The first production smelting furnance in the world, which was used in 1906 at the Richard-Lindberg steelworks, is exhibited in the German Tool Museum. A large number of exhibits from different German regions document the history of other centres of the European tool industry, such as that of the southern German region or of the Schmalkalden area, Thuringia.

The German Tool Museum is presented in an aesthetic complex of buildings, which was designed by the architects York Edelhoff and Friedhelm Reska, Remscheid.

The new conception was developed by the director of the museum, the historian Dr. Urs Justus Diederichs and his academic assistant, the geologist Justus Mannchen, who were supported by a team of experts in the tool industry and of academics from different fields. In this context, the outstanding role of the "Fachverband Werkzeugindustrie e. V." (FWI) and of its manager, Rainer Langelüddecke, must be mentioned.

The interior design and the design of the museum were created by Peter Bürger and Jens Peter Albrecht, Wuppertal. The "Förderkreis Deutsches Werkzeugmuseum e.V.", which is chaired by Gernot Tödt, financed the décor. The "Förderkreis" made the financing possible with the help of numerous friends and sponsors. While it closely worked together with the management of the museum, it instructed the proper experts with the necessary works and, thus, realized the extensions.