April 2025 U.S. Cutting Tool Orders Rise 2.7% from March

U.S. orders for cutting tools totaled $212.8 million in April 2025, according to the latest Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR). The report, compiled by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI), shows that total orders increased by 2.7% from March 2025.

While the month-over-month figure shows an increase, orders were down 2.8% when compared to April 2024. Total year-to-date shipments reached $818.3 million, a figure that is down 5.1% from the same period in 2024.

Industry experts point to ongoing economic uncertainty as a primary factor influencing the market.

“Tariff negotiations change every week without clear direction, stagnating key market segments for our products,” said Steve Boyer, president of USCTI. He noted that key sectors are lagging due to uncertainty surrounding raw materials and component costs. “The uncertainties have led to declines in year-over-year orders and delayed what most of us expected would be a considerable uptick for the first half of this year.”

This sentiment was echoed by Steve Stokey, executive vice president and owner of Allied Machine and Engineering. “2025 did not get off to the strong start we experienced in 2024. Recent forecasts have pushed growth out to the third quarter,” Stokey said.

However, Stokey expressed cautious optimism for the latter half of the year. “With clarity on tariffs beginning to take shape... businesses will have a clearer picture of the playing field for the second half of 2025. If the forecasters are right, the stars should align, and the numbers will turn upward in the second half of the year.”

The Cutting Tool Market Report is considered a leading indicator of U.S. manufacturing activity, as its analysis of cutting tool consumption provides a measure of actual production levels across the country.