MONTHLY DATAMonthly Data Watch (Italy)
Italy has no monthly statistics on machine tool orders (the industry association UCIMU's order index is quarterly, and ISTAT's order index was discontinued in 2021). What can be tracked monthly are ISTAT's production index and producer price index and the trade statistics (all via Eurostat). The production index is a volume index (2021=100), not a value, so it is in different units from Japan's Current Production Statistics, which are in values. Production, exports and imports all drop sharply every August because of the summer holidays, so look at year-on-year changes.
Figures through August 2026 (as published on October 23, 2026). We show only the values for the last 24 months and the month-on-month and year-on-year changes for the latest month. The production index is posted to the Eurostat database in the middle of the second month after, the producer price index late in the second month after, and export and import values in the middle of the month 2–3 months later.
Each month the figures are updated, we keep a snapshot of them as an issue (latest issue: October 2026 / All issues).
| Series | Latest month | Value | Month on month | Year on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machine tool production index (ISTAT) Metalworking machine tools (NACE 28.41) | August 2026 Published | 54.0 index (2021=100) | −44.6% | −8.8% |
| Machine tool exports (ISTAT, Eurostat) Total exports | July 2026 Preliminary | 362 € million/month | +21.1% | +7.9% |
| Machine tool imports (ISTAT, Eurostat) Total imports | July 2026 Preliminary | 70 € million/month | −16.8% | −25.8% |
| Machine tool producer price index (ISTAT) Producer price index | August 2026 Preliminary | 116.3 index (2021=100) | +0.4% | +5.5% |
1. Machine tool production index (ISTAT)August 2026 (published)
Index of Italy's machine tool production volume: metalworking machine tools (NACE 28.41, both cutting and forming) and machine tools as a whole, including those for woodworking, stone and so on (NACE 28.4). Original series without seasonal adjustment. Source: ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics) / Eurostat
Metalworking machine tools (NACE 28.41)
54.0index (2021=100)
Month on month −44.6%Year on year −8.8%
All machine tools (NACE 28.4)
44.4index (2021=100)
Month on month −50.6%Year on year −14.5%
Metalworking machine tools (NACE 28.41) in August 2026 were at their lowest value in the last 24 months.
Sources by month (1)
- September 2024 – August 2026 (published): Eurostat, “Production in industry - monthly data” (sts_inpr_m; source data: ISTAT industrial production index; CC BY 4.0) (data updated 2026-10-15)
For details, see History of Italian machine tools (FMS, CNC and becoming an export powerhouse).
2. Machine tool exports (ISTAT, Eurostat)July 2026 (preliminary)
Value of machine tool exports from Italy to the world: metal-removal machine tools (HS 8456–8461) and forming machines (HS 8462–8463). Includes exports to other EU countries. Not seasonally adjusted. Source: ISTAT / Eurostat (Comext)
Total exports
362€ million/month
Month on month +21.1%Year on year +7.9%
Metal-removal machine tools (HS 8456–8461)
200€ million/month
Month on month +27.4%Year on year +17.1%
Forming machines (HS 8462–8463)
162€ million/month
Month on month +14.2%Year on year −1.6%
As of this issue, figures have been published only through July 2026 (they appear in Eurostat Comext in the middle of the month 2–3 months later; the current year's figures are provisional and may be revised into the following year).
Sources by month (1)
- August 2024 – July 2026 (published, preliminary): Eurostat Comext, “EU trade since 1988 by HS2-4-6 and CN8” (DS-045409; reporter: Italy; partner: WORLD; source data: ISTAT trade statistics; CC BY 4.0) (data updated 2026-10-16)
For details, see History of Italian machine tools (FMS, CNC and becoming an export powerhouse).
3. Machine tool imports (ISTAT, Eurostat)July 2026 (preliminary)
Value of machine tools imported by Italy from the world: metal-removal machine tools (HS 8456–8461) and forming machines (HS 8462–8463). Includes imports from other EU countries. Not seasonally adjusted. Source: ISTAT / Eurostat (Comext)
Total imports
70€ million/month
Month on month −16.8%Year on year −25.8%
Metal-removal machine tools (HS 8456–8461)
53€ million/month
Month on month −18.6%Year on year −26.8%
Forming machines (HS 8462–8463)
17€ million/month
Month on month −10.7%Year on year −22.7%
As of this issue, figures have been published only through July 2026 (they appear in Eurostat Comext in the middle of the month 2–3 months later; the current year's figures are provisional and may be revised into the following year).
Sources by month (1)
- August 2024 – July 2026 (published, preliminary): Eurostat Comext, “EU trade since 1988 by HS2-4-6 and CN8” (DS-045409; reporter: Italy; partner: WORLD; source data: ISTAT trade statistics; CC BY 4.0) (data updated 2026-10-16)
4. Machine tool producer price index (ISTAT)August 2026 (preliminary)
Index of the ex-factory prices of Italian machine tool manufacturers (domestic and export markets combined; NACE 28.4 = machine tools for metalworking, woodworking and so on). Not seasonally adjusted. Source: ISTAT (Italian National Institute of Statistics) / Eurostat
Producer price index
116.3index (2021=100)
Month on month +0.4%Year on year +5.5%
The producer price index in August 2026 was at its highest value in the last 24 months.
Sources by month (1)
- September 2024 – August 2026 (published, preliminary): Eurostat, “Producer prices in industry, total - monthly data” (sts_inpp_m; source data: ISTAT producer price index; CC BY 4.0) (data updated 2026-10-22)
Quarterly figures
These are quarterly figures from industry associations, which are not published monthly. We show only the latest quarter, taken from the publisher's own documents.
- UCIMU machine tool order index (quarterly): the order index for Q2 2026 was −25.8% year on year (foreign orders −15.3%) (Publisher)
All issues
Figures not included and why (4)
- Machine tool orders (monthly): ISTAT's order index was discontinued with the January 2021 data, and Eurostat's order index (sts_inno_m) is no longer provided. UCIMU's order index is quarterly only, so it is listed under quarterly figures
- Machine tool turnover index (NACE 28.4): Eurostat's sts_intv_m has no Italian values for 28.4
- UCIMU's order index for Q3 2026 (announced at Bi-MU on 2026-10-13; reported in the press as +10.5% year on year): ucimu.it shows a Cloudflare verification screen and we could not check the text, so it is not included yet
- Producer price index for the domestic market only (sts_inppd_m): this is an export-heavy industry, so we adopted the overall index combining the domestic and export markets (sts_inpp_m)
FAQ
- When are the Italian figures updated?
- The production index is posted to the Eurostat database in the middle of the second month after, the producer price index late in the second month after, and export and import values in the middle of the month 2–3 months later. This page is updated every month between mid-month and late in the month by re-fetching the data from the publishers' databases. In each month the figures move forward, we add one issue, and earlier issues remain available from the issue list. When later releases revise past months, we replace them with the latest values.
- Can these be compared directly with Japan's figures?
- Values are shown in each country's own currency and are not converted to yen. The production index is a volume index, in different units from Japan's Current Production Statistics (values). When comparing, look at the direction and size of year-on-year changes rather than the values themselves. For Japan's figures, see Monthly Data Watch (Japan).
- Should I look at month-on-month or year-on-year changes?
- Many of the figures are not seasonally adjusted, so month-on-month changes swing widely in months with summer holidays or the year-end break. Year-on-year changes are better for seeing which way the economy is heading. The description of each series states whether it is seasonally adjusted.