North American Plastic Machinery Shipments Rise in Q2 2025

According to the latest report from the Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES) of the Plastics Industry Association, shipments of injection molding and extrusion equipment in North America are estimated to reach $253.8 million in the second quarter of 2025, representing a 0.7% increase over both the previous quarter and the same period last year.

Image Source: Plastics Industry Association

The growth in plastic machinery shipments in the second quarter was driven by a 48.5% increase in twin-screw extruder shipments compared to the first quarter, more than doubling (115.4%) compared to the second quarter of last year. In contrast, single-screw extruder shipments decreased by 11.1% quarter-on-quarter, but increased by 6.5% year-on-year. Injection molding shipments showed a similar trend: down 3.1% from the previous quarter, but up 5.4% compared to the second quarter of last year.

"Shipments stopped declining in the second quarter. In fact, shipments increased by 3.5% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024," said Perc Pineda, the chief economist of the association, in a press release. "Compared to the first quarter, the plastic industry seemed to better cope with the ongoing trade and tariff challenges throughout the entire value chain in the second quarter."

Nonetheless, the report warns that high tariff rates remain a problem. "If the overall goal is to strengthen the competitiveness of American manufacturing—the plastics industry fully supports this goal—then, in the short term, the industry should be able to import production inputs and equipment that are no longer manufactured in the United States at lower tariff rates," Pineda added.

In the second quarter, U.S. plastic machinery imports decreased by 7.9% compared to the previous quarter, but increased by 1.9% year-on-year. On the other hand, total exports grew by 0.4% quarter-on-quarter, but declined by 4.3% compared to the same period last year.

Pineda said, "The estimate of the U.S. real GDP shows a 3.0% growth in the second quarter, rebounding from a 0.5% decline in the previous quarter. This growth was mainly driven by a sharp decrease in imports, which are subtracted when calculating domestic output. However, the broad increase in household spending on durable goods, nondurable goods, and services also indicates growth potential for the plastics manufacturing industry, especially in the context of declining imports."