Lodge is the most famous manufacturer of US-made cast iron, but it’s far from the only option! Our list of US-made cast iron cookware includes companies with generations of iron-smithing experience, plus a few new manufacturers producing beautiful pieces with a twist.
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Top Pick!
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Best Dutch Oven
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Best Grill Pan
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Our Rating:
5.0
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Our Rating:
4.8
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Our Rating:
4.8
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Description:
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Description:
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Description:
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Made in:
South Pittsburgh, Tennessee
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Made in:
Illinois, Indiana, and/or Wisconsin
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Made in:
Charleston, South Carolina
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- Pour spout
- Affordable
- Helper handle
- Simple design
- Lightweight
- 45-day free return policy
- Gorgeous
- Dual handle
- Lifetime guarantee
Our Favorite US-Made Cast Iron Skillets & Pans
- Best Overall: Lodge Chef Collection Cast Iron Skillet
⬇ Jump to review - Best Large Skillet: Stargazer Cast Iron Skillet
⬇ Jump to review - Best USA-Made Dutch Oven: Field Company Preseasoned Dutch Oven
⬇ Jump to review - Most Attractive: Nest Cast Iron Dutch Oven
⬇ Jump to review - Best Grill Pan: Smithey Grill Pan
⬇ Jump to review - Best Set: Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron Set
⬇ Jump to review - Best Enameled Cast Iron: Borough Furnace Enameled Dutch Oven
⬇ Jump to review - Best Handmade: Backcountry Iron Smooth Wasatch Round Skillet
⬇ Jump to review - Best Specialty Item: Challenger Bread Pan
⬇ Jump to review
Brands that Make Cast Iron Pans in the USA
As you can see, there are quite a few companies in the US proudly making cast iron. In fact, if you want to buy US-made cookware, there are more options for cast iron than any other material!
And now let’s introduce our favorite products.
Lodge Chef Collection Cast Iron Skillet – Best Overall US-Made Cast Iron
Top Pick!
Lodge is the oldest American cast iron brand, and there is a reason they’ve been around for over 125 years. The Chef Collection skillets are durable, but not too heavy. The largest skillet (12”) weighs 6.5 lbs. These skillets are easy to find at local retail outlets around the US.
While Lodge comes pre-seasoned, you will still want to season it at home. Remember, cast iron gets better the more it is used and seasoned! The basic skillet is not a work of art like some on the market, but it cooks evenly and should last for decades. You can purchase a lid for the skillet separately, but the cast iron lid is over half the price of the skillet itself.
Lodge has several specialty designs, including a Yellowstone collection and a Wildlife collection.
Where is it made? South Pittsburgh, Tennessee
Quick Overview:
Pros
Cons
Stargazer 12” Cast Iron Skillet - Best Large Skillet
Best Large Skillet
Stargazer is a beautiful pan with a long, easy-grip handle. It also has a roomy helper handle. Its cooking surface is 9.4” in diameter and it has a depth of 2.3”, making it an excellent choice for a one-pot meal. While this skillet isn’t winning the budget award, it is cheaper than many other cast iron skillets, making it a nice way to save a few dollars while still enjoying the US-made quality and safety standards. It weighs 5.2lbs, which is surprisingly light.
The biggest complaint from verified buyers is the seasoning on Stargazer’s skillet. The factory seasoning won’t hold up to heavy use. I always recommend seasoning skillets at home as if they weren’t pre-seasoned. The long handle and the roomy helper handle also make this quite a large pan at 21.5” long.
Where is it made? Ohio and Allentown, PA
Quick Overview:
Pros
Cons
Field Company No 8 Preseasoned Dutch Oven - Best Dutch Oven
Best Dutch Oven
Field Company’s Dutch oven isn’t going to win any beauty prizes, but it’s what's on the inside that counts! Specifically, the beautifully prepared food you’ll create inside of it! Owners love the way Dutch oven cooks; one happy reviewer bragged they can “sear short ribs at temperatures that would ruin most enameled cast iron.” At 6.5lbs, this Dutch oven is easy to maneuver too!
Unfortunately, the Field Company No 8 Dutch oven isn’t exactly a budget model. However, there is a 45-day free return policy from Field Company’s website, and Amazon gives you 30 days to return. It’s nice when you can try out an expensive product and make sure it works for you before you commit. The only other size Dutch oven available from Field Company, the No 10, has a 7-quart capacity.
Where is it made? Illinois, Indiana, and/or Wisconsin
Quick Overview:
Pros
Cons
Smithey No.12 Grill Pan - Best Grill Pan
Best Grill Pan
This absolutely beautiful square pan from
This pan’s dual handles are a necessary feature, as this is a heavy piece, coming in around 11.3 lbs.
Where is it made? Charleston, South Carolina
Quick Overview:
Pros
Cons
Nest 3.5 qt Cast Iron Dutch Oven - Most Attractive
Most Attractive
This Dutch oven is truly a work of art. I would put this Dutch oven front and center in my home and just stare at it, because it’s gorgeous. It gives me little-cottage-in-the-woods vibes, partially due to the cherry-tree branch handles.
This Dutch oven’s lid also fits the Nest 9” skillet, which is a nice touch, especially if you’re looking to add a skillet to your kitchen in the future. Nest’s Dutch oven weighs 9 lbs, which is actually on the light side compared to some other similarly sized dutch ovens. Nest is highly rated by magazines and reviewers, but has few real-world reviews from customers.
