The Best Handmade Skateboard Brands in America

In a skateboard industry dominated by mass production, automated presses, and huge overseas factories, there is something special about a board shaped, pressed, sanded, painted, or finished by people who genuinely care about the craft.

American skateboard manufacturing has a long history, but alongside the established manufacturers is another side of the industry that deserves attention: small, independent, genuinely handmade skateboard brands. Rather than competing with skateboarding's biggest names, these companies focus on craftsmanship, unusual shapes, American manufacturing, and the personality that comes from making boards in small quantities.

Here are some American brands worth knowing.

1. Factory 13 Skateboards, Ohio

If handmade skateboard manufacturing is what you're looking for, Factory 13 is one of the clearest examples.

Founded by Danny Creadon, Factory 13 began in Ohio, later spent years in California, and eventually returned to Ohio. Today, the company operates from Mentor, where Creadon and his small team produce roughly 50 to 100 skateboards per month. That is a very different production philosophy from a factory producing thousands of decks.

Factory 13 specializes in custom work, unusual shapes, and individually crafted decks. Creadon's background as a welder and mold maker also gives him the ability to create shapes and concaves outside the usual mass-produced formulas. The company uses locally sourced wood and applies artwork using traditional silk-screening techniques.

The result is a skateboard that feels closer to functional woodworking than an anonymous mass-produced deck.

Why it's special: Genuinely small-scale American production and extensive customization.

2. STRGHT, California

STRGHT takes the handmade concept in a more artistic direction. Based in San Diego, the company produces sand-carved and hand-painted boards, with each skateboard made individually rather than through mass production. The company describes its boards as being created one at a time, meaning no two are exactly alike.

This is particularly interesting for skaters who see their board as more than equipment. A STRGHT deck can sit somewhere between skateboard, sculpture, and artwork.

Why it's special: Hand-carved artwork combined with a functional skateboard.

3. Makaha, California

Makaha is one of the most historically significant names on this list. The company traces its roots to Larry Stevenson, who created early skateboards in his Santa Monica garage and developed the kicktail and double-kicktail concepts.

Today's Makaha has returned to its roots with USA-made, hand-built skateboards inspired by classic Makaha designs. The company states that it makes its boards in the USA rather than simply carrying an American brand name.

That makes Makaha especially interesting because you are not simply buying a handmade board. You are buying something connected to the earliest history of modern skateboarding.

Why it's special: One of skateboarding's oldest names combined with modern American hand-built production.

4. Zeppelin AeroWorks, Colorado

Zeppelin AeroWorks is another small independent brand taking a deliberately different approach. The company describes itself as 100% skater-owned and operated, with its decks made in the USA. Production is intentionally limited to small runs rather than mass production.

The brand focuses heavily on functional shapes, quality materials, and old-school skateboard culture. Its manufacturing model particularly appeals to people who like buying from an independent skater rather than a large corporation.

Why it's special: Small production runs, independent ownership, and a strong connection to traditional skate culture.

5. Bandwagon Skateboards

Bandwagon Skateboards takes the classic independent skateboard-company approach: make high-quality boards in America, keep the operation relatively small, and focus on the people actually riding them.

The company describes its decks as made in the USA for skaters, with an emphasis on craftsmanship, original artwork, and high-quality materials. Bandwagon is particularly interesting for skaters seeking something outside the usual major-brand catalog.

Why it's special: Independent American production with an emphasis on craftsmanship and original shapes.

6. Koastal, Southern California

Koastal approaches skateboarding at the intersection of surfing, cruising, and traditional woodworking. The company produces handmade premium hardwood decks in Southern California, with considerable hand-finishing applied to each board. Koastal is especially known for its handcrafted stringer boards and natural wood aesthetics.

These boards are not trying to imitate the standard popsicle deck. They are designed around carving, cruising, and the feeling of riding something with genuine character.

Why it's special: Handcrafted hardwood construction and a surf-meets-skate philosophy.

7. Brand-X Skateboards

Brand-X is particularly interesting for collectors and old-school skateboard enthusiasts. The company has been making skateboards and wheels in the USA for more than 50 years and continues to produce its own brands alongside limited reissues of classic names. Its reissue decks feature limited quantities and hand-done, screen-printed graphics.

For collectors, that combination of American manufacturing and skateboard history is difficult to replicate.

Why it's special: Decades of American manufacturing combined with limited-edition classic reissues.

What About the Big American Manufacturers?

It is important to distinguish between American-made and handmade.

Companies such as Chapman, PS Stix, BBS, Pennswood, South Central, and others are hugely important to American skateboard manufacturing. They have produced decks for countless brands and earned reputations for consistency and quality. However, a skateboard manufactured in an American woodshop is not necessarily individually handmade from start to finish.

That distinction matters. A production deck can be extremely high quality while still being made using industrial processes. Handmade brands go further by putting substantially more individual craftsmanship into each board. That is why Factory 13, STRGHT, Koastal, and similar companies are particularly interesting.

Why Buy a Handmade Skateboard?

The obvious disadvantage is price. A handmade board simply cannot compete with a mass-produced deck on manufacturing cost. A large factory can purchase materials in huge quantities, automate much of the production process, and manufacture thousands of decks. A small craftsperson cannot, but that is not really the point.

Buying handmade is about getting something different. You may get a shape unavailable from a major brand, individually finished artwork, visible variations in the wood, or even the chance to communicate directly with the person who made your board. Increasingly, that connection is part of the appeal.

The Beauty of Imperfection

One thing that makes handmade skateboards interesting is that they do not always look exactly like products from an enormous production line. A tiny variation in the finish, a visible grain pattern, hand-applied artwork, or an unusual shape can become part of the board's personality.

For some skaters, that is a defect. For others, it is the entire point. In a world where so many products are manufactured to be perfectly identical, individuality has become a selling point.

Handmade vs. Mass Production

Neither approach is necessarily better. Mass production has made skateboarding more affordable and allowed brands to supply huge numbers of skaters around the world. Handmade manufacturing offers something different: individuality, craftsmanship, and a direct connection between maker and rider.

It is similar to the difference between a mass-produced piece of furniture and something made by a local woodworker. Both can be functional, but one has a story attached to it.

The American Handmade Skateboard Renaissance

Perhaps the most interesting thing about these small brands is that they demonstrate American skateboard manufacturing is not simply a historical curiosity. Craftspeople are still making boards because they genuinely enjoy the process.

Factory 13 makes small quantities of custom decks in Ohio. STRGHT turns boards into individually carved pieces of art. Koastal combines woodworking with surf culture. Makaha is bringing one of skateboarding's historic names back to hand-built American production.

That is worth celebrating. Skateboarding has always been about individuality, so it makes sense that some skaters want a board as individual as they are.

Sometimes the best skateboard is not the one made by the biggest company. It is the one made by someone who knows where every piece of wood came from, how the shape was created, and why they built it in the first place.

A Note for Collectors

If you collect handmade or small-batch skateboards, do not simply look at the brand name. Look at who made the board, where it was made, how many were produced, which materials were used, whether the artwork was applied by hand, and whether the shape is unique.

Those details can make the difference between an ordinary deck and something that becomes a genuine piece of skateboard history.

Photo courtesy of Factory 13 Skateboards.