Final instructions updated burden hours (9-26-22)

MQ-E-C2-I
(09-26-22)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

INSTRUCTIONS FOR
THE QUARTERLY SURVEY OF PLANT CAPACITY UTILIZATION
Page

General Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Survey Item Instructions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Operational Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Value of Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Actual and Full Production Comparisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
................................................. 4
Work Patterns for The Quarter

National Emergency Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

AUTHORITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

(1) the market value of actual goods produced;

Title 13, United States Code, Section 8(b); Title 50, United
States Code, Section 98, et seq; and Title 12, United States
Code, Section 244, authorize the Census Bureau to conduct
this collection and to request your voluntary assistance. The
Census Bureau is required by Title 13, United States Code,
Section 9, to keep your information confidential and can use
your responses only to produce statistics. The Census
Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses
in a way that could identify your business, organization, or
institution. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act
of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks
through screening of the systems that transmit your data.

(2) the value of products that could have been
produced if the plant was operating at full
capacity during the quarter.

WHEN TO REPORT
Complete the survey online at
https://portal.census.gov by the date printed on the letter.

HOW TO REPORT
INTERNET REPORTING

PUBLIC REPORTING

You can complete this survey online at:
https://portal.census.gov . We have provided your
Authenication Code on the front of the letter.

We estimate this survey to take 20 to 40 minutes, with an
average of 30 minutes, to complete, including time for
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,
gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing
and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments
regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this
collection of information, including suggestions for reducing
this burden to: ERD Survey Comments 0607-0175, U.S.
Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Washington, DC
20233. You may email comments to
[email protected]; use "ERD Survey
Comments 0607-0175" as the subject.

Answer all questions and follow the instructions for each
item given on this sheet.
Report market value of production figures in thousands of
dollars. For example, if value of production is 1,125,788
dollars, enter the figure as follows:
Mil.

Thou.

1

126

This collection has been approved by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). The eight-digit OMB
approval number is 0607-0175 and appears at the upper
right of the login screen. Without this approval we could not
conduct the survey.

Review the name and address of this plant and make any
necessary corrections to the mailing information.

WHO SHOULD REPORT?

OPERATIONAL STATUS

This report covers the manufacturing plant or publishing
facility named in the cover letter and in the physical address
box in our online application. If your company operates
more than one location, REPORT ONLY FOR THOSE PLANTS
SELECTED FOR THIS SAMPLE SURVEY. A letter is enclosed for
each plant selected. If the location on the letter is not a
manufacturing plant or publishing facility, indicate this in the
remarks section. If you are in the publishing industry, please
check the box that you outsource all printing activity on the
Outsource Printing screen which follows the Physical
Address and Mailing Information screen.

Report the status of operations at this plant at the end of
the quarter by marking the appropriate box. If:

MAILING INFORMATION

In Operation – Complete all items.
Idle Plants – Complete all items.
a. If this plant was temporarily idle during the entire
quarter report actual operations as zero where
appropriate.

Since some of the information necessary to complete this
survey may not be in your records, CONSULT THE PLANT
MANAGER on questions regarding full production capability
and emergency production.

b. If this plant was temporarily idle during only part of
the quarter report the actual operations for the time
the plant was in operation.

WHAT TO REPORT?

For both cases, report full production capabilities based
on the plant’s peak quarterly production during the year.

This survey primarily asks for 2 levels of operating capability
of this plant for the quarter:

Permanently Ceased Operations – Indicate the month and
year when operations ceased at this plant. If the plant
was in operation at ANY time during the quarter,
complete all items. Report full production capabilities as if
the plant operated the entire quarter.

MQ-E-C2-I (02-2018)

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OPERATIONAL STATUS – Continued

Do not include any printing that is contracted out. If you do
not perform any printing activities, please check the box
that you outsource all printing activities on the Outsource
Printing screen which follows the Physical Address and
Mailing Information screen.

Sold or Leased Plant – If this plant was sold or leased to
another company, indicate the month and year this action
took place, and the name and address of the new owner.

Full Production Capability

a. If you still maintain records for this plant, complete all
items.

Read the definition and assumptions regarding full
production capability. Estimate your market value of
products that would have been produced if the plant was
operating at full capacity during the quarter. Use one of the
two methods suggested below or your own computations.

b. If you do not have information about this plant,
complete contact info and submit.

SPECIAL NOTE:

Full Production Capability – The maximum level of

Seasonal Operations

production that this establishment could reasonably expect
to attain under normal and realistic operating conditions
fully utilizing the machinery and equipment in place. In
estimating market value at full production capability,
consider the following:

a. If this plant is usually temporarily idle during the quarter
due to seasonal factors, report as instructed for idle
plants.
b. If this plant was not temporarily idle during the quarter,
but its operations vary substantially from quarter to
quarter, due to seasonal factors, complete all items and
report full production capabilities based on the plant’s
peak quarterly production during the year.

