Erik Nørding, having originally been schooled as a machinist and engineer, took up pipe carving as a part time hobby during the 1950s. By the mid-1960s he began professionally carving hand-made pipes in Slangerup, Denmark. Along with a number of other carvers during the 1960s, Erik Nørding worked in the new freehand style that emphasizes organic flowing shapes and aesthetically unified stems and bowls. It is in this style that he continues to produce pipes and it is this freehand style that has come to dominate Danish pipe making in the last thirty years.

Nørding uses premium Corsican and Grecian plateau briar for all of the pipes made in the Nørding factory. Over the last thirty years, Nørding has cultivated a style that is all his own. The most distinct aspect of his work is the fluid way in which he matches the stem with the shank. His stem work is unusual and interesting, designed to incorporate stylistic elements that emphasize both the bowl and the shank.

Though known for his freehands, Nørding's factory also produces some standard shapes that provide a less expensive alternative without compromising the quality of the smoke. Most notable of the reasonably priced pieces is the Nørding Silver Series which retail between $60 and $70 depending on finish.

Additionally, since 1995, Erik Nørding has produced the Hunter Series, one pipe a year inspired by wild animals. As an avid hunter himself, Nørding believes that this line embodies both his love for the briar and his life as an outdoorsman. Each year, Nørding, with the help of Danish wildlife artist Mogens Andersen, has released one pipe inspired by and named for a specific animal.