EXHIBIT 23

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statement (Nos. 333-83809 and 333-138054) on Form S-8 of our report dated June 17, 2011 appearing in the annual report on Form 11-K of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. Retirement Savings Plan for the year ended December 31, 2010.

/s/ Plante & Moran, PLLC  

Cleveland, Ohio 

June 17, 2011