Made in West Germany
The item was made in West Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany, which was a separate state from 1949 until German reunification in 1990.
How to read it
The State Department’s Office of the Historian records that the Federal Republic of Germany, commonly called West Germany, was created out of the American, British and French zones of occupation on 21 September 1949, and the German Democratic Republic, East Germany, out of the Soviet zone on 7 October 1949. East and West Germany signed a Unification Treaty on 31 August 1990. US Customs then stopped accepting the old names: its directive O.C.O.D. 90-2 of 28 September 1990 says goods must be marked “Made in Germany” or “Made in Federal Republic of Germany”, and that “Made in FRG” and “Made in GDR” are not allowed.
Also searched as: made in west germany, western germany, west germany mark, west germany pottery.
This page says what a mark means under the rules that required it and when it was used. A mark helps date a piece; it doesn’t prove when or where any one piece was made.
When West Germany stopped being accepted
CBP’s later rulings quote the directive with two dates. A 1998 ruling says goods had to be marked Germany on or after 3 October 1990. Two 1992 rulings give 4 October 1991. One of them looked at a metal cremation urn carrying an adhesive label “Made in West Germany”: the label itself was firm enough, but the ruling said that from 4 October 1991 all German goods had to be marked “Germany” or “Federal Republic of Germany”. The other turned down “Product of West Germany” on water pumps, calling post-unification use of “West Germany” unacceptable.
East Germany and other forms
The same directive ended “Made in East Germany” and “German Democratic Republic” for goods from the former East Germany after 4 October 1991. CBP has also refused D, for Deutschland, because it isn’t the English name of the country, and the abbreviations G and Ger. Czechoslovakia is the other country name US Customs retired when a state changed in those years.
Read next
- Next in Country of origin marks and label numbersMade in CzechoslovakiaThe item was made in Czechoslovakia, the state that existed from 1918 until it split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia at the end of 1992.
- The same shape in AI labels and iconsAI iconAI-generated or AI-changed content. A badge with the letters AI, often in a circle or beside a word such as generated or modified, labels an image, video, sound or text as made or altered with artificial intelligence. The European Union publishes an official set of these icons.
More country of origin marks and label numbers
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with letters and numbers or circles.
Sources
- Office of the Historian: Germany (guide to US recognition and relations), U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, “A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Germany”, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, Division of Germany, 1949–1955; International Recognition of Reunified Germany, 1990–91
- CBP ruling HQ 560978 (24 July 1998), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HQ 560978, 24 July 1998, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS rulings database), Law and analysis
- CBP ruling HQ 734741 (25 November 1992), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HQ 734741, 25 November 1992, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS rulings database), Law and analysis; holding
- CBP ruling HQ 734402 (20 March 1992), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, HQ 734402, 20 March 1992, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CROSS rulings database), Facts; law and analysis
Last reviewed October 8, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research
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