Canada Manufacturing Sales MoM1981-2020 Data | 2021-2022 Forecast | Calendar

Manufacturing sales in Canada slumped 28.5 percent over a month earlier to CAD 36.4 billion in April, following an upwardly revised 9.8 percent drop and compared with market expectations of a 20 percent plunge. It was the largest decline in manufacturing sales on record, as factories operated at limited capacity or ceased operations completely amid the coronavirus pandemic. Sales were down in all 21 industries, led by transportation equipment (-76.4%, the largest decrease on record), namely motor vehicles (-97.5%); petroleum & coal product industries (-46.4%, biggest decline on record); food (-12.8%); fabricated metal product (-26.1%); plastic & rubber (-31%); primary metal (-16.4%); machinery (-16.4%) and wood (-19%). Manufacturing sales were down in every province in April, in particular in Ontario (-37.1%) and Quebec (-26.7%).

Manufacturing sales in Canada dropped 9.2% over a month earlier to CAD 50.8 billion in March 2020, after a downwardly revised 0.4% gain in February and compared with forecasts of a 5.7% fall. It was the biggest decline in manufacturing sales since December 2008, as many plants were shut down or faced lower demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sales were down in 17 of 21 industries, led by transportation equipment (-26.5%), namely motor vehicles (-33.8%) and petroleum & coal products (-32.2%), as refineries curtailed production in response to the world oil supply glut and falling demand. Also, sales fell for plastic & rubber (-10.9%); primary metal (-7.4%); fabricated metal product (-4.9%); furniture (-16.6%); non-metallic mineral products (-11.7%); printing (-16.2%) and machinery (-3.9%). In contrast, sales rose for food (8.2%); paper (8.4%); and beverage & tobacco (6.7%). Considering the first quarter of the year, manufacturing sales went down 4.4%.

Manufacturing sales in Canada rose 0.5 percent over a month earlier to CAD 56.2 billion in February 2020, rebounding from a 0.2 percent fall in the previous month and beating market expectations of a 0.1 percent decline. It was the first rise in manufacturing sales in six months, mainly driven by the transportation equipment industry (+4% to CAD 10.4 billion), namely motor vehicle (+13.3%) and motor vehicle parts (+2.6%) as more units were produced at some assembly plants after shutdowns in January. Sales also increased for plastics and rubber products (4.3%); fabricated metals (1.9%); computer and electronics (5.2%) and chemicals (1.3%). Gains were partially offset by declines in the machinery (-6%); aerospace product and parts (-9.3%); petroleum and coal product (-2.2%) and food industries (-1%), as sales were affected by rail blockades in different parts of the country, and by the coronavirus pandemic.

Manufacturing sales in Canada went down 0.2 percent over a month earlier to CAD 56.1 billion in January of 2020, following a 0.7 percent decrease in the previous month but less than an expected 0.5 percent fall. Sales decreased in 9 of 21 industries, led by transportation equipment (-6 percent), namely motor vehicle assembly (-12.3%) and motor vehicle parts (-1.6%) industries, reflecting longer temporary shutdowns at some assembly plants as well as the recent closure of the General Motors plant in Oshawa. Also, sales were down for petroleum & coal products industries (-5.2 percent), on account of lower sales volumes and lower prices, with partial shutdowns at some Canadian refineries for maintenance work during the month being a major contributor to the decline in volumes sold (-3.3%). In contrast, sales rose in 12 industries, led by the food ( 2.6 percent), non-metallic mineral product (15.7 percent), machinery (4.6 percent) and fabricated metal product (4.6 percent) industries.