WD-40

WD-40 is a multi-purpose maintenance product manufactured and marketed by WD-40 Company of San Diego, California. It is used as a penetrant, lubricant, corrosion protector, cleaner, and moisture displacer. The brand's name is derived from “Water Displacement, 40th formula,” reflecting the development process that produced the formula in 1953. The product originated within Rocket Chemical Company, a San Diego business established to develop corrosion-prevention compounds for the aerospace industry. Its initial purpose was to protect the exterior skin of Convair's Atlas missile, whose outer structure also formed part of the wall of sensitive balloon fuel tanks. The formulation was kept as a trade secret rather than patented, thereby avoiding public disclosure of its ingredients. Accounts differ over the identity of the inventor: the company and several published histories credit Norman B. Larsen, while San Diego historian Iris Engstrand has attributed the chemical formulation to Iver Norman Lawson and the aerosol-packaging and marketing initiative to company president Norman Larsen. WD-40 was first sold commercially to consumers in San Diego in 1958. Its early industrial and aerospace applications helped establish credibility, while its ability to loosen stuck parts, displace water, reduce surface corrosion, and provide light lubrication made it useful in homes, workshops, farms, factories, and vehicle maintenance. The product began receiving consumer-product attention in the early 1960s. By the middle of that decade it was used by airlines for maintenance of joints and other aircraft components, and related formulations were used in turbine and metal-parts work. International distribution expanded during the late 1960s, including marketing to farmers and mechanics in the United Kingdom. The brand's commercial strength comes from versatility rather than specialization. WD-40 is not necessarily the optimum choice for every lubrication, cleaning, or corrosion-control task, and specialized products can outperform it in particular applications. Nevertheless, its broad usefulness, simple application, recognizable packaging, and extensive word-of-mouth reputation have made it a familiar household and professional maintenance product. The brand is commonly associated with freeing seized fasteners, protecting tools and metal surfaces, displacing moisture from electrical and mechanical parts, removing adhesive residue, and cleaning certain contaminants. WD-40 Company has expanded the brand beyond the original Multi-Use Product through lines such as WD-40 Specialist, which targets more specific maintenance requirements, and other consumer maintenance products. The original formula remains protected as a trade secret; the company moved the historical formula document to a secure bank vault in San Diego in 2018. WD-40 Company became publicly traded in 1973 and uses the Nasdaq symbol WDFC. The WD-40 brand continues to be sold internationally and remains the company's best-known consumer name. In 2014, it was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, recognizing its connection to aerospace engineering and maintenance history.

WD-40's history began in 1953 at Rocket Chemical Company in San Diego. The company was developing compounds for industrial and aerospace customers, including a corrosion-prevention coating for Convair's Atlas missile. The missile's exterior structure served an important containment function for its balloon tanks, making protection against rust and corrosion a significant engineering requirement. The identity of the inventor is described differently in available historical accounts. WD-40 Company and several books and newspapers credit Norman B. Larsen, who was president of Rocket Chemical Company and is associated with the product's commercialization. Historian Iris Engstrand has argued that Iver Norman Lawson developed the water-displacing mixture and later transferred it to Rocket Chemical Company, while Larsen devised the aerosol packaging and marketing approach. The name WD-40 records the development history: it refers to the fortieth attempt at creating a water-displacement formula. The formula was never patented. Instead, the company treated it as a trade secret, avoiding the disclosure of the ingredients that a patent application would have required. This decision became a defining feature of the brand's history. Although the product has been analyzed publicly through safety documentation and chemical testing, the complete formulation remains proprietary. The original formula document was placed in a secure San Diego bank vault in 2018. After its initial aerospace and industrial role, WD-40 entered the consumer market in San Diego in 1958. Its household appeal came from the combination of several functions in one aerosol product. It could penetrate and loosen stuck components, provide light lubrication, displace moisture, help protect metal from corrosion, and remove certain residues. These capabilities allowed the same product to move between workshops, garages, farms, factories, aircraft-maintenance environments, and domestic toolboxes. The product received attention as a consumer innovation by 1961. Industrial adoption also expanded. By 1965, airlines including Delta and United were using WD-40 in maintenance and overhaul work on aircraft such as the Douglas DC-8 and Boeing 720. A related product known as WD-60 was used in some aviation contexts for turbine cleaning, light-rust removal, and the handling or storage of metal components. During the late 1960s, WD-40 was marketed to farmers and mechanics in England, marking an important stage in international expansion. The brand's growth was based less on a single narrow application than on a reputation for broad utility. Its blue-and-yellow packaging and simple aerosol format made it easy to recognize and use, while demonstrations and user recommendations reinforced the idea that WD-40 could solve a wide range of mechanical and household problems. This broad positioning also created a limitation: specialist products can deliver better results for particular lubrication, cleaning, or corrosion-control requirements. WD-40 nevertheless became famous precisely because it covered many ordinary maintenance needs with one familiar product. WD-40 Company went public in 1973 and later expanded its branded portfolio with more targeted maintenance products, including the WD-40 Specialist range. The original Multi-Use Product remains the central expression of the brand, while the broader portfolio addresses more demanding or specific professional tasks. WD-40 Company is headquartered in San Diego and sells the brand internationally. The product's aerospace origins were formally commemorated in 2014, when WD-40 was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

