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U.S. Ends $800 Customs Exemption, Squeezing Canada’s Last Wooden Hockey-Stick Factory

The late-August policy shift has triggered border inspections that produced unexpected duties the company says it is contesting.

A worker makes wooden hockey sticks at the Roustan Hockey factory, which is the last major manufacturer of hockey sticks in Canada on Aug. 27, 2025 in Brantford, Ontario. (AP Photo/Kelvin Chan)
A worker makes wooden hockey sticks at the Roustan Hockey factory, which is the last major manufacturer of hockey sticks in Canada on Aug. 27, 2025 in Brantford, Ontario. (AP Photo/Kelvin Chan)
Wooden hockey sticks are stacked as they move along the assembly line at the Roustan Hockey factory, which is the last major manufacturer of hockey sticks in Canada on Aug. 27, 2025 in Brantford, Ontario. (AP Photo/Kelvin Chan)
Wooden hockey sticks are stacked as they move along the assembly line at the Roustan Hockey factory, which is the last major manufacturer of hockey sticks in Canada on Aug. 27, 2025 in Brantford, Ontario. (AP Photo/Kelvin Chan)

Overview

  • Roustan Hockey in Brantford, Ontario operates with about 15 workers and produces roughly 400,000 wooden sticks a year under the Christian, Northland and Sherwood brands, with about 100,000 shipped to the United States.
  • Company managers report U.S.-bound orders are being held for manual inspections and hit with surprise tariffs that their customs broker has in some cases secured waivers for.
  • A recent shipment of goalie pads made at a separate Toronto facility was flagged for a 200% tariff, which managers say they are trying to resolve through updated shipping documentation.
  • Wood now accounts for about one tenth of global hockey-stick output of around 5 million a year, and Roustan estimates a 5% to 10% share of the wooden-stick market that it acknowledges is shrinking as composites dominate.
  • The disruption comes as Canada’s economy contracts, with second-quarter GDP down 1.6%, exports off 7.5%, 37,800 manufacturing jobs lost over the past year and business investment in equipment at a record low since 1981.