Leatherman
Last checked: Oct 20, 2026
The full answer: Is Leatherman Made in USA?Verification Summary
American Score
Manufacturing Location
Portland, OR
Headquarters
Portland, OR
Founded
1983
Products Verified
11 products
Evidence Breakdown
Factory Location Specificity
Specific factory city identified
Website Claim
The brand's website says it makes its products in the USA
Manufacturing History
Long record of US manufacturing
Known Overseas Production
No imported lines on record
Verification Notes
All multitools manufactured in Portland, OR since 1983. Entire product line is USA-made with 25-year warranty.
Brand evidence is re-checked on a rolling cycle
Quick Picks
Manufacturing Profile
Leatherman manufactures at its factory in Portland, OR. Founded in 1983, 43 years ago. The 11 Leatherman listings here sit in tools & hardware.
Verification tier
100% average
Very High: strong brand evidence plus city-level origin statements for the products
Factory evidence
Specific city
Portland, OR
Catalog breadth
11 products
1 category
How we verified Leatherman
Most recent check: Oct 20, 2026
From the brand's website
“In the spring of 1983, they received their first order for 500 tools from Cabela's”
leatherman.com · checked Oct 10, 2026
Independent source
“Before a recent trip to Portland, Oregon, I arranged to visit the factory where Leatherman makes multi-tools.”
jlconline.com · checked Sep 25, 2026
Store listings
We read the live store listing for 11 of the 11 Leatherman products on this page (most recently Oct 20, 2026). 1 of them states US origin on the listing itself:
- “Made in the USA” on Leatherman Micra Keychain Multi-tool with Grooming Tools Stainless Steel
Company history
“In the spring of 1983, they received their first order for 500 tools from Cabela's”
leatherman.com · checked Oct 10, 2026
These checks are run by our software on a schedule: brand websites are re-read about every three weeks, store listings weekly, and news is scanned monthly. Every flag is checked against its original source before anything on this page changes. How the American Score works.
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Leatherman was founded in 1983 and makes the products listed here in Portland, OR. The site lists 11 verified American-made Leatherman products.
A Fiat, a scout knife and no pliers
In 1975 Tim Leatherman and his wife Chau took a budget trip through Europe and kept running into leaky hotel plumbing and roadside repairs on their Fiat. He carried a scout knife and kept wishing it had pliers. The prototype he expected to take a month took three years, followed by about three and a half years of rejection letters. With college friend Steve Berliner he got his first order in spring 1983: 500 tools from Cabela's. That tool was the PST, or Pocket Survival Tool.
What "USA & Global Parts" means
Leatherman's homepage says its tools are made "from our factory in Portland, OR," and the label it uses is "Made in America (USA & Global Parts)." A 2013 factory visit by the trade magazine JLC found about 400 of the company's 500 employees working in a 90,000-square-foot Portland plant, doing stamping, grinding and assembly in house with steel coil from Ohio and some parts sent to a nearby Oregon heat-treater.
Leatherman does not publish which parts are the global ones, and its sheath and apparel pages carry no origin claim either way. Expect a Portland-built tool with some imported components. The tools carry a 25-year warranty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Leatherman made in the USA?
Yes, for the 11 products listed here. Leatherman manufactures in Portland, OR. Leatherman has made its multi-tools at its own factory in Portland, Oregon since 1983. The company labels them "Made in America (USA & Global Parts)" and does not say which parts are imported.
Where is Leatherman manufactured?
Leatherman is headquartered in Portland, OR. Manufacturing takes place in Portland, OR.
What Leatherman products can I buy?
The site lists 11 Leatherman products in Tools & Hardware. Each one links to a store that sells it.
When was Leatherman founded?
Leatherman was founded in 1983. Leatherman has made its multi-tools at its own factory in Portland, Oregon since 1983. The company labels them "Made in America (USA & Global Parts)" and does not say which parts are imported.
Where can I buy Leatherman products?
Every Leatherman product listed here links to a store that sells it, either a large online retailer or the brand's own shop.
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