Kingsford
Kingsford Products Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Clorox Company, manufactures and markets America's #1 charcoal briquets, hardwood pellets, complementary grilling accessories, and prepared BBQ foods, serving mass-market US home grilling consumers via retail and direct-to-consumer channels from four US manufacturing facilities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1920
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Kingsford does
Kingsford Products Company manufactures and markets charcoal briquets, hardwood pellets, and adjacent grilling products under wholly-owned subsidiary ownership of The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX), which acquired the brand in 1973. Founded in 1920 and headquartered in Oakland, California, Kingsford operates four US manufacturing facilities in Kentucky, Missouri, Oregon, and West Virginia, collectively processing approximately one million tons of waste wood annually into charcoal briquets and related fuel products. The company's core product lines span Original, Match Light, Easy Light Bag, Professional, Mesquite, and Beercoal charcoal briquets, the Craftsmoke hardwood pellet range (Hickory, Cherry, Oak, Applewood, Mesquite, and blends), prepared foods (BBQ ribs and entrées), spices/seasonings, grilling accessories (storage, lighters, cast iron, tools), and branded apparel.
The underlying product technology is centered on converting carbonized wood with natural binders into pressed briquets featuring a proprietary groove architecture branded "Sure Fire Grooves" designed to improve airflow and lighting performance, alongside differentiated formulations such as 100% Mesquite hardwood and Beercoal. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of these physical SKUs across brick-and-mortar retail and the Kingsford e-commerce store; pricing varies by format and is broadly undisclosed beyond limited-edition online exclusives such as the Slow Burn fragrance ($30.62). The customer base is mass-market US consumers (home grillers, tailgaters, and serious BBQ pitmasters) with additional reach into Australia and New Zealand. Go-to-market leverages content marketing (recipe database, technique guides), social media across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest, an email/membership program, and celebrity partnerships (notably former NFL player Jason Kelce) used to launch novelty and seasonal SKUs. Kingsford competes in the US BBQ charcoal market (approximately $1.2B in 2025, projected to reach $1.9B by 2035 at 4.6% CAGR) and the broader global barbecue accessories market.
Kingsford firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kingsford
- Legal name
- Kingsford Products Company
- Website
- https://kingsford.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1920
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kingsford Products Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Clorox Company, manufactures and markets America's #1 charcoal briquets, hardwood pellets, complementary grilling accessories, and prepared BBQ foods, serving mass-market US home grilling consumers via retail and direct-to-consumer channels from four US manufacturing facilities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kingsford industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Charcoal & Grilling Products
- NAICS
- Meat Retailers (44524), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Grills, Smokers & Outdoor Cooking Retail (Fuel, Accessories) (CRAIAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biomass Pellets, Briquettes & Solid Bioenergy Products (industrial/residential) (IMAMALAJ), Charcuterie & Cured Meats Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAE)
Keywords
Where Kingsford is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Kingsford business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Charcoal Products: Sale of charcoal briquets including Original, Professional, Mesquite, Match Light, and Easy Light varieties in various bag sizes ranging from 4 lb to 20 lb packages.
- Hardwood Pellets: Sale of premium hardwood pellets for pellet grills including Hickory, Cherry, Oak, Applewood, and Mesquite flavors in 20-30 lb bags.
- Food Products: Sale of prepared foods including BBQ ribs, entrees, and spices/seasonings.
- Grill Accessories: Sale of charcoal and wood pellet storage solutions, BBQ lighters, cast iron cookware, grilling tools, and apparel merchandise.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Slow Burn Charcoal Fragrance |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Kingsford product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kingsford manufactures and sells charcoal briquets, hardwood smoking pellets, BBQ rubs and seasonings, prepared BBQ foods (e.g., ribs), grilling accessories, and branded apparel primarily for at-home and competitive grilling consumers in the United States, with selected international presence in Australia and New Zealand. The portfolio spans original, match-light, easy-light, professional, mesquite, and beer-infused charcoal variants plus flavored hardwood pellets, sold through grocery and mass-retail channels and the brand's own e-commerce store.
Product overview
Kingsford is a consumer charcoal and grilling products company offering a comprehensive portfolio centered around their core charcoal and pellet grilling products. The main product lines include charcoal briquets (Original, Match Light, Easy Light, Professional, Mesquite, Beercoal flavors), hardwood pellets (Hickory, Applewood, Chef's Blend, Grillmaster's Choice), and complementary products including spices/seasonings, BBQ ribs and entrées. Additionally, the company offers grilling accessories (storage solutions, lighters, cast iron, grilling tools) and branded apparel/accessories (aprons, YETI collaboration products, hats, hoodies, t-shirts). The products are sold primarily in the United States with distribution through retail partners and the company's online shop. Kingsford has been manufacturing charcoal since 1920 and operates as part of The Clorox Company family of brands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kingsford™ Original Charcoal Briquets: The flagship charcoal product, America's #1 charcoal since 1920. Made with locally sourced wood and natural ingredients, lights fast, burns long with consistent heat.
- Kingsford™ Match Light™ Charcoal Briquets
- Kingsford™ Professional Charcoal Briquets
- Kingsford™ Easy Light Bag
- Kingsford™ Mesquite Charcoal Briquets
- Kingsford™ Craftsmoke Premium Pellets
- Kingsford™ Beercoal Charcoal Briquets
- Kingsford™ Spices and Seasonings
- Kingsford™ BBQ Ribs & Entrées
- Kingsford™ Charcoal and Wood Pellet Storage
- Kingsford™ BBQ Lighters
- Kingsford™ Cast Iron
- Kingsford™ Grilling Tools
- Savor It
Quantifiable outcome
- 100+ years of grilling expertise and American manufacturing heritage
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Kingsford
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kingsford technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Kingsford partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Jason KelcecoreJason Kelce partnership expanded with Christmas Coal limited-edition product launch, featuring holiday-themed packaging and promotional giveaway at select retailers.
