Metalworking Machine Tools: Leading and Lagging World Markets in Q2 2026

Global trade in the sector grows for the sixth consecutive quarter, but with highly polarized markets

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Sector Performance in Q2 2026

The availability in ExportPlanning of preliminary estimates for international trade data for the 2nd quarter of 2026 (covering over 5,500 products, 3,000 strategic business areas, 220 sectors, and 20 industries) makes it possible to document the continuation of the growth phase in global trade of Metalworking Machine Tools1 , which — measured at constant prices (net of inflationary and exchange-rate effects)2 — showed a year-on-year increase of +3%, following +7.6% in the first quarter of the year.

Q2-2026 also saw the continuation of the expansionary phase in world exports of Metalworking Machine Tools...

In cumulative terms (first six months of the year), world exports of Metalworking Machine Tools showed year-on-year growth of over 5 percentage points in the constant-price measurement, a slight acceleration compared to the already positive 2025 result (+4.8% at constant prices), and confirming stronger dynamism than the machinery industry as a whole (+3.1% at constant prices).

..but with sharp differences across international markets.

Leading Markets in Q2 2026

In the 2nd quarter of the year, the largest year-on-year increases in world exports of Metalworking Machine Tools in euro terms were recorded — above all — toward the markets of the United States (+€58.2 million compared to the corresponding period in 2025, equal to +4.1%), Canada (+€47.7 million, driven by strong percentage growth of +26.7%), France (+€47.1 million, +18.6%), and China (+€45.1 million).

Metalworking Machine Tools: top leading markets in Q2-2026
Fonte: ExportPlanning

Other world markets showing year-on-year growth in Q2 2026 are — in order — Japan (+€31.4 million compared to Q2 2025, equal to +27.7%), Luxembourg (+€26.9 million, thanks to a percentage increase close to 52 points), Taiwan (+€24.4 million, thanks to a percentage increase of over 23 points), Netherlands (+€23.1 million), Germany (+€22.7 million) and Malaysia (+€20.1 million, thanks to a percentage increase close to 24 points).

Lagging Markets in Q2 2026

In the 2nd quarter of the year, conversely, the largest year-on-year declines in world exports of Metalworking Machine Tools in euro terms were recorded toward the markets of Vietnam (-€72.7 million compared to the corresponding period in 2025, a decline of -21.9%), Turkey (-€70.3 million, due to a percentage drop of around 25 points), Mexico (-€67.1 million, -19.5%), and Italy (-€53 million, corresponding to a percentage decline of over 17 points).

Metalworking Machine Tools: top lagging markets in Q2-2026
Fonte: ExportPlanning

Other world markets showing a year-on-year decline in Q2 2026 are — in order — Russia (-€49.6 million compared to Q2 2025, -28%), United Arab Emirates (-€38.9 million, caused by a year-on-year decline of over 60%), Spain (-€35.3 million, due to a percentage decline of over 20 points), South Korea (-€29.6 million, corresponding to a percentage decline of over 15 points) and Brazil (-€20.2 million, -16.6%).

Conclusions

The most recent data (Q2 2026) on world trade, available in ExportPlanning, document an overall favorable cyclical picture for world sales of Metalworking Machine Tools, with year-on-year growth for the sixth consecutive quarter in the constant-price measurement, more favorable than that of the machine tool industry as a whole.
However, this picture is quite heterogeneous at the level of destination markets, with the presence — on one hand — of "leading" importing countries driving world sector sales, and — on the other — of "lagging" importing countries.

For exporting companies producing Metalworking Machine Tools, the markets showing the strongest year-on-year growth (USA, Canada, France, China) represent the priority markets for commercial focus in the short term.

To check the leading and lagging markets for a given sector (or product), try the ExportPlanning Dashboard

Thanks to the new interactive content available in the Dashboard tool, the ExportPlanning platform makes it possible, in just a few clicks, to answer, among others, the key question raised in this article:

  • which are the most dynamic ("leading") markets in the most recent period ?
  • which are the least dynamic ("lagging") markets in the most recent period ?
ExportPlanning Dashboards
1) See the list of products included in the descriptive sheet for this sector.
2) In the World Trade Datamart of the ExportPlanning Information System, the measure Quantities at constant prices (Q) has been constructed. This measure incorporates a deflation process, whereby the historical series of monetary values (V) has been transformed into a corresponding series expressed at constant prices, with reference to a specific year, known as the base year. For a description of the methodology applied, see the Methodological Note of the World Trade Datamart.