French Manufacturing Output Rises 0.5% in September While Total Industry Falls 0.5%
French manufacturing output rose 0.5% in September, helped by a rebound in car production, while total industrial output fell 0.5%, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) said.
For France’s industrial economy, the monthly gain only returns factory output to its June level and leaves third-quarter manufacturing 1.5% below the second quarter. In The Edge’s reading, the drop in the total index came from energy rather than from factories: electricity, gas and steam output fell 4.2%, while most manufacturing branches grew.
Car production rebounds after August’s fall
Transport equipment output rose 2.7% after falling 2.2% in August. Car production jumped 7.5% after a 2.9% decline. Other transport equipment edged up 0.6%.
Even after the jump, car output was 5.5% below September 2025 and 7.8% below December 2025. Over the third quarter as a whole, the car industry produced 9.3% less than a year earlier.
The car industry accounts for 4.7% of the manufacturing weight. Its September index of 99.12 is still below its 2021 average of 100.
Electrical, electronic and computer equipment and machinery rose 2.6%, after 1.2% in August, taking that group to its highest level since November 2023. Machinery grew fastest within it, at 3.2%.
Food industries rebounded 1.0% after a 1.2% fall. Coke and refining rose 6.0% after 3.5%. It is a very small branch, weighing 14 in 10,000.
Other industrial products slip 0.7%, with pharmaceuticals down 4.0%
The largest manufacturing group, other industrial products, fell 0.7% after a 1.1% gain. It covers metals, chemicals and pharmaceuticals among other branches, and accounts for 4,316 of the index’s 10,000 weight points.
Pharmaceuticals fell 4.0%, a second monthly drop after 2.3% in August. Other manufacturing, including repair and installation, lost 1.9%, and wood, paper and printing 1.1%.
Rubber, plastics and non-metallic minerals rose 3.2%, and chemicals 0.9%. Metals and metal products were close to flat, up 0.1%.
Industrial production by branch (change, in %)
| Branch | Aug | Sept | Q3 y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industry | -0.4 | -0.5 | -0.6 |
| Manuf. | 0.3 | 0.5 | -0.9 |
| Food industries | -1.2 | 1.0 | -0.8 |
| Coke and refining | 3.5 | 6.0 | -4.5 |
| Electrical equipment, machinery | 1.2 | 2.6 | 3.7 |
| Transport equipment | -2.2 | 2.7 | -3.8 |
| Cars | -2.9 | 7.5 | -9.3 |
| Other industrial products | 1.1 | -0.7 | -1.3 |
| Extractives, energy, water | -2.8 | -3.8 | 0.8 |
Seasonally and working-day adjusted. August and September are changes on the previous month; Q3 y/y compares July to September 2026 with the same three months of 2025. Manuf. is manufacturing.
Energy output drops back to its April level
Output in extractives, energy and water fell 3.8% after a 2.8% decline. Electricity, gas and steam, which alone carry 22.8% of the index weight, fell 4.2%.
The statistics office says the group returned to its April level, before the rises linked to heatwave episodes. Its first estimate of third-quarter GDP said September’s heat and drought had reduced the availability of some power plants.
The fall pushed the total index to 101.71, its lowest since May 2025 and 1.6% below April. On the year, total industry was 1.3% lower than in September 2025, against a 0.7% fall for manufacturing.
The August figure for total industry was revised to a 0.4% fall from 0.3%, after a downward revision to electricity output. The August manufacturing gain of 0.3% was not revised.
By main industrial grouping, durable consumer goods rose 4.2% and intermediate goods 1.3%. Capital goods gained 0.5%, while non-durable consumer goods fell 0.7%.
Main industrial groupings (change, in %)
| Grouping | Aug | Sept | Q3 y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital goods | 0.7 | 0.5 | -0.8 |
| Intermediate goods | 0.8 | 1.3 | -2.0 |
| Durable consumer goods | 4.4 | 4.2 | 5.3 |
| Non-durable consumer goods | -1.0 | -0.7 | -0.6 |
| Energy | -2.8 | -3.8 | 0.9 |
Seasonally and working-day adjusted; groupings as defined in Commission Regulation (EC) No 656/2007. Q3 y/y compares July to September 2026 with the same three months of 2025.
Third-quarter output falls on both measures
Over the third quarter, total industrial output was 1.1% lower than in the second, and manufacturing 1.5% lower. Against the same quarter of 2025, industry fell 0.6% and manufacturing 0.9%.
Transport equipment fell 3.8% on the year in the quarter and refining 4.5%. Food industries were 0.8% lower. Electrical equipment and machinery grew 3.7%, and extractives, energy and water 0.8%.
The quarterly fall in the index is close to the national accounts picture set out last week. That first estimate put manufacturing production down 1.4% in the third quarter, with car output lower for a fourth straight quarter.
Manufacturing enters the fourth quarter above its recent run: September output was 0.4% above its third-quarter average, while total industry was 0.5% below its own.
Manufacturing remains 2.0% below its April level of 105.49, the highest reading of 2026. The index stood at 103.35 in September, 3.4% above its 2021 average.
Industrial production index (2021 = 100)
| Month | Total | Manuf. | Cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2025 | 103.01 | 104.04 | 104.86 |
| Apr 2026 | 103.40 | 105.49 | 100.14 |
| Jun 2026 | 103.24 | 103.40 | 94.11 |
| Jul 2026 | 102.65 | 102.50 | 95.03 |
| Aug 2026 | 102.21 | 102.82 | 92.24 |
| Sept 2026 | 101.71 | 103.35 | 99.12 |
Seasonally and working-day adjusted index levels as published on 5 November 2026, including revisions to earlier months. Total is all industry; Manuf. is manufacturing.
Construction slips after an August gain
Construction output fell 0.2% in September after rising 0.7% in August. Building construction dropped 1.5% after a 2.0% gain. Civil engineering slipped 0.2% after rising 1.2%.
Specialised construction works, which make up most of the sector’s weight, edged down 0.1%. In the third quarter, construction output was 1.2% below the second quarter and 4.5% below a year earlier.
The construction index stood at 88.1 in September, 11.9% below its 2021 average. Civil engineering showed the steepest annual fall in the quarter, at 6.6%.
Construction output (change, in %)
| Segment | Aug | Sept | Q3 y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 0.7 | -0.2 | -4.5 |
| Buildings | 2.0 | -1.5 | -4.8 |
| Civil engineering | 1.2 | -0.2 | -6.6 |
| Specialised works | 0.6 | -0.1 | -4.2 |
Seasonally and working-day adjusted. Q3 y/y compares July to September 2026 with the same three months of 2025.
What to watch: 27 November, 07:45 GMT, detailed third-quarter national accounts for France; 4 December, 07:45 GMT, industrial production for October.
Figures are from INSEE’s Informations rapides No 269 on industrial production in September 2026 and its index series, both dated 5 November 2026, and from its first estimate of third-quarter GDP of 30 October 2026; data are seasonally and working-day adjusted, with 2021 = 100; changes, shares and gaps not attributed to a source are The Edge’s calculations.
Sources: National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), The Edge.
