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.

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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 28 episodes

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

← Season 27

Episode 1

Classic Car Gauges, Chocolate Marble Cake, Ghillie Kettles, Condoms

21m10.0 / 10

Ceramic forms are repeatedly dipped in liquid latex before the finished condoms are cured, removed, tested and packaged. Precision mechanisms, numbered faces and pointers are assembled and calibrated into gauges for classic cars; contrasting cake batters are swirled, baked and decorated to create chocolate marble truffle cakes; and formed metal sections are joined into chimney-style ghillie kettles that rapidly boil water over a small fire. NOTE: The US version contains a late regional editorial decision to use the S21 E01 segment on Rubber Gloves in place of the Canadian original segment on Condoms due to "content sensitivity."

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Episode 2

Pasta Dies, Blueberries, Composting Toilets, Surge Arresters

21m10.0 / 10

Metal blanks are precision-machined with shaped openings and inserts to create dies that extrude pasta into different forms. Blueberries are cultivated, harvested, graded and prepared for distribution; waste chambers, ventilation systems and supporting components are assembled into composting toilets; and voltage-sensitive elements are enclosed in insulated housings to produce surge arresters that protect electrical equipment.

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Episode 3

Angle Grinders, Berry Baskets, Omnidirectional Speakers

21m10.0 / 10

Electric motors, gearboxes, spindles and protective guards are assembled into high-speed angle grinders. Thin wooden components are cut, shaped and fastened into lightweight berry baskets, while multiple speaker drivers and specially designed enclosures are arranged to distribute sound evenly in every direction.

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Episode 4

Cartridge Blades, Chocolate Banana Loaves, Vending Machines, Dive Computers

21m

Fine strips of steel are hardened, sharpened, coated and mounted in plastic cartridges to create replacement razor blades. Banana-flavoured batter and chocolate are mixed, portioned and baked into loaves; payment systems, product dispensers and electronic controls are installed in vending machines; and pressure sensors, processors and displays are sealed inside waterproof dive computers.

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Episode 5

Ultra-Thin Glass, Pallet Dismantling Machines, Cupcakes, Seamless Stainless Steel Tubing

21m10.0 / 10

Molten glass is drawn into extremely thin, uniform sheets suitable for sensitive electronic and technical applications. Heavy frames, conveyors and cutting mechanisms are assembled into machines that recover boards from used pallets; batter is deposited, baked and decorated as cupcakes; and solid stainless-steel billets are pierced, rolled and drawn into seamless tubing.

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Episode 6

Potash, Leather Bracelets, Wild Rice, Hex Key L Wrenches

21m10.0 / 10

Potassium-rich ore is brought to the surface, crushed and separated to produce potash for agricultural and industrial use. Leather strips are cut, decorated and fitted with clasps to create bracelets; harvested wild rice is dried, parched and hulled; and steel rods are formed into hexagonal profiles, bent into an L shape and heat-treated to make hex keys.

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Episode 7

Metal Nail Files, Birch Bark Canoes, Cruiser Boat Hardtops, High-Voltage Circuit Breakers

21m

Steel blanks are cut, textured, hardened and finished to produce durable metal nail files. Sheets of birch bark are fitted around a wooden framework and reinforced with ribs to create traditional canoes; composite materials are moulded and finished into hardtops for cruiser boats; and insulated contacts and interruption mechanisms are assembled into high-voltage circuit breakers.

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Episode 8

Macarons, Pine Needle Baskets, Micrometers

21m10.0 / 10

Almond-based meringue batter is piped, rested and baked into smooth macaron shells before pairs are joined with flavoured fillings. Bundles of long pine needles are coiled and stitched into decorative baskets, while precision-machined frames, spindles and calibrated screw mechanisms are assembled into micrometers capable of measuring extremely small dimensions.

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Episode 9

Endoscopes, Megaphones, Uranium

21m10.0 / 10

Miniature optical fibres, cameras, lights and control cables are installed inside flexible tubing to create medical endoscopes. Moulded horns, microphones, amplifiers and speakers become portable megaphones, while uranium-bearing ore is mined, crushed and processed into a concentrated material that can undergo further preparation for use as nuclear fuel.

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Episode 10

Hollow Disk Pumps, Palm Sugar, Yachts

21m10.0 / 10

Closely spaced rotating disks are machined and installed inside pump housings to move liquids containing delicate or suspended material. Sap collected from palm trees is filtered and slowly reduced into concentrated palm sugar, while moulded hulls receive engines, navigation systems, plumbing, electrical equipment and fitted interiors to become luxury yachts.

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Episode 11

Abalone Collagen, Digital-to-Analog Converters, Embosssed Wood Mouldings, Plier Staplers

21m10.0 / 10

Material from farmed abalone is cleaned and processed to extract collagen for cosmetic and other specialized products. Electronic components are mounted and tested in digital-to-analog converters; wooden strips are shaped and pressed with repeating decorative patterns to produce embossed mouldings; and stamped metal levers, magazines and springs are assembled into plier staplers.

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Episode 12

Thai Barbecues, Diving Masks and Fins, Bassoons

21m10.0 / 10

Metal sheets are cut, shaped and joined into domed tabletop grills used for Thai-style barbecuing. Tempered lenses, flexible skirts and straps are assembled into watertight diving masks, moulded rubber or plastic components become swimming fins, and carefully seasoned wood is bored, shaped and fitted with an intricate system of metal keys to create bassoons.

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Episode 13

Wooden Utensils, Transport Refrigeration Units, Moccasins, Electronic Impact Drills

21m10.0 / 10finale

Selected wood is cut, carved, sanded and treated to produce spoons and other kitchen utensils. Compressors, condensers, fans and electronic controls are assembled into refrigeration units for trucks and trailers; leather pieces are cut and hand-sewn into traditional moccasins; and motors, gear systems and impact mechanisms are installed inside electronic impact drills.

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Episode information updated Sep 15, 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