US Durable Goods Orders, July 2026 — Orders Rise 1.1% to $339.3 Billion on Transportation Rebound
New orders for US durable goods rose 1.1% to $339.3B in July 2026, beating the 0.5% consensus, as transportation equipment rebounded 2.3%. Ex-transportation orders rose 0.4%.
Headline beat driven by aircraft and transportation
The Census Bureau's advance report showed new orders for manufactured durable goods rising $3.6 billion, or 1.1%, to $339.3 billion in July 2026 — the fourth increase in five months and roughly double the pace economists had expected. The gain followed a 0.5% June increase.[1][2][3]
Transportation equipment did the heavy lifting, climbing $2.6 billion, or 2.3%, to $116.2 billion after two straight monthly declines, with nondefense aircraft and parts orders surging 12.7%. Stripping out transportation, orders rose just 0.4%, and excluding defense they rose 1.3%.[1][4]
Shipments, backlogs and the investment signal
Shipments rose 1.0% to $334.7 billion, up in ten of the last eleven months, while unfilled orders climbed 0.6% to nearly $1.6 trillion — a record backlog concentrated in transportation equipment ($1,006.4 billion). Core capital goods orders edged up 0.2%, keeping the business-investment trend positive heading into Q3. The fuller M3 report with nondurables follows on September 2, and the August advance report is due September 25, 2026.[1]
Verified facts
Cross-checked against 2+ independent sourcesThis section contains facts cross-checked against multiple sources.
New orders for manufactured durable goods increased $3.6 billion, or 1.1%, to $339.3 billion in July 2026, the U.S. Census Bureau reported on August 26, 2026. Orders were up in four of the last five months.[1][2][3] 3 sources
The July increase followed a 0.5% rise in June 2026, when orders reached a revised $335.7 billion.[1][2] 2 sources
Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.4% in July.[1][2] 2 sources
Transportation equipment led the July increase, rising $2.6 billion, or 2.3%, to $116.2 billion, following two consecutive monthly decreases.[1][4] 2 sources
The 1.1% headline gain exceeded expectations: economists had anticipated an increase of about 0.5%.[2][3] 2 sources
Reported, not confirmed
Not cross-checked — do not read as factFrom here on: claims and speculation that are not cross-checked.
Excluding defense, new orders increased 1.3% in July.[1] single-source ×1 · U.S. Census Bureau advance report
Orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft — a proxy for business investment plans — edged up 0.2% to $85.9 billion; shipments of those core capital goods rose 1.4%.[1] single-source ×1 · U.S. Census Bureau advance report, Table 1
Shipments of durable goods rose 1.0% to $334.7 billion (up ten of the last eleven months); unfilled orders rose 0.6% to $1,599.9 billion; inventories rose 0.4% to $604.4 billion.[1] single-source ×1 · U.S. Census Bureau advance report
Nondefense aircraft and parts orders jumped 12.7% to $19.8 billion in July, while defense capital goods orders fell 1.5% to $23.0 billion.[1] single-source ×1 · U.S. Census Bureau advance report, Table 1
Timeline
- 2026-07-31
Reference month ends: July 2026 durable goods activity is the subject of the advance report.[1]
- 2026-08-26
Census Bureau releases the July 2026 advance durable goods report at 8:30 a.m. EDT: new orders +1.1% to $339.3 billion.[1][2]
- 2026-09-02
Revised and more detailed estimates, including nondurable goods, scheduled for release (Full Report, M3).[1]
- 2026-09-25
Advance report on August 2026 durable goods scheduled for release.[1]
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 08/27/2026, 02:30
- Tokens
- 8,000
- Sources
- 4 sources adopted
- Model
- claude-opus-5 (review pass)
- Time
- 08/27/2026, 02:30
- Tokens
- 3,000
- Verdict
- Passed
| 08/27/2026, 02:30 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 08/27/2026 | First authored | Updated |
Frequently asked
What are durable goods orders and why do they matter?
Durable goods are manufactured products expected to last three years or more, such as aircraft, cars, machinery, and appliances. New orders signal future factory production and business investment, making the report a closely watched leading indicator of US manufacturing health.
Why did orders rise more than expected in July 2026?
Transportation equipment rebounded 2.3% after two monthly declines, led by a 12.7% jump in nondefense aircraft orders. Excluding transportation, growth was a more modest 0.4%, so the headline beat was largely a transportation story.
What does the report say about business investment?
Core capital goods orders (nondefense, excluding aircraft) rose 0.2% to $85.9 billion and core shipments rose 1.4%, suggesting business equipment spending stayed resilient at the start of the third quarter.