# Why is "manufacturing" abbreviated to "mfg"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148 "2008-07-11T16:18:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/1 "2008-07-11T16:18:25Z")
I ask this question after reading an article about the disassembly of the sign “Sweeney Mfg. Co.” on a former industrial building in Brooklyn, where it used to be a landmark for many years. “Mfg” is obviously the abbreviation of “manufacturing”, but there’s no _g_ in that word. Why this shorting? ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/2 "2008-07-11T16:19:23Z")
I think mfg stands for manufactured goods, in most cases. How would you abbreviate manufacturing? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/3 "2008-07-11T16:20:08Z")
[QUOTE=Schnitte] “Mfg” is obviously the abbreviation of “manufacturing”, but there’s no _g_ in that word. [/QUOTE] I think you need to look again. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/4 "2008-07-11T16:20:40Z")
There’s no _g_ in manufacturin **g**? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/5 "2008-07-11T16:25:05Z")
[QUOTE=Scarlett67] I think you need to look again. [/QUOTE] Well, yes, but it has no relation to the root of the word, it’s just the participle suffix. It’s not that important a letter in the word to put it in a three-letter abbreviation. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/6 "2008-07-11T16:28:52Z")
[QUOTE=Schnitte] Well, yes, but it has no relation to the root of the word, it’s just the participle suffix. It’s not that important a letter in the word to put it in a three-letter abbreviation. [/QUOTE] But it’s important to convey the -ing suffix, so people don’t think it’s short for manufactured, or manufacturer. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/7 "2008-07-11T16:29:30Z")
[QUOTE=Schnitte] It’s not that important a letter in the word to put it in a three-letter abbreviation. [/QUOTE] Beginning, end and something from near the middle. Seems pretty sensible to me. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/8 "2008-07-11T16:33:14Z")
And here I always thought it stood for monofodium glutamate! Hmm that joke would work better in a font where the f looked more like a germanic s… ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/9 "2008-07-11T16:38:01Z")
[QUOTE=Gorsnak] And here I always thought it stood for monofodium glutamate! Hmm that joke would work better in a font where the f looked more like a germanic s… [/QUOTE] monoſodium glutamate ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/10 "2008-07-11T16:59:15Z")
That sort of abbreviation was a convention of the day. Sort of like bbl for barrels. Sorta. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/11 "2008-07-11T17:01:52Z")
Because “mfr” was already taken by the Black Panthers. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/12 "2008-07-11T18:27:35Z")
[QUOTE=Scarlett67] But it’s important to convey the -ing suffix, so people don’t think it’s short for manufactured, or manufacturer. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but MF conveys an entirely differnt concept. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/13 "2008-07-12T09:55:46Z")
[QUOTE=Mosier] How would you abbreviate manufacturing? [/QUOTE] There is an actual algorithm for correctly forming an abbreviation. Repeat the following steps until the word or phrase is reduced to the desired length: Overall guidelines:[ul][li]Apply these rules to all words in the phrase.[/li][li]Always start from the back (right) end of the words.[/li][li]Never remove the first letter of a word.[/li][/ul] [ol] [li]Remove entirely words like a, an, the, and, of, etc. [/li][li]Remove one of any double letters (like the t’s in letter).[/li][li]Remove internal vowels.[/li][li]Remove one of any double letters that might have been created by the above step.[/li][li]Remove consonants.[/li][/ol] This generally results in the most understandable abbreviation for the word or phrase. But there are many abbreviations in use that don’t follow these rules, but are commonly recognized because of their familiarity.) ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/14 "2008-07-12T10:58:07Z")
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net] There is an actual algorithm for correctly forming an abbreviation. Repeat the following steps until the word or phrase is reduced to the desired length: Overall guidelines:[ul][li]Apply these rules to all words in the phrase.[/li][li]Always start from the back (right) end of the words.[/li][li]Never remove the first letter of a word.[/li][/ul] [ol] [li]Remove entirely words like a, an, the, and, of, etc. [/li][li]Remove one of any double letters (like the t’s in letter).[/li][li]Remove internal vowels.[/li][li]Remove one of any double letters that might have been created by the above step.[/li][li]Remove consonants.[/li][/ol] This generally results in the most understandable abbreviation for the word or phrase. But there are many abbreviations in use that don’t follow these rules, but are commonly recognized because of their familiarity.) [/QUOTE] cite? or did you just make that up? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/15 "2008-07-12T12:19:19Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] That sort of abbreviation was a convention of the day. Sort of like bbl for barrels. Sorta. [/QUOTE] Why? I never got that one. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/16 "2008-07-12T13:10:00Z")
Here’s a link for origin of bbl. I think in comments the guy that says bl was for bales is correct. The blue barrel bit is not correct because it was around before Standard Oil, which internally may have meant blue barrel for them. Nobody stops you from abbreviating however you like for a product on your companies invoices. [Link for bbl.](http://energylawyer.blogspot.com/2008/01/why-is-unit-of-oil-abbreviated-bbl.html) I’m sure mfg is like most abbreviations in that some well known company started to use it and the use spread. I still haven’t run across a place to register abbreviations you want to use. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/17 "2008-07-12T15:42:05Z")
I have an old AT&T book of official abbreviations. Cable is to be abbreviated cbl. That removes 2 out of the 5 letters. Abbreviation is to be abbreviated abrv. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-manufacturing-abbreviated-to-mfg/456148/18 "2008-07-12T21:41:56Z")
[QUOTE=Madd Maxx] I have an old AT&T book of official abbreviations. Cable is to be abbreviated cbl. That removes 2 out of the 5 letters. Abbreviation is to be abbreviated abrv. [/QUOTE] To one up that one 🙂 The swedish army supposedly abbreviates grodman (frogman) grdman (frgman)… make sense? Nope.