Published 2026-11-03 · Cyclone Bolt

The Institute for Supply Management said on November 2, 2026 that U.S. manufacturing activity expanded in October for the 10th month in a row, with its Manufacturing PMI registering 55.5 percent, 1 percentage point above September's 54.5 percent. S&P Global's separate U.S. Manufacturing PMI, released the same day, came in at 54.9, its 15th straight month above the 50 no-change mark. Both reports describe the same mix: strong demand, longer waits for inputs, and steel that keeps getting more expensive.

What the ISM numbers show

ISM's Production Index rose to 59 percent, 2.3 points above September and the highest reading since November 2021. The New Orders Index registered 55.5 percent, and the Backlog of Orders Index stayed in growth at 54.6 percent. The Employment Index slipped to 52.4 percent from 52.7 percent. The Supplier Deliveries Index registered 59.1 percent, which ISM reads as slower deliveries, now for the 11th month running. The Prices Index eased to 75.2 percent from 77.9 percent but stayed well inside increasing territory.

Twelve manufacturing industries reported growth in October. The list includes Primary Metals, Fabricated Metal Products, Machinery, Electrical Equipment, Appliances and Components, Computer and Electronic Products, and Transportation Equipment. Three industries reported contraction: Printing and Related Support Activities, Paper Products, and Nonmetallic Mineral Products.

Steel ran through the report's commodity lists. ISM's list of commodities up in price for October included steel for the 12th consecutive month, hot-rolled steel for the 10th, stainless steel for the 9th and steel products for the 11th, alongside aluminum and copper. Steel also appeared on the list of commodities in short supply for a fourth month, next to copper, electrical components and electronic components.

Susan Spence, chair of ISM's Manufacturing Business Survey Committee, said sentiment in panelists' comments worsened for a third straight month, with 34 percent of comments positive and 66 percent negative. ISM said 62 percent of the negative comments mentioned pricing volatility, 41 percent mentioned longer lead times and 25 percent mentioned tariffs.

Data centers and defense in the comments

The respondent comments ISM published put the demand side in plain terms. A machinery-sector panelist described business as strong, driven by data centers and mission-critical infrastructure as well as municipal water work. A second machinery respondent said growth in semiconductor and government and defense demand had put the company on its heels, with lead times and prices rising; that respondent said a four-week wait had stretched to 50 weeks on some items. A miscellaneous-manufacturing panelist put it this way: "Any commodity consumed by AI/data centers is in a crunch, both for supply and pricing."

Metals respondents were less upbeat. A primary metals panelist reported material shortages, high fuel costs and continued pressure on steel from Canadian tariffs. A fabricated metal products respondent said customers were committing only to the shortest terms because of uncertainty, and that Canadian tariffs were hurting small U.S. businesses selling into that market.

S&P Global: jobs up, deliveries slower

S&P Global's survey, collected October 9 to 27, told a similar story from a different panel. Its headline index fell from a 52-month high of 55.9 in September to 54.9 in October, which S&P Global described as slightly softer but still above-trend growth. Production rose for a 17th consecutive month. Employment growth was the strongest since April 2021. Supplier delivery times lengthened to the greatest degree since August 2022, and manufacturers reported that aluminum and steel prices rose again, with tariffs adding to cost pressure. Output price inflation reached its highest level since September 2022.

Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said factories were struggling to meet demand, especially for AI-related goods and equipment. "Delivery delays, often linked to shipping and logistics issues, are more widespread than at any time since 2022," he said. S&P Global also reported that purchasing activity rose for a 10th month as firms moved to secure stock, and that input inventories grew for a seventh month.

What it means for bolting and fastener supply

Fasteners sit at the end of the steel chain the two surveys describe. A stud bolt, heavy hex nut or cap screw starts as bar stock in a grade such as ASTM A193 B7 or A194 2H, and the price and availability of that bar follow the same hot-rolled, stainless and alloy steel markets the ISM panel flagged. When steel has been on the up-in-price list for a year and on the short-supply list for four months, quote validity on finished fasteners tends to shorten, and mill schedules set the pace for everything downstream.

The demand side matters too. Data center projects consume anchor bolts, structural bolting and threaded rod in the civil and structural phases, then flange studs, heavy hex nuts and machined hardware in the mechanical and electrical fit-out that an ISM machinery respondent described as a growth driver. Defense programs add paperwork on top of volume: buyers in that market commonly ask for DFARS-compliant material, material test reports with heat traceability, and a supplier quality system certified to AS9100D or ISO 9001:2015. Those requirements come from the customer's engineer and the contract, and they do not loosen when supplier deliveries slow.

Purchasing managers in both surveys are responding by buying ahead and holding more inventory. For bolting, buyers typically describe placing blanket or release orders on standard grades and sizes earlier in a project, confirming domestic melt where the specification calls for it, and pairing a longer forecast with a plan for the shorts that appear at the end of a build. The specification and the project schedule decide what applies.

Where Cyclone fits

Cyclone Bolt is a Houston, Texas manufacturer of fasteners, threaded products and custom machined components, established in 2016. The company holds AS9100D, AS9120B, ISO 9001:2015, API Spec Q1, API 20E and API 20F certifications, listed on its quality page, supplies DFARS-compliant material, and is listed under CAGE code 8HH90. Cyclone is supplying several large data center builds in Texas and welcomes more, from full-build take-offs to the shorts at the end of a project, and it welcomes aerospace and defense conversations of any size. Its product families include stud bolts, stainless steel studs, heavy hex nuts, hex bolts and cap screws, double-end and tap-end studs, washers and gaskets, and custom machined components.

If your projects are feeling the same pressures the October surveys describe, request a quote for stud bolts, nuts and machined components.

Sources

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