Our history

Rocket Chemical Company is founded September 23, 1953, by Norman B. Larsen, Gordon Dawson and John B. Gregory.

Cy Irving assumes role of president of Rocket Chemical Company.

WD-40 makes its first appearance on store shelves in San Diego, California.

The company nearly doubles in size, growing to seven people who sell an average of 45 cases per day from the trunks of their cars to hardware and sporting goods stores throughout the San Diego area.

The first full truckload order for WD-40 is filled to meet the disaster needs of the victims of Hurricane Carla along the U.S. Gulf coast. It is used to recondition flood and rain damaged vehicles and equipment.

John S. Barry is appointed president and chief executive officer of WD-40 Company and renames the company after its only product, WD-40.

WD-40 Company goes public and is listed Over-The-Counter. Stock price increases by 61% on the first day of listing.

Sales reach $50.2 million. Many companies attempt to introduce imitation products, even going so far as to copy the distinctive blue and yellow can with the little red top.

Tribe Members: 38

Gerald Schlief is appointed president and chief operating officer of WD-40 Company. He is later appointed to chief executive officer.

WD-40 Company celebrates its 40th anniversary by breaking the $100 million sales mark. The company is also listed among the Top Ten Most Profitable companies on the NASDAQ exchange.

Garry O. Ridge is appointed president and chief executive officer of WD-40 Company.

WD-40 Company adds Global Household Brands to its portfolio of brands. The addition of X-14, 2000 Flushes and Carpet Fresh makes WD-40 Company a leader in household cleaning and maintenance products.

Tribe Members: 227

The 3-IN-ONE Professional line is launched. The WD-40 Big Blast can is introduced in the USA, featuring a wide-area spray nozzle that delivers WD-40 Multi-Use Product quickly and efficiently over large areas.

WD-40 Company acquires 1001, the leading brand of carpet cleaning products in the United Kingdom. It also expands its 3-IN-ONE Professional line with the introduction of a heavy-duty cleaner degreaser, an engine starter and a high-performance lubricant.

WD-40 Company introduces the WD-40 Smart Straw, which features a permanently attached straw. This new Smart Straw Sprays 2 Ways™: as a wide spray with the straw down and a stream with the straw up. The Smart Straw also solves the number one complaint about WD-40 products: losing the little red straw. The 3-IN-ONE Professional line expands with the introduction of a dry lube to help lubricate and protect all types of surfaces without leaving an oily residue behind. Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover is released in a convenient trigger spray bottle.

WD-40 Company converts its most popular-sized WD-40 Multi-Use Product cans to the Smart Straw delivery system. The official list of 2,000 uses for WD-40 Multi-Use Product appears for the first time, thanks to the help of WD-40 Fan Club members. Spot Shot introduces two new trigger products: Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain and Odor Eliminator and Spot Shot Pet.

WD-40 Company introduces WD-40 Trigger Pro, a non-aerosol product with the same WD-40 formula for industrial consumers. WD-40 Company launches the BLUE WORKS brand. BLUE WORKS is a line of specialty maintenance products designed exclusively for industrial users, with formulas that surpass industry standard testing.

Capitalising on insights from the BLUE WORKS brand launch, WD-40 Company introduces WD-40 Specialist, a line of best-in-class specialty products under the WD-40 brand geared toward trade professionals. The initial product line includes a Water Resistant Silicone Lubricant, Protective White Lithium Grease, and Rust Release Penetrant Spray, containing Blu Torch™ Technology, a proprietary blend of synthetic additives.

Tribe Members: 334

WD-40 Company founds WD-40 BIKE Company, a brand focused exclusively on cycling-specific maintenance products. The WD-40 BIKE high-performance maintenance product line offers a range of products including wet and dry chain lubricants, a heavy-duty degreaser, a foaming bike wash, and a frame protectant.

The WD-40 Company celebrates its 60th Anniversary. The WD-40 Specialist product line has grown to eight products. Five additional products have been added, including Rust Remover Soak, Long-Term Corrosion Inhibitor, Dirt; Dust Resistant Dry Lube, Machine & Engine Degreaser, and Electrical Contact Cleaner Spray. With the success of WD-40 Specialist, WD-40 Company decides to discontinue production of the BLUE WORKS brand, taking advantage of key learnings and applying them.

WD-40 Company acquires GT85, a multi-purpose bike maintenance product sold primarily in the United Kingdom.

WD-40 Company introduces WD-40 EZ-REACH in the United States. With an attached 8” flexible straw that bends and keeps its shape, it can reach the unreachable: tight plumbing spaces, behind engine blocks, hard-to-reach hinges, rollers and more.

In 2016, WD-40 Company sticks it to gravity with WD-40 Specialist Spray & Stay Gel Lubricant. With a no-drip formula that stays where it’s sprayed, it provides 12x longer-lasting lubrication on vertical surfaces and moving parts.

Tribe Members: 445

Later in 2016, four new high-performance greases join the WD-40 Specialist family. Their advanced, industrial-strength technology handles specific high-temperature, pressure and moisture challenges, while allowing them to be interchanged on the job without consequences from cross-contamination.

WD-40 Company opens new office in San Diego and relocates its US-based tribe members to a new work home.

In 2017, WD-40 Company launches its first non-aerosol Industrial-Strength Cleaner & Degreaser under the WD-40 Specialist brand. This water-based formula has an unique bio-solvent that is engineered and proven to be more powerful, safer and easier to use than other degreasers on the market.

WD-40 Company opens technology center in Pine Brook, New Jersey where tribe members can conduct laboratory-based research and development in-house. WD-40 Company opens new office in Milton Keynes and relocates its UK-based tribe members to a new work home. Garry Rigde named Chairman and CEO.

In 2020, new packaging is introduced for WD-40 Specialist aligning WD-40 Multi-Use Product, WD-40 Specialist and WD-40 BIKE to showcase the brand’s iconic blue and yellow colors.