H.B. Fuller
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA global specialty-chemicals company focused on adhesives and sealants for industrial, construction, packaging, hygiene, electronics, and consumer applications.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
H.B. Fuller is an American multinational specialty-chemicals company headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, and best known for developing and manufacturing adhesives and sealants. Its products are used in a wide range of production and infrastructure settings, including construction, engineering, commercial roofing, insulated glass, packaging, food packaging, hygiene products, footwear, transportation, electronics, and other assembled goods. The company operates as a business-to-business materials supplier: many of its products are formulated for particular substrates, production methods, environmental conditions, regulatory requirements, or end-use performance targets rather than sold as general-purpose consumer goods. The company began in 1887 when Harvey Benjamin Fuller established a one-person operation in St. Paul making wallpaper glue. During its early years, the business broadened its catalog with products such as wall cleaners and developed distribution across the United States. It incorporated in 1915, and Harvey Benjamin Fuller Jr. became president in 1921. A major ownership and strategic turning point came in 1941, when Elmer L. Andersen acquired a majority interest from the Fuller family. Andersen expanded the company beyond its original domestic base, increased manufacturing capacity, and ultimately led it toward the public markets. By the late 1950s, annual sales had grown substantially from the level recorded at the time of his acquisition; by the 1960s H.B. Fuller ranked among the leading American adhesive manufacturers. H.B. Fuller expanded into adjacent chemical categories and international markets during the following decades. Its 1967 acquisition of Costa Rican company Kativo Chemical Industries added paints and inks to the portfolio. The company completed its initial public offering in 1968. Under Anthony Andersen, who became president in 1971, the business grew considerably through the 1970s and 1980s, entered the Fortune 500 in 1983, and built a broader global product catalog. The company also developed a public identity around corporate citizenship, including participation in the Minnesota Keystone Program and support for environmental and community initiatives. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, H.B. Fuller repositioned itself as a more focused specialty-chemicals company. Chief executive Albert P.L. Stroucken oversaw a significant restructuring that included plant closures, workforce reductions, divestiture of the powder-coatings business, and the acquisition of Roanoke Companies Group. Later leadership pursued a more acquisition-led expansion strategy. Under Jim Owens, H.B. Fuller acquired numerous businesses, including Royal Adhesives & Sealants in a transaction described as the largest acquisition in the company's history. That deal strengthened its position in commercial roofing and insulated-glass adhesives and expanded its industrial technology portfolio. The company also added manufacturing capacity in China and India during the 2010s. Today H.B. Fuller supplies more than 20,000 products through a manufacturing network reported as comprising 81 facilities in 26 countries. Its competitive proposition is based on formulation expertise, application engineering, global supply capability, customer-specific development, and the ability to help manufacturers improve productivity, durability, safety, and environmental performance. The company has also emphasized lower-emission and lower-monomer technologies and other sustainability-oriented formulations. Celeste Mastin became chief executive officer in 2022. According to the supplied reference material, H.B. Fuller employed approximately 7,500 people and generated 2024 revenue of $3.57 billion; the financial figure is included only with its cited source below.
History
H.B. Fuller originated in 1887 as Harvey Benjamin Fuller's one-person St. Paul business producing wallpaper glue. The early company added wall-cleaning products and achieved national distribution during the 1890s. It incorporated in 1915, and Harvey Benjamin Fuller Jr. assumed the presidency in 1921. In 1941, Elmer L. Andersen purchased the company from the Fuller family and led its transition from a family business into a larger industrial manufacturer. H.B. Fuller expanded its manufacturing base and entered additional product categories. A Minneapolis plant built in 1956 produced packing tape, while international expansion and a 1967 acquisition of Kativo Chemical Industries in Costa Rica brought paints and inks into the portfolio. The company completed its initial public offering in 1968. By 1962 it had become one of the three largest adhesive manufacturers in the United States, with manufacturing operations in the United States, Canada, and South America. Anthony Andersen became president in 1971. During his tenure, sales and international reach increased substantially. H.B. Fuller joined the Minnesota Keystone Program in 1976, became a Fortune 500 company in 1983, and developed a large global catalog of adhesive products. In the 1980s it received recognition related to environmental and social responsibility, including industrial-waste disposal, energy conservation, and support for a nature reserve near its headquarters. The company expanded into powder coatings in the 1990s. The company faced serious criticism in the 1990s over the use of its Resistol solvent-based adhesives as inhalants by children in parts of Latin America. H.B. Fuller ended retail sales of Resistol in the region in 1992, reformulated the product in 1994, and later ended over-the-counter sales of solvent-based adhesives in Latin America. The issue led to advocacy criticism and litigation, including a wrongful-death case dismissed in Minnesota in 1996 on jurisdictional grounds. Albert P. L. Stroucken became CEO in 1998 and initiated a broad restructuring. By 2003, the company had closed 26 manufacturing facilities and eliminated approximately 2,500 jobs, while selling its powder-coatings division to Valspar and acquiring Roanoke Companies Group. These moves reflected a strategy of concentrating on specialty chemicals and higher-value industrial applications. Jim Owens became CEO in 2010 and pursued expansion through more than a dozen acquisitions. The Royal Adhesives & Sealants transaction was the largest in H.B. Fuller history and materially increased the company's scale in industrial adhesives and sealants. The company also built plants in Nanjing, China, and Shirwal, India, during the 2010s. Celeste Mastin became CEO in 2022. The modern company operates a global manufacturing and sales network and serves customers in construction, packaging, hygiene, electronics, engineering, transportation, and related markets.
