These days, lots of companies are moving production overseas to save money and increase productivity. Not only is this bad for the environment and local communities, but it can also have a negative impact on product quality. In this article, I’ll be looking for American made tape measures.
Do Any Companies Sell Tape Measures Made in the USA? (The Short Answer)
I was surprised to learn that there are actually a couple of companies that still manufacture tape measures in the USA. They are US Tape and Stanley.
American Made Tape Measures (What My Research Turned Up)
Now that we know which companies manufacture measuring tapes in the USA, let’s look at each one in a little more detail.
US Tape
With a name like US Tape, it will come as no surprise to find out that the company manufactures some of its products in the US. Unfortunately, over the past few years, the company has been conducting more and more of its manufacturing in China.
So, while the following information is accurate when this article was written, this may no longer be the case further down the line. If things change regarding US Tape’s manufacturing location and we don’t see it, please leave a comment below so we can update the article.
According to US Tape’s official website, the company operates two manufacturing facilities in the US, one in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, and another in Sonoma, California. But as mentioned above, recently the company has been conducting a fair amount of its manufacturing in China.
At the time of writing this article, I found a couple of the company’s tape measures that are still made in America. They are as follows.
Stanley
Stanley was founded in Connecticut in 1843. It is a very large and well-known company that sells millions of products to consumers in countries all over the world. Stanley offers a wide range of tools, from utility knives and hammers to pliers and of course, tape measures.
As far as manufacturing goes, Stanley has facilities in the US, Brazil, China, and various other countries. Usually, this would make it rather tricky to find out which products are made where. But that’s not the case for Stanley as the company has a section on its website dedicated to its American-made products.
At the time of writing this article, I found a few tape measures made by Stanley that are produced in the US. They are as follows.
- 25 ft Stanley Fatmax Tape Measure
- 25 ft Stanley Fatmax Classic Tape Measure
- 25 ft PowerLock Tape Measure
- 16 ft Stanley Fatmax Auto-Lock Tape Measure
Honorable Mention
I came across one company that assembles a couple of its tape measures in the US. Since made in and assembled in are two very different statements, It didn’t really fit onto the list above. Here’s what I found.
The Perfect Measuring Tape Company
The Perfect Measuring Tape Company was founded in 1912, and since its inception, the company has been manufacturing tape measures in the US. Its headquarters can be found in Toledo, Ohio, and from what I understand, it looks like this is where it conducts its US-based manufacturing.
Like many large companies out there, The Perfect Measuring Tape Company does rely on facilities overseas for a large portion of its products. That said, according to the company’s official website, it assembles two types of tape measures at its American facility.
There is a bit of conflicting information regarding its tape measures as the webpage containing the two tape measures states at the top that the products are ‘made in the USA.’ But the actual product descriptions state that the tape measures are ‘assembled in the USA.’ Here’s a link to the two products, so you can take a look and see what you think.
Tape Measures That Are Commonly Mistaken as Being Made in the USA
I found a couple of companies that popped up on several third-party websites as American manufacturers. However, after doing some digging, this doesn’t seem to be the case. Here’s what I found.
Keson
Keson was founded in 1968 in Berwyn, Illinois. The company is well known for its high-quality measuring tools and it sells products to happy customers all over the US and other countries too.
The company was the first one to introduce fiberglass long tape measures to the US and it is partially responsible for the development and improvement of tape measures over the years.
As for its manufacturing locations, as mentioned above, I found multiple third-party sites claiming that Keson is an American manufacturer, but I couldn’t find any proof to back this up. It is worth noting that the misinformation isn’t coming from the company directly but from outside sources.
From what I could find, it looks like the company primarily manufactures its tape measures at a facility in China. I found this information on Keson’s Amazon store. If anyone out there has any more information regarding the company’s manufacturing locations please leave a comment below.
Lufkin (Crescent Tool)
I couldn’t actually find a straight answer regarding when the company was founded. Depending on which source you want to follow, the company was either founded in 1882, 1884, or 1902. But putting that aside, this American-founded company used to conduct the majority of its manufacturing in the US. Unfortunately, this no longer seems to be the case.
Today, Lufkin (Crescent Tool) is a part of Apex Tool Group. This is one of the largest hand tool manufacturers in the world. With it being such a large manufacturer, it does conduct the majority of its manufacturing overseas.
The company has manufacturing facilities in Canada, Mexico, Germany, China, South America, North America, and a few other places. So, while the company does conduct some manufacturing in the US, the majority of its manufacturing is carried out overseas.
After doing a little more digging, I couldn’t find a single Lufkin tape measure that was made outside of China. If there are any readers out there who have found any American-made Lufkin tape measures feel free to get in touch via the comment section below as we like to keep our articles up-to-date and accurate.
