If you are looking for a decent toilet that doesn’t cost a fortune, then one of the brands that you might want to consider is American Standard. Indeed, when it comes to North America, American Standard is one of the most popular brands around, and it’s thanks to the fact that it provides its clients with affordable yet stylish and fairly high-quality products.
In terms of faucets, sinks, tubs, toilets, and more, American Standard is one of the biggest players out there, so let’s find out what this brand is all about, specifically where it produces its goods.
What Is American Standard and Who Owns It?
American Standard is a US-based plumbing and fixtures manufacturer that has been in the business for around 140 years at this point. Before being called American Standard, it was called the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company, which was founded in 1875, and then in 1899 respectively, when it merged with several other smaller plumbing producers to form the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing company.
Later, in 1929, the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company merged with the American Radiator Company to form the American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation, which then in 1967 adopted the name American Standard, as we know it today.
Now, what can get a bit confusing here is that American Standard is actually a part of a larger entity known as American Standard Brands, which markets its products under various brand names including Eljer, Fiat, Crane Plumbing, Safety Tubs, Decorative Panels International, and of course, American Standard.
In terms of who owns American Standard Brands, and therefore American Standard, this would be the LIXIL group, a massive Japanese multinational corporation that also owns many other brands. Of those owned by LIXIL, American Standard is one of the biggest along with Crane Plumbing and Grohe (a German bathroom fixtures company).
- System includes 11” Rain showerhead, 4-function hand shower, push-button diverter, 25” slide bar with Easy Glide tab, 15” shower arm, 69” metal shower hose, adhesive tape and screws
- Enjoy using showerhead and hand shower, alone or together
- Easy installation for retrofit, renovation or new construction eliminates drilling or damage to tile
Are All American Standard Toilets Made in America?
Ok, so of course, the main thing that we are here to figure out today is where American Standard toilets and other products are actually made. Now, we do want to note that finding out exactly where this brand, and even American Standard Brands as a whole, manufactures its products is actually extremely difficult. Even the main site itself, particularly the section for faucets, states that “Due to the fact we change the manufacturing location from time to time, we are not able to give you country of origin by model or even product.”
This, therefore, makes it nearly impossible to get any accurate information in this regard, but that being said, we did a whole lot of digging and were able to find some very important facts about where exactly American Standard manufactures its products, as well as where it used to. What is equally important to note here is that in terms of production and manufacturing, it’s really not American Standard that we need to talk about, but LIXIL, the parent company (as well as American Standard Brands), as these are the people calling the shots.
- CLOG-FREE RELIABILITY: Large 4-in. flush valve for optimal power
- EASY TO KEEP CLEAN: One-piece toilet has less seams and crevices
- EVERCLEAN SURFACE: Inhibits stain and odor-causing buildup
The first important fact here is that before the LIXIL group purchased American Standard, it was owned by a company known as Sun Capital, and already then (early 2000s), the company began moving production to the south and overseas. In the beginning, especially up until the latter half of the twentieth century, American Standard did actually operate many or even all of its production facilities in North America, particularly in the USA and Canada.
However, in the nineties and the early-2000s, Sun Capital began moving a lot of the production to Mexico. At this time, most American Standard products are either manufactured in Mexico, or assembled in Mexico after having bought or purchased components from overseas. In terms of American Standard itself, as stated above, there is not much info present, however, if we are talking about American Standard Brands, then there is a bit more info to work with.
As a whole, American Standard brands has just three production facilities left in the USA, including a Salem, Ohio plant that makes Americast bathtubs, a walk-in acrylic bathtub factory in Grand Prairie, Texas, and a mall factory in Somerset, Kentucky that makes laundry tubs, mop sinks, and shower bases for Eljer Fiat. However, as far as American Standard specifically is concerned, we are pretty sure that absolutely nothing is made in the USA. By the end of 2015, American Standard had closed its last production facility in Canada, thus virtually spelling the end for American and Canadian production of American Standard products.
American Standard Factories Around the World
What can be said about American Standard production facilities is that most of them are located in Mexico and China, with Mexico doing most of the assembly and some production, and China doing a good part of the production of various components. The problem here is that it is unclear as to exactly which products are produced and assembled where sincs American Standard has done its best to keep this information under wraps.
However, what we do know is that the largest North American plant, the one in Aguascalientes Maquila, Mexico, currently has over 400 workers and produces up to 3.5 million units per year (toilets, sinks, urinals, faucets). Moreover, LIXIL does also have four production facilities located in China, which it sources many of American Standard product components from. Those include a pottery factory in Shanghai, an enamelware factory in Guangzhou, a pottery factory in Tianjin, and a sanitary ware company as well.
What we do also know is that LIXIL purchases a whole lot of products from third-party sources, which it then uses for American Standard products. Just some of the countries it purchases components from include Costa Rica, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Germany, Egypt, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, and more. When it comes down to it, American Standard products are made more or less everywhere around the world, well, everywhere except Canada and North America.
Should You Avoid American Standard Products Made in Mexico and China?
Folks, the reality here is that the vast majority of American Standard products are made in either Mexico or China, and therefore there is really no avoiding them. Are there better products out there? Sure. Are there words products? Absolutely.
The point here is that although American Standard makes or buys most of its products from/in Mexico and China, as well as other Global South countries, it is still a reputable brand that produces reliable products for fair prices.
Summary
At the end of the day, while this brand doesn’t really produce anything in Canada or America anymore, the reality is that American Standard still produces fairly high-quality products at reasonable prices. Is it the number one highest quality bathroom fixtures brand in the world? Probably not, but it’s certainly far from being the worst.
Last update on 2024-12-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API