US manufacturing technology orders continue to surge, rising by +21.0% month-on-month to $732.9 million in August 2026, according to data from our colleagues at AMT. This was +36.3% higher than in August 2025 and the third-highest monthly total on record.
Orders have now exceeded $500 million for six consecutive months, the longest such run recorded. In the first eight months of 2026, orders totalled $4.76 billion, up +36.9% on the same period in 2025.
The current rally is being driven increasingly by higher-value machinery rather than simply a greater number of machines being ordered. Since the expansion began in September 2024, the value of orders has grown nearly three times faster than unit volumes. Aerospace, a major purchaser of high-value machinery, has accounted for a growing share of orders, while increased automation across industries has also pushed up the value of individual orders.
Contract machine shops are now beginning to play a more prominent role in the recovery. Historically, rising orders from these businesses have signalled a broader upturn in manufacturing technology demand. However, the current expansion has largely been driven by OEMs, which have invested in machinery to bring more production in-house. Their greater appetite for automated equipment has contributed to the gap between growth in order values and unit volumes.
In August, orders from contract machine shops grew faster than the market overall. If this renewed demand proves sustained, it could provide further momentum for orders during the remainder of the year.
All US regions recorded year-on-year growth in orders during the first eight months of 2026. The West recorded the strongest increase, at +65.1%, while North Central-East saw the weakest growth, at +12.7%.
US cutting tool shipments remain strong, totalling $278.6 million in August, down -0.8% from July but up +32.2% on August 2025. Shipments in the first eight months of 2026 reached $2.03 billion, an increase of +22.4% compared with the same period last year.
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