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FEDERAL RESERVE statistical release
For immediate release
May 17, 1982

G.3 (402)

CAPACITY UTILIZATION: MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS
April 1982

Capacity utilization in manufacturing declined 0.4 percentage point in
April to 71.1 percent, following a decrease of 0.6 percentage point in March.
The operating rate for producers of industrial materials fell 0.8 percentage
point in April to 70.8 percent, after dropping 1.0 percentage point in March.
During March and April the manufacturing and materials operating rates declined
less rapidly than they did from September 1981 through January 1982. In that
period, the manufacturing operating rate dropped at an average of about 1.7 percentage points per month and the materials operating rate fell at an average of
about 2.0 percentage points per month.
Within manufacturing, the utilization rate for the primary processing
industries decreased 0.6 percentage point in April to 67.7 percent, while the
rate for the advanced processing industries declined 0.2 percentage point to 73.0
percent. The operating rate for producers of primary metals dropped sharply in
April, and a large decline occurred in the rate for producers of nonelectrical
machinery. The capacity utilization rate for the motor vehicles and parts
industry increased in April for the third consecutive month but the industry still
operated at less than 55 percent of capaciry.
The operating rate for producers of durable goods materials fell 1.3
percentage points in April to 64.8 percent, mainly because of large reductions in
the production of basic metals and equipment parts. Utilization rates for the
production of raw steel and nonferrous metals declined again in April, to levels
about 33 and 20 percentage points, respectively, below their rates a year earlier.
Capacity utilization by producers of nondurable goods materials was unchanged at
75.2 percent in April, and the utilization rate for energy materials production
declined 0.9 percentage point to 81.2 percent, mainly reflecting a sizable reduction in coal mining.




INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS

MANUFACTURING
100

O^WU.

\ » siT

/

a:
—
80

till

1

111! 1I

~s*\

1

PRIMARY PROCESSING

/ S

A.

60
100

E^RGY
v

L

v

\ y TOTAL

t

i

jv^-,

l

l

!

!

I

V_

I

I I

!

I I

NONDURABLE GOODS

80
\ U ADVANCED
W
PROCESSING

—

\ i
V
V /DURABLE GOODS

fill

1

! 11111
1976

1979

!1

1

60

i I ri II
1973

1976 1979

1982

OUTPUT, CAPACITY AND CAPACITY UTILIZATION
Output and Capacity are Percentages of 1967 Output; Capacity Utilization is a Per Cent of Capacity.
Seasonally Adjusted

Manufacturing
MONTHLY CAPACITY UTILIZAT 1[ON
SERIES

1975 | 1981
LOW 1 APR.

1973|

I

1
MANUFACTURING, TOTAL

|

88.0|

I
1
PRIMARY

PROCESSING

ADVANCED

93.81

J
L

1981
I

PRIMARY

PROCESSING

AUG.

SEP

OCT •

80.0

79.6

79.8

79.6

78. 3

76.6

74.8

73. 1

80.6

79.5

80.1

79.9

78. 2

75. 7

72.7

69. 6 |

75.8

I
75.0 I

79.8

79.8

79.7

1

152 4

152 5

._

IV

-IJL

139.7| 189.4

145.0J

1
1

78. 3

77. 0

II

III

19821
II

IV

190.9

1
192. 4 193. 91
1

1
1

157.5

156 .5

155 .8

143.5| 136.81i 193.8

195.0

196. 3

150 .2

150 .7

145.8]

187.1

188.7

190. 4

\

FEE

MAR if,.

APR •

71 .1

72. 1

71. 5

71. 1

68.5

69. 8

68. 3

67. 7

72.8

73. 6

73. 2

73. 0

IV

1982
I

UTILIZATION

CAPACITY
1981
I

1982|
i:CI

79.4

I 148.1

PROCESSING

ADVANCED

JULY

\
\

68. 2 1 80. 7

ii

151.3

MANUFACTURING, TOTAL

JUNE

1
69. 0 1 79. 8

1 69. 4 1 79.4
1
85.5|
1
, ... 1 OUTPUT

PROCESSING

1982
MAY

195.2J
1
1
197. 51 198.61
*
i
192. 01 193.51
1

1981
I

II

79. 9

III

79 .8

79. 3

1
74. 81
1
|

81. 3

80 .3

79. 4

72.

79. 1

79 .6

79..2

75. 9|

71. 6
68.9

•

73. 2

Industrial Materials
HONTHLY CAPACITY UTILIZATION
SERIES

1981
APR.

gAY

JUNE

JULY

AUG.

SEP.

pCT.

MOV.

1
DEC. 1
1

1982
jAM.

FEB.

MAR.

APR.

