How to CONFIRM the Country of Manufacture

[Ed_Flecko]

Ever since I was a kid, I've always tried to avoid products "Made in China" if/when possible.

While there there are a lot of reasons including political, economic, etc., *I* have always steered clear of Chinese products because I think they're junk, in large part.

I'm wondering if there's a way to confirm, with (hopefully) reasonable accuracy, the Country of Manufacture for a given product? I'd heard that learning how to read a products' bar-code was the solution, but that doesn't seem accurate: https://bit.ly/2MllQdP

Also, I wonder if there's an "app" for my iPhone that might help read and decipher the bar-code?

Thank you,
Ed

 

[knoas]

The answer is in the VIN.

The first digit or letter is what tells you which country it was manufactured in.

I am sure you can find the list on wikipedia or google.

For example,

My Mazda 3 VIN starts with "J" for JAPAN.

"3" means Mexico.

And you can get the idea, just get the list and check your VIN.

 

[Kira]

Great question and I'll be following this thread and keeping my eyes peeled in the outside world.

I've been trying to spend my money "east" for years. By that I mean buying stuff from the USA, Canada and Europe if I can.

Trouble is, stuff doesn't come from everywhere. Now you must fall back on patronizing quality and good service.

EX: People here willingly buying LED lights in unmarked white boxes from "who-knows-where".
In these cases people want untested new stuff just to be first-on-their-block.
When a cheap, thrown-onto-the-market item melts their socket or throws a code...it doesn't bother me.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

Originally Posted By: knoas
The answer is in the VIN.

The first digit or letter is what tells you which country it was manufactured in.

I am sure you can find the list on wikipedia or google.

For example,

My Mazda 3 VIN starts with "J" for JAPAN.

"3" means Mexico.

And you can get the idea, just get the list and check your VIN.


I should have been more clear; I'm talking about ANY product, not just cars.

Ed

 

[Astro14]

Country of manufacture labeling has been required on consumer products for years, since the 1970s, I think, so simply reading the label carefully will answer some of your question.

For big goods, like cars, the lines get blurry - sure, my Tundra was assembled in the US, so, it meets the "country of manufacture" test, but more digging is required to determine where the parts came from...and that information is available for every vehicle sold.... in the form of "content" included in the car.

If you're looking for made in the USA clothing, for example, it's hard to come by, even LL Bean sources most of their stuff from Asia (like shirts, pants, etc.) while still making their iconic boots in the USA.

Simply walking past Wal-mart and shopping elsewhere (not Target, though) will go a long way towards avoiding "made in China" products...

I suppose it would help if we all knew what kind of goods you were interested in... There are some great tools, clothes, etc. still made here in the USA, or in Europe. But paying the workers a fair wage means that those goods cost more.

I'll give you an example: C.C. Filson in Seattle. Took a tour of their plant (about 3 miles south of the city center, by the stadium) where their bags and jackets are made. Genuine made in America high-quality clothes and outdoor supplies. Pendleton wool is a supplier for Filson. Their canvas, leather, cloth, thread, everything are made in the USA... but be careful of their shirts - some are "off shore"... Everything they sell is first-quality, last-a-lifetime, stuff. I've given up on LL Bean for most things as that company has joined the race to the bottom... But Filson is doing well selling quality.

https://www.filson.com/

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: Ed_Flecko
Also, I wonder if there's an "app" for my iPhone that might help read and decipher the bar-code?

Thank you,
Ed

I wonder if it'll let you know the iPhone was made in China.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Country of manufacture labeling has been required on consumer products for years, since the 1970s, I think, so simply reading the label carefully will answer some of your question.

For big goods, like cars, the lines get blurry - sure, my Tundra was assembled in the US, so, it meets the "country of manufacture" test, but more digging is required to determine where the parts came from...and that information is available for every vehicle sold.... in the form of "content" included in the car.

If you're looking for made in the USA clothing, for example, it's hard to come by, even LL Bean sources most of their stuff from Asia (like shirts, pants, etc.) while still making their iconic boots in the USA.

Simply walking past Wal-mart and shopping elsewhere (not Target, though) will go a long way towards avoiding "made in China" products...

I suppose it would help if we all knew what kind of goods you were interested in... There are some great tools, clothes, etc. still made here in the USA, or in Europe. But paying the workers a fair wage means that those goods cost more.

I'll give you an example: C.C. Filson in Seattle. Took a tour of their plant (about 3 miles south of the city center, by the stadium) where their bags and jackets are made. Genuine made in America high-quality clothes and outdoor supplies. Pendleton wool is a supplier for Filson. Their canvas, leather, cloth, thread, everything are made in the USA... but be careful of their shirts - some are "off shore"... Everything they sell is first-quality, last-a-lifetime, stuff. I've given up on LL Bean for most things as that company has joined the race to the bottom... But Filson is doing well selling quality.

https://www.filson.com/

Thank you, this is good information.

I'm not looking for a specific product at all. I would just like the ability to decide to buy/not buy any given product based, in part, on the Country of Manufacture. As a consumer, I'd like to know where the given product originates from.

