US Cutting Tool Consumption Sunk 22% in 2020 Orders picked up steadily after bottoming out at down 36 percent year-over-year in May, but still have a long way to go to comparative breakeven. Feb 17th, 2021 iStock MCLEAN, VA — December 2020 US cutting tool consumption totaled $157.3 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and the Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT). This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report collaboration, was up 4 percent from November's $151.3 million and down 16 percent when compared with the $187.2 million reported for December 2019. With a year-to-date total of $1.9 billion, 2020 was down 22.2 percent when compared with December 2019.