Are Speed Queen Washing Machines Made In The USA Or China?

Speed Queen's stock has been on the rise, to the extent it scored the top spot on our list of most reliable major washing machine brands. If you're in the U.S. and committed to buying local, you'll be pleased to hear that Speed Queen appliances are manufactured in the USA, at the company's plant in Ripon, Wisconsin, and not in China. The Speed Queen brand is currently in the hands of Alliance Laundry Systems, a privately held company with a history of building laundry and related equipment in Ripon since 1908.

While some components are globally sourced, Speed Queen stresses that design and engineering all happen in Ripon. Founders Joe Barlow and John Seelig were experimenting with hand-powered clothes wringers all the way back at the turn of the 20th century, in 1908. Today, rather than turning to offshore production to slash labor and production costs, the company maintains a large manufacturing presence in Ripon, where it employs over 2,700 local workers. 

Speed Queen also scored the second slot on our list of most reliable home appliances brands overall, and the company attributes a lot of that reputation to its commitment to American manufacturing. The company maintains strict oversight over production standards and operates advanced technology labs in Ripon, central to its ability to turn out machines advertised to endure for 25 years, or roughly 10,400 laundry cycles.

The provenance question persists in large part due to the number of major appliance brands that assemble products overseas, as well as the complexity of global supply chains. Speed Queen is somewhat of an outlier in this environment in that it stringently retains core manufacturing in a single U.S. factory, even as its competitors shift lines to Mexico, China, or other regions.

There may also be an element of confusion due to Alliance Laundry Systems' business model, as well. It's a company best known for commercial laundry equipment sold to bulk customers like laundromats or military bases — despite being the most reliable gas dryer brand in the market. While heavy‑duty machines are built in Ripon alongside residential Speed Queen washers, the umbrella company also owns other brands that are positioned differently.

Alliance also owns UniMac, Huebsch, Primus, and IPSO. To support those brands, it operates manufacturing facilities in the Czech Republic, Thailand, and China. When it acquired the company Primus, another commercial laundry equipment manufacturer, sites in the Czech Republic and Guangzhou, China got folded into its network. Primus operates four factories across different countries, and Alliance also maintains a local presence in China and Thailand as part of its broader global portfolio. So, while Speed Queen products are assembled in Wisconsin, the broader Alliance group does have overseas production on account of its other brands.