Ed

 

[PimTac]

Made in should be changed to assembled in. The iPhone is assembled in China with parts from all over like Japan and Korea to name a couple of countries.

Assembled in the USA is just that, assembled. The parts for the product come from all over the world. Very few products are totally sourced from one country.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
Made in should be changed to assembled in. The iPhone is assembled in China with parts from all over like Japan and Korea to name a couple of countries.

Assembled in the USA is just that, assembled. The parts for the product come from all over the world. Very few products are totally sourced from one country.


Lots of stuff is, we've discussed this before. A lot of construction materials are manufactured in America or Canada. Anything that has a high weight to cost ratio will more often than not be American or Canadian made.

 

[slo town]

Originally Posted By: Ed_Flecko

Thank you, this is good information.

I'm not looking for a specific product at all. I would just like the ability to decide to buy/not buy any given product based, in part, on the Country of Manufacture. As a consumer, I'd like to know where the given product originates from.

Ed


I strive to do this too. It's nice to know that others do this as well. I only buy New Balance athletic shoes because of this very issue. They clearly state the COO for materials, etc.

Scott

 

[Ed_Flecko]

Originally Posted By: SLO_Town
Originally Posted By: Ed_Flecko

Thank you, this is good information.

I'm not looking for a specific product at all. I would just like the ability to decide to buy/not buy any given product based, in part, on the Country of Manufacture. As a consumer, I'd like to know where the given product originates from.

Ed


I strive to do this too. It's nice to know that others do this as well. I only buy New Balance athletic shoes because of this very issue. They clearly state the COO for materials, etc.

Scott


I have e-mailed my local Politicians to see if they can answer my question (don't laugh everyone). I will be very curious to see if/when/how they respond. I can't imagine that there isn't a way to conclusively determine a given products' Country of Manufacture.

Ed

 

[dlundblad]

I try to buy OE, but if the OE is third world, I'll still buy OE.

Depends on the item. Yes, Apple products are made in China and I own an iPhone. Lol.

 

[KGMtech]

67% of the worlds threaded fasteners (nuts and bolts of all sizes) come from Taiwan. Quality is good, pricing is good they own that business for a darn good reason.

For NAFTA, 70% of what you ship within NAFTA has to be of North American (Canada, USA, Mexico) origin. Depending on what level of value-added a Mexican or Canadian manufacturer does to a part, they could source steel from Turkey, Vietnam, China, Korea and still meet the 70% requirement for shipments into USA. All legal and correct...until it changes next month?

The notion that China only makes junk is grossly outdated. Google the BMW Engine plant in China if you want to see robots performing beautiful work. After you watch this - please do - the question that might enter your mind is: what difference does it make where the factory is located if the robots do all the work?

Virtually every car sold in North America made is a collection of world sourced components, there is no such thing as a totally USA made car - I suspect Tesla comes closer, but I am not up on those stats.

 

[Kestas]

It is truly difficult to pin a country on a part. As an example, our company makes a product sold in America that says "Made in Brazil." It is made from steel bought from China, forged in Korea, machined in Brazil, by a Swedish company. So... is the part Chinese, Korean, Brazilian, or Swedish? This pretty much describes all parts that go into cars sold in America, even the parts we make for Tesla. It is virtually impossible to nail the country of origin on parts nowadays. Nobody will dig that far into parts to let you know the country of origin, or subdivide it for you. There is no way someone can accurately give you the percent American content of anything nowadays.

 

[csandste]

I've had people in the auto assembly biz tell me that supply lines under NAFTA were so complicated--vehicles or parts of vehicles crossing borders multiple times-- that it could never be unraveled. I suspect the shock to the economy with the end of NAFTA and high tariffs will make a bigger mess than most people playing the market realize. I'm anticipating a major recession stemming out of manufacturing disruption. Harley is one of the first of many.

There is a fastener company in southeast Missouri that's closing because of steel tariffs. No big deal, but it will cripple a small town that needed those jobs.

 

[Andrew1972]

The critical element is county of design and less manufacture. Made in China is all over the place to superior to inferior and hazardous. A quality company installs its own QA inside of Chinese manufacturing otherwise Wild West.

 

[E365]

Here's the new Advics brake pads I got for my Focus.

If you speak English, they were Made in the USA. If you speak Spanish or French, they were Made In Japan. 🤷ðŸ¼â€â™‚ï¸

(The forum is uploading them upside down, not me)

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by E365
Here's the new Advics brake pads I got for my Focus.

If you speak English, they were Made in the USA. If you speak Spanish or French, they were Made In Japan. 🤷ðŸ¼â€â™‚ï¸

(The forum is uploading them upside down, not me)

lol [censored]!? That's special. I'm at a loss. I'd look on the product itself and see if there is any writing.

 

[PimTac]

Where did you get those?

If they can't even get the label right then what does that say about the product itself?

 

[E365]

RockAuto

Advics pads are supposed to be top-notch. Original equipment on Toyota/Lexus, apparently.