What is made in Sweden

Sweden is a very progressive country famous for its cold weather, vast, beautiful nature and children’s book Pippi Longstocking. You have probably encountered quite a few things that are made in Sweden. They tend to have a distinct minimalistic Scandinavian design. The most widely recognised, of course, would be the furniture from IKEA. On this page, however, we want to help you discover many other unique and exciting things that are currently made in Sweden today.

Dala (or Dalecarnian) Horse

Let’s start with the obvious. Dala horses are Swedish equivalent to Russian dolls – very unique and very regional. Initially designed and used as a children’s toy, these days it more commonly serves as a decoration and as the symbol of Sweden.

Each region has different variations, but most common would be the traditional red, which was born in the Dalarna region, since 1700. Until this day all Dala horses are hand carved from slow-growing pine wood, which is usually pre-selected for making Dala horses before cutting it down. Once made, they are then hand painted by artists – a nice touch for something you can take away as a souvenir.

For the one’s interested in historical connotations, the oldest Dala horse workshops are by Grannas Olson and Nils Olsson (since 1920’s) based in Nusnäs. But if you want to see all shapes and colours it is best to visit annual Dala horse exhibition at Klockargården in Leksand.

Swedish Glassware

Sweden has many small glass works all over the country, and each of them tends to specialise in the certain type of glass or the product. This desire to differentiate has inspired a lot of creativity, which in turn contributes to the creation of interesting, unusual and daring glass creations. For example, Kosta Boda has just unveiled the most prestigious work in its 275-year-old history – One Million Dollar Boat. As usual with such works, it was carried out by a well-established artist, Bertil Vallien.

Some might like the idea of getting the glass from the oldest Swedish glassworks: Kosta (opened since 1742) or Limmared (since 1741), the ultimate “made in Sweden” with a story attached.

If you are visiting Sweden, it is worth exploring your local area. You are just bound to found a local glassworks, and you might just be surprised at what they have to offer.

Wool Sweaters and other things that keep you warm

There are not many Swedish-based cloth manufacturers, but the ones that exist have three values that I would like to mention.

Firstly, they use local wool. Considering that there is total of fourteen sheep breeds with individual wool properties, it is good to have the local knowledge to get the most out of the raw materials used when making a sweater.

Secondly, the understanding of how to make the best wool clothes comes from centuries of trial and error in the harshest winter testing lab – Sweden. The quality is ensured not just by experience but by personal responsibility too. Each product has a label with a name of the person who made it.

And lastly, Swedish companies follow the values of the whole country. Everything they do have to respect the environment on short and long term basis. Usually all of the production is done under one roof ensuring that quality and values are followed along the entire process of making wool garments.

Clogs

Despite being currently unconventional, the wood is a great eco-friendly material to make desired shoe shapes. Hence, clog clobbers skillfully use it to carve ergonomically friendly, comfortable footwear that has an exceptional lumbar support. They are, actually, quite widely used by people who have to stand all day, like nurses and chefs.

In addition to being comfortable clogs are now also appreciated for their design too. More and more people started following and contributing to a new fashion trend of wearing them because of their unique style. Genuine clogs are always hand-made, with a slight variation from one pair to the other. There are quite a few brands that reached out to professional clog makers to make their version of this “trendy” footwear. Hello Pollo is one of them, their clogs are limited to 200 pieces, and each is hand marked by a number stamp heated in a campfire.

And, just in case you wondered, no they do not make more noise than other shoes – rubber of leather padding covers the bottom of these soles.

Wooden Children’s Toys

Sweden is a health-conscious nation, and children toys are not an exception. Wood is a more natural material that is safer than the potentially toxic plastic. Particularly important for the smaller kids who like to explore every toy with their mouths.

Also, from the child’s development point of view, some argue that simple forms stimulate imagination better than the loud and colourful toys that can be overstimulating.

As you would expect from this country, Swedish made wooden toys also consider the environment. The raw material is a renewable wood, makers do not create any toxic fumes while making them, and the disposal is much eco-friendly than plastic.

There are many toy makers in Sweden, but just to give a comparison to a large toxic factory with hundreds of workers I’ll talk about Debrek. This company makes their toys in an ancient corn storage house, on a Skäve biodynamic farm, in Järna. And the production is lead by two passionate crafters who dream of the world with a less of “wear, tear and throw away” culture.

