Note that some manufactures are based in the USA but get their boards from China.
Contents
USA
| Manufacturer | Founders | Location |
|---|---|---|
| BBS | Grant Burns | San Diego |
| Prime | – | Los Angeles,CA |
| Dwindle / DSM | Steve Rocco, Rodney Mullen | El Segundo, California |
| Chapman | Gregg Chapman | Deer Park, NY |
| NHS Inc | Jay Shuirman, Doug Haut, Richard Novak | Santa Cruz, CA |
| Watson Laminates | Charles Watson | San Diego, CA |
| Skate One | George Powell | Santa Barbara, CA |
| South Central | Chris Atchinson | Elmore, AL |
| Pennswood MFG | – | Oil City, PA |
Canada
| Manufacturer | Founders | Location |
|---|---|---|
| OSM | – | – |
| Woodchuck | Max Dufour | Oceanside, California |
| Control MFG | Carl Savard | Saint-Nicolas (Québec) |
Mexico
| Manufacturer | Founder | Location |
|---|---|---|
| PS Stix | Paul Schmitt | Tijuana, Mexico |
| Clutch / ASF | – | San Diego, CA, |
| BBS MFG | – | – |
Europe
| Manufacturer | Founder | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Artprint | – | France |
| HLC DISTRIBUTION | Igor Iraola | Spain, Irún |
China
| Manufacturer | Location |
| Chop Chop | Huizhou, Guangdong |
| Excel | Huizhou, Guangdong |
| FYSboard Factory | Shaoyan, Hunan |
| Jeeping | Zhongshan, Guangdong |
Dwindle / DSM Woodchop
Dwindle has been around for some time and provide skateboard decks for many popular brands. As of January 2005, Dwindle Distribution is located in El Segundo, California.
They are the largest skateboard company in the world founded by no other than legends Rodney Mullen and Steve Rocco. The brands in cursive also buy from other woodshops. You may be a huge Enjoi evangelist, but in reality, it’s the same deck as many others. Here’s a list of brands that buy decks from Dwindle.
- Almost
- Blind
- Cliche
- Creature
- Darkstar
- Dusters (cruiser decks)
- Enjoi
- Flip
- Palace
- Santa Cruz
- Speed Demons
- Vagrant
- Welcome
- Wknd
- World Industries
- Zero
Chapman Skateboards
Chapman has been producing skateboards since 1991 and is one of the few that makes skateboard decks solely in the USA. Supreme gets their decks from Chapman which can sometimes go for hundreds/thousands of dollars on eBay (depending on the artist they work with).
- Ammo
- Coda
- Fancy Lad
- Hopps
- IronClaw
- Naysayer
- Raw
- Satire
- Shut
- Supreme Artist Series
- Zoo York
NHS Inc
NHS is a privately-held company founded in 1973. To this day they are a well respected and innovative skateboard company. Their main focus is on producing skateboards but they also produce snowboarding and surfing equipment.
- Creature
- Flip
- Plan B.
- Santa Cruz
Watson Laminates
Watson Laminates was founded in 1975 by Charlie Watson and is based in San Diego. The originally started as The Shack Out Back in 1974 in Pacific Beach. The company went through some rough times when the popularity of skateboarding declined but they always managed to stay in business. They produce boards for a few known brand like Alien Workshop and Foundation.
- Alien Workshop
- Foundation
- Habitat
Skate One
Lots of familiar names in this list as Skate One is part of Powell Peralta. Skate One was founded in 1976 and has been a manufacturer & distributor ever since.
- Powell
- Mini Logo
- Hoopla
- Bones Brigade
Control
Based in Canada, Control was founded in 1993 by Carl Savard at the age of 18. Carl got a severe car accident and used the compensation money to start up his own skateboard manufacturing company. Carl Savard first produced skateboard by hand using homemade molds and tools. With the support of his family, he was able to get better machinery and is still producing boards to this day.
- Selfish
- Only One
Woodchuck
In 1996 Max Dufour founded Woodchuck in Canada. Woodchuck manufactures top-quality skateboard decks and brands like BLVD. Brands Death Skateboards and Traffic all come from Woodchuck.
- BLVD
- City Stars
- Death Skateboards
- Finesse
- Premium
- Traffic
Generator Distribution / BBS
Generator Distribution produces skateboard decks for a lot of popular brands. Baker, Heroin, Alien Workshop, Krooked to name a few. They have factories in both the USA and Mexico.
- Polar
- DGK
- Expedition-One
- Organika
- Blueprint
- Black Label
- Magenta
- Home
- Passport
- LurkVille
- Isle
- Baker
- Hookups
- Heroin
- Alien Workshop
- Anti-Hero
- Real
- Kayo
- Krooked
- Death Wish
- Skate Mafia
- Primitive
- Slave ($lave)
- Theories of Atlantis
PS Stix
PS Stix produces skateboard decks in Tijuana, Mexico. Brands like Element, Plan B, and Toy Machine get their decks from PS Stix.
Boards from PS Stix are durable and very poppy, an excellent choice. We tested a couple of PS Stix boards (Thank You, WKND) and they really have a clear pop and last for quite some time (depending on how hard you skate).
- 917
- Element
- FA/Hockey
- Foundation (pro models)
- Habitat
- Lifeblood
- Meow
- Numbers
- Pizza
- Plan B
- Quasi
- Snack
- Thank You
- Toy Machine
- Vagrant
- Welcome
- Wknd
South Central
South Central was founded by Chris Atchinson in 1992. They produce skateboard decks for a number of brands all made in the USA. Chris has been passionate about skateboarding all his life and wanted to make a career out of it. Since becoming a pro was out of the question, he used his years of knowledge to start a skateboard production company.
- 5boro
- Substance
- Dieta
- Coda
- Bacon
- Merde
- Active
- Killing Floor
Pennswood
Pennswood is a manufacturer that started out in Pennsylvania in 1996. Their boards are manufactured in the USA, familiar Brands like Revive and traffic are made by Pensswood.
- Revive
- Traffic
- Scumco
- Cockfight
- Big Mess
- Music
- Shipyard
- Heavy
- Sleep
Dailan Huahong
Despite the reputation of Girl and Chocolate, their manufacturers are based in China. This doesn’t mean the boards are bad, just that there’s less quality control.
- Girl
- Chocolate
- Skate Mental
- Crailtap
I haven’t mentioned all manufacturers, for a complete and up to date list visit the Slap Magazine Forums
I’m an aged skateboarder and still shred responsibly. Started skateboarding 25 years ago, peaked in the 2000’s, and still ride to this day. I am a total geek when it comes to skateboard gear, love test to stuff and share my findings.