- 2022
Celeste Mastin becomes CEO
[1]Mastin succeeded Jim Owens as chief executive.
- 2017
Royal Adhesives & Sealants acquired
[1]The acquisition became the largest in H.B. Fuller history and expanded its industrial adhesives platform.
- 2011
New Asian manufacturing facilities
[1]The company constructed manufacturing facilities in Nanjing, China, and Shirwal, India.
- 1998
Specialty-chemicals restructuring begins
[1]CEO Albert P. L. Stroucken initiated a major restructuring and portfolio refocus.
- 1983
Joins the Fortune 500
[1]The company entered the Fortune 500 as its scale and revenues expanded.
- 1968
Initial public offering
[1]H.B. Fuller became a publicly traded company.
- 1967
Kativo Chemical Industries acquired
[1]The Costa Rican acquisition expanded H.B. Fuller into paints and inks.
- 1941
Elmer L. Andersen acquires the company
[1]Andersen purchased a majority interest from the Fuller family and began a new period of expansion.
- 1915
Incorporation
[1]The business was incorporated as it developed beyond its original one-person operation.
- 1887
Company founded in St. Paul
[1]Harvey Benjamin Fuller established a one-person business making wallpaper glue.
Products and positioning
A global, application-engineered adhesives and sealants partner for industrial and construction customers, combining specialty formulation capabilities with broad manufacturing and technical-service coverage.
Manufacturing adhesives
Industrial adhesives
Formulated bonding systems for engineered assemblies, industrial components, transportation, woodworking, and other manufacturing processes. Products are selected according to substrate compatibility, cure profile, temperature resistance, line speed, and required bond strength.
Construction chemicals
Construction adhesives and sealants
Adhesives and sealants used in building, roofing, flooring, insulation, fenestration, and related construction applications. The portfolio includes systems designed to improve durability, weather resistance, installation efficiency, and compatibility with modern building materials.
Packaging materials
Packaging adhesives
Adhesives for flexible and rigid packaging, labels, cartons, cases, and food-packaging operations. These materials support high-speed converting and assembly while addressing bond strength, appearance, food-contact requirements, and recycling or sustainability objectives.
Disposable-product adhesives
Hygiene adhesives
Specialty adhesives used in disposable hygiene products and related nonwoven constructions. They are designed for controlled application, flexibility, reliable bonding, and compatibility with high-throughput manufacturing processes.
Solvent-based adhesive brand
Resistol
A historic H.B. Fuller adhesive brand that became associated with solvent inhalation among children in parts of Latin America during the 1990s. The company withdrew retail sales in the region, changed the formulation, and later stopped selling solvent-based adhesives over the counter there.
Controversies
1995
Wrongful-death litigation involving Joel Linares
H.B. Fuller was sued in connection with the death of Joel Linares, a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy alleged to have died after inhaling Resistol. A Minnesota judge dismissed the case in 1996 for lack of jurisdiction.
1990
Resistol inhalant controversy in Latin America
Reports during the 1990s described children in Central America inhaling vapors from solvent-based adhesives, including H.B. Fuller products. Advocacy groups criticized the company's continued commercial and industrial sales after retail withdrawal. H.B. Fuller changed the Resistol formulation and later ended over-the-counter sales of solvent-based adhesives in Latin America.
Brand decisions
2017
Acquire Royal Adhesives & SealantsM&ABackground
H.B. Fuller was pursuing scale and broader coverage in industrial adhesive and sealant applications.
Action taken
The company acquired Royal Adhesives & Sealants in its largest transaction to that point.
Aftermath
The deal strengthened H.B. Fuller's commercial-roofing and insulated-glass businesses and expanded its industrial product offering.
1998
Restructure around specialty chemicalsStrategyBackground
Management sought to reduce costs and position H.B. Fuller for higher-value specialty-chemical markets.
Action taken
The company closed manufacturing facilities, reduced its workforce, sold the powder-coatings division, and acquired Roanoke Companies Group.
Aftermath
The restructuring narrowed the portfolio and reinforced the company's focus on adhesives, sealants, and specialty formulations.
1994
Reformulate Resistol solvent adhesiveGeneration changeBackground
The existing formulation contained toluene, which was associated with inhalant abuse concerns.
Action taken
The company replaced toluene with cyclohexane, described in the reference material as less dangerous and less addictive.
Aftermath
The reformulation formed part of H.B. Fuller's response to the controversy, although advocacy groups continued to call for a broader sales cessation.
1992
Withdraw Resistol from Latin American retail channelsStrategyBackground
Reports linked solvent-based adhesive abuse to children inhaling product vapors in parts of Latin America.
Action taken
H.B. Fuller ended retail sales of Resistol in the region while retaining some commercial and industrial sales.
Aftermath
The decision did not end criticism, and the company subsequently reformulated Resistol and discontinued over-the-counter sales of solvent-based adhesives in Latin America.
Recent events
Reported
HB Fuller signs distribution agreement with Jubilant Agri and Consumer Products[2]
HB Fuller announced a distribution agreement with Jubilant Agri and Consumer Products, under which JACPL will serve as HB Fuller's national channel partner in India for woodworking adhesives.
Reported
HB Fuller launches FullVision analytics service[3]
HB Fuller launched FullVision Equipment and Data-Analytics Consulting Service, an on-demand quality assurance tool for bookbinding manufacturers. The service gathers adhesive-use data and provides real-time alerts and analytics.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
H.B. Fuller site in Lüneburg achieves food safety certification[4]
H.B. Fuller completed Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000) for its plant in Lüneburg, Germany.
Sources5 sources
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