U.S. CNC machining operations booked $437.9 million worth of new capital equipment during November 2025, a sharp drop (-19.6%) from a historically strong October total, but nearly even (-0.5%) with the November 2024 result. According to AMT - the Assn. for Manufacturing Technology, which tracks machine tool demand with its monthly U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report, the new data brings the total order value for January-November 2025 to $4.92 billion - 17.8% higher than the comparable total for 11 months of 2024.
The USMTO report is an index to future manufacturing activity because it quantifies machining operations’ investments as they anticipate new production programs. AMT’s report tracks manufacturers’ purchases of metal-cutting and metal-forming machinery, according to order value and machine units, nationwide and in six regions.
The trade association observed that the November machine-tool purchases are consistent with late-year investments, as manufacturers spend remaining cap-ex budgets and seek to take advantage of available tax provisions.
And despite the drop in overall value from October to November, AMT noted the latest month continues a four-month trend of “elevated order activity.”
“November 2025 orders were nearly 26% above the typical November level, and except for the month prior (, November saw the largest three-month cumulative order value since May 2022,” according to AMT’s announcement.
The Association also observed the current, 11-month order value for 2025 is 5% higher than the 12-month order value for 2024.
Regionally, November orders were strongest in the North Central-East ($105.6 million), but the Southeast region ($77.9 million) was the only one to record improvement from October (+32.3%.) Likewise, the Southeast was the only region to post order values improved from November 2024 (+46.8%.)
However, the year-to-date improvement identified by AMT is significant across five of the six regions; only the North Central-West compares negatively with the 11-month result from 2024, down just -1.4% YTD.
AMT acknowledged that November machine-tool demand declined across numerous business sectors: the important contract machine shops (i.e., job shops) and manufacturers in the aerospace sector decreased machinery order values slightly less than the overall market.
Better results were noted for primary metal manufacturers, where rising demand for manufacturing technology reversed a three-month decline. Manufacturers of industrial machinery, metalworking machinery, molds, and specialty tools and dies also increased their demand levels.
“These additional capacity additions late in 2025 may signal a coming surge of manufacturing activity throughout 2026,” according to AMT.