Major Appliance Shipments Drop 19% in July

WASHINGTON — In July, factory shipments of major appliances fell 19.2% to 4.1 million units year over year — a 28% drop from June — according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). The data also showed a 19.3% decline in year-to-date shipments through Aug. 1, to 36 million units.

The home-laundry category as a whole fell 14.6%, with electric dryers hit the hardest; they experienced a 16.5% drop to about 333,100 units. The washer category fell 14.7% to about 531,900 units.

The AHAM 6, a composite group consisting of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer, range and oven categories, dropped 14.6% in July and was down almost 15% year to date.

Each of the product categories that AHAM tracked showed declines in July.