United Kingdom Factory Orders

Last Release

May 31, 2025

Actual

-30

Units In

Net Balance

-26

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Jun 24, 2025

Time to Release

1 Months 0 Days 0 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
26 Nov 2021	-79 Oct 1980	-17.89 Net Balance	1977-2025	The Confederation of British Industry

In the United Kingdom, the Confederation of British Industry‘s Industrial Trends Survey of total order book balance tracks changes in the level of factory orders from around 500 companies across 38 sectors of manufacturing industry. The survey covers domestic and export orders, stocks, price, investment intentions and output expectations. For each variable, manufacturers are asked if present situation is above normal, normal or below normal. The results are presented as a weighted percentage balance, that is, the difference between the percentage of respondents replying more or up to each question minus the percentage replying less or down.

Latest Updates

The UK’s total order book balance dropped to -30 in May 2025, down from -26 in April and missing market expectations of -25, the CBI Industrial Trends Survey showed. This marked the lowest level since January, highlighting continued weakness in manufacturing sentiment amid rising domestic business costs and uncertainty surrounding US tariffs. Although export order books remained below normal levels, they improved from the previous month (-29 vs. -41 in April). Meanwhile, output volumes declined in the three months to May at the joint-fastest pace since August 2020 (-25 vs. -2). On the inflation front, average selling price expectations held steady, with the balance at 26, compared to 23 in April.