Made in China, Built to Perform: 10 Premium Skateboard Brands

For decades, the words “Made in China” carried a particular stigma in skateboarding.

Ask a skater where they wanted their premium deck to be made and the answer was often predictable: California, Mexico, or somewhere with a long-established skateboarding manufacturing history.

China was associated with cheap completes, department-store skateboards, generic hardware and products designed to hit a price point rather than survive years of abuse.

But that perception is becoming increasingly difficult to defend.

Walk into a modern skate shop and start looking closely at the labels and country-of-origin information, and something becomes obvious:

Several respected skateboard companies now sell premium boards manufactured in China.

These aren't necessarily anonymous brands selling $30 completes.

We're talking about established names with professional teams, decades of credibility and serious design standards.

Here are 10 premium skateboard companies that use Chinese-made boards.

Important note: manufacturing can vary by model, construction, production run and market. This article discusses specific examples, not a claim that every deck from any listed brand is made in China.

1. Real Skateboards

Real Skateboards is one of the most respected brands in modern skateboarding and operates under the DLX distribution umbrella.

Although Real has long been associated with high-quality North American production, current retail listings show some pro and team decks being sold as Made in China, including the Chima Ferguson 20 Years deck.

That doesn't make the boards anonymous or disposable.

They still carry the names of professional skaters and are designed for riders who understand what a good deck should feel like.

2. Anti Hero Skateboards

Anti Hero is another DLX brand with a reputation for durable, performance-oriented decks.

Some current Anti Hero boards are listed as being manufactured in China, alongside boards produced in other countries.

The brand's identity is built around hard skating, distinctive shapes and dependable construction. Chinese production does not automatically change those design requirements.

What matters is whether the finished deck delivers the shape, concave, pop and durability that Anti Hero specifies.

3. Krooked Skateboards

Krooked, founded by Mark Gonzales, is also part of the DLX family.

Like other DLX brands, Krooked has used multiple manufacturing locations over time, and some current decks are listed as Made in China.

The brand remains premium because of its design, team, distribution and quality standards—not simply because of the country printed on the label.

4. Real and DLX Pro Models

DLX's use of Chinese production is not limited to one isolated product.

Different Real, Anti Hero and Krooked models can come from different factories and countries depending on the run, shape, wood supply and production requirements.

That means skaters should check the specific deck rather than assuming every board from a particular brand is made in the same place.

A Chinese-made DLX deck can still be a carefully specified professional product.

5. Powell Peralta

Powell Peralta is one of the most historically important skateboard companies in the world.

The company has produced boards in the United States and has also offered selected products manufactured overseas, including China, depending on the model and product line.

Powell's range includes different construction methods, shapes and price points, so country of origin can vary between decks.

The important point is that a premium brand can use more than one manufacturing location while maintaining its own specifications and quality-control requirements.

6. Santa Cruz Skateboards

Santa Cruz is one of the oldest continuously operating skateboard brands and has long been associated with premium decks and iconic graphics.

Some Santa Cruz boards and completes are manufactured outside the United States, including Chinese-made products listed by retailers.

That does not mean every Santa Cruz deck comes from China.

It means the brand uses a global manufacturing network, with production varying by model, construction and market.

7. Independent Skateboards

Independent is best known for trucks, but the brand also sells skateboard decks and completes.

Some Independent-branded boards are manufactured in China, particularly within product ranges designed for broader retail distribution.

The brand's reputation was built on trucks and skateboarding heritage, but its use of Chinese production demonstrates how even historically American-associated companies now operate across multiple manufacturing regions.

8. Element Skateboards

Element is a long-established premium skateboard company with a global presence and professional team.

The brand has used international manufacturing for different deck lines, including Chinese production.

As with many large skateboard companies, the exact factory can vary according to the model, construction method and intended price point.

A Chinese-made Element deck may still be produced to a defined shape, concave and construction specification rather than being a generic product.

9. Globe Skateboards

Globe is an established Australian skateboarding company known for decks, completes, footwear and longboards.

Many Globe products are manufactured through international supply chains, including Chinese production.

The company operates across several categories, so manufacturing location can differ between premium decks, completes and other products.

That makes it another example of why country of origin alone does not tell the entire quality story.

10. Blind Skateboards

Blind has been a major name in professional skateboarding since the late 1980s.

The company has used international manufacturing for various deck lines, including boards produced in China.

Blind's boards are still designed around professional skateboarding requirements, with specific shapes, concaves and construction standards.

The factory location may change, but the brand remains responsible for deciding what it wants the finished product to be.

