Fluid Power Shipments Decline in April 2026
The latest shipment and order data from the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) shows shipments declined in April 2026 for total fluid power as well as hydraulic and pneumatic components.
Shipments have declined month-over-month (m/m) for each category, signaling weakness for the industry –
- Total Fluid Power: -6.6%
- Pneumatic: -9.0%
- Hydraulic: -5.1%
On a year-over-year (y/y) basis, the story is slightly better with just pneumatics seeing some declines –
- Total Fluid Power: 0.0%
- Pneumatics: -4.9%
- Hydraulics: 3.4%
According to NFPA, April’s data is an indicator of the cyclical nature of shipments rather than industry decline.
What is the 3/12 and 12/12?
The 3/12 and 12/12 rates of change are commonly used in economic discussions, but what do they mean? The term 3/12 is used to describe the change between the 3 most recent months and those same 3 months 1 year ago. Meanwhile, 12/12 is the change between the 12 most recent months and those same 12 months 1 year ago.
Adjusting for this cyclical nature, the 3/12 and 12/12 show larger period averages. Total fluid power shows a 12/12 of -2.4% meaning that shipments are down for the comparative 12-month period. However, the 3/12 is higher than the 12/12 in all three categories.
NFPA says this signals an overall uptrend in shipments, which means that the current negative 12/12 values should be trending towards positives in the upcoming months. The 3/12 for pneumatics has decreased compared to March 2026 but still remains above the 12/12. Given that it can stay above the 12/12, pneumatics should still trend upwards.
Flip through the media gallery above for charts showing fluid power shipment and order trends through April 2026.
The data and charts in this media gallery are from NFPA’s Confidential Shipment Statistics (CSS) program where over 60 manufacturers of fluid power products report their monthly orders and shipments.
Visit our Market Trends page for more content covering the various technological and economic trends impacting the fluid power industry as well as electromechanical motion control sector.
About the Author
Sara Jensen
Executive Editor, Power & Motion
Sara Jensen is executive editor of Power & Motion, directing expanded coverage into the modern fluid power space, as well as mechatronic and smart technologies. She has over 15 years of publishing experience. Prior to Power & Motion she spent 11 years with a trade publication for engineers of heavy-duty equipment, the last 3 of which were as the editor and brand lead. Over the course of her time in the B2B industry, Sara has gained an extensive knowledge of various heavy-duty equipment industries — including construction, agriculture, mining and on-road trucks —along with the systems and market trends which impact them such as fluid power and electronic motion control technologies.
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