• Assume only the machinery and equipment in place and
ready to operate will be utilized. Do not include facilities or
equipment that would require extensive reconditioning
before they can be made operable.
• Assume normal downtime, maintenance, repair, and
cleanup. If full production requires additional shifts or hours
of operation, then appropriate downtime should be
considered in the estimate.
• Assume number of shifts, hours of plant operations, and
overtime pay that can be sustained under normal conditions
and a realistic work schedule.
• Assume labor, materials, utilities, etc. are fully available.
• Assume a product mix that was typical or representative of
your production during the quarter. If your plant is subject
to short-run variation assume the same product mix as the
actual production.
• Do not assume increased use of productive facilities outside
the plant for services (such as contracting out subassembly
work) in excess of the proportion that would be normal
during the quarter.

VALUE OF PRODUCTION
Market Value of Actual Production
Report the value of production based on estimated sales
price(s) of what was produced during the quarter, not
quarter sales. If production at this plant consists of only
interplant transfers, use method (2) below to calculate
market value of production.
Three methods – to estimate market value of goods
produced during the quarter:
(1) Estimate the sales price(s) of item(s) produced, then
multiply the sales price(s) by the total number of items
produced during the quarter.
(2) Use book figures of actual production costs plus an
estimate of markup to cover overhead and profit.
(3) Use quarter value of shipments f.o.b. (freight on board)
from the plant (including the value of interplant
transfers within a company, in addition to direct costs of
production, but excluding resales and miscellaneous
receipts) plus any additions or subtractions to the
finished stock of inventories present before the current
quarter (excluding materials and supplies).
[Value of production = value of shipments + value of
ending inventory - value of beginning inventory].

SPECIAL NOTE:
Job shops and custom orders: For full production,
estimate the market value of work that you could have
accomplished under sustainable operating conditions and
if you had sufficient orders.
Publishing/printing plants: For full production, report
printing sales for this location as if it were running at peak
circulation.
Two Methods to estimate market value of production
when operating at full production capability:

SPECIAL NOTE:
Do not include manufacturing contracted to others. If you
contract out all of your manufacturing, please state this in
the "Remarks" section.

(1) If you have a reliable or accurate estimate of
your plant’s sustainable capacity utilization rate: Divide
your market value of production at actual operations by
your current rate of capacity utilization (in decimal form).
For example, if your value of actual operations during the
quarter is $1,200,000 and your plant is currently at 80%
capacity, divide $1,200,000 by 0.80 for a full production
capability of $1,500,000.

Job shops and custom orders: For actual production, report
value of work done during the current quarter.
Publishing/printing plants: For actual production, report
your printing sales only (NOT advertising sales) for the
location named in the physical address box.
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MQ-E-C2-I (02-2018)

Full Production Capability – Continued
Actual Value of
Production

Capacity

Market value of

Rate

Full Capacity

operations as additional shifts. Do not consider overtime
hours as additional shifts. If the plant did not operate a
second or third shift, do not complete the corresponding
columns. Complete ALL items for each shift reported.

/ Utilization = production at

Your plant’s capacity utilization rate should be based on a
capacity output measure that your plant could have
sustained under normal, not emergency, conditions.
(2) For each product, estimate the number of items
that could have been produced if operating at full
production, as defined by the assumptions given.
Multiply the number of items produced by its sales price
(or market value). For example, if you can produce
25,000 items in the quarter, under full production
criteria, and the sales price (market value) for each item
is $4.50, then multiply 25,000 times $4.50 for a full
production capability of $112,500.
Number
of items
produced

X

Sales Price
(Market
Value)

a.

Days per week-in-operation – For each shift, report
the typical number of days per week-in-operation for the
quarter. If your plant has departments or assembly lines
that operate
varied number of days within a shift, report days per weekin-operation for the department operating the greatest
number of days per week for that shift. For example, if one
production line operates 7 days per week during the first
shift
and a second production line operates 5 days per week
during the first shift, report that the first shift operates 7
days per week.

b.

Plant hours per week-in-operation – For each shift,

c.

Weeks-in-operation in the quarter – For each shift,

d.

Number of production workers (including
temporary workers) – For each shift, report the

Market value of
= production at
Full Capacity

If producing more than one product, sum the market values
of production at full production estimated for each product
(assuming the same product mix) for a total value of full
production for the plant.
Enter your estimate for value of full production.

