Trade is a term used to describe instruments and bows which have been manufactured, usually to a price, for the general market. French trade naturally refers to instruments made in France.

Instruments in the lower price ranges were made very quickly, often using machinery or unconventional techniques. Some of the better instruments were hand made by skilled craftsmen in systemised workshops and, at the top end of the trade range, we see beautifully made instruments, often from highly respected violin houses. Typical centres of French trade manufacture were Paris and Mirecourt.