- Northann CorpminorNorthann Corp entered into an asset purchase agreement with Kingsford. Details of the transaction are not specified in available sources.
- Jason KelcecoreKingsford partnered with former NFL player Jason Kelce to launch the Slow Burn charcoal-scented fragrance ($30.62) in November 2025, and previously collaborated on Christmas Coal holiday promotion and a promotional giveaway. The partnership leverages Kelce's sports celebrity status to reach grilling and sports enthusiasts.
- Hidden Valley RanchminorCross-promotional partnership within The Clorox Company family where Kingsford recipes feature Hidden Valley Ranch products (e.g., Original Ranch Dips Mix used in Smoked Beef Queso Dip recipe).
- YETIminorYETI products including Rambler 10 oz Lowball and Hopper Flip 18 Soft Cooler are sold through Kingsford's e-commerce shop, creating a complementary grilling accessories partnership.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kingsford competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Big Green Egg: Big Green Egg is the leading premium kamado-style charcoal grill brand, dominating the high-end charcoal-cooking niche. It competes with Kingsford for serious grilling enthusiasts and pitmasters, an overlapping customer segment that uses both premium charcoal grills and Kingsford fuels.
- Camp Chef: Camp Chef makes pellet grills, outdoor cooking systems, and related accessories, frequently selling wood pellets and griddle accessories. It is a comparable outdoor-cooking brand competing in the same tailgating, camping, and backyard segments that Kingsford targets.
- Weber: Weber is one of the world's largest grilling brands, selling charcoal grills, gas grills, and related fuels and accessories. It competes with Kingsford both as a grill manufacturer (Kingsford being a fuel brand) and at the overall grilling occasion, making it the closest analog to Kingsford's category dominance model.
- Royal Oak Charcoal: Royal Oak is a long-established U.S. charcoal briquet brand sold primarily at club and mass retail. It competes directly with Kingsford's Original line for value-conscious charcoal buyers and is one of the most visible price-based competitors at retail.
- Cowboy Charcoal: Cowboy Charcoal is a direct competitor in the U.S. lump charcoal and briquet category, marketing all-natural hardwood charcoal. It competes for the same grilling enthusiast consumers seeking premium flavor and clean-burn attributes adjacent to Kingsford's Mesquite and Professional lines.
Emerging players
- Traeger Grills: Traeger popularized the pellet grill category and sells both grills and its branded wood pellets. It is an emerging direct competitor in outdoor cooking fuels where Kingsford has now entered with Craftsmoke pellets, going head-to-head for pellet-fuel market share.
- Pit Boss Grills: Pit Boss is a fast-growing pellet grill and smoker manufacturer owned by Dansons. It competes with Kingsford in both grill hardware and pellet fuel, providing a low-cost, rapidly-scaling alternative to Traeger and a parallel pellet-fuel opportunity.
- Rec Tec (Recteq): Recteq is a direct-to-consumer pellet grill and smoker brand competing with Traeger and Pit Boss. It overlaps with Kingsford's Craftsmoke pellet target customer and represents another emerging pellet-fuel demand pool Kingsford can address through its pellets line.
- Duraflame: Duraflame dominates the firelog and firestarter category and is an adjacent outdoor fire / cooking-fuel brand. It overlaps with Kingsford in fire-starting products and overall outdoor fire occasions though it does not directly compete in grilling fuel.
Broad incumbents
- The Clorox Company: The Clorox Company is Kingsford's publicly-traded parent and operates other household brands like Hidden Valley, Glad, and KC Masterpiece. It is the corporate parent allocating capital to Kingsford and governs the brand's strategic direction and resource access.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kingsford social profiles
Digital presenceKingsford financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kingsford leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Kingsford funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kingsford M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kingsford
What does Kingsford do?
Kingsford manufactures and sells charcoal briquets, hardwood smoking pellets, BBQ rubs and seasonings, prepared BBQ foods (e.g., ribs), grilling accessories, and branded apparel primarily for at-home and competitive grilling consumers in the United States, with selected international presence in Australia and New Zealand. The portfolio spans original, match-light, easy-light, professional, mesquite, and beer-infused charcoal variants plus flavored hardwood pellets, sold through grocery and mass-retail channels and the brand's own e-commerce store.
Is Kingsford a public or private company?
Kingsford is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Kingsford founded?
Kingsford was founded in 1920. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kingsford based?
Kingsford is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kingsford make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Charcoal Products are the primary driver. The others are hardwood Pellets, food Products and grill Accessories.
Who are Kingsford's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Big Green Egg, Camp Chef, Weber, Royal Oak Charcoal and Cowboy Charcoal. Emerging players are Traeger Grills, Pit Boss Grills, Rec Tec (Recteq) and Duraflame. The Clorox Company is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Kingsford have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kingsford.
What industry is Kingsford in?
Kingsford's product category is Charcoal & Grilling Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAIAIAH, Grills, Smokers & Outdoor Cooking Retail (Fuel, Accessories), with a secondary code of IMAMALAJ, Biomass Pellets, Briquettes & Solid Bioenergy Products (industrial/residential). Its NAICS code is 44524 and its SIC code is 2000.