Rubbermaid
An American household-products brand known for food-storage containers, waste bins, organization products, and commercial-duty plastic goods.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Rubbermaid is an American household-products brand whose name is strongly associated with durable plastic storage containers, food-preservation products, waste bins, shelving, laundry products, and related organization goods. The brand traces its corporate origin to 1920, when the Wooster Rubber Company was established in Wooster, Ohio by nine businessmen. Its early products were toy balloons, but the company later moved toward practical rubber household goods. The Rubbermaid name emerged in the early 1930s. James R. Caldwell and his wife developed and patented a blue rubber dustpan, and the product became the starting point for a broader line of rubber kitchen products sold under the Rubbermaid name. In 1934, Horatio Ebert, who believed the product line could help the financially troubled Wooster Rubber Company, engineered a merger between the two enterprises. The combined company continued under the Wooster name while developing Rubbermaid as its principal consumer brand. Rubbermaid expanded from rubber household articles into plastics during the 1950s, helping it participate in the long-term shift toward lightweight, molded, washable, and stackable household products. The company later broadened its portfolio through acquisitions, including German manufacturer Dupol, Little Tikes, Gott Corporation, Graco baby products, Curver, and several smaller businesses involved in storage, brushes, healthcare, coverings, and household accessories. Some of these businesses were subsequently sold or separated from the brand portfolio. The company became a significant example of large-scale branded household-goods manufacturing. Its product lines included food-storage containers, commercial trash cans, sheds, step stools, closets, shelving, laundry baskets, bins, air fresheners, and cleaning products. The Brute line became particularly associated with heavy-duty waste and material-handling applications, while Rubbermaid food-storage products extended the brand into everyday kitchen use. The portfolio has served both consumers and commercial users, including offices, institutions, hospitality operations, and other facilities. In 1999, Newell acquired Rubbermaid in a transaction reported in contemporary and reference materials at approximately $5.8 billion to $6 billion. The transaction led to the corporate name Newell Rubbermaid. Newell Rubbermaid later changed its name to Newell Brands in 2016 following its combination with Jarden. Rubbermaid therefore operates today as a brand within Newell Brands rather than as an independent listed company. The company announced in 2003 that it would move its headquarters from Wooster to Atlanta, Georgia. The relocation involved the elimination of approximately 850 manufacturing and warehouse positions and the transfer of 409 office positions, according to the cited historical account. The former Wooster distribution-center site was later rented by GOJO Industries. In 2017, Newell sold the Rubbermaid totes line to United Solutions, illustrating the continuing adjustment of the brand's assortment within the parent company's portfolio. Rubbermaid's current positioning centers on practical design, durability, organization, cleanliness, and functional value. It remains best known for products that help users store, protect, transport, dispose of, and organize household or commercial materials. Its identity is rooted less in fashion or luxury than in recognizable utility and repeat everyday use.
History
Rubbermaid's history began in 1920 in Wooster, Ohio, with the creation of the Wooster Rubber Company by nine businessmen. The company initially made toy balloons. During the early 1930s, James R. Caldwell and his wife developed a blue rubber dustpan and obtained a patent for it. They marketed the dustpan and related rubber kitchen products under the Rubbermaid name, establishing the identity that would eventually become more important than the original Wooster corporate name. In 1934, Horatio Ebert encountered Rubbermaid products in a New England department store. He believed the line could provide a way forward for the struggling Wooster Rubber Company and arranged a merger between the two operations in July of that year. The resulting business retained the Wooster Rubber Company name while producing and selling goods under the Rubbermaid brand. World War II disrupted the company's household-products business in 1942. Wooster Rubber responded by converting part of its operations to military manufacturing. After the war, the company returned to consumer goods and introduced rubber automotive accessories in 1947. It offered shares to the public in 1955 and entered plastic products in 1956, a move that helped align the company with the growing use of molded plastics in household and organizational products. In 1957, the corporate name changed from Wooster Rubber Company to Rubbermaid. Rubbermaid pursued expansion through both product development and acquisitions. It acquired the German company Dupol in 1965, followed by Carlan in 1981. In 1984 it purchased Little Tikes, a toy manufacturer, and in 1985 it acquired competitor Gott Corporation. Other acquisitions during the 1980s and 1990s included MicroComputer Accessories, Seco Industries, Viking Brush, Eldon Industries, Iron Mountain Forge Corporation, Carex Health Care Products, Injectaplastic, Graco baby products, and Curver in Europe. The company also acquired Con-Tact plastic coverings in 1981. Several of these businesses later left the portfolio; Little Tikes was sold to MGA Entertainment in 2006, Curver was sold in 2005, and the Rubbermaid totes line was sold to United Solutions in 2017. Labor relations were also part of the company's history. In 1976, approximately 1,100 members of the United Rubber Workers union went on strike. The event occurred during Rubbermaid's development as a sizable manufacturing company with a substantial industrial workforce. Newell acquired Rubbermaid in 1999 in a transaction described by reference sources as being worth approximately $5.8 billion to $6 billion. Newell changed its corporate name to Newell Rubbermaid after the acquisition. The combination placed Rubbermaid within a larger branded-consumer-products company and made it possible to distribute the brand across a broader corporate network. In 2003, Rubbermaid announced the movement of its headquarters from Wooster to Atlanta. The move resulted in substantial employment changes in Ohio, including the elimination of around 850 manufacturing and warehouse jobs and the transfer of 409 office jobs to other locations. A distribution center remained at the former headquarters site for a period and was later rented by GOJO Industries. The relocation reflected the operational consolidation of a brand that was increasingly managed as part of a national and international consumer-products portfolio. Newell Rubbermaid became Newell Brands in 2016 as part of the company's combination with Jarden. Rubbermaid consequently became a Newell Brands subsidiary brand. Its portfolio has continued to cover home storage, kitchen food preservation, waste and recycling containers, cleaning accessories, laundry products, shelving, closets, sheds, and commercial products. The brand's long-term reputation rests on functional design, durability, and broad availability rather than on a single product category. Its history illustrates the transition from rubber household goods to mass-market plastic products and the integration of a once-independent manufacturer into a diversified branded-products group.
