Garden, landscaping tools from Pingquan, N China's Hebei, dig their way to global markets

A staff member of a company based in Pingquan, north China's Hebei Province, introduces garden tools at the company's showroom, July 27, 2026. (Hebei Daily/Chen Baoyun)

A furniture manufacturer in Pingquan, a county-level city in north China's Hebei Province, is turning out garden tools bound for more than 20 countries and regions, among them the U.S., Germany, Ireland, and Australia.

From the thickness of a shovel blade to the length and shape of the shaft socket, every specification is tailored to local soil conditions, consumer preferences, and usage habits.

"The shovels with flat blades are made for Ireland, where the soil is loose. For Germany, where consumers value durability and design, we make shovels with elongated, wave-shaped shaft sockets," said Li Jing, chairperson of the company.

U.S. households with spacious yards gravitate toward larger, heavy-duty tools, while Australian buyers want rugged equipment that can bite through rocky soil, according to Li.

Li said that in many overseas markets, yard maintenance is woven into daily life, making garden tools a necessity rather than an occasional purchase.

"There is significant potential in overseas markets," Li said.

The company led by Li has a 2,000-square-meter showroom displaying more than 1,000 types of garden tool products.

Its roots trace back to a school-run factory established in the 1980s. From its origins in producing dried noodles, it moved into stamped metal parts and vehicle jacks, sharpening its manufacturing capabilities with each step across the years.

After years as a contract manufacturer, the company realized it needed its own design and R&D capabilities to grow sustainably, Li said.

The company is among the local manufacturers behind Pingquan's booming garden and landscaping tool industry.

Building on years of cooperation with overseas companies, a number of local manufacturers, including the company headed by Li, have established their own R&D, production, and quality-control systems.

In recent years, they have poured more into innovation, with some teaming up with universities to crack hard technical problems, others striking out with their own brands.

Pingquan has now become one of China's major production bases for long-handled garden and landscaping tools. Its local manufacturers offer more than 1,000 product varieties across categories including gardening, landscaping and engineering tools, as well as steel-and-wood furniture and outdoor grills.

The growth of the industry has been reflected in export figures. The company led by Li exported about 210 million yuan ($31.31 million) worth of products last year. From January to July this year, it exported 3.87 million pieces of garden tools worth nearly 138 million yuan, up about 21 percent year on year.

The expanding industry has rippled outward, creating work for makers of wooden handles, metal-stamped parts, and packaging, as well as logistics providers. The company alone keeps 420 local residents on its payroll.

Local authorities have identified garden and landscaping tool manufacturing as a key county-level foreign trade industry and have introduced measures including export tax rebates, bank-business matchmaking and foreign trade training, according to Yang Guosheng, an official with the development and reform bureau of Pingquan.

In an effort to support companies in expanding their overseas presence, the bureau has also built service platforms to help companies participate in overseas trade fairs and exhibitions, as well as improve cross-border logistics, Yang said.

The growth of Pingquan's garden and landscaping tool industry is seen as a microcosm of the transformation and upgrading of China's county-level manufacturing.

Focusing on niche markets, local companies have won a foothold with high-quality products, grown through innovation, and reached far-flung markets by building their own brands.

"Rather than simply making tools, we are bringing the quality of Chinese manufacturing to customers around the world," said Li, who noted that the company plans to continue increasing investment in R&D, consolidate its existing overseas markets and explore newly emerging ones while expanding its business in the domestic garden tool market.