Over more than 100 years, Gränsfors Bruk has built up a business based around handcrafted axes and axe expertise, with a focus on quality and environmental responsibility.

Located in the heart of the Swedish village of Gränsfors in northern Hälsingland, between Hudiksvall and Sundsvall – you can hear the rhythmic sounds of the blacksmith’s pounding as you approach. The axe forge is open weekdays from 9am to 3pm (hours may vary due to COVID19). You are more than welcome to visit us and see the axes being forged, sharpened, tempered and fitted with handles.

The forge is home to over 30 blacksmiths and craftsmen. With 80% of the axes they produce being exported to over 30 different countries. When it comes to the quality and feel of the axes, much depends on the experience and skill of the individual craftsman. Each axe is signed with the smith’s initials as a guarantee of quality.

In 1985, the company was acquired by Gabriel Brånby. As a way to educate customers and revive the axe industry, he introduced The Axe Book, equipping the customer with knowledge of axes and instructions on proper use and care. At Gränsfors Bruk we continuously work with experts to optimize our axe designs and maintain an ongoing dialogue with axe-forging and log-building enthusiasts.

Gränsfors Bruk products are distributed in the United States by:

www.grandforest.us | info@grandforest.us | 843.875.0240 | 219 Varnfield Drive in Summerville, South Carolina

Total Responsibility

The Gränsfors Bruk forge is well on its way to becoming completely self-sufficient in renewable energy, eliminating oil dependence entirely. Gränsfors Bruk strives to live up to this responsibility and does so from three perspectives throughout the production process.

1

We choose suppliers who share our views on environmental, ethical, and social responsibility.

2

We continuously work on being a sustainable company.

3

Even after they leave our facility, we make our products in a way that will make as little impact on the environment as possible.

We realize that the quality and life of a product is a crucial element of our total responsibility. A good product that is used and looked after properly is likely to last much longer – which leads to fewer products being manufactured and reduced consumption of raw materials and energy.

Why Gränsfors Bruk?

Gränsfors Bruk considers sustainability a top priority. Our commitment to being a green company combines social, environmental, and ethical responsibilities. We make every business decision based on these key values.

Function

There are many axe designs, each with a different intended function. If you’re limbing or chopping wood, you need one type of axe. Felling a tree, splitting, or building a log home, each requires an axe design specific to the job at hand. Gränsfors Bruk has designed all of our axes with many different functions in mind.

Investing in a Gränsfors Bruk axe means you have something dependable. Such a tool minimizes the frequency with which it needs to be replaced and thereby minimizes the impact on the earth’s resources. As a reflection of the commitment to function and quality, Gränsfors Bruk provides a 20 year guarantee on the axe head.
If properly cared for, these tools can last a lifetime and be handed down to future generations.

Environment

For Gränsfors Bruk’s axes, only recycled steel, vegetable tanned, chromium-free leather, and American hickory handles are used. The materials that are used in Gränsfors Bruk axes are chosen for two specific reasons. First, the components allow for environmentally aware manufacturing, meaning a cleaner and greener production process. Second, when the axe finally reaches the end of its life, the steel can be recycled, while the leather and the wood will decompose, leaving no waste.

Gränsfors Bruk’s core focus of environmental responsibility is reflected in the product itself. A simplistic and classic design is achieved by minimal use of all the materials necessary to produce an axe. Any component that is not vital to the performance or longevity of the axes is removed.

People

Every axe is crafted by one of our skilled blacksmiths. Each is marked with the smith’s initials as a guarantee of quality. The small details show the characteristics and skill of the individual craftsman.

An axe is only as good as the accumulated skills of the people who forge, grind, and attach the handle to the axe. All our axes are made by hand, ensuring a quality and unique axe that is built to last.

A little bit of history…

Next door to the forge lies the Gränsfors Bruk Axe Museum which is home to over 2,000 historical axes. The museum’s collection – carefully curated by Gabriel Brånby – includes: root axes, notching axes, marking axes, mortise axes, packing house axes, adzes, pick axes, fire axes, battle axes, executioner’s axes and double bit throwing axes – just to name a few. The museum is also home to axe models forged at Gränsfors Bruk and in Gränsfors before the time of the forge. The oldest axe from Gränsfors is a small stone axe that dates back around 3,500 years and was found on the river bank.