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 18 episodes

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

← Season 17

Episode 1

Patterned Glass Panels, Road Cases, Stop-Frame Animation

21m10.0 / 10

Molten glass is formed with textured patterns to create decorative and privacy panels. Durable plywood shells are reinforced with metal edging, corners and locking hardware to make protective road cases, while models and sets are moved in tiny increments and photographed one frame at a time to produce stop-frame animation.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 2

Industrial Wire Ropes, Living Walls, Large Format Cameras, Gemstones

21m10.0 / 10

Individual steel wires are twisted into strands and wound around a central core to produce heavy-duty industrial wire ropes. Plants, growing media and irrigation systems are combined into vertical living walls; precision bodies, bellows and film holders are assembled into large-format cameras; and rough gemstones are cut and polished to reveal their colour and pattern.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 3

Chocolate Coins, Floor Heating Systems, Pedal Cars, Latex Swords

21m10.0 / 10

Tempered chocolate is moulded into coins and wrapped in embossed metallic foil. Electrical heating elements are arranged beneath flooring to provide even radiant heat, child-sized pedal cars are assembled from shaped body and drive components, and flexible theatrical swords are cast in moulds and finished with layers of coloured latex.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 4

Farmed Caviar, Intake Manifolds, Motorcycle Jackets, Shovels & Spades

21m10.0 / 10

Farm-raised sturgeon provide roe that is carefully separated, graded and salted to produce caviar. Intake manifolds are cast and machined to distribute air through an engine, protective motorcycle jackets are cut and sewn from leather with reinforced panels, and steel blades are shaped, hardened and fitted to handles to make shovels and spades.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 5

Wax Figures, Awnings, Sandwich Crackers, Pewter Tankards

21m10.0 / 10

Detailed sculptures and moulds are used to create lifelike wax figures, which are completed with painted features and individually applied hair. Weather-resistant fabric is cut and mounted on folding frames to make awnings, crisp crackers are baked and paired around a measured layer of filling, and molten pewter is formed and polished into traditional tankards.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 6

Pipe Cleaners, Blue Stilton Cheese, Smart Electric Meters, Telescopes

21m10.0 / 10

Soft fibres are trapped between twisting wires to produce flexible pipe cleaners. Cultured milk is coagulated, drained and pierced so the characteristic blue mould can develop in Stilton cheese; electronic measuring components are calibrated inside smart electric meters; and precisely shaped lenses or mirrors are aligned within telescope bodies.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 7

Fish Replicas, Siren Systems, Pre-Packaged Sandwiches, Candlesticks

21m10.0 / 10

Moulds taken from real specimens are used to cast lightweight fish replicas, which are carefully painted to reproduce natural markings. Electronic and acoustic components are assembled into powerful warning sirens, ingredients are portioned onto bread and sealed in protective packaging, and metal is cast or shaped before being polished into decorative candlesticks.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 8

Tapioca Pudding, Snow Ploughs, Paddle Boats, Fibre Cement Siding

21m10.0 / 10

Tapioca pearls are cooked with dairy ingredients and sweeteners to produce a smooth packaged pudding. Heavy steel plates are cut, curved and welded into snow ploughs; moulded hulls are fitted with pedal-driven propulsion systems to make paddle boats; and cement reinforced with cellulose fibres is formed, cured and finished as exterior siding.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 9

Rally Cars, Pork Pies, Floating Fountains, Artificial Stone Ornaments

21m10.0 / 10

Production vehicles are stripped, reinforced and equipped with specialised engines, suspension and safety systems to create rally cars. Pastry shells are filled and baked into traditional pork pies, pumps and nozzles are mounted on floating platforms to create fountains, and moulded mineral mixtures are cured and finished as artificial stone ornaments.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 10

Cufflinks, Blueberry Turnovers, Dashboards, Earthenware Pottery

21m10.0 / 10

Small metal components are cast or cut, joined and polished to create decorative cufflinks. Pastry is folded around blueberry filling and baked into turnovers, moulded structures are fitted with instruments and electronics to form vehicle dashboards, and shaped clay is dried, glazed and fired into earthenware pottery.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 11

Pharmaceutical Blister Packs, Deli Slicers, Oysters, Weathervanes

21m10.0 / 10

Plastic film is heated and formed into individual cavities, filled with medication and sealed with foil to produce pharmaceutical blister packs. Stainless-steel blades, motors and adjustable carriages are assembled into deli slicers; oysters are cultivated, harvested and prepared for sale; and shaped metal ornaments are balanced on rotating mounts to make weathervanes.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 12

Top & Bowler Hats, Solar Water Heaters, Sticky Buns, Electrostatic Speakers

21m10.0 / 10

Felt hat bodies are steamed, stretched over wooden forms and trimmed into top hats and bowlers. Absorbing collectors, pipes and insulated tanks are assembled into solar water-heating systems; enriched dough is rolled with a sweet filling, sliced and baked into sticky buns; and a thin charged diaphragm is suspended between perforated panels to create electrostatic speakers.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode 13

Turntables, Steam Engines, Playground Equipment, Teflon Pans

21m10.0 / 10finale

Platters, motors, tonearms and electronic controls are assembled and calibrated to produce turntables. Boilers and precision-machined moving components are combined into working steam engines, shaped metal and plastic parts are coated and assembled into playground equipment, and formed cookware receives layers of non-stick coating before curing and final assembly.

Where to watch How It's Made

Episode information updated Sep 18, 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