Universal Metal Hose is the combination of three of the founding companies of the metal hose industry. Universal was founded in Chicago in 1942, and as the company grew it developed numerous processes for the fabrication of strip wound and corrugated hose, and the thin wall tubing used to form corrugated hose. A major advancement was a helical tube welder that reduced the stresses on the weld in corrugated hose, and permits the use of a single strip width for different tube diameters. The company patented many innovations and participated in cooperative agreements throughout Europe and Japan as well as the United Sates.

In 1993 Universal Metal Hose purchased the Allied Metal Hose Company that had been located in Long Island City, New York for over seventy years. Allied was merged with Universal in Chicago. The company manufactured a full line of strip wound and corrugated hose but it was most noted for production of "wrinkle belly" a heavy wall hose used for engine exhaust that was named by shipyards and engine users.

March 2000 was another turning point for Universal with the purchase of the assets of Anamet Industrial Inc. in Waterbury, Connecticut. The company was founded in 1908 as American Metal but was renamed Anaconda Metal Hose and later Anamet Industrial Inc. The company became a world leader in the production of both strip wound and corrugated hose, and pioneered the use of metal hose as refrigeration connectors known as "Vibration Eliminators®", interlocked stainless steel hose as telephone armor, and "tuner cable" to silence automobile hydraulic steering systems.

In September 2011, after sixty-nine years at the same location, Universal relocated to an eighty-four thousand square foot facility in South Holland, Illinois. The company has retained the complete capability to manufacture all of the Universal products as well as the Anaconda products. Universal's quality system is certified to ISO 9001.

Universal Metal Hose is a subsidiary of Hyspan Precision Products, Inc. Hyspan is a manufacturer of piping expansion products with facilities located in Chula Vista, California.