Economic Trends
U.S. Cutting Tool Orders Tick Down in August, Shipments Hold Steady
October 21, 2026
Economic Trends
U.S. durable goods orders dropped sharply in June, led by a plunge in aircraft demand, though the overall decline was milder than economists anticipated.
U.S. monthly manufactured durable goods orders declined $32.1 billion or 9.3% June from May, according to an advance report from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Released July 25, the report showed that June orders decreased to $311.8 billion. This followed a 16.5% increase in May, preceded by an April decline of 6.6%.
Economists polled by various news outlets had expected a steeper June decline of 10.8%.
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The June decline was driven by transportation equipment orders, which decreased by 22.4% vs. May, impacted by a decrease of 51.8% in nondefense aircraft and parts. May saw a surge in commercial aircraft orders wherein Boeing had reported it received 303 aircraft orders during the month.
Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.2% compared to May. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 9.4%.
Capital goods decreased 22.2% month-over-month, with nondefense capital goods orders down 24.0%.
Shipments of manufactured goods — up seven consecutive months — increased 0.5% to $302.5 billion month-over-month. This followed a May increase of 0.2%.
Unfilled orders for durable goods in June — up 11 of the last 12 months — increased 1.0% to $14.4 billion month-over-month. This followed a May increase of 3.4%.
June inventories for durable goods — up nine consecutive months — increased 0.2% to $588.6 billion month-over-month. This followed a 0.2% May increase.
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source: tradingeconomics.com
The Bureau will release its report for July durable goods orders on Aug. 26.
Here is how monthly new orders and shipments of different durable goods product categories in June, seasonally adjusted, according to the Census Bureau’s advance date:
Primary Metals
Fabricated Metal Products
Machinery
Computers and Electronic Products
Electrical Equipment, Appliances and Components
Transportation Equipment
All Other Durable Goods
Capital Goods
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