Hammers are a core part of any self-respecting handyman’s toolkit. If you’re looking for something American-made with all the quality and build construction that entails, then we’ve got you covered. Check out our list of all hammers made in the USA.
Full List of Hammer Brands Made in the USA
This made-in-the-USA hammer is designed to work for all your framing needs. It’s suited to frame wooden houses with its heavy-duty design and sturdy straight claw. They craft it in Rockford, Illinois, made from the highest-quality American steel.
Estwing forged this hammer in one piece to make it more durable. It’s intended that with this hammer, you’ll have something that will last you for years, even with daily use.
The claw is designed to be versatile, whether for prying boards, pulling nails, or doing demolition work. This hammer can also be used by professionals. So regardless of whether you’re a tradesman, contractor, or average home DIY person, all abilities are intended to use this hammer.
The grip features a proprietary shock reduction design that aims to be comfortable to hold and reduces impact vibration by a whopping 70%.
The Dalluge Framing Hammer boasts a solid wood handle stretching 17” and is made of robust straight hickory. It’s aerodynamically contoured to have sleek, smooth handles that are meant to be more comfortable. It’s machine gauged to get a precise balance, with a sprinkling of double sanding, buffing, and lacquer to round out the product for optimal comfort.
The hammer’s face is serrated, meaning there’s a lot of extra grip, streamlining the process of catching and sinking nails. Because the face is so large, nail heads can be gripped through the drive, further reducing slippage and bent nails. The head is built out of casted steel, adding substantial heft and weight to your swings.
The inspiration for the title of this Hardcore Hammer comes from the hardened steel core inside the hammerhead, which is intended to add significantly to performance and durability.
They designed this American-made hammer to stand up to professional carpentry’s daily requirements. Other features it’s equipped with include a patent-pending hardened steel indented traction layer for maximum grip and magnetized nail sections on the bottom and top for flexible single-handed starting with nails. The straightened claw on the back is meant for ripping out tough nails and boards alike, and the large handle sleeve ensures a lot of space for overstrike protection.
Lastly, the handle is ergonomic, with a natural curved shape and a genuine U.S. hickory, which means you’ll be comfortable while working.
The dead blow hammer from ABC Hammers is built to be an all-around, heavy swinging mallet. It’s cast out of a single piece of polyurethane through a heating process that culminates in construction and build that is intended to be safe and durable. Compared to rubber, lead, or rawhide, this design is meant to last 10 to 20 times as long, ideal for long-term use and storage. Despite having a sharp face, it’s designed to avoid altogether sparking and marring.
The canister is filled with shot, which aims to improve significantly dead blow action, ensuring continuous impact, high power, and strong striking force. As it’s non-magnetic and anti-corrosion, it’s easy to store without worrying about external damage. However, its weight means you’ll likely store it indoors rather than hanging it on your tool belt.
The Ampco Safety Ball Peen Hammer is intended for impact surface hardening and punch and chisel striking, and blunting metal edges. Despite featuring a metal head, it manages to be completely non-magnetic. Testing proved it to have no risk in MRI environments and magnetic fields, meaning it conforms to safety standards like ASTM F2503 and ASTM A342. This is possible because it uses a high-strength nickel aluminum bronze alloy.
Coming in at less than a pound, this is the sort of hammer that you can bring with you wherever you go. The tool isn’t designed to be non-marring, which may be a problem for some use cases. Still, it’ll work for smaller and more delicate projects like gunsmithing, as long as you handle it with care.
The Jackson Hand Drill Hammer is designed for use with punches, star drills, chisels, and other more hardened surfaces. Its bulky, top-heavy design allows for strong blows even in spaces with a limited swing range. The thick 10.5” hickory handle is intended to provide excellent strength and durability that won’t splinter or crack for a long time.
Despite the power it packs in, it still manages to be lightweight. The design guarantees that it won’t spark, and it has a solid eye size of 0.75” x 1”, making it ideal for a wide range of uses in varying settings.
YouTube Video: How to Find Hammers Made in the USA
How To Find Hammers Made in the USA
A good hammer can help with general carpentry and is a necessary tool for DIY or a professional handyperson. Knowing that the hammer makes up a core part of a toolkit, you don’t want to get just any hammer – you should look for a quality hammer that will easily last you years. One way to do this is to find a hammer made in the USA. Purchasing products made in the USA also supports the American economy.
