Moldmaking Index Regains Lost Ground in December

Moldmaking Index

The Gardner Business Index (GBI) measures the current state of moldmaking activity through survey responses covering new orders, production, backlog, employment, exports and supplier deliveries. A reading above 50 indicates expansion; below 50 indicates contraction.

The Moldmaking Index gained 1.7 points to land at 47.8 in December.

The Moldmaking Index picked up 1.7 points in December to regain some of the ground lost in November. The 47.8 reading falls well short of expansion, but shows a healthy rebound and movement in a positive direction as we head into 2026. On a three-month moving average, half of the components that comprise the index fell below last month’s results. But all components exceeded year-ago results, which may indicate a broader trend of growth in moldmaking. As we enter 2026, optimism remains high as the Future Business Index remains unchanged at a lofty 65.7.

The GBI Components Scorecard reports the monthly change rate of primary moldmaking market factors contributing to the overall monthly index reading.

Three-month averages for all components exceeded year-ago results, but half of the components declined from last month.

Reading the Scorecard: Color indicates where a component value falls relative to 50 for the current month. Green indicates expansion; red indicates contraction.
Shade indicates a value's distance from 50; the darker the shade, the further from 50.
Direction indicates a value's change versus the previous period. Pointing up is always better.

The GBI Future Business Index is an indicator of the future state of the moldmaking market from industry respondents regarding their opinion of future business conditions for the next 12 months. Over 50 is expansion and under 50 is contraction.