As Sweden industrialized in the latter half of the 1800s, there was a gradual modernization in agriculture and construction work. Self-made tools were replaced by mass-produced industrial products. This is one of many examples of how the railway was at the forefront of technology from the beginning.

With strong influences from primarily Great Britain, the vast project to build Sweden's main railways began in 1855. To expand the new mode of transportation, modern specialized tools were required, such as hand tools and carts, completely new for Sweden.

In the railway project's 'Collection of Road and Water Construction Tools', published around 1860, a modern type of shovel is referred to as the 'English canal spade'.

In agricultural Sweden, the transition from the metal-shod wooden spade was slower, and the breakthrough for industrially manufactured tools occurred a few decades later.

With new methods in iron processing, cheap production of high-quality steel products became possible in the latter half of the 1800s. In addition to tools, rails and railway wheels can also be mentioned as examples.