69.4

81.1

81.1

81.3

81.9

81.6

80.0

77.7

75.5

72-4|

71.4

72.6

71.6

70.8

63.6

78.8

79.2

78.8

79.3

79.4

77.3

74.7

72,2

68.5|

66.2

67.4

66.1

64.8

68.6

79.9

80.3

78.7

79.5

83.0

79.1

73.9

70.8

65.8

64.4

60.7

94.5|

67.2

85.9

85.6

84.3

83.9

83.0

82.9

80.3

77.3

73.2

75.7

75.2

75.2

95.11

65.3

85.5

85.4

83.5

83-2

82.3

82.1

79.1

75.9

65.51
1
1
74.1|
I
72.2|

70.7

73-5

73.3

73.0

92.6|
99.4|
95.5|

57.9 I 81.9
72.4 | 94.9
64.2 | 84.1

81.7
93.9
84.3

80.5
93.0
82.6

82.0
92.9
81.2

82.3
93.6
79.7

81.3
95.7
79.2

78.8
92.1
76.2

75.5
92.3
72.4

72.0|
86.5|
69.0|

68.6
87.6
67.4

71.9
89.9
70.1

72,9
89.0
69.9

| 79.9

79.7

83.7

86.2

85.6

83.0

82.5

82.2

81.61
1

83.7

83.0

82.1

19821
II

1981
I

1973|
HIGHI
1
92.6|
1
1
91.5|

MATERIALS, TOTAL

DURABLE GOODS MATERIALS

1975

LOW J

1
1

•

98.31

METAL MATERIALS

•

1
1
MOMDURABLE GOODS HATERIALS
TEX., PAPER, & CHEH. HAT.
•

TEXTILE HATERIALS
PAPER MATERIALS
CHEHICAL HATERIALS

SMERGY HATERIALS

[
|
|

1
1

1
1

I

94.6|

1

1981
I

II

III

1 154.2

153.4

154.3

84.8

I

OUTPUT

MATERIALS, TOTAL

CAPACITY

1981
1982|
11
I
1
144.0| 138.41 187.6

IV

UTILIZATION

i;

in

189.0

190.3

191.51 192.61
1
1

82.2

81.2

81.1

78.7

78.9

78.7

83.0

79.6

86.5

1

81.2

XV

H

III

i IV

1982
. I

I
75.21
I

71,9

80.5

70, i!
1

63.6

77.21

74.7

1
DURABLE GOODS MATERIALS

150.9

152.3

152-8

140.21

191.8

192.9

194.2

195.31

117.5

112.8

114.2

141.7

141.9

NONDURABLE GOODS HATERIALS

179.2

178.4

175.8

TEX., PAPER, $ CHSB. HAT.

186.7

185.9

182.8

90.5| 141.5
1
1
1
1
164.51 160.31 207.3
•
1
169.4| 163.5| 217.1

114.8
151.4
232.7

114.5
151.0
231.6

115.5
152-2
224.9

106.8|
147.01
20fi.2|

130.9

125.1

131.6

METAL

MATERIALS

99.5|

209.2

211.2

219.4

221.7

223.91 225.61

140.1
159.7
274.1

140.6
160.7
277.5

141.0
161.9
281.0

127.91 129.81 153.5

154.3

155.0

141.61 142.11
162.81 163.81
284.4| 287.31
1
1
«
155.81
1

EMERGY HATERIALS

NOTE:

145.* 51
198.51
1
1

66.6

85.3

83.3

86.0

84.8

82.5

75.7|

72.5

81.9
94.8
84.9

81.4
93.9
83.5

81.8
94.1
80.0)

75, 41
90.31
72.51
I

71.1
88.8
69.1

85.3

81.1

84.9

82.1|
1

83.0

•

•

•

TEXTILE HATERIALS
PAPBR MATERIALS
CHEMICAL MATERIALS

196.41

142.11 142.31
1
1
213.11 214.61

ESTIMATES OF ACTUAL OUTPUT AND CAPACITY OUTPUT ARE BOTH EXPRESSED AS PERCENTAGES OF 1967 ACTUAL OUTPUT. ESTIMATES OF
CAPACITY UTILIZATION IN PBRCBNT ARE CALCULATED AS RATIOS OF (1) THE FEDERAL RESERVE*S SEASONALLY ADJUSTED INDEXES OP INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION TO (2) THE CORRESPONDING INDEXES OF CAPACITY. INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS ARE ITEMS BOTH PRODUCED AND USED AS II*
PUTS BY MANUFACTURING PLANTS, HIRES AND UTILITIES; INDUSTRIAL HATERIALS COVER MANY OF THE 1TEHS REPRESENTED IN TBE PRIMARY
PROCESSING GROUPING OF HANUFACTURING AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OUTPUT OF MINES AMD UTILITIES -- SUCH AS I1OM ORE, CRUDE OIL, AMD
ELECTRICITY SOLD TO INDUSTRY.
THE 1973 HIGHS AND 1975 LOWS IN CAPACITY UTILIZATION, SHOWN III THE TABLES ABOVE, ARE SPECIFIC TO EACH SERIES AND HAY OCCUR IN
DIFFERENT MONTHS. INDUSTRIAL PLANTS USUALLY OPERATE AT CAPACITY UTILIZATION RATES THAT ARE WELL BELOW 100 PERCENT; SOME OF
THE BROAD AGGREGATE SERIES HAS EVER INDICATED A 100 PERCENT USE OF CAPACITY. CAPACITY UTILIZATION RATES AVERAGED ABOUT 83
PERCENT FOR MANUFACTURING FROM 1955 THROUGH 1979, AMD ABOUT 85 PERCENT FOR INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS FOR 1967 THROOGH 1979. IM
MANUFACTURING AS A WHOLE, UTILIZATION RATES AS HIGH AS 90 PERCENT HAVE BBBM EXCEEDED OMLY IM WARTIME.
THE PEAK RATES OP UTILIZATION IM 1973 WERE ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT UPWARD PRESSURE OH PRICES.
THE METHODOLOGY AMD THE SERIES ARE DBSCRIBED IN FJDBRAL RESERVE HEASUBES OF CAPACITY AMD CAPACITY UTILIZATION.
RBVISBD DATA
ARE FOUND IM "CAPACITY UTILIZATION:
MANUFACTURING AMD MATERIALS, JANUABY~967~-DECEHBER 1978.** BOTH PUBLICATIONS HAY BE OB"
TAIMED FROM PUBLICATIONS SERVICES, BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20551