Manufacturing: how the industry looks
This page gathers the figures we hold on manufacturing. Each section names its own source.
Each source groups industries its own way, so the edges of manufacturing differ a little from section to section.
- Median sale multiple8.5times EBITDA
- EBITDA margin8.8%share of sales, 2024-25
- Still trading after four years65.1%of businesses trading in June 2022
- Days to pay small suppliers30July to December 2025
- Wage change+3.2%the year to June 2026
What stands out
- In 2024-25, EBITDA was 8.8% of sales across the industry and 14.7% across all industries the ABS covers.
- In July to December 2025, the typical large business paid small suppliers in 30 days in the industry and 23 days across all industries.
- In 2025-26, 12.3% of the industry's businesses stopped trading, and 13.8% across all industries.
Where a line gives a figure across all industries, it comes from the same source and period as the industry's. The sections below name each source.
Use these figures
Set your own EBITDA margin beside the industry's on industry margins.
Get your own earnings on the same basis as the deals, and set them against the sector's multiples, in the earnings calculator.
Set the days your own invoices take beside the industry's on payment times.
What businesses sold for
- Manufacturing8.5 times EBITDA, middle half 6.0 to 10.5, 50+ deals
- Building materials7.0 times EBITDA, middle half 6.0 to 10.0, 10+ deals
- Food and beverage manufacturing11.0 times EBITDA, middle half 9.0 to 15.0, 30+ deals
- Industrial and engineered products8.5 times EBITDA, 5+ deals
- Packaging6.5 times EBITDA, 5+ deals
- Pharmaceutical and health products7.5 times EBITDA, middle half 6.5 to 10.0, 10+ deals
Deal details
Manufacturing: median 8.5 times EBITDA. The middle half of deals ran from 6.0 to 10.5 times (50+ deals of A$10 million to A$500 million, announced 2001 to 2026).
Building materials: median 7.0 times EBITDA. The middle half of deals ran from 6.0 to 10.0 times (10+ deals of A$10 million to A$500 million, announced 2004 to 2024).
Food and beverage manufacturing: median 11.0 times EBITDA. The middle half of deals ran from 9.0 to 15.0 times (30+ deals of A$10 million to A$500 million, announced 2001 to 2024).
Industrial and engineered products: median 8.5 times EBITDA (5+ deals of A$10 million to A$500 million, announced 2010 to 2023).
Packaging: median 6.5 times EBITDA (5+ deals of A$10 million to A$500 million, announced 2016 to 2023).
Pharmaceutical and health products: median 7.5 times EBITDA. The middle half of deals ran from 6.5 to 10.0 times (10+ deals of A$10 million to A$500 million, announced 2012 to 2023).
What multiple will my business sell for?
In Australia, manufacturing businesses bought between 2001 and 2026 sold for a median of 8.5 times EBITDA, across 50+ deals.
Source: deals in our database with a published value. Counts by onestepright.
See every manufacturing figure on its sale multiples page.
How deal activity has moved
2015-19 against 2020-26, among the deals in our database.
These count deals in our database, not every deal in the market.
Source: deals in our database. Counts by onestepright.
Margins
In 2024-25, EBITDA was 8.8% of sales across the industry, and operating profit 6.3%.
- Purchases58.7%
- Labour16.6%
- Other costs
- EBITDA8.8%
Every business in the industry together, 2024-25.
What is the average profit margin in manufacturing?
Across every manufacturing business added together, EBITDA was 8.8% of sales in 2024-25, and operating profit 6.3%.
Every business in the industry is added together, so the figures are not a typical business.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Industry (8155.0). Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Compare margins across industries.
How many businesses are still trading
About 65 in every 100 were still trading four years later.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits (8165.0). Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Compare survival across industries.
Businesses that started and stopped
Each is a share of the businesses trading at the start of the year.
Few exits are insolvencies.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits (8165.0). Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Compare exits across industries.
How fast large businesses pay small suppliers
- This industry30
- All industries23
The typical large business in this industry, against all industries.
In July to December 2025, the typical large business in the industry paid small suppliers in 30 days, and paid 56% of its invoices within 30 days.
Source: Payment Times Reporting Register. © Commonwealth of Australia. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Compare payment times across industries.
What costs did
What wages and input prices did in this industry, and what businesses in it announced. Each comes from its own source and grouping of industries.
Each bar comes from its own source, named below.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Wage Price Index, Australia (6345.0), private sector, total hourly rates excluding bonuses. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
By part of manufacturing:
- Basic chemical and chemical product manufacturing: rose 9.8%
- Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing: fell 2.0%
- Fabricated metal product manufacturing: rose 2.9%
- Food product manufacturing: rose 3.4%
- Furniture and other manufacturing: rose 1.0%
- Machinery and equipment manufacturing: about level
- Non-metallic mineral product manufacturing: rose 7.5%
- Petroleum and coal product manufacturing: rose 35.7%
- Polymer product and rubber product manufacturing: rose 8.8%
- Primary metal and metal product manufacturing: rose 24.3%
- Printing (including the reproduction of recorded media): rose 3.9%
- Pulp, paper and converted paper product manufacturing: about level
- Textile, leather, clothing and footwear manufacturing: rose 16.2%
- Transport equipment manufacturing: rose 0.9%
- Wood product manufacturing: rose 4.5%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Producer Price Indexes, Australia (6427.0). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Changes computed by onestepright.
Too few announced rises in this industry to show a median.
Your own cost mix
Enter the share of your costs that go on inputs and on wages. The box works out what those two changes add to your total costs, if your costs moved with the industry. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
Your own suppliers' prices and wage rises are the better figures, if you have them.
What listed chief executives' bonuses pay for
The share of the sector's ASX 200 companies using each measure in their chief executive's bonus plans, FY2025.
Short-term plan
Share of the sector's ASX 200 companies using each measure, FY2025.
Based on 20+ companies.
Long-term plan
Share of the sector's ASX 200 companies using each measure, FY2025.
Based on 20+ companies.
Source: ASX 200 companies' remuneration reports, FY2025. Shares of companies, not weights.
Small business cost ratios
The ATO publishes cost ranges for these small business industries in the sector.
Show the 5 industries
Source: Australian Taxation Office, Small business benchmarks 2023-24. © Australian Taxation Office for the Commonwealth of Australia. Not endorsed by the ATO.
See manufacturing in New Zealand.
See manufacturing in the United Kingdom.
See manufacturing in the United States.
Who in your business can move a price, and by how much? The pricing check takes about ten minutes.