Where is it made? sourced and produced in the US
Quick Overview:
Pros
Cons
Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron 5 Piece Set - Best Set
Best Set
Lodge is available at several major retailers, like Walmart and Amazon. It’s hard to beat Lodge’s price. This entire set costs less than a single skillet from some of the other brands on our list. It contains a lid plus four useful pieces – skillets of multiple sizes and a Dutch oven.
Both positive and negative reviews mention that the pre-seasoning the set comes with is not great, and the pieces will need to be seasoned when you get them. I never need to season my Lodge skillet anymore (besides normal cooking with oil) but I’ve been cooking on it for seven years.
Where is it made? South Pittsburgh, Tennessee
Quick Overview:
Pros
Cons
Challenger Bread Pan- Best Specialty Item
Best Specialty Item
The Challenger Bread Pan is a baker’s dream. The domed lid has handles on all sides, making it easy to remove when hot. You aren’t limited to round loaves, like a Dutch oven. You can make baguettes or oblong loaves as well.
Don’t worry this is a one-trick pony, you could easily bake chicken in it, or make a gorgeous pizza. This bread pan is expensive, though some reviewers rave that it makes their amateur bakes look worthy of Paul Hollywood.
Including the lid, this breadware weighs 20 lbs, so it’s far from light. Since the company has only been around since 2019, there is a lack of long-term reviews for the bread pan and its durability.
Where is it made? USA
Quick Overview:
Pros
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Borough Furnace Enameled Dutch Oven 5.5 qt- Best Enameled Cast Iron
Best Enameled Cast Iron
The Borough Furnace enameled Dutch oven is one of the very few enameled brands made in the US. It has several of the features that I love in the French-made Staub. The enamel is lightly textured, to help create a wonderful sear. The lid also has pips on the underside, which help baste your food as it cooks. Speaking of the lid, it is cast in one piece, so there is no knob to melt, loosen, or come off! I have multiple enameled cast iron Dutch ovens with loose knobs in my kitchen – so this is a great feature if you ask me.
When I think of enameled cast iron, I think of bright, beautiful colors. Unfortunately, Borough’s dutch oven doesn’t have that fun range of colors, but they say they’re considering releasing more colors in the future. There aren’t a ton of reviews about the enameled Dutch oven.
Where is it made? Handmade in New York
Quick Overview:
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Backcountry Iron 10-¼ Smooth Wasatch Round Skillet - Best Handmade
Best Handmade
Made in a vintage style, this round cast iron skillet features 2 pour spouts and a 9.25” cooking surface. It’s 2” deep and has a 4.75” handle, as well as a helper handle. I love that the cooking surface is nearly the advertised size of the pan, unlike some pans which list themselves at a larger size but lose multiple inches of cooking space due to the angle of the sides. This 10” skillet weighs 6.75lbs.
I wish the helper handle was a bit larger, as it is only 1.75” long. Reviewers also say the outside of the cast iron is extremely rough, making it uncomfortable to hold the handles for very long. But the inside of the pan is “smooth as glass” and makes for an excellent cooking surface.
Where is it made? Utah
Quick Overview:
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What Counts as “Made in the USA”?
When searching for the best American-made cast iron, I look for products actually manufactured in the US, not just assembled here. I grew up in northern Michigan, not far from the largest iron mines in North America, and I know that the US brands can source and produce some of the world’s best cast iron cookware!
American-made cast iron is high quality and made to last for generations. Reviews of cheaper, “off-brand” cast iron often cite overly rough surfaces, chips, or even cracked pieces.
Some American brands, like Lodge, produce products in both the US and other countries. Lodge makes their cast iron in America. Its regular enameled cast iron is made in China, using (it claims) a strict third-party American inspection company. Even Lodge’s USA Enamel Cast Iron is simply made in the USA with imported parts.
Carbon Steel vs. Cast Iron
Several of the companies on our list offer both carbon steel and cast iron cookware. So what’s the difference?
The simple answer is that carbon steel has less than 2% carbon, while cast iron has more than 2%.
A carbon steel skillet is made thinner, is lighter weight, and has more sloped sides than cast iron. Cast iron is poured in one piece (including the handle), while carbon steel is made out of a stamped or spun sheet of metal, with the handle attached separately.
How does that translate to performance? Cast iron typically retains heat longer, but heats more unevenly than carbon steel. In my experience, cast iron is easier to season and maintains seasoning better than carbon steel. Check out our in-depth carbon steel vs cast iron comparison here.
Cast Iron vs. Enameled Cast Iron:
Enameled cast iron takes many of cast iron’s best features, like heat retention, and wraps it up in an easy-to-care-for-bow. You don’t have to season enameled cast iron, and you can wash it with dish soap like a nonstick pan. The downside is that the enamel may chip or scratch, especially with some of the cheaper brands.
It is easier to find American-made cast iron than it is to find American-made enameled cast iron. For a more in-depth look at the differences and similarities, check out our comparison article!
Summary
When it comes to cast iron, it’s hard to beat Lodge. No other American brand can claim over 125 years of making cast iron cookware. That’s why Lodge is the best budget brand. But if you’d prefer to invest in a small business that doesn’t manufacture anything in China, there are artisans throughout the US forging amazing iron cookware!
