To overcome the lack of a representative dataset on the manufacturing sector in the Netherlands before the first census of companies in 1930, we constructed an alternative census of companies for 1896. Based on a large collection of local-preserved municipal reports, we estimated the number of establishments, employees, and steam engines, standardized for all Dutch municipalities and all manufacturing sectors. In contrast to other source material around this time period, this newly created dataset gives researchers for the first time a view on the structure and competitiveness of the Dutch manufacturing sector at the timing of its Industrial Revolution on such a geographical and sectoral detailed level. Following our illustration of the textiles manufacturing sector, we found that in 1896 modern factories and steam engines were limited to smaller centres in the eastern and southern part of the country, while the majority of the country still depended on smaller, non-mechanized handicraft establishments.