Red Wing Shoes has been around for a long time – they were founded by Charles Beckman in 1905! Headquartered in Red Wing, Minnesota, they ramped up operations quickly after inception, producing more than 200,000 pairs of boots per year by 1915, primarily for American soldiers fighting in World War I (they were also the primary boot manufacturer for World War II). Red Wing is well known for its heavy leather work boots, but it has recently expanded its product offering to more athletic-style boots and boots for more specific job applications like mining and the service industry. Red Wing has long been associated with American manufacturing, but does it still make all of its products here? We dug in to find out. Our verdict is below.
Verdict: Are Red Wing Boots Made in the USA?
According to Red Wing, over 60% of their boots are manufactured right here in the USA. This percentage is quite impressive compared to other shoe and boot manufacturers who have moved the large majority of their production overseas. Most of their American manufacturing takes place in their plants in Potosi, Missouri, and Red Wing, Minnesota.
We decided to test this 60% claim. We looked at every single work boot style available on the Red Wing website and where they are made. According to the website, here is a breakdown of their origin.
- Made in USA – 25.8%
- Made in the USA with Imported Materials – 18.7%
- Assembled in the USA with Imported Components – 1.0%
- Made in Cambodia – 15.2%
- Made in China – 28.8%
- Made in Vietnam – 10.6%
Although we did not examine Red Wing’s entire product line, our results are rather disappointing. Only 25.8% of work boots are made entirely in the USA. If you’d like to take a look for yourself, Red Wing lists the country of origin in the “About” section of each of its product pages (screenshot below).
Popular American Made Red Wing Products
- Men’s SuperSole 6-Inch Boot
- Men’s LoggerMax 9-Inch Logger Boot
- Men’s TruWelt Chukka
- Men’s SuperSole 2.0 6-Inch Boot
- Men’s Traction Tred 9-Inch Pull-On Boot
Popular Red Wing Products Not Made in the USA
- Men’s King Toe Oxford – Cambodia
- Men’s FlexForce 6-Inch Boot – China
- Men’s Traction Tred 6-Inch Boot – Vietnam
- Men’s King Toe 6-Inch Boot – Cambodia
American Made Alternatives
- Men’s Work Boots Made in the USA
- Women’s Work Boots Made in the USA
- Hunting Boots (Pull-On and Lace-Up) Made in the USA
- Full List of Shoes Made in the USA
