The durable goods industries in which output decreased included wood products, which declined a good bit for a second consecutive month; motor vehicles and parts; electrical equipment, appliances, and components; and machinery.
The production of nondurable goods edged down 0.1 percent.
Output in both the petroleum and coal products industry and the textile and product mills industry declined more than 1 percent, and smaller decreases occurred in apparel and leather, chemicals, and plastics and rubber products.
Printing and support was the only major nondurable industry in which output climbed by more than 1 percent; smaller production increases came in the paper industry and in the food, beverage,and tobacco product industry.
Production in the non-NAICS manufacturing industries (logging and publishing) decreased 0.2 percent in February after having declined 1.1 percent in January.
Capacity utilization for industries in the crude stage of processing was little changed at 86.0 percent, a rate 0.4 percentage point below its 1972--2005 average.
For industries in the primary and semi finished stages, the utilization rate increased 0.9 percentage point, to 82.2 percent, as are sult of the rebound in utilities output.
For producers in the finished stage, the utilization rate was unchanged at79.1 percent,a rate 1.2 percentage points above its 1972--2005 average of 77.9 percent.
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