Is Field Notes Made in USA?
Last verified: March 2026 · Based on 5 verified products and public manufacturing evidence
Yes — Made in USA
Field Notes manufactures its products in the United States — specifically in Chicago, IL. Our verification team confirmed this through public manufacturing claims, factory records, and product listings.
Verification Confidence
Average confidence score across 5 verified products — scores ≥70% are shown on this site.
Manufacturing Details
- Made in
- Chicago, IL
- Headquarters
- Chicago, IL
- Location detail
- Specific city confirmed
- History
- Established brand (10–50 years)
- Founded
- 2007
Verification Evidence
Field Notes pocket notebooks are designed in Chicago and printed at American printing facilities. The company explicitly states Made in the USA on every notebook. Paper sourced from American mills, printed domestically.
About Field Notes
Field Notes has designed and printed pocket memo books in Chicago, Illinois since 2007, producing notebooks on American-made paper with covers and printing that reflect the brand's roots in Midwestern commercial printing traditions.
The Chicago Pocket Notebook
Field Notes was founded in Chicago in 2007 by Aaron Draplin and Coudal Partners, designed to reference the utilitarian memo books used by American farmers, traveling salesmen, and field workers in the mid-twentieth century. The design language draws from USDA crop reports, hardware store giveaways, and the vernacular commercial printing that characterized pre-digital American business communication. The original Kraft paper cover notebooks are printed in Chicago on Finch Opaque 60lb paper from mills in the United States.
The physical specifications are deliberate: the 48-page count, the 3.5 x 5.5 inch format, and the staple binding are sized to fit in a shirt pocket and open flat on a surface. The paper weight is sufficient for ballpoint and pencil without bleed-through for most pens, and the paper has enough texture that pencil erasure is clean. For a pocket notebook intended for daily use rather than archival permanence, these specifications are well-chosen.
Seasonal Editions and the Field Notes Community
Beyond the standard Kraft, ruled, graph, and dot-grid editions, Field Notes produces quarterly limited-edition runs with different paper stocks, cover designs, and format variations. Past editions have used colored paper, waterproof materials, and covers designed in collaboration with regional artists. The limited editions have developed a collector following, but the standard editions are the practical daily-use product.
For buyers comparing Field Notes against mass-market pocket notebooks: the paper quality, the printing precision, and the Made in the USA sourcing are genuine differentiators. The standard Kraft 3-pack at its typical price point is competitive with comparably specified notebooks made with domestic materials and American printing labor. For buyers who take notes daily and want a pocket notebook with a clear American manufacturing provenance and a design sensibility that is authentically Midwestern rather than aspirationally European, Field Notes is the natural choice.
American-Made Field Notes Products
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Field Notes made in the USA?
Yes. Field Notes is made in the United States, manufactured in Chicago, IL. Field Notes pocket notebooks are designed in Chicago and printed at American printing facilities. The company explicitly states Made in the USA on every notebook. Paper sourced from American mills, printed domestically.
Where is Field Notes manufactured?
Field Notes manufactures its products in Chicago, IL. The company is headquartered in Chicago, IL.
Which Field Notes products are made in the USA?
We carry 5 verified American-made Field Notes products across Office & School. Every listing is linked directly to Amazon with verified manufacturing evidence.