- 2017
Rubbermaid totes line is sold
[1]Newell sells the Rubbermaid totes line to United Solutions.
- 2016
Newell Rubbermaid becomes Newell Brands
[1]The parent company changes its name to Newell Brands in connection with its combination with Jarden.
- 2003
Headquarters move to Atlanta
[1]Rubbermaid announces the relocation of its headquarters from Wooster, Ohio, to Atlanta, Georgia.
- 1999
Newell acquires Rubbermaid
[1]Newell acquires Rubbermaid in a transaction reported at approximately $5.8 billion to $6 billion and adopts the name Newell Rubbermaid.
- 1996
Graco is acquired
[1]Rubbermaid acquires Graco, adding baby products to its portfolio.
- 1985
Gott Corporation is acquired
[1]Rubbermaid acquires competitor Gott Corporation.
- 1984
Little Tikes is acquired
[1]Rubbermaid acquires toy manufacturer Little Tikes.
- 1976
United Rubber Workers strike
[1]About 1,100 United Rubber Workers members go on strike at Rubbermaid.
- 1965
Dupol is acquired
[1]Rubbermaid acquires German company Dupol, extending its international operations.
- 1957
Corporate name changes to Rubbermaid
[1]The Wooster Rubber Company changes its corporate name to Rubbermaid.
Products and positioning
Durable, practical, easy-to-use household and commercial products for food storage, waste management, organization, cleaning, and everyday utility.
Food storage
Rubbermaid food-storage containers
Rubbermaid's food-storage range includes reusable containers designed for storing, organizing, and transporting prepared food and ingredients. The category is central to the brand's consumer identity and extends its original household-goods heritage into modern plastic kitchenware.
Commercial waste management
Rubbermaid Brute
Brute is Rubbermaid's heavy-duty commercial line of waste and material-handling containers. It is intended for demanding environments such as workplaces, institutions, hospitality operations, and other facilities requiring robust bins for collection and transport.
Home storage
Rubbermaid storage bins and totes
The storage portfolio includes plastic bins, totes, and related organization products for household belongings. The totes line was sold by Newell to United Solutions in 2017, so the current scope of this assortment should be checked against the brand's present catalog.
Home organization
Rubbermaid shelving and closet organization
Rubbermaid produces organization products for closets, shelving systems, and general household storage. These products extend the brand beyond containers into larger systems intended to make domestic spaces easier to arrange and use.
Cleaning and laundry
Rubbermaid cleaning and laundry products
The brand's broader household assortment includes cleaning tools, laundry baskets, hampers, and related utility products. These lines apply Rubbermaid's emphasis on washable, durable, practical materials to routine domestic tasks.
Household utility products
Rubbermaid outdoor sheds and step stools
Rubbermaid's household utility range has included outdoor sheds and step stools, adding larger storage and access products to its core assortment of plastic household goods.
Marketing campaigns
- 2004PBS Frontline documentary feature
United States
Rubbermaid was presented as a case study in the PBS Frontline documentary "Is Walmart Good for America?" The program used the company in a broader examination of retail purchasing power, sourcing, and American manufacturing.
Outcome. Rubbermaid became a prominent public example in discussion of the relationship between major retailers and domestic manufacturers.
Brand decisions
2017
Divestiture of the totes lineM&ABackground
Newell Brands continued adjusting its brand and product portfolio after the formation of the larger company.
Action taken
Newell sold the Rubbermaid totes line to United Solutions.
Aftermath
The transaction narrowed the portion of the storage business directly operated by Newell under the Rubbermaid name.
2016
Transition to Newell BrandsM&ABackground
Newell Rubbermaid combined with Jarden in a major corporate transaction.
Action taken
The parent company adopted the name Newell Brands.
Aftermath
Rubbermaid continued as a brand within the enlarged Newell Brands portfolio.
2003
Headquarters relocation and operational consolidationStrategyBackground
Following its integration into Newell Rubbermaid, the company announced a move away from its historic Wooster base.
Action taken
Rubbermaid moved its headquarters from Wooster, Ohio, to Atlanta, Georgia, while eliminating or relocating hundreds of positions.
Aftermath
The move reduced Rubbermaid's direct corporate and operational presence in Wooster, although a distribution center remained there for a period.
1999
Newell acquisition of RubbermaidM&ABackground
Rubbermaid had developed into a large branded household-products company with a broad acquisition portfolio.
Action taken
Newell acquired Rubbermaid and changed its corporate name to Newell Rubbermaid.
Aftermath
Rubbermaid became a major brand within Newell's branded-consumer-products portfolio rather than remaining an independent public company.
Reported acquisition value. Approximately $5.8 billion to $6 billion (1999)
1956
Move into plastic productsStrategyBackground
The company was expanding beyond its earlier rubber-based household goods as molded plastics became increasingly important in consumer products.
Action taken
Rubbermaid entered the plastic-products market.
Aftermath
The shift helped establish the material and product categories for which the brand later became widely known.
Recent events
Sources3 sources
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