not guarantee that all outstanding orders will result in completed shipments.
The latest figures offer additional evidence of strength in business equipment spending ahead of the Federal Reserve’s Oct. 27-28 monetary policy meeting.
Federal Reserve officials are evaluating economic conditions as they consider the appropriate direction of interest rates. Continued investment in capital equipment suggests that parts of the economy remain resilient even as employment growth has shown signs of slowing.
However, the Census Bureau’s durable goods estimates are reported in current dollars and are not adjusted for inflation. Consequently, some increases in the dollar value of orders may reflect higher prices rather than greater physical production.
The monthly figures are also preliminary and subject to revision as additional information becomes available.
The Census Bureau is scheduled to release its more comprehensive September manufacturing report Nov. 3, including revised durable goods figures and additional data covering nondurable products.
The September report nevertheless shows that American manufacturers continued attracting substantial new business, particularly in transportation equipment and technology-related industries.
With orders rising for the sixth time in seven months and core business investment remaining positive, the latest data point to continued manufacturing demand heading into the final quarter of 2026, although the outsized contribution from aircraft purchases means the headline increase was stronger than the underlying growth across other industries.
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