capital goods

American  

plural noun

Economics.

1. machines and tools used in the production of other goods (contrasted with consumer goods).

---

capital goods British  

plural noun

1. Also called: producer goods.  economics goods that are themselves utilized in the production of other goods rather than being sold to consumers Compare consumer goods

---

capital goods Cultural  

1. Goods used in the production of commodities; producers' goods. (Compare consumer goods.)

---

Etymology

Origin of capital goods

First recorded in 1895–1900

Compare meaning

How does capital-goods compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• consumer vs. capital goods

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

capital goods

Here, Allspring places energy, utilities, basic industries, telecommunications, communications and capital goods.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

No longer just a producer of low-value consumer goods, the nation now is exporting more of the higher-value intermediate and capital goods that underpin global manufacturing, such as chips, precision machinery and robotic arms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

In the first five months of 2026, China’s exports of intermediate and capital goods rose 25% and 12%, respectively, from a year earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

"With demand for the AI build out still elevated, we expect capital goods imports will remain solid this year," US economist Grace Zwemmer of Oxford Economics told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

The general amount of capital goods of every kind enlarges; but the enlargement is in practice computed in monetary value, and in no other way.

From Essentials of Economic Theory As Applied to Modern Problems of Industry and Public Policy by John Bates Clark