But with most productions nowadays taking place abroad, how does one find hammers made in the USA?
What Does “Made In The USA” Mean?
First, let’s define what it means for something to be made in the USA. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) defines it as a product that is “all or virtually all” made in the USA. This encompasses everything that makes up the production of the product, from sourcing the raw materials to manufacturing the product. However, it’s worth noting that “virtually all” can be a gray area, so if you’d like to learn more about this, check out our “made in the USA” labeling guide.
Materials
To find hammers made in the USA, research the materials used. Knowing where the raw materials come from and whether it is extensively produced in the USA will help you find US-made products.
Hammer heads are made of steel, and handles are typically made of steel, fiberglass, or wood.
Steel
Hammer heads are made of steel, and the strongest and heaviest hammer typically has a steel handle.
China currently holds the crown for producing the most steel in the world. In fact, China produces more than half of the world’s steel, so most steel you find in cheaper hammers is likely to come from China. However, finding steel hammer heads made in the USA is not a difficult feat as the USA comes in fourth in terms of steel production.
Hammer companies that care about quality and durability are more likely to use US-made steel as it is three times stronger than steel made in China. So, if you’re after a hammer that will last you a lifetime, looking specifically for US-made is the way to go.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass is another popular hammer handle material for its non-conductivity and decent vibrational damping qualities. They are also lighter than steel, making them easier to handle.
The United States ranks second in the world for fiberglass production by country, ranking behind China. So, as with most other raw materials, although the cheaper mass-produced fiberglass is found in China, you’ll also easily be able to find fiberglass handles that are sourced in the USA. Just be sure to double-check the country of origin when looking for a hammer with a fiberglass handle.
Wood
Wood is an excellent choice for a hammer handle due to its low impact and comfort. Wooden handles also give tools a traditional look appealing to some consumers.
Thankfully, the USA has a considerable timber industry, so finding American-made wood should be relatively easy compared to other materials. Although China still ranks above the USA, the USA doesn’t fall too far behind in wood production, coming in a close second.
Labeling
The second step to finding hammers made in the USA is to look at the label used. Title 19, Chapter 4, Section 1304 of the US Code states that any product made overseas should be labeled with the country of origin. Coupled with the fact that the FTC protects the usage of the label “made in the USA,” this piece of legislation is a huge help that cuts down the amount of research needed to find hammers made in the USA.
However, things are not as easy as they may seem. There are a few things to watch out for when looking at the labeling. First, it’s the wording used. Companies may use tricky language and synonyms to trick customers into thinking their products are made in the USA. For example, “designed in the USA” or “manufactured in the USA” means only a portion of the production takes place in the United States. Similarly, “made in America” is a common label used for products that may have been produced in Canada or Mexico.
Another thing to look out for is the usage of the American flag on labels. Just because there is a US flag on the label does not necessarily mean the product is actually made in the USA, so take it with a grain of salt.
Other Tips
Here are some additional tips to help you find hammers made in the USA.
Check The Website
Go online and check the company’s website. Remember that although companies must label their products with the country of origin, this is not the case for online or promotional materials. So, if no country of origin is listed on the website’s “About Us” or the product pages, it’s likely that the product is made overseas. On the other hand, “Made in the USA” is a huge selling point, so if this were the case, you would easily find this information on the company’s website.
Online Shopping Sites
Online shopping websites like Amazon may state the country of origin in the “Product Information” section. You should also check the FAQ section of the product page, as someone else may have already asked where the product is made.
Call The Company
Call the company and ask if you’re still unsure where a certain hammer is made. A representative should be able to answer your questions.
Hammers Not Made in the USA
Check out the hammers that are not made in the USA that we discovered during our research. You can see a full list of these brands below as well as where their hammers are being manufactured:
- Irwin Tools – Made in China.
- Stanley – Made in Brazil, and China. They have some products Made in the USA with global materials (there’s a dedicated page for these products).
- Stalwart – Made in China.
- Edwards Tools – Made in China.
- Olympia Tools – Made in Vietnam and China.
Related Research
Need more tool recommendations? Head over to our main American-made tools page.
