Cutting tool shipments in the U.S. were up by 31.7% in June and 19.3% in the first half of 2026 compared to those timeframes last year, according to the latest monthly report from the Association For Manufacturing Technology and the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute.
June shipments were valued at $270.5 million, bringing the total to $1.47 billion over the first six months of the year. The number of units shipping also increased in June, although analysts noted that it was only the third-highest month for unit volume so far in the year.
USCTI President Mike Stokey, the owner of cutting tool maker Allied Machine & Engineering, reiterated that the growth was primarily due to “raw material prices skyrocketing, which has caused inflation.” He noted that a Commerce Department bureau recently made a ruling “that should help with our supply of tungsten carbide.”
“The question is how much of these increases can be attributed to price increases driven by rapidly escalating raw material prices, and how much are due to unit volume increases?” added Everede Tool Company President Bret Tayne. “Fortunately, raw material prices appear to have leveled off in recent weeks, and the cutting tool industry remains poised for growth over the next 10 to 12 months.”
