Manufacturing PMI® at 54.5%; September 2026 ISM® Manufacturing PMI® Report
EmitenTrust.com New Orders Growing; Production Growing; Employment Growing; Supplier Deliveries Slowing Raw Materials Inventories Contracting; Customers' Inventories Too Low; Prices Increasing; Imports Growing; Exports Growing
TEMPE, Ariz., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in September for the ninth consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest ISM
The report was issued today by Susan Spence, MBA, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management
"The Manufacturing PMI
"The Supplier Deliveries Index indicated slowing performance for the 10th month in a row after one month in 'faster' territory. The reading of 59 percent is down 0.3 percentage point from its August reading of 59.3 percent. (Supplier Deliveries is the only ISM
"The Inventories Index registered 48.6 percent, down 2 percentage points compared to August's reading of 50.6 percent. The Customers' Inventories Index reading of 41.6 percent is 1.2 percentage points lower compared to the 42.8 percent recorded in August.
"The New Export Orders Index lost 2.3 percentage points in September for a reading of 50.9 percent versus 53.2 percent in August. The Imports Index registered 51 percent, a decrease of 1.5 percentage points compared to August's reading of 52.5 percent."
Spence continues, "In September, U.S. manufacturing activity remained in expansion territory. Of the five subindexes that make up the PMI
"In September, three of four demand indicators (the New Orders, Backlog of Orders and New Export Orders indexes) remained in expansion, and the Customers' Inventories Index remained in 'too low' territory, contracting at a faster rate. A 'too low' status for the Customers' Inventories Index is usually considered positive for future production.
"Regarding output, the Production Index expanded for the 11th month in a row, with the positive-to-negative comment ratio dropping again in September (1.6 positive comments for every negative one, compared to a 2.2-to-1 ratio in August and 3.3-to-1 in July). The Employment Index remained in expansion and gained 1.5 percentage points. The positive-to-negative comments ratio on Employment was 1.5-to-1 in September.
"Finally, inputs (defined as supplier deliveries, inventories, prices and imports) were mixed, with the Supplier Deliveries Index decreasing 0.3 percentage point, the Inventories Index declining another 2 percentage points and returning to contraction, and the Prices Index increasing 6.8 percentage points, returning to its level at the start of the Iran War. The Imports Index lost 1.5 percentage points, to 51 percent versus 52.5 percent in August.
"Looking at the manufacturing economy, 2 percent of the sector's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted in September, compared to 22 percent in August, and 2 percent of manufacturing GDP was in strong contraction (defined as a composite PMI
The 12 manufacturing industries reporting growth in September — listed in order — are: Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Primary Metals; Plastics & Rubber Products; Computer & Electronic Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Furniture & Related Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Transportation Equipment; Machinery; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; and Chemical Products. The two industries reporting a contraction in September are: Printing & Related Support Activities; and Textile Mills.
WHAT RESPONDENTS ARE SAYING
- "Better performance was driven primarily by temporary market effects, including (1) geopolitical uncertainties, (2) customers bringing forward purchases, (3) delayed raw material price increases and (4) reduced competitor capacity. However, these factors do not signal sustained recovery: Structural challenges facing the chemical industry remain, including overcapacity, persistent pricing pressures and protectionist trade policies." [Chemical Products]
- "Supply chain performance has improved compared to prior years, with lead times largely normalized. Cost pressures persist in select raw materials, transportation and labor categories, requiring continued focus on supplier management and cost control. We remain cautiously optimistic about business conditions over the next several quarters." [Chemical Products]
- "The U.S. tariff schedule is providing challenges. Finding alternate sources of supply outside of China, local pushback on data centers in the U.S. and continuing material/component shortages are affecting business." [Computer & Electronic Products]
- "Manufacturing activity remains stable, with a continued focus on cost optimization, supplier negotiations and supply base consolidation. We are actively evaluating alternative sources in several categories to improve supply resilience and reduce costs. While material availability has generally improved compared to prior periods, qualification requirements and supplier capacity constraints continue to influence sourcing decisions for certain critical materials and components. Capital and operational spending remain focused on productivity, efficiency and transformation initiatives." [Computer & Electronic Products]
- "Orders have doubled yet again, and delivery times have also doubled, in the semiconductor, electronics and government sectors, with remaining sectors flat to down. Coupled with supply chain lead times and pricing pressures, the factory backlog has nearly doubled. Canada tariffs have impacted cross-border costs and left our supply chain team scrambling — those supply chains took years to develop and nurture — hurting the very lead times government buyers are concerned about." [Machinery]
- "Order levels remain strong and elevated; we have orders through year-end at above forecast levels. Our biggest challenge continues to be a severe shortage of workers, limiting our production output to meet demand. The second challenge is general availability of steel; the market is getting worse, and more production delays are expected as we gap out of needed material." [Fabricated Metal Products]
- "Raw metals continue to be challenging, especially with the uncertain nature of tariffs being on and off again. New tariffs against Canada have drastically increased costs for capital expenses as well as assemblies." [Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components]
- "Fuel costs are still affecting transportation costs and the overall cost of goods. Beef costs remain high, with no relief in sight." [Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products]
- "Higher interest rates slow down the growth of new construction projects; we also have to face up to the higher cost of components from overseas due to tariffs and freight rates. Due to booming demand of AI and data centers, domestic steel capacity has been stretched and pushed. Higher steel costs each month increase our raw-material and finished-goods costs." [Machinery]
- "Every month, we are faced with new headwinds created by this administration. This month, it is the trade war with Canada, which every day is getting worse — causing prices to go up and uncertainty that creates massive disruption. Buying continues to get pushed out indefinitely as customers don't want to spend on capital expenditures until there is more certainty of costs and demand. The only thing that is predictable is the chaos that is created by these trade policies." [Transportation Equipment]
ISM
*Number of months moving in current direction.
