February 2011 Industrial Production, Capacity Utilization and Capacity

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Industrial production declined 0.1 percent in February after having risen 0.3 percent in January; output in January was previously estimated to have edged down 0.1 percent. Manufacturing output increased 0.5 percent in February, and the gain in January was revised up to 0.9 percent. At 95.5 percent of its 2007 average, total industrial production was 5.6 percent above its year-earlier level. Both Wood Products and Paper moved in the same direction as the whole manufacturing sector, rising by 2.3 and 0.7 percent, respectively.
 

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The capacity utilization rate for total industry edged down 0.2 percentage point to 76.3 percent, a rate 4.2 percentage points below its average from 1972 to 2010. Manufacturing bucked the all-industry trend, rising 0.4 percent. Wood Products jumped a rather sprightly 2.7 percent, while Paper increased by a more sedate 0.8 percent.
 

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Capacity at the all-industries and manufacturing levels crept higher (0.1 percent), but Wood Products slumped by 0.4 percent while Paper fell 0.1 percent.