Metalworking Machinery Manufacturers NAICS 3335

Jan 20, 2026 - Orders Rose in 2025

• Metalworking machinery manufacturers enter 2026 with strong momentum despite a soft November, according to new data from the Association of Manufacturing Technology’s US Manufacturing Technology Orders Report. New orders for metalworking machinery reached $437.9 million in November, down from October but far above a typical November, and total orders for the first 11 months hit $4.92 billion, up 17.8% from 2024. Even without December figures, year-to-date orders for 2025 were nearly 5% higher than in all of 2024. November’s total reflects the spending down of 2025 capital budgets and leveraging tax incentives, creating one of the strongest three‑month order periods since 2022, per the report. Several key customer segments, including primary metals and industrial machinery, boosted orders late in 2025, signaling potential capacity expansions and a healthier demand pipeline for 2026. Rising steel and aluminum production in North America also supported equipment investment.
• US factory activity, a demand driver for metalworking machinery, shrank in October for an eighth straight month, driven by a pullback in production and tepid demand, The Wall Street Journal reported in November citing the latest data from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). In October, ISM’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 48.7 from 49.1 in September (a reading under 50 indicated contraction), with production, new orders, and employment all contracting, reversing short-lived gains seen in previous months. Six manufacturing industries reported growth in October with Primary Metals, Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products, and Transportation Equipment topping the list. Twelve industries reported contraction for the month including Textile Mills, Apparel, Leather & Allied Products, Furniture & Related Products, and Machinery. WSJ noted that tariffs and their impact on prices and demand featured highly in respondents’ answers to ISM’s survey.

• Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the US have a direct impact on small fabricators’ cost structures, bidding strategies, and overall competitiveness, according to Exiil, a provider of software to metal manufacturers. In March, President Trump raised steel and aluminum import tariffs to the US by 25% (since doubled to 50%), ending all country exemptions, in addition to hiking tariffs on China, according to Reuters. Russian aluminum imports carry a tariff of 200%. Beyond raw metal, the US has increasingly added “downstream” or “derivative” products – such as stamped parts, fasteners, tubing, wire, or other items with high steel/aluminum content – to existing Section 232 tariffs. As a result, metal fabricators face higher materials costs. Even businesses that source metals domestically are likely to pay more for metal as US mills often raise their prices when foreign competitors’ costs go up – because the “floor” of the market shifts.
• Producer prices for metalworking machinery manufacturers rose 4% in September compared to a year ago, after rising 3.7% in the previous September-versus-September annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Industry producer prices hit another record high in September, extending a steep and steady climb that began in 2021. Employment by metalworking machinery manufacturers shrank 3.6% year over year in August, while average industry wages rose 9.9% over the same period to a new high of $29.74 per hour, BLS data show. Employment by the industry is contracting amid rising wages and declining new orders and shipments earlier in 2025, Census Bureau data shows.