U.S. wholesale inventories rose to a record high in August as automotive stocks were rebuilt but wholesale sales rose much more sharply than expected, a government report showed Friday.

Total wholesale inventories rose 0.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted $464.315 billion, marking a record dollar amount after a July rise of 0.8 percent that had also resulted in a record, the Commerce Department said.

August wholesale sales rose 1.0 percent in a broad-based advance for durable goods that included automotive products, electrical goods and machinery, reaching a record of $401.263 billion after an upwardly revised 0.3 percent rise in July.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.5 percent increase in wholesale inventories and a 0.2 percent rise in wholesale sales for August.

The inventory to sales ratio, which measures how quickly inventories would be depleted at the current sales pace, was unchanged at 1.16 months.