Traditional Masonry Stoves (Kekelugn)

To thrive in a country with a cold climate, you need a reliable heating source. And although Swedes have central heating since early 20th century, traditional and contemporary fireplaces are still commonly used today too. In fact, more and more people adding them to their homes to create a heartwarming atmosphere and to add it as a design feature.

Swedish Masonry Fireplaces are different from the rest. The main feature comes from a unique construction design which allows them to radiate the heat for up to 20 hours after the fire has stopped. It is a useful feature for homes in colder climates, eco-conscious homeowners, and people looking for an efficient alternative heating solution.

Of course, there are many companies that make contemporary fireplaces too. Although they are usually quite minimalistic (if not futuristic) these fireplaces are appreciated not just at home but and abroad too. “Made in Sweden” tag is definitely recognised quality assurance for things that are supposed to keep us warm.

Digital Cameras

Yep, not all digital cameras are created equal, and not all of them are made in China. The Hasselblad’s team of 70 engineers are making and designing a range of high-end cameras and lenses that are well known among professional photographers.

This team is showing an impressive innovation for a small company. They were the first to launch CMOS sensor technology and the most compact mirrorless digital medium format camera. This enabled lighter, sturdier and more powerful products. As you would expect from such cameras image quality and craftsmanship are hard to match.

With the “made in Sweden” camera you also get a complimentary image editing software Phocus. It is specifically designed to get the most out of RAW files taken with Hasselblad cameras.

Available in three ranges: X1 – low weight compact mirrorless, H6 – all the benefits of a large sensor, H5 – unique Multi-Shot technology capable of 200-megapixel resolutions.

Choppers

If you read this page to learn something new and to be surprised, then this must be it. A-Chopper made famous by an American movie “Easy Rider” is also custom made in Sweden. There are few interesting features about it:

Firstly, it’s the looks. The combination of Swedish minimalistic style and “in your face” extended forks make a very rare sight.

And secondly, it is a “legal outlaw”. Bikes with extended and raked forks have been made illegal in many countries, but in Sweden, it is allowed. In fact, these Swedish built choppers are fully certified (COC) for the EU, Swiss and Norway’s roads.

Of course, something like was created by the blue sky dreamers and not a large corporation just chasing profits. Sam, Peder and Andreas are experienced motorcycle engineers and professional marketeers with over 30 years of experience. They are also very well known as “The Swedish Style” alliance of independent Swedish motorcycle part builders for their frame building skills.

Supercar – Koenigsegg

Koenigsegg is a relatively new Supercar company, established in 1994 by a 22-year-old Christian van Koenigsegg. By 2002 their first mass produced car CC8S has been named “The Most Powerful Mass Production Car Ever” by the Guinness World Records. Today Koenigsegg makes three models: One:1, Agera, and Agera RS, all made in Sweden.

A seventy-strong team of engineers are producing Koenigsegg cars, mostly by hand, in a former Air Force barracks. The same barracks where Gripen Fighter Jets used to be.

And of course, being a Swedish company, Koenigsegg was one of the first to develop the green engine technology suitable for using biofuel (E85) in their cars.

I want to make a note; this intro gives just too little justice to the founder, the cars, innovation and achievements of the company. See more here.

Eco-Friendly Fighter Jet (no joke)

It seems that eco-friendly Swedish mentality is everywhere. Even Swedish military, instead of just talking about rockets and battles has successfully developed and tested the 100% bio-renewable fuel called CHCJ-5.

I was personally surprised that peace loving country like Sweden is making Fighter Jets called Gripen, in the first place. But, in a truly Swedish way, Saab and Military of Defence also developed a fuel able to replace the usual fighter jet fuel, with no modification to the engine required.

So if one have to fly to war, it is good to do it with minimal carbon footprint – that’s what I call truly “made in Sweden”.

On a serious note, these jets have exceptional technology that has been developed by Swedish engineers and scientists. These jets are used by a long list of countries and have many unique features and capabilities.




Feeling inspired? Looking for more stories about original things made in Europe? Discover other countries too. Here are our guides on what is made in: Italy, Lithuania.