How It's Made poster

TV series

How It's Made

2001TV-G32 seasons7.7 / 10

Have you ever wondered how the products you use every day are made? How It's Made leads you through the process of how everyday products, such as apple juice, skateboards, engines, contact lenses, and many more objects are manufactured.

Streaming, rental and purchase options

Where to watch in United States

Checked Sep 1, 2026

How It's Made is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand, Discovery+, Discovery+ (Via Amazon Prime), Disney+, HBO (Via Hulu), HBO Max, HBO Max (Via Amazon Prime), Hulu, Philo, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube TV, Plex, The Roku Channel, and Tubi in United States. You can also rent or buy it from Google Play, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Use the direct links below to open the provider.

Availability and prices can change. Confirm the details on the streaming service before you subscribe, rent or buy.

Synopsis

Have you ever wondered how the products you use every day are made? How It's Made leads you through the process of how everyday products, such as apple juice, skateboards, engines, contact lenses, and many more objects are manufactured.

Season 1 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

Episode 1

Aluminum Foil, Snowboards, Contact Lenses, Bread

21m8.5 / 10

The series premiere follows the transformation of aluminum into extremely thin household foil, the layered construction and finishing of snowboards, the precision molding of soft contact lenses, and the mixing, proofing and baking of commercial bread.

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Episode 2

Compact Discs, Mozzarella Cheese, Pantyhose, Fluorescent Tubes

21m8.3 / 10

Manufacturing processes include encoding and molding compact discs, turning milk into mozzarella cheese, knitting exceptionally fine synthetic fibers into pantyhose, and assembling fluorescent tubes with phosphor coatings, electrodes and gas.

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Episode 3

Toothpicks, Acrylic Bathtubs, Helicopters, Beer

21m8.7 / 10

The episode demonstrates how timber is sliced and shaped into toothpicks, acrylic sheets are heated and vacuum-formed into bathtubs, helicopters are assembled and tested, and grain, hops, yeast and water are brewed into beer.

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Episode 4

Hearing Aids, 3D Puzzles, Rubber Mats, Toilets

21m9.0 / 10

Miniature electronic components are fitted into custom hearing aids, printed designs are cut and assembled into three-dimensional puzzles, rubber is processed into durable floor mats, and vitreous china is molded, glazed and fired to produce toilets.

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Episode 5

Copy Paper, Jeans, Computers, Plate Glass

21m9.0 / 10

Wood pulp is refined and rolled into copy paper, denim is cut and sewn into jeans, electronic components are installed and tested in personal computers, and molten raw materials are formed into smooth sheets of plate glass.

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Episode 6

Nails and Staples, Safety Glasses, Fabrics, Bicycles

21m9.0 / 10

Steel wire is cut and shaped into nails and staples, impact-resistant lenses and frames become safety glasses, yarn is woven or knitted into fabric, and bicycle frames and components are assembled into finished cycles.

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Episode 7

Kayaks, Safety Boots, Electronic Signs, Cereals

21m9.0 / 10

The program examines the molding and outfitting of kayaks, construction of reinforced safety boots, assembly and programming of electronic signs, and large-scale preparation, cooking and packaging of breakfast cereal.

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Episode 8

Trucks, Adhesive Bandages, Computer Circuit Boards, Liquors

21m9.0 / 10

Heavy truck chassis, engines, cabs and bodies are brought together on an assembly line; absorbent pads and adhesive strips become bandages; conductive pathways and components are added to printed circuit boards; and fermented ingredients are distilled and matured into liquor.

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Episode 9

Steel, Apple Juice, Aircraft Landing Gear, Cosmetics

21m9.0 / 10

Raw materials are melted and processed into steel, apples are cleaned and pressed into juice, high-strength components are machined and assembled into aircraft landing gear, and pigments, oils and waxes are blended into cosmetics.

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Episode 10

Holograms, Package Printing, Skin Culture, Canned Corn

21m9.0 / 10

Laser-recorded interference patterns are used to create holograms, high-speed presses print packaging materials, laboratory techniques grow replacement skin tissue, and corn is harvested, prepared, sealed and sterilized for canning.

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Episode 11

Plastic Bags, Solar Panels, Plastic Fuel Tanks, Hockey Sticks

21m9.0 / 10

Plastic film is extruded, cut and sealed into bags; photovoltaic cells are connected and laminated into solar panels; durable polymers are molded into vehicle fuel tanks; and layered materials are shaped and finished into hockey sticks.

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Episode 12

Aluminum Screw Caps, Chocolate, Pills, Pasta

21m9.0 / 10

Aluminum sheet is stamped and threaded into bottle caps, cocoa ingredients are refined and tempered into chocolate, pharmaceutical compounds are measured and compressed into pills, and flour-and-water dough is mixed and formed into pasta.

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Episode 13

Bicycle Helmets, Aluminum, Automotive Brakes, Lithium-Ion Batteries

21m9.0 / 10finale

Expanded foam and protective shells are combined into bicycle helmets, aluminum is extracted and processed into usable metal, friction components and hydraulic parts become automotive braking systems, and precisely layered materials are assembled into rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode information updated Jul 30, 2026

More about How It's Made

Cast

Lynne AdamsNarrator (voice)
Mark TewksburyNarrator (voice)
June WallackNarrator (voice)
Lynn HerzegNarrator (voice)

Credits

Created by
Gabriel Hoss
Written by
Lynn Herzeg, Linda Boyle, Mark David Perry, Max Harrold, Heidi Miller, Robert Morselli, Sylvie Séguin, Duncan McDowall, Richard Dagenais, Lianne Castelino, Raphaëlle Derome

Production details

Status
Canceled
Series type
Documentary
Episodes
416
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • DiscoveryCanada
  • Productions MAJCanada

Themes

factorymanufacturing