Turkey's seasonally adjusted manufacturing capacity utilisation rate rose by 0.6 percentage points from August to 74.1% in September 2026, the central bank reported on 21 September. The unadjusted rate increased by 0.7 points to 74.2%. The findings aggregate responses from 1,982 manufacturing workplaces surveyed between 1 and 14 September. For international investors, this is a timely signal of how intensively existing factory capacity is being used, but it is not a direct measure of output growth, orders, profitability or future investment.
Both adjusted and unadjusted rates moved higher
The seasonally adjusted rate rose from 73.5% in August to 74.1% in September. The unadjusted series also moved from 73.5% to 74.2%. Compared with September 2025, the adjusted rate was 0.3 points higher, while the unadjusted rate was 0.2 points higher. These are percentage-point changes, not percentage growth rates.
What the indicator measures
Capacity utilisation estimates the share of manufacturers' existing physical capacity that is actually in use. It can help identify slack or pressure in production, but a higher national average does not prove that every factory, export industry or province is busier. Sector mix, maintenance, demand and investment cycles can produce very different company-level results.
What it does not say
A 74.1% rate does not mean Turkey's factories produced 74.1% more goods, nor does the 0.6-point monthly rise equal GDP or industrial-production growth. The survey does not disclose sales, margins, debt, energy costs or foreign-exchange exposure. It also cannot be used on its own to forecast the lira, inflation, share prices or commercial-property demand.
How investors and suppliers can use it
Combine the result with industrial production, export orders, producer prices, electricity demand and company guidance. For a specific supplier or industrial property, ask about order books, shift patterns, delivery times, customer concentration, machinery age and planned capital spending. The national reading is a screening signal, not due diligence.
The survey window matters
Responses were collected from 1 to 14 September, so the release describes conditions reported during that period. Later market moves or company announcements are not reflected automatically. The central bank publishes the time series through EVDS; one monthly increase should be compared with subsequent releases before being treated as a durable trend.
TCMB — Manufacturing Industry Capacity Utilisation Rate statistics page →