Buying American products doesn\u2019t mean avoiding tariffs or the global supply chain. Even the most well-known\u00a0U.S. companies depend on imported components to make finished goods.<\/p>\n
Take Crayola, for example: It\u2019s headquartered in\u00a0Pennsylvania\u00a0and has manufacturing facilities in the\u00a0U.S., but it also produces some of its products in\u00a0Mexico. Some other iconic American brands base at least some\u2014if not all\u2014of their manufacturing outside the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0where labor and other production costs are lower. That includes Levi\u2019s jeans,\u00a0L.L. Bean\u00a0apparel, Converse\u2019s\u00a0Chuck Taylor All Star\u00a0sneakers, Ray-Ban sunglasses,\u00a0Major League\u00a0baseballs, American Girl dolls, Fender guitars and essentially everything Nike.<\/p>\n
Even distinctly American auto companies like\u00a0Ford,\u00a0General Motors\u00a0and\u00a0Stellantis\u00a0assemble cars domestically but need to source parts from elsewhere. Some 30,000 parts go into assembling a car. In the process of sourcing, producing and shipping, many components will be subject to tariffs each time they cross borders.<\/p>\n
In essence, any\u00a0U.S.-made goods that require imports somewhere in the production process will face higher production costs while tariffs are in place. And when import prices go up, the final products made in the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0could become more pricey for consumers.<\/p>\n
Something else to consider: Even if \u201cMade in USA\u201d products are 100% sourced and produced domestically, it doesn\u2019t mean those goods will be cheaper than foreign or import-dependent, U.S. goods that come with tariffs. The cost of labor, materials and regulatory compliance can make U.S.\u00a0manufacturing expensive. Shoppers need time to find and compare their options.<\/p>\n
What happened when I went looking for a pan<\/strong><\/p>\n Finding \u201cMade in USA\u201d products that are fully produced in America\u2014as in, sourced and manufactured here\u2014can be a needle-in-a-haystack pursuit. But it truly depends on what you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n Recently, I went looking for a cast-iron pan. It\u2019s the one kitchen item that I grew up with but don\u2019t currently own. And because it somehow feels American in my mind, I went hunting for an American-made cast-iron pan. Turns out, in this case it wasn\u2019t too hard! But costs varied pretty widely.<\/p>\n I started with a well-known\u00a0U.S.\u00a0brand: All-Clad, a cookware company that\u2019s headquartered in western\u00a0Pennsylvania and bases its manufacturing there, as well. Its boundless stainless-steel cookware is made entirely in the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0But when I looked at the product specifications on its 12-inch enameled cast-iron skillet with a stainless-steel lid, it says it is made in\u00a0Vietnam. Not a deal breaker for me, personally, but for the purposes of this article it\u2019s not a winner. For the record, the price tag was $109.99\u2014on sale from $189.99.<\/p>\n Another\u00a0Pennsylvania-based cookware company,\u00a0Lancaster Cast Iron\u00a0produces every one of its products in-state, including its No. 10 skillet, a nearly 12-inch pan that runs for $225.<\/p>\n Then there was\u00a0Field Company, a small cast-iron skillet company based in\u00a0New York City. Its No. 10 pan\u2014at almost 12 inches and advertised as a \u201csmoother, lighter\u201d cast-iron skillet\u2014came in at $215, while the matching cast-iron lid was $140. A pan-and-lid set was $300. All of Field\u2019s sourcing is done in the\u00a0U.S., and its production is in\u00a0Indiana,\u00a0Illinois and\u00a0Wisconsin.<\/p>\n Finally, I looked for a budget cast-iron-specific kitchenware company and found Lodge Cast Iron\u2014a 129-year old company based in\u00a0Tennessee. It prides itself on producing 80% of its products in the\u00a0U.S.; some are produced overseas, like its enamel-coated cast-iron. But its classic seasoned 12-inch cast-iron skillet is made in the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0Last I checked, it was on sale for $24.90. A cast-iron lid cost around $30.<\/p>\n Given my limited kitchen prowess, I went with Lodge\u2014the most affordable option.<\/p>\n What it takes to get the \u2018Made in USA\u2019 label<\/strong><\/p>\n To promote products as \u201cMade in USA,\u201d the\u00a0Federal Trade Commission\u00a0(\u00a0FTC) says the products must meet its standards. It\u2019s been that way for decades, but it wasn\u2019t until 1997 that the\u00a0FTC\u00a0provided specific guidance to companies on using the \u201cMade in USA\u201d label. In order to advertise that a product is \u201cmade,\u201d \u201cmanufactured,\u201d \u201cbuilt,\u201d \u201cproduced,\u201d \u201ccreated,\u201d or \u201ccrafted\u201d in the\u00a0U.S., the majority of that company\u2019s products must actually be \u201call or virtually all\u201d made in the\u00a0U.S.<\/p>\n All-Clad and Lodge Cast Iron can broadly promote themselves as \u201cMade in USA\u201d because the overwhelming majority of their products are. But in advertising specific products, companies can\u2019t claim the products are made in the\u00a0U.S. when they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n Ultimately, choosing to purchase American-made products is a matter of personal priorities. Whatever the reason\u2014cost, quality, ethics or desire\u2014shoppers will need to do some research. Depending on the product, cost-conscious consumers may have to make the decision between supporting domestic manufacturing and buying what\u2019s affordable.<\/p>\n Are tariffs bringing manufacturing back to the\u00a0U.S?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear if President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs will bring more manufacturing to\u00a0U.S.\u00a0soil\u2014as he says they will. Even with tariffs, some companies may still find it cheaper to manufacture goods in countries where costs of labor, sourcing and production are less expensive.<\/p>\n Still, domestic manufacturing is growing: The most recent data shows that in\u00a0March 2025, spending on manufacturing construction was 3.7% higher than a year earlier. It\u2019s part of a broader upward trend that began in 2011.<\/p>\n But bringing manufacturing back to the\u00a0U.S.\u2014also known as reshoring\u2014won\u2019t happen overnight. It takes time to build factories, fill positions and get production going. That means that even if investments are being made, there\u2019s bound to be a lag before more \u201cMade in USA\u201d products become available.<\/p>\n _______<\/p>\n \u00a9 2025 Paradise Post, Paradise, Calif. Visit\u00a0www.paradisepost.com<\/a>. Distributed by\u00a0Tribune Content Agency LLC.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\tThanks for reading CPA Practice Advisor!<\/strong><\/p>\n Subscribe for free to get personalized daily content, newsletters, continuing education, podcasts, whitepapers and more\u2026<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CPAPA-Logo.svg.svg+xml\"){kind=logo}
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