Durable goods report quick answer: The U.S. Census Bureau schedules its advance report on August 2026 manufacturers’ shipments, inventories and orders for Friday, September 25 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The release provides a timely read on factory orders, but its headline can be heavily affected by volatile transportation categories. This guide separates the confirmed schedule, the last official baseline and the figures worth checking when the report appears.
Last reviewed: September 22, 2026. This is an informational calendar and data-reading guide, not investment advice.
Durable goods report: confirmed release time and coverage
| Item | Confirmed detail |
|---|---|
| Release date | Friday, September 25, 2026 |
| Release time | 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time |
| Reference month | August 2026 |
| Publisher | U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders (M3) |
| Next related release | Full M3 report scheduled October 2 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time |
| Primary source | Census release schedule |
Census is the source for the scheduled release time. The September 25 advance report is a current order reading; the later full release can provide additional shipments, inventory and revision context.
The last official durable goods baseline
In the July 2026 advance release, Census reported that new orders for manufactured durable goods rose $3.6 billion, or 1.1%, to $339.3 billion. June orders had increased 0.5%. Excluding transportation, July orders rose 0.4%, and excluding defense they rose 1.3%. Transportation equipment orders increased 2.3% to $116.2 billion.
Those are published July figures, not a forecast for August. They matter as the comparison point for the incoming release, while the transportation result illustrates why investors should not interpret one headline change in isolation. Read Census’s July advance release for the original tables and revisions.
What the report measures
The M3 report tracks manufacturers’ new orders, shipments, unfilled orders and inventories. Durable goods are items intended to last at least three years, but the report is not a direct measure of consumer demand alone: aircraft, defense and industrial equipment can move the total sharply. Census publishes seasonally adjusted dollar values, so price changes and category composition can affect the headline as well as underlying unit demand.
Five checks to make when the August report appears
- Headline new orders: Compare the month-over-month change with July’s 1.1% increase, while noting any revision to July.
- Orders excluding transportation: Check whether the move remains after the category most prone to large monthly swings is removed.
- Nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft: Treat this as one business-investment indicator, not a stand-alone verdict on the economy.
- Shipments, backlogs and inventories: Read them with orders to distinguish a one-month booking change from a broader production or delivery trend.
- Category detail and revisions: Identify the categories that drove the result before drawing conclusions about industrial activity or markets.
What a one-month durable goods move does not prove
A single monthly result does not by itself predict GDP, corporate earnings or stock prices. The report is revised, categories are volatile and a durable-goods order can be placed well before production or delivery. The useful question is whether several related measures and subsequent releases confirm the same direction.
For other data releases that answer different macro questions, see our Core PCE release guide and our EIA oil-data guide. Inflation, energy and factory-order data should be read as separate evidence, not mixed into a single trading claim.
Durable goods report FAQ
When is the next durable goods report?
Census schedules the August 2026 advance report for September 25, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
What did the last durable goods report show?
The July 2026 advance release reported a 1.1% increase in new orders to $339.3 billion. The August report may revise the prior month and report a different result.
Why do investors watch orders excluding transportation?
Transportation, particularly aircraft, can cause unusually large monthly changes. Excluding it can make the composition of the report easier to assess, but it is still only one part of the data.