“American-made” labels seem to be the assurance of quality to many consumers. Baseball players are no exception, as they are concerned about whether their gloves are created with innovative technologies in US factories.
Rawlings is one of the notable American brands with the highest-quality sporting goods for professional players. So, where are Rawlings baseball gloves made?
Nowadays, their gloves are made in various countries, such as China, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. That said, they still offer custom-made and professional gloves made in the USA.
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Rawlings Baseball Gloves Made in America
The Rawling Sporting Goods company is situated in Town and Country, Missouri, and is one of the earliest brands to produce softball and baseball equipment.
This prominent American brand is well-known among pros, as its baseball gloves are the most commonly used by Major League Baseball players.
The leather used to produce their goods, including baseball gloves, is from Horween Leather Company—an American provider of leather-related products.
During those first years, Rawlings USA gloves and other sports equipment were made in their factories based in Missouri.
Rawlings Baseball Gloves Made in Factories Around the World
Recently, Rawlings baseballs factories can be found in various countries around the world, including China, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. The reasons for this change in manufacturing locations are rather obvious.
Due to the increased demand for Rawlings products, particularly baseball gloves, American production plants alone cannot meet the needs.
Furthermore, labor sources and quality from many countries are plentiful, while the price is favorable. The trade and logistics industry has also grown over the last decade, lowering shipping costs for companies.
As a result, it makes sense for the company to outsource their manufacturing process in order to expand their operations.
Rawlings Custom Baseball Glove in America
To meet the specific demand of players who want to custom Rawlings gloves, the brand still makes some of the products in the Rawlings baseballs factory in Missouri.
For instance, models such as the Rawlings Pro Preferred gloves and Heart of the Hide are manufactured in the USA.
Also, you can have your Rawlings customized gloves with various new features via their website:
- Contour fit
- Long lace
- Webbing
- Shell color options
- Added MLB team logos
- Embroidered number
- Rawlings engraved gloves with personal messages
And more.
For example, if a player wants their team name embroidered in white on Red Rawlings baseball gloves, this is the procedure through which the company uses the user’s personalization information to customize the product.
Manufacturing Process
The process to create a baseball glove is rather labor-intensive and time-consuming. Check out how Rawlings and many other baseball glove brands make their quality products:
1. Die-cutting
Because Rawling gloves are made of high-quality leather, the first step is to tailor the hide into pieces appropriate for glove parts. Chosen leather hide will be cut to make the lining, shell, webbing, and pad of the baseball gloves.
What’s unique to the Rawlings production is the embroidering of the brand logo into the leather piece in this stage.
2. Shelling and lining
The next manufacturing step for Rawling gloves will be shelling and lining, which involves sewing, inserting the lining, and steaming the glove shell.
To steam, the shell will be put on a “hot hand” machine to mold the glove to the proper size and open all of the finger slots.
3. Adding reinforcement pads
After the glove shell has been lined and sewn together, the pads will be added to accommodate the unique player position that wears the gloves.
- First, a two-layer leather pad is inserted inside the glove heel.
- The little finger and thumb will then be fitted with extra plastic pads.
4. Create the webbing
Glove webbing is also different according to the player’s position in the field. There can be Closed web, H-web, I-web, Two-Piece Closed Web, Trapeze Web, and more, each with a unique constructing process.
5. Stitching and lacing
Now that the glove is in its desired shape and the webbing is ready, the final step is stitching and lacing them together. The process often goes in this order:
- Lace the thumb
- Lace the glove to its shape with rawhide lacing (sewing the glove palm and back, and other glove parts)
- Stitch the webbing to the glove using nylon thread
Finally, the finished product will be put on the “hot hand” machine for final refining.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Rawlings located?
The Rawlings headquarters, since the day the brand was established, is in Town and Country, Missouri, US. The well-established brand has factories in the US and all over the world to meet their high demand for sports equipment.
Are Rawlings gloves made in China?
Yes, some of the Rawling products are being made in China. Besides, there are also manufacturing facilities for Rawlings in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Which baseball gloves are made in the USA?
The two brands that have their manufacturing process in US-located factories include Nokona Gloves and Glovesmith. They have their leather and other material supplies from the US and other nations.
Other brands that used to manufacture their products in the United States are now shifting production elsewhere.
For example, Rawlings creates custom and pro gloves in the United States but sources the majority of their goods overseas. Meanwhile, Wilson baseball gloves are made in facilities in Japan and Vietnam.
Also, Mizuno baseball gloves are created in China, but the Mizuno Pro utilizes Kip leather sourced in the United States.
When did Rawlings stop making gloves in the USA?
Rawlings never entirely stopped producing gloves in the United States. However, since 1997, when the company had gone public for a while, and its products were well received, they have begun to shift major production to other countries.
Conclusion
Now, you have the answer to “Where are Rawlings baseball gloves made?”, most of the production is happening all over the world, and not in the US. But for professional players, their Rawlings gloves will be customized by Rawlings’ US plants.
Indeed, it will be hard to have a factory tour because they are closed to the public. Still, at least you know the locations and, most importantly, the quality of their products.
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Rogers is a hardcore baseball enthusiast. He joined Nations Baseball as a writer to share his knowledge and help others realize their passions for the sport. Roger is striving towards becoming a coach at his local baseball club.
