January 2022 U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $159.9 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report collaboration, was down 2.7 percent from December's $164.3 million and up 10.5 percent when compared with the $144.8 million reported for January 2021.

These numbers and all data in the report are based on the totals reported by the companies participating in the CTMR program. The totals here represent the majority of the U.S. market for cutting tools.

“As the cutting tool industry continues to adapt to the changing economic climate on the globe, we see the sales volume moving back toward the pre-pandemic levels. Volumes that were expected to be higher were lowered by continued economic uncertainty, driven by inflation. The cutting tool industry’s willingness to adapt to changing market conditions will determine our future direction,” said Brad Lawton, Chairman of AMT’s Cutting Tool Product Group.

Steve Stokey, Executive Vice President and Owner of Allied Machine and Engineering, said, “The cutting tool data indicates we are continuing to trend in a positive direction, although the overall growth appears to be flattening. If manufacturing was not already dealing with enough challenges coming out of the pandemic, it will now see how the war in Ukraine and the energy policies of this administration impact the numbers moving forward.”

The Cutting Tool Market Report is jointly compiled by AMT and USCTI, two trade associations representing the development, production, and distribution of cutting tool technology and products. It provides a monthly statement on U.S. manufacturers’ consumption of the primary consumable in the manufacturing process – the cutting tool. Analysis of cutting tool consumption is a leading indicator of both upturns and downturns in U.S. manufacturing activity, as it is a true measure of actual production levels.