Forging Industry Statistics 2026

Industry overview

US forging is a smaller but strategically important manufacturing sector. The Forging Industry Association puts custom forging industry revenue at $11 to $13 billion annually, served by approximately 200 forging operations across the country. Most US forgers are privately held mid-size companies; a smaller group of publicly traded or PE-backed firms anchor the upper end.

Closed-die (impression-die) forging dominates US volume, producing parts such as crankshafts, gears, axles, hand tools, fasteners, and structural components. Open-die forging handles larger and more specialized parts including rotors, shafts, custom flanges, and pressure vessel components. Ring rolling, a hybrid process, produces bearing races, flanges, and rings for the energy and aerospace industries.

Process mix

US forging splits across several process categories, each suited to different part geometries, volumes, and quality requirements.

End markets

Forging end-market mix is dominated by automotive, with aerospace, energy, oilfield, and industrial machinery covering most of the remaining demand.

Top states for forging

Forging operations cluster around the heavy industry regions of the Midwest and Northeast, with secondary clusters in the South and West.

Capability and certification

US forgers operate to a stack of industry-specific standards depending on the markets they serve. AS9100 covers aerospace work, IATF 16949 covers automotive, ISO 9001 forms the baseline quality system, NADCAP accredits special processes including non-destructive testing and heat treatment, and API specifications govern oilfield-relevant forgings (API 6A, 16A, etc.).

Material capability matters as much as process. Carbon and alloy steel forging is the most common, with stainless steel, titanium, nickel-based superalloys, aluminum, and copper alloys filling more specialized applications. Aerospace and energy forgers often hold qualified supplier status with specific primes and OEMs, an asset that takes years to build but is difficult to displace once established.

What this means for forgers in 2026

The competitive picture rewards specialists. The handful of US forgers qualified for aerospace engine components or critical defense forgings face limited competition but stringent quality demands. Automotive forgers face commodity pressure on basic crankshaft and connecting rod work but win on lights-out efficiency and supply reliability. Energy and oilfield forgers benefit from sustained US oil and gas production and energy transition demand for grid-scale equipment.

Forgers that publish their material capability, press tonnage range, certifications, prime contractor qualifications, and example part categories win sourcing-team consideration ahead of generalist competitors.