• 2018

  Original formula secured

  [1]WD-40en.wikipedia.org

  The original written formula was moved to a secure bank vault in San Diego as part of its trade-secret protection.

• 2014

  Aerospace heritage recognized

  [1]WD-40en.wikipedia.org

  WD-40 was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

• 1973

  Initial public offering

  [1]WD-40en.wikipedia.org

  WD-40 Company went public and subsequently traded under Nasdaq ticker WDFC.

• 1969

  Marketing expands to the United Kingdom

  [1]WD-40en.wikipedia.org

  WD-40 began being marketed to farmers and mechanics in England.

• 1965

  Adoption by airlines

  [1]WD-40en.wikipedia.org

  Airlines including Delta and United used WD-40 in aircraft maintenance and overhaul operations.

• 1961

  Early consumer-product recognition

  [1]WD-40en.wikipedia.org

  WD-40 was described in contemporary coverage as a new consumer product, helping its household and workshop presence grow beyond its original industrial market.

• 1958

  Consumer launch in San Diego

  [1]WD-40en.wikipedia.org

  WD-40 became available as a consumer product in San Diego after beginning as an aerospace and industrial maintenance compound.

• 1953

  Water-displacement formula developed

  [1]WD-40en.wikipedia.org

  A WD-40 formula was developed within Rocket Chemical Company for corrosion protection in aerospace applications. Historical sources differ over whether Iver Norman Lawson or Norman B. Larsen should receive primary credit for the formulation.

A practical, accessible, multi-purpose maintenance solution positioned around versatility, reliability, and everyday problem solving for household, automotive, industrial, agricultural, and professional users.

• Multi-purpose maintenance aerosol · 1958

  WD-40 Multi-Use Product

  The core WD-40 product is a multi-purpose aerosol designed to displace moisture, penetrate seized parts, provide light lubrication, help prevent corrosion, and remove certain grime or adhesive residues. It is used in household, automotive, agricultural, workshop, industrial, and maintenance settings. Its versatility and recognizable blue-and-yellow packaging are central to the brand's identity. The product is deliberately broad in function, although specialist formulations may be preferable for particular heavy-duty or precision applications.

• Specialized maintenance products

  WD-40 Specialist

  WD-40 Specialist is a family of more targeted maintenance products developed to address specific lubrication, corrosion-protection, cleaning, and mechanical-care requirements. It extends the brand from a general-purpose household product into professional and industrial maintenance. The line complements rather than replaces the original Multi-Use Product by offering products intended for jobs where a specialized formulation can provide more appropriate performance.