COMMODITIES REPORTED UP/DOWN IN PRICE AND IN SHORT SUPPLY
Commodities Up in Price
Aluminum (34); Brass Products; Copper (15); Copper Products (2); Corrugated Products (6); Diesel Fuel (2); Electrical Components (4); Electronic Components (9); Freight (7); Fuel (7); Memory Components (7); Nickel; Oil Based Products (6); Packaging Materials; Plastic Based Products (6); Printed Circuit Boards (3); Resins (8); Semiconductors (4); Soybean Meal; Steel (11); Steel — Hot Rolled (9); Steel — Stainless (8); Steel Products (10); and Zinc.
Commodities Down in Price
None.
Commodities in Short Supply
Aluminum Products; Copper (3); Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM); Electrical Components (15); Electronic Components (19); Memory (9); Printed Circuit Boards (3); Steel (3); Steel — Hot Rolled; Steel Products; and Tungsten Products (3).
Note: The number of consecutive months the commodity is listed is indicated after each item.
SEPTEMBER 2026 MANUFACTURING INDEX SUMMARIES
Manufacturing PMI
A Manufacturing PMI
THE LAST 12 MONTHS
New Orders
ISM
The 10 manufacturing industries that reported growth in new orders in September, in order, are: Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Computer & Electronic Products; Plastics & Rubber Products; Chemical Products; Primary Metals; Fabricated Metal Products; Transportation Equipment; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; and Machinery. The four industries reporting a decline in new orders in September are: Printing & Related Support Activities; Textile Mills; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; and Wood Products.
Production
The Production Index expanded in September for the 11th month in a row, registering 56.7 percent, a 1.6-percentage point decrease compared to August's reading of 58.3 percent. "Of the six largest manufacturing industries, five (Petroleum & Coal Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Transportation Equipment; Computer & Electronic Products; and Chemical Products) reported increased production. Panelists had a 1.6-to-1 ratio of positive to negative comments regarding output, down from August's 2.2-to-1 ratio," says Spence. An index above 52 percent, over time, is generally consistent with an increase in the Federal Reserve Board's Industrial Production figures.
The 10 industries reporting growth in production during the month of September — listed in order — are: Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Petroleum & Coal Products; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Plastics & Rubber Products; Primary Metals; Transportation Equipment; Computer & Electronic Products; Chemical Products; and Miscellaneous Manufacturing. The three industries that reported a decrease in production in September are: Printing & Related Support Activities; Paper Products; and Textile Mills.
Employment
ISM
Of the 18 manufacturing industries, eight reported employment growth in September, in the following order: Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Primary Metals; Wood Products; Computer & Electronic Products; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Plastics & Rubber Products; Transportation Equipment; and Fabricated Metal Products. The six industries reporting a decrease in employment in September — listed in order — are: Textile Mills; Printing & Related Support Activities; Petroleum & Coal Products; Paper Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; and Chemical Products.
Supplier Deliveries
The 12 manufacturing industries reporting slower supplier deliveries in September, in order, are: Paper Products; Primary Metals; Computer & Electronic Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Machinery; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Furniture & Related Products; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Plastics & Rubber Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Transportation Equipment; and Chemical Products. Two industries (Wood Products; and Miscellaneous Manufacturing) reported that supplier deliveries were faster in September.
Inventories
The Inventories Index registered 48.6 percent in September, down 2 percentage points compared to the reading of 50.6 percent in August. "Of the six big industries, three (Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Transportation Equipment; and Machinery) expanded inventories in September," says Spence. An Inventories Index greater than 44.5 percent, over time, is generally consistent with expansion in the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) figures on overall manufacturing inventories (in chained 2000 dollars).
Of 18 manufacturing industries, the nine reporting higher inventories in September — in the following order — are: Textile Mills; Furniture & Related Products; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Plastics & Rubber Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Transportation Equipment; Machinery; and Miscellaneous Manufacturing. The five industries reporting lower inventories in September are: Printing & Related Support Activities; Chemical Products; Computer & Electronic Products; Primary Metals; and Wood Products.
Customers' Inventories
The two industries that reported that customers' inventories were too high in September are: Nonmetallic Mineral Products; and Miscellaneous Manufacturing. The 11 industries reporting customers' inventories as too low in September, in order, are: Primary Metals; Computer & Electronic Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Fabricated Metal Products; Paper Products; Transportation Equipment; Plastics & Rubber Products; Chemical Products; Machinery; and Wood Products.
