During the 1850s, the steel industry flourished throughout the United States, creating a high demand for ash timber, which is the wood used for tool handles because of its weight, strength and size. A lot of steel goods companies opened in response to this demand. And after a century and a half of mergers and consolidation, the most enduring company, founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1890, has spawned--the company we know today as UnionTools.

During the first 40 years, the company marketed a core product line of forks, hoes, rakes and repair handles. In 1936, the first move to a broader product line occurred with the introduction of the Razor-Back shovel. The Razor-Back industrial tool line is now recognized as the professional standard of excellence in shovels and other long-and short-handled tools.

In the last century, UnionTools has grown and adjusted to the product, marketing and distribution changes required to accommodate America's shift from manual to mechanized farming and the growth of the home gardening market. From the days when tool heads were worked by hand on an anvil, to present day use of large presses and rollers, electrically controlled heat treating ovens and sophisticated testing equipment, UnionTools' staff has kept pace with continuing improvements in tool use while breaking new ground in product design and development as well as in production methods and techniques.