The value of cutting tool orders shipped in the U.S. increased by nearly one-third in August, according to the latest monthly report from the Association for Manufacturing Technology and the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute.
The Cutting Tool Market Report said Wednesday that August shipments totaled $278.6 million, which was 32.2% higher than the total in August of 2025. The amount was down 0.8% from July’s total, and analysts said that unit shipments remained “steady with little movement” over the past three months.
The value of shipments for the year to date was $2.03 billion, which was up 22.4% from the first eight months of last year.
“Through the first eight months of 2026, our industry has experienced significant double-digit growth,” Mike Stokey, the president of the USCTI and the owner and executive vice president of Allied Machine & Engineering. “As I previously stated, much of this growth is due to skyrocketing raw material costs, which have caused inflation in the industry. Even without inflation, we are still experiencing significant growth, and this appears to be driven by the U.S. economy.”
“While material cost pressures have inflated the market, there is still a strong base of underlying demand for cutting tools,” added AMT Principal Economist Christopher Chidzik. “The average number of new metalworking machines ordered each month has increased 16% since July 2025, when cutting tool orders began their current expansion.”
