Robotics market
North American robot orders rose 2.0% to 17,995 in the first half of 2026
17,995. That's how many robots North American companies ordered in the first half of 2026, according to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), worth $1.166 billion. Units rose 2.0% on the first half of 2025 and value rose 6.6%.
The mix moved more than the total. Automotive OEM orders fell 25% on the first half of 2025. In the second quarter, orders from semiconductors, electronics and photonics rose 38% year over year, automotive components 20%, and food and consumer goods and metals 18% each. Non-automotive customers took 56% of Q2 units.
This page traces the totals, the quarter and the industry split to A3's figures, and notes the two different comparison methods A3 used.
Data covers Robot orders in North America, January to June 2026 and Q2 2026, versus the same periods of 2025 (A3 figures as reported by The Robot Report, August 2026). Published 2026-10-16. Last reviewed 2026-10-16. Last updated 2026-10-16. Edited by Mike Ramsey / Reliable Media.
The figures and where they come from
Each figure is rated for how safely you can cite it today. Ratings judge current usability, not whether a number was ever correct.
| Figure | What it is | Source | Citation Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17,995 | Robots ordered, first half of 2026 | [A] | High | January to June 2026. |
| $1.166 billion | Order value, first half of 2026 | [A] | High | The dollar value of the 17,995 orders. |
| +2.0% units, +6.6% value | Change from first half of 2025 | [A] | High | A3 calculated first-half comparisons from aggregate reported totals. |
| 8,940 ($622 million) | Robots ordered, Q2 2026 | [A] | High | April to June 2026. |
| +4.3% units, +21.3% value | Q2 2026 change from Q2 2025 | [A] | High | Quarterly growth rates use a consistent reporting cohort, a different method from the first-half totals. |
| -25% | Automotive OEM orders, first half of 2026 | [A] | High | Carmakers themselves, separate from their parts suppliers. |
| +38% year over year | Semiconductors, electronics and photonics, Q2 2026 | [A] | High | One of several industries A3 says posted double-digit gains in the second quarter. |
| +20% year over year | Automotive components, Q2 2026 | [A] | High | Parts suppliers ordered more while carmakers' own first-half orders fell. |
| +18% each | Food and consumer goods, and metals, Q2 2026 | [A] | High | Two separate industry groups, each up 18% on Q2 2025. |
| 56% | Non-automotive share of Q2 2026 units | [A] | High | A share of second-quarter units only. |
| 2,774 (15.4% of units) | Collaborative robots, first half of 2026 | [A] | High | Worth $114 million, 9.8% of order revenue. |
Why the numbers disagree
A3 used two comparison methods. Quarterly growth rates are based on a consistent reporting cohort, while first-half comparisons come from aggregate reported totals. So the quarterly and first-half growth rates aren't strictly comparable.
Unit and value growth tell different stories. Units rose 2.0% in the half year and value 6.6%; in Q2, units rose 4.3% and value 21.3%. Pick the measure that matches your claim.
Automotive splits in two. OEM orders, from the carmakers themselves, fell 25% in the first half, while orders from automotive component makers grew 20% in the second quarter. A single "automotive" figure would hide both moves.
How to cite these figures
Cite it as A3, via The Robot Report: North American companies ordered 17,995 robots worth $1.166 billion in the first half of 2026, up 2.0% in units and 6.6% in value.
Keep the 56% non-automotive share tied to Q2. It describes that quarter only.
Name A3 as the source of the data and The Robot Report as where it was published.
Where people go wrong
Calling 17,995 robots sold or installed. These are orders.
Adding Q2's 4.3% growth to the half-year figure. A3 computed the two on different bases.
Saying automotive demand collapsed. Carmakers' own orders fell 25% in the first half, while orders from automotive component makers grew 20% in Q2.
How we checked
All figures come from The Robot Report's August 12, 2026 article on A3's second-quarter 2026 robot order statistics. A3's own release page blocks automated retrieval, so we cite the report that carries its figures verbatim.
We keep A3's two growth bases apart, as A3 itself noted, and quote each industry change with its period.
Full source list
Primary sources, with live links. Every figure above traces to one of these.
- [A]The Robot Report, reporting Association for Advancing Automation (A3) dataAugust 12, 2026
The Robot Report, "Q2 2026 robotics demand increased across industries, reports A3"
https://www.therobotreport.com/q2-2026-robotics-demand-increased-across-industries-reports-a3/
Common questions
- How many robots were ordered in North America in the first half of 2026?
- 17,995 robots worth $1.166 billion, according to A3, up 2.0% in units and 6.6% in value from the first half of 2025.
- How many robots were ordered in Q2 2026?
- 8,940 robots valued at $622 million, a 4.3% increase in units and 21.3% in revenue on Q2 2025, per A3.
- Which industries ordered more robots in 2026?
- In the second quarter, orders from semiconductors, electronics and photonics rose 38% year over year, automotive components 20%, and food and consumer goods and metals 18% each, per A3. Automotive OEM orders fell 25% over the first half.
- What share of robot orders were cobots in 2026?
- Collaborative robots were 15.4% of units ordered in the first half of 2026, 2,774 robots worth $114 million, per A3.
More data, traced to source
- North American robot orders rose 6.6% to 36,766 units
North American companies ordered 36,766 robots worth $2.25 billion in the latest year, up 6.6% in units from the year before, according to A3. Collaborative robots reached nearly a fifth of the year's orders.
- North American robot orders: the quarterly number every trade outlet quotes
Every US robotics headline about orders traces to one source: the quarterly data from the Association for Advancing Automation. Here are the figures, and how to read them without getting the story wrong.
- The US overtook Japan to become the world's No. 2 robot market
US factories installed 38,400 industrial robots, up 12%, passing Japan for second place behind China, per IFR World Robotics 2026. IFR's June preliminary figure was 38,000, and its global release rounds the total to almost 38,500.
- Cobots are about 10% of robot installations, not the majority
Collaborative robots get outsized attention, yet they were 10.5% of the industrial robots installed worldwide in the latest IFR count. Cobots are a tenth of the market, well short of the future-is-here majority the coverage implies.