Prices
In September, the 16 industries that reported paying increased prices for raw materials, in order, are: Petroleum & Coal Products; Textile Mills; Wood Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Primary Metals; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Plastics & Rubber Products; Machinery; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Computer & Electronic Products; Furniture & Related Products; Chemical Products; Transportation Equipment; and Paper Products. No industries reported paying decreased prices for raw materials in September.
Backlog of Orders
The 10 industries reporting higher backlogs in September — listed in order — are: Computer & Electronic Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Wood Products; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Transportation Equipment; Primary Metals; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Machinery; and Plastics & Rubber Products. The three industries reporting lower backlogs in September are: Textile Mills; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; and Chemical Products.
New Export Orders
Of the 18 manufacturing industries, the four that reported growth in new export orders in September are: Transportation Equipment; Computer & Electronic Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; and Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components. The eight industries that reported a decrease in new export orders in September — in the following order — are: Wood Products; Textile Mills; Fabricated Metal Products; Plastics & Rubber Products; Primary Metals; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Machinery; and Paper Products. Six industries reported no change in exports.
Imports
The four industries reporting higher imports in September are: Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Transportation Equipment; Plastics & Rubber Products; and Computer & Electronic Products. The seven industries that reported lower volumes in September — in the following order — are: Textile Mills; Wood Products; Paper Products; Machinery; Fabricated Metal Products; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; and Chemical Products. Seven industries reported no change in imports in September compared to August.
Buying Policy
The average commitment lead time for Capital Expenditures in September was 176 days, five days more than in August. The average lead time in September for Production Materials was 84 days, the same as in August. The average lead time for Maintenance, Repair and Operating (MRO) Supplies was 49 days, one day more than in August.
About This Report
DO NOT CONFUSE THIS NATIONAL REPORT with the various regional purchasing reports released across the country. The national report's information reflects the entire U.S., while the regional reports contain primarily regional data from their local vicinities. Also, the information in the regional reports is not used in calculating the results of the national report. The information compiled in this report is for the month of September 2026.
The data presented herein is obtained from a survey of manufacturing supply executives based on information they have collected within their respective organizations. ISM
Data and Method of Presentation
The ISM
Survey responses reflect the change, if any, in the current month compared to the previous month. For nine indicators (New Orders, Backlog of Orders, New Export Orders, Imports, Production, Supplier Deliveries, Inventories, Employment, and Prices), this report shows the percentage reporting each response, the net difference between the number of responses in the positive economic direction (higher, better and slower for Supplier Deliveries) and the negative economic direction (lower, worse and faster for Supplier Deliveries), and the diffusion index. For Customers' Inventories, respondents report their assessment of their customers' stock levels of respondent companies' products this month (rather than last month): too high, about right, and too low. Responses are raw data and are never changed. The diffusion index includes the percent of positive responses plus one-half of those responding the same (considered positive).
The resulting single index number for those meeting the criteria for seasonal adjustments (Manufacturing PMI
Diffusion indexes have the properties of leading indicators and are convenient summary measures showing the prevailing direction of change and the scope of change. A Manufacturing PMI
The ISM
The industries reporting growth, as indicated in the ISM
Responses to Buying Policy reflect the percent reporting the current month's lead time, the approximate weighted number of days ahead for which commitments are made for Capital Expenditures; Production Materials; and Maintenance, Repair and Operating (MRO) Supplies, expressed as hand-to-mouth (five days), 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, six months (180 days), a year or more (360 days), and the weighted average number of days. These responses are raw data, never revised, and not seasonally adjusted.
ISM PMI
The Institute for Supply Management
Except as explicitly and expressly permitted by ISM, you are strictly prohibited from creating works or materials (including but not limited to tables, charts, data streams, time-series variables, fonts, icons, link buttons, wallpaper, desktop themes, online postcards, montages, mashups and similar videos, greeting cards, and unlicensed merchandise) that derive from or are based on the ISM PMI
You shall not create, recreate, distribute, incorporate in other work, or advertise an index of any portion of the Content unless you receive prior written authorization from ISM. Requests for permission to reproduce or distribute ISM PMI
ISM shall not have any liability, duty, or obligation for or relating to the ISM PMI
About Institute for Supply Management
ISM is the world's first professional association for supply chain — founded in 1915, before the term 'supply chain' was widely used. We didn't enter this profession. We helped shape it. Today, we're a community of over 200,000 professionals in more than 100 countries — early-career practitioners building credentials, experienced leaders seeking strategic insight, and organizations developing their procurement teams that drive their business forward. What connects us is a shared belief that supply chain is strategic work that deserves world-class support. For more information, please visit: www.ismworld.org.
The full text version of the ISM
The next ISM
*Unless the New York Stock Exchange is closed.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/manufacturing-pmi-at-54-5-september-2026-ism-manufacturing-pmi-report-302894520.html
SOURCE Institute for Supply Management