Three words on a box. Two ways to be right about them. This guide is for shoppers who see the claim on a listing and want to know how much it tells them.

For an unqualified "Made in USA" claim, the FTC says a product must be "all or virtually all" made in the United States: final assembly or processing in the US, all significant processing in the US, and all or virtually all components made and sourced in the US, with no or negligible foreign content.

The page sets no single percentage. Case by case, the FTC weighs the share of manufacturing cost from US parts and processing, how far foreign content is from the finished product and how important it is to the product's form or function. Cost is not decisive: the page's examples include inexpensive Swiss watch movements that the watches cannot work without, and an imported lamp base that is a significant part of the product, so an unqualified claim would be deceptive in both.

Quick answer

  • An unqualified "Made in USA" claim needs the product to be "all or virtually all" made in the US, per the FTC.
  • Honest wording for less US content is qualified, such as "Assembled in USA" or "Made in USA of U.S. and imported parts" (when the US parts are significant).
  • Clothing and other textile products need a label or online disclosure of US, imported or both.

Qualified claims

Where US content falls short, wording must be qualified and truthful. Examples the FTC gives:

  • "60% U.S. content"
  • "Made in USA of U.S. and imported parts"
  • "Couch assembled in USA from Italian Leather and Mexican Frame"

In the FTC's treadmill example, "Made in USA of U.S. and imported parts" is deceptive when US parts are about 3% of parts cost, while "Assembled in U.S.A." is not.

Where the rule applies

The policy covers internet, email and social media marketing, and textile and wool products need a catalog or online disclosure of US, imported or both. The FTC's page says the Made in USA Labeling Rule (August 2021, 16 CFR Part 323) means marketers face civil penalties for an unqualified Made in USA label on a product that is not "all or virtually all" made in the US, including in catalogs or online. The page does not state amounts.

The same page explains that US Customs and Border Protection's country-of-origin marking for imports is a different test ("substantial transformation"), and that the FTC considers more than that test. We have not covered Customs marking in detail. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to check before you buy

  • Does the listing say "Made in USA" without caveats, or does it describe the extent of US content or processing?
  • Is the wording about a specific part or process (such as "Designed in USA") rather than the whole product?
  • For clothing or textiles, does the page say where the product was made?
  • Does a brand name, flag or address stand in for a real claim? The FTC says a brand name alone is not usually treated as a US origin claim.

Last checked: 21 October 2026. General information, not legal, medical or financial advice. Sources: FTC, Complying with the Made in USA Standard (page dated July 2024; read 21 October 2026).