Full Utilization Rate
(1) Your full utilization rate is calculated by dividing your
estimate for actual production by full production
capability and multiplying this number by 100.

report the typical number of hours the plant was in
operation during a single week. If your plant has
departments or assembly lines that operate at varied
periods of time within a shift, report hours per week-inoperation for the production department operating the
greatest number of hours per week for that shift. Do not
report the number of person hours worked.

report the total number of weeks the plant operated during
the quarter. NOTE: The quarter covers 13 weeks.

number of production workers at this establishment,
including both permanent (payroll) and temporary
employees who were paid during the second week of the
second month of the quarter. Include all persons on paid
sick leave, paid holidays, paid vacation during this pay
period.
NOTE: Include workers (up through the
line-supervisor level) engaged in fabricating, processing,
assembling, inspecting, receiving, packing, warehousing,
shipping (but not delivering), maintenance, repair, janitorial,
guard services, product development, auxiliary production
for plant’s own use (e.g., power plant), record keeping, and
other closely associated services. Include truck drivers
delivering ready-mixed concrete.

(2) Is this a reasonable estimate of your utilization rate for
this quarter? Mark (X) yes or no. If no, please review
your full production capability estimate. If yes, continue
with the next item.

ACTUAL AND FULL PRODUCTION COMPARISONS
Full Production Capability: Current Quarter vs.
Previous Quarter

If the value of full production for the current quarter differs
from the previous quarter, mark (X) the primary reasons for
the change.

Actual Operations vs. Full Production Capability

Exclude nonproduction personnel, including those engaged
in supervision above line-supervisor level, sales, sales
delivery (truck drivers and helpers), advertising, credit,
collection, installation and servicing of own product, clerical
and routine office functions, executive, purchasing, finance,
legal, personnel (including cafeteria, etc.), professional and
technical.

Compare the actual value of production to the estimated
value of full production in the quarter. Mark (X) reasons why
your actual operations were less than the estimated value of
full production capability, if appropriate.

WORK PATTERNS FOR THE QUARTER

e. Number of temporary production workers –

Report work patterns for the following characteristics
covering each production shift of actual operations during
the quarter. Report based on the average number of shifts
per day during the quarter. Do not consider maintenance,
administrative, or support

Report the number of temporary production workers not on
the payroll (hired through temporary help agencies or as
their own agent) and working during the second week of
the second month of the quarter. Include temporary
production workers who perform the same tasks as listed
above. Do not include part-time workers.

MQ-E-C2-I (02-2018)

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NATIONAL EMERGENCY PRODUCTION

SPECIAL NOTE:

Read the definition and assumptions regarding national
emergency production. Estimate your value of production
under national emergency conditions for the quarter. Use
your own computations or methods similar to those
described for estimating full production capability.

Jobs shops and custom orders: For national emergency
production, estimate the market value of work that could
have been done if you received additional orders assuming
maximum number of employees working multiple shifts that
the facility can accommodate.

SPECIAL NOTE: Your value of production at national
emergency levels should be greater than or equal to your
value of full production capability. If it is less than your full
production capability, please review your computations.

Publishing/printing plants: For national emergency
production, report value of printing if operating machinery as
close to 168 hours/week as possible.

National Emergency Production – The maximum level

Actual Operations vs. National Emergency
Production Capabilities – Select a time period that

of production that this plant could expect to attain and
sustain for one year or more under national emergency
conditions.

would have been reasonable to increase output to
emergency production level. Include time to hire and train
labor force.

National emergency conditions are situations, such as a
military mobilization or natural disaster, which are likely to
create widespread excess demand requiring additional work
shifts.

If you have any questions concerning the definitions or
instructions, please contact the Special Reimbursable
Surveys Branch of the Economic Reimbursable Surveys
Division on 1-800-201-4647 or visit our help site at https://
econhelp.census.gov/pcu .

For example, military mobilization may require increased
production of food, clothing, building supplies, and
conversion of plants to produce alternative products in
addition to traditional defense hardware. Devastation from
natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or
fire, may require increased production of similar goods as
well as increased production to compensate for plants
damaged or destroyed.
In estimating national emergency production, consider the
following:

• Assume full use of all machinery and equipment in place
(including machinery and equipment that would require
extensive reconditioning before they could be made
operable).
• Assume minimal downtime and multi-work shift
operations.
• Assume plant production as close to 168 hours per week
as possible, including extra shifts (e.g., operating 7 days per
week, 24 hours per day less minimal downtime).
• Assume overtime pay, availability of labor, materials,
utilities, etc., are fully available to you and your suppliers.
• Assume you can sell all your output.
• Assume your product mix can change.
• Assume increased use of productive facilities outside the
plant for services (such as contracting out subassembly
work) in excess of the proportion that would be normal
during the quarter.

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MQ-E-C2-I (02-2018)