Plastics machinery shipments drop again in Q1 2025

Quarterly gains in single- and twin-screw extruder shipments of 17.2 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, were offset by a 21.8 percent drop in injection molding machinery shipments. Extrusion shipments also showed a year-over-year improvement, with single-screw up 31.2 percent and twin-screw up 10.9 percent, while injection molding fell 8.9 percent. 

“Shipments appeared to pause in the first quarter as businesses reassessed strategies amid uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariffs and trade policy,” said PLASTICS Chief Economist Perc Pineda. “While there appear to be green shoots in plastic product manufacturing, capacity utilization and the broader manufacturing sector in the first quarter, it is too soon to project the short-term path of equipment shipments as trade policy remains in flux.” 

U.S. plastics equipment imports rose 6.2 percent in the first quarter to $939.4 million, up 5.5 percent from the same period last year. Exports fell by 1.1 percent from the prior quarter to $325.3 million, down 18.6 percent year-over-year.  

In the Q1 survey, 62 percent of CES members expected market conditions to remain steady or improve over the next 12 months — down from 83 percent in the previous quarter. However, 42 percent reported an increase in quoting activity, up from 31 percent in the Q4 2024 survey. 

“One cannot overlook the capacity of plastics processors to meet end-market demand previously filled by imports affected by tariffs,” Pineda said. “In the first quarter, business investment in industrial equipment rose 4.8 percent, with metalworking machinery up 15.8 percent. Increased domestic plastics conversion would have positive ripple effects throughout the industry's supply chain.”