Shipments of cutting tools, measured by the Cutting Tool Market Report, a collaboration between AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI), totaled $222 million in September 2025. Orders increased 5.3% from August 2025 and 14.7% from September 2024. Year-to-date shipments totaled $1.88 billion, down 1.1% from the same period in 2024.

“Most users remain concerned about their backlog, future orders, and inventory, especially for the transportation sectors of manufacturing,” said Jack Burley, chairman of AMT’s Cutting Tool Product Group and president of Big Daishowa, a cutting tool manufacturer. “For September, cutting tool deliveries were normal, and some optimism that unstable business conditions may be improving was tempered by the higher cost of products and lower profitability. Unit prices for most cutting tools are up by double digits due to price hikes caused by tariffs and increased costs for raw materials. I don’t expect to see any improvements in the fourth quarter.”