A Factory Doesn't Automatically Determine Quality

One of the biggest misconceptions about manufacturing is that the country automatically determines the quality of the finished product.

It doesn't.

The factory matters.

The machinery matters.

The raw materials matter.

The engineers matter.

The quality-control procedures matter.

Most importantly, the specification supplied by the brand matters.

A Chinese factory capable of producing a precision component or a carefully constructed skateboard deck for a demanding international company isn't suddenly incapable of producing a good product because the product happens to be going onto a skateboard.

China has spent decades developing enormous manufacturing capabilities across wood products, composites, printing, finishing, packaging, machining and automated production.

The country is no longer simply the place where companies go when they want something cheap.

It is increasingly a place where companies go because the necessary manufacturing infrastructure already exists.

The skateboard industry is simply catching up with a much bigger global manufacturing reality.

And Then Came the Decks

The traditional hierarchy has often been something like:

USA = premium

Mexico = good

China = cheap

But that model is rapidly becoming outdated.

Current retail listings show respected professional skateboard brands selling decks made in China, including products from Real, Anti Hero, Krooked, Powell Peralta, Santa Cruz, Element, Globe and Blind.

These aren't anonymous boards.

They're decks carrying the names of professional skateboarders and brands with enormous credibility.

The people buying them aren't necessarily beginners who don't know the difference.

They're skaters.

People who know what a board feels like.

People who know what good pop feels like.

People who know what a bad deck feels like.

Why Are Brands Doing It?

There is, of course, a financial element.

Manufacturing in California is expensive.

Labour, energy, environmental compliance, property, equipment, insurance and almost every other input cost more.

China has an enormous existing industrial ecosystem.

A company doesn't necessarily have to build an entire manufacturing operation from scratch.

There are suppliers for almost everything.

Wood products.

Packaging.

Printing.

Hardware.

Finishing.

Transportation.

And perhaps most importantly:

experience.

A factory that has spent years producing products for international brands has already learned many of the lessons that a new factory would have to learn the hard way.

That accumulated knowledge is valuable.

But Does China Mean Cheaper?

Sometimes.

But cheaper manufacturing doesn't necessarily mean cheaper quality.

It can mean something else:

better margins.

A brand may be able to manufacture a product for less while maintaining the same retail price.

That doesn't automatically mean the consumer is being ripped off.

The additional margin might fund team riders, distribution, marketing, product development, sponsorships, R&D or simply keep the company profitable.

And profitability matters.

A skateboard company that loses money on every product isn't sustainable simply because its boards are made in a country with a prestigious manufacturing history.

The Other Side of the Argument

There are legitimate reasons to care about manufacturing location.

American manufacturing supports American jobs.

Mexican manufacturing supports Mexican jobs.

Local production can mean shorter supply chains and greater control.

Some manufacturers also have decades of specialised experience that cannot simply be replicated overnight.

And there is something undeniably appealing about buying a skateboard product made by people who have been producing skateboard products for generations.

That heritage has value.

But heritage and quality aren't necessarily the same thing.

A product can have an incredible history and still be manufactured poorly.

A product can have no romantic manufacturing history whatsoever and be exceptionally well made.

“Made in China” Doesn't Tell You Enough

This may be the biggest lesson.

If somebody hands you two decks and tells you one was made in California and one was made in China, you shouldn't be able to determine which is better simply by looking at the country-of-origin label.

You should judge:

• Wood quality
• Shape
• Concave
• Pop
• Weight
• Construction
• Finish
• Durability
• Ride characteristics
• Quality control

The country should be part of the information.

It shouldn't be the entire verdict.

The Real Question Is: Who Is Controlling the Quality?

This is ultimately what matters.

A premium skateboard brand doesn't necessarily need to own its factory.

It needs to control its specification.

It needs designers and engineers who understand the product.

It needs quality control.

It needs factories willing to reject bad material and correct production problems.

It needs consistency.

And it needs to care about the reputation attached to the logo.

If a Chinese factory produces exactly what a skateboard company asks for—and produces it consistently—then the fact that the factory is in China shouldn't automatically make the product inferior.

The next time somebody picks up a premium skateboard product, sees “Made in China” and immediately says:

“It's going to be rubbish.”

Maybe the better response is:

“Have you actually skated it?”

Because increasingly, the answer might surprise you.

The skateboard industry isn't necessarily lowering its standards by manufacturing in China.

It may simply be discovering that quality isn't a geographical location.

Quality is a specification, a process and a commitment to getting the finished product right.