June 2025 U.S. Cutting Tool Orders Decline 1.8% from May

New orders for cutting tools in the U.S. totaled $204.1 million in June 2025, according to the latest Cutting Tool Market Report. The report, a collaboration between AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI), indicates that orders declined by 1.8% from May 2025.

The data also shows a year-over-year decrease, with June 2025 orders down 3.9% from June 2024. Total year-to-date shipments have reached $1.23 billion, which is a 4.9% drop from the same period in 2024.

Industry experts cite ongoing economic and policy uncertainty as primary reasons for the market stagnation.

“As we continue to wait for clarity on tariffs, demand for cutting tools has stagnated and cooled,” said Steve Boyer, president of USCTI. “Key markets such as aerospace, automotive, and heavy equipment continue to drive demand, but they have remained stagnant so far this year.”

The decline marks a significant shift in market trends. “Year-to-year and year-to-date monthly totals are down for the first six months of the year – for the latter, that means a reversal of a 43-month upward trend,” commented Alan Richter, editor-at-large of Cutting Tool Engineering. He attributed the reduced shipments to "chaos created by tariff whiplash and complications from geopolitical tensions," causing businesses to pause investments.

The Cutting Tool Market Report is considered a leading indicator of U.S. manufacturing activity, as it measures the consumption of the primary consumable in the manufacturing process.