The FTC’s Standard Is Clear — But Not Always Followed

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the agency that governs Made in USA claims for consumer marketing. Their rule is simple:

If you want to say your product is “Made in USA” without qualifiers, it must be "All" or "Virtually All" made here.

That means all significant parts and processing originate in the U.S., and any foreign content and production is negligible.

This isn’t a sliding scale, and there’s no magic percentage like “51%” domestic labor that makes a foreign product suddenly American-made. The key question is: Where did the significant materials come from, and where was the substantial manufacturing done?

The Rubber Reality

Here’s a fact that often gets overlooked — and it’s critical: there are no commercial rubber tree plantations in the United States.

Natural rubber — a substantial, high-value component of most belts — comes almost entirely from Southeast Asia. The raw material must be imported into the U.S. for any belt manufacturer operating here.

In our case, the privately owned plantation is in Laos.

The FTC recognizes that companies can’t be penalized for importing raw inputs that don’t exist domestically. But once that natural rubber arrives, everything else — from compounding to molding to finishing — must be done here if you want to make an unqualified “Made in USA” claim.

That’s where the issue lies. Many belts marketed as “Made in USA” aren’t actually molded, cured, or fully manufactured here. Instead, significant parts of the process happen overseas — and a light finishing step in the U.S. gets spun into a full American-made label. And the truth is, these companies know the difference. They openly acknowledge when products come from overseas in one category, yet still market other imported products as “Made in USA” by leaning on that loophole.

That’s why, if we were being completely honest as an industry, most of these “Made in USA” claims should really be qualified as:
•   "Assembled in USA from domestic and imported components"
•   "Manufactured in USA with foreign-sourced rubber, cord, and fabric "
•   "Modified in USA from imported components"

Where the Confusion Comes From

Some manufacturers blur the lines by importing fully or partially finished products from overseas — and then doing a minimal amount of processing in the United States.

This might include trimming, grinding, adding a label, or performing a simple modification. Because these steps happen domestically, they argue that the product is “Made in USA.”

From a marketing perspective, it’s clever. From a truth-in-labeling perspective, it doesn’t represent the truth.

The “Tube” Loophole

Another tactic some competitors use is importing belt sleeves from overseas under the classification of “tubes.” Why do they do this? It’s a way to sidestep higher tariffs and present the product as something less than a finished good.

Once these tubes arrive in the U.S., they’re cut to width, have the edges ground, and maybe get a label added. That’s the extent of the “manufacturing.” That doesn’t even come close to “All” or “Virtually  All.”

From a customs and tariffs perspective, this approach saves money. From a marketing perspective, it creates just enough domestic “touch” to slap on a “Made in USA” claim. But from a truth-in-labeling perspective, the reality is obvious: the molding, compounding, and critical belt-making steps happened overseas.

And here’s the kicker — this isn’t hard to verify. Public import databases such as Import Genius or ImportYeti make it easy for anyone to look up which companies are bringing in finished sleeves and calling them tubes from overseas. If a manufacturer is claiming “Made in USA” while those records show container after container of imported tubes, the truth speaks for itself.

Why This Matters to You

When you buy a belt, you’re making decisions based on trust. If a product is marketed as “Made in USA,” but key raw materials or major manufacturing steps actually happened overseas, that label loses its meaning.

For end users, this isn’t about where a belt is made — it’s about whether the manufacturer is being truthful, because if they are being dishonest about that, what else are they being dishonest about?

What matters most is:
•   Quality control: Who controlled the compound, cord, and molding process?
•   Supply chain stability: Can the supplier deliver consistently?
•   Transparency: Do you know where your product really came from, and can you trust your manufacturer?

At the end of the day, it’s less about geography and more about trust, accountability, and performance.

Our Stance

I want to be absolutely clear: our belts are not Made in the USA. Key materials and significant manufacturing steps happen overseas, and we don’t market them otherwise.

We also don’t play games with loopholes — like importing tubes, trimming them domestically, and then marketing them as “Made in USA.” That may satisfy a marketing department, but it doesn’t satisfy our standards — and it shouldn’t satisfy yours.

Instead, we emphasize control and consistency throughout our global supply chain. From plantations to compounding to molding and testing, we maintain accountability and quality control at every stage. We are transparent about where and how our products are made.

At the same time, we invest heavily in the U.S. market. We support multiple domestic warehouses, employ people across the country, partner with 12 independent outside rep groups, and serve industries coast to coast. In short: even though our belts are manufactured overseas, our business infrastructure and customer support are deeply rooted here at home.

At the end of the day, we don’t hide behind vague claims. We believe customers deserve to know the truth about the products they’re buying so they can make informed decisions based on facts, not spin.

A Call for Honesty in the Industry

The Made in USA label should mean what it says. We encourage buyers to:

• Ask questions: Where do the cord, fabric, and rubber come from?
• Look for qualifiers: “Assembled in USA from foreign components” is a truthful claim if that’s the reality.
• Reward transparency: Support brands that tell you the whole story.

Because at the end of the day, honesty and trust last far longer than marketing gimmicks.