These hats are made of the highest quality Pachone Straw (from palm leaves); don't confuse these with hats from China, these are made in North America! When straw hats are woven by hand, they are sorted by grade, depending how tight the hats weave. These hats are made only from the top grade of hand-woven straws. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Doctors recommend wearing sunscreen AND a hat for maximum sun protection. Both hats were personally tested in the heat of a July 4th weekend on Antietam Battlefield by one of our AML Insider Experts (and his sister), and they passed with flying colors!