Energy benchmark has been recognized as an effective analysis methodology and management tool of the energy usage. With wide distribution and large energy consumption in low efficiency, mechanical manufacturing industry possesses considerable energy-saving potential. However, there are few effective methods available for developing an energy benchmark in the mechanical manufacturing-industry due to complexity and variety of energy-consumption processes resulting in the waste of massive energy. To achieve energy management and energy-efficient improvement in the mechanical manufacturing industry, this paper proposes a novel method for developing a multi-objective energy benchmark based on the energy consumption forecast and integrated assessment. Energy consumption databases, as an important part of the energy benchmark, are established to provide long-term use after establishment. Meanwhile, an energy consumption model of the whole production processes is built laying the foundation of the energy acquirement. The multi-objective energy benchmark could be determined through integrated assessment method of TOPSIS synthetically considering the real production requirements. In addition, the case study shows the practicability of the energy benchmark method for energy management and a potential energy saving of 21.3%. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.