• Aviation and industrial maintenance variant

  WD-60

  WD-60 was a related variant reported in aviation and industrial contexts during the 1960s. It was used for tasks including turbine cleaning, light-rust removal from control lines, and handling or storage of metal parts. Available historical material identifies it as a related product rather than the same consumer formulation as the core WD-40 Multi-Use Product.

• 1973

  Become a publicly traded companyOther

  Background

  WD-40 had developed from a regional aerospace compound into an established consumer and industrial maintenance brand.

  Action taken

  WD-40 Company completed its first public stock offering.

  Aftermath

  The company became publicly traded under Nasdaq ticker WDFC.

  Source

• 1958

  Move from aerospace use into consumer retailStrategy

  Background

  The product had been developed for industrial and aerospace corrosion protection but also had practical uses for households and workshops.

  Action taken

  The company began selling WD-40 to consumers in San Diego.

  Aftermath

  Consumer adoption broadened the brand's market beyond aerospace and industrial customers and established the multi-purpose maintenance positioning that defines WD-40.

  Source

• 1953

  Protect the formula as a trade secretStrategy

  Background

  The company developed a commercially valuable water-displacement formulation but could have disclosed its composition through a patent application.

  Action taken

  Rocket Chemical Company chose not to patent the formula and instead retained it as a trade secret.

  Aftermath

  The secrecy became a long-running part of WD-40's identity. The original formula document was later placed in a secure bank vault, while the complete formulation remained undisclosed.

  Source

• Expand into specialist maintenance productsProduct launch

  Background

  The original product's broad utility created strong brand recognition, while some professional maintenance tasks require more targeted formulations.

  Action taken

  WD-40 Company developed the WD-40 Specialist family for more specific lubrication, cleaning, and corrosion-protection applications.

  Aftermath

  The brand gained a broader product architecture serving both general consumers and professional or industrial users.

  Source

• 2021.07.07

  Reported2021.07.07

  WD-40 Company raises fiscal-year revenue expectations[3]WD-40 Company上调全年收入预期prnewswire.com

  WD-40 Company raised its expected full-fiscal-year net sales range to $475 million–$490 million, which it said reflected year-over-year sales growth of 16 to 20 percent.

• 2020.10.12

  Reported2020.10.12

  WD-40 Company appoints lead independent director[4]WD-40 Company任命首席独立董事prnewswire.com

  WD-40 Company appointed Gregory A. Sandfort to serve as lead independent director, effective immediately.

• 2020.04.09

  Reported2020.04.09

  WD-40 Company withdraws fiscal 2020 guidance[5]WD-40公司撤回2020财年业绩指引prnewswire.com

  WD-40 Company withdrew its previously issued full fiscal year 2020 earnings guidance, citing uncertainty related to the COVID-19 health crisis.

• 2019.12.10

  Reported2019.12.10

  WD-40 Company announces board leadership changes[6]WD-40 Company宣布董事会领导层变动prnewswire.com

  WD-40 Company appointed Neal Schmale as independent lead director and Garry Ridge as board chairman, replacing Linda Lang after her retirement as a director. Trevor Mihalik was also elected to the board and appointed to two committees.

Read more

1. 1WD-40en.wikipedia.org
2. 2WD-40 Company official websitewd40.com
3. 3WD-40 Company上调全年收入预期prnewswire.com
4. 4WD-40 Company任命首席独立董事prnewswire.com
5. 5WD-40公司撤回2020财年业绩指引prnewswire.com
6. 6WD-40 Company宣布董事会领导层变动prnewswire.com
7. 7WD-40 (NASDAQ:WDFC) Releases FY 2027 Earnings Guidancetickerreport.com
8. 8WD-40 Company Reports First Quarter 2021 Financial Resultsprnewswire.com
9. 9WD-40 Company Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2021 Financial Resultsprnewswire.com
10. 10WD-40 Company Reports Second Quarter 2021 Financial Resultsprnewswire.com