Germany foreign orders index, intermediate and capital goods
Germany foreign orders index, intermediate and capital goods stood at 87.8 in Aug 2026, according to Deutsche Bundesbank. It is one of the indicators in the Manufacturing orders and order backlog table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 1991 to Aug 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Manufacturing orders and order backlog table
| Indicator | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intermediate and capital goods2 | 87.8 | 92.5 | 93.1 | 92.5 | 93.3 | 96.2 | 91.7 | 86.5 | 94.4 | 91.7 | |
| Intermediate goods | 84.4 | 87 | 81.3 | 85.8 | 87.7 | 91.7 | 82.1 | 81.9 | 88.4 | 83.1 | |
| Capital goods | 89.6 | 95.3 | 99.2 | 96.1 | 96.2 | 98.6 | 96.7 | 88.9 | 97.6 | 96.1 |
Understanding germany foreign orders index, intermediate and capital goods
Corporate procurement of both factory machinery and raw component materials forms the foundation of this dual-category index. By aggregating fixed investment assets with intermediate processing inputs, the metric captures the full spectrum of international corporate demand while entirely filtering out retail-oriented consumer goods. This combination serves to reflect the broader global capital expenditure cycle and global factory integration. It provides a sweeping look at how foreign enterprises are stocking their own assembly lines and upgrading their production capacities, contrasting sharply with household-driven export measures.
Reviewing this combined indicator involves navigating the different cyclical sensitivities of its two underlying components. Capital investment typically follows long-term macroeconomic planning, whereas intermediate inputs react much faster to immediate inventory adjustments. Because of this dual nature, analysts frequently monitor multi-month smoothed averages rather than isolated monthly prints to determine the actual trajectory of global corporate demand. Year-on-year comparisons of the unadjusted series help verify whether a shift in momentum is genuine or simply the result of moving industrial holidays. Initial releases are subject to standard revisions as late-reporting heavy machinery firms submit their final contract volumes. Periodic rebasing ensures the weighting between raw inputs and finished factory equipment accurately reflects the contemporary industrial export structure.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this combination include software and digital infrastructure?
- Only tangible manufactured goods are measured here, meaning pure software contracts fall outside the scope unless bundled into physical industrial hardware.
- How do raw material prices affect this particular metric?
- Since the index is formulated at constant prices, shifts in the cost of raw commodities do not inflate the underlying volume of orders recorded.
- Can this measure predict future industrial production levels?
- Strong order intakes from international businesses typically signal upcoming expansions in domestic factory output, serving as a reliable leading indicator.