Houghton Chemical Division

What Houghton Chemical Division does

Houghton Chemical Corporation is a family-owned and operated chemical manufacturing and distribution company founded in 1927 and headquartered at 52 Cambridge Street, Allston (Boston), Massachusetts. The company specializes in inhibited glycol-based heat transfer fluids and antifreeze/coolant products, sold under proprietary brand lines including SAFE-T-THERM® (propylene glycol-based, with GRAS, HD, Biobased, AL, LC 25, N, R, and PDO BioGreen variants), WINTREX® (ethylene glycol-based, for HVAC and thermal storage), GeoSafe® (inhibited ethanol for geothermal systems), and antifreeze lines under Pah|Nol®, SECURITY®, GREEN MOUNTAIN®, and MacGuard® brands. The underlying technology centers on proprietary corrosion inhibitor packages that protect multi-metal hydronic systems and can be replenished over the fluid's service life, with operating temperature ranges from -60°F (ethylene glycol) to 350°F (heavy-duty variants).

The company serves a diverse enterprise and institutional customer base across commercial HVAC, food & beverage processing, automotive and fleet, education, aerospace, and government segments. Named customers include Boeing, Subaru, Dow Chemical, Dunkin' Donuts, Fratelli Beretta, Harvard University, MIT.nano, Santa Ana College, Roger Williams University, United States Cold Storage, and the Massachusetts State Police. Distribution is handled through a private fleet of chemical transport trucks and seven regional locations spanning the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest, with selective international reach into China and Turkey.

Houghton's business model combines one-time product sales (drum, tote, and bulk quantities) with recurring chemical services including glycol analysis (offered free for systems with 250+ gallons of Houghton product), glycol removal and disposal, blending, filtration, re-inhibition, and contract warehousing. GTM is enterprise field sales with a technical sales team, regional account managers, and a quote-based request process. Certifications and standards compliance (NSF, FDA GRAS, USP, ASTM, LEED eligibility) anchor credibility in food-safe, pharmaceutical, and green-building applications. The company is privately held by the Houghton family with no disclosed external investors.

Name

Houghton Chemical Division

Legal name

Houghton Chemical Corporation

Website

https://houghton.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Houghton Chemical Corporation is a family-owned, 95+ year-old chemical manufacturer and distributor specializing in proprietary inhibited glycol heat transfer fluids and antifreeze products, serving commercial HVAC, food & beverage, automotive, aerospace, and institutional customers through a private fleet and seven US regional terminals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Chemicals (Heat Transfer Fluids & Antifreeze)

NAICS

Petrochemical Manufacturing (32511), Basic Chemical Manufacturing (3251), Chemical Manufacturing (325), Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (3259)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Alcohols & Glycols (Commodity Grade) (IMAEAAAK)

Keywords

• Heat transfer fluids
• Antifreeze coolant products
• Industrial chemical manufacturing
• Glycol based fluids
• Chemical distribution services

Headquarters

HQ city

Allston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Heat Transfer Fluids: Sale of inhibited glycol products including propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, and ethanol-based fluids under brand names SAFE-T-THERM®, WINTREX®, and GeoSafe® for HVAC, geothermal, food processing, and industrial applications. Products sold in drum, tote, and bulk quantities.
2. Antifreeze/Coolants: Automotive and heavy-duty antifreeze products under Pah|Nol®, SECURITY®, GREEN MOUNTAIN®, and MacGuard® brands for fleet and individual vehicle protection.
3. Chemical Services: Bulk fleet delivery, laboratory testing, blending, and warehousing services. Includes glycol analysis (standard and extensive), glycol removal and disposal, filtration, and re-inhibition services. Services offered on a contract basis.
4. Glycol Analysis: Laboratory analysis services for glycol system maintenance including freeze point, pH, reserve alkalinity, glycol type, and visual analysis. Free for systems containing 250 gallons or more of Houghton product.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Houghton Chemical Corporation manufactures and distributes proprietary inhibited glycol-based heat transfer fluids (propylene glycol under SAFE-T-THERM®, ethylene glycol under WINTREX®, and ethanol-based fluids under GeoSafe®) and automotive/heavy-duty antifreeze and coolant products (Pah|Nol®, SECURITY®, GREEN MOUNTAIN®, MacGuard®). The company sells these physical chemical products in drum, tote, and bulk quantities and complements them with chemical services including laboratory glycol analysis, glycol removal and disposal, blending, and warehousing.

Product overview

Houghton Chemical Division is a family-owned chemical manufacturing and distribution company that offers a comprehensive portfolio of heat transfer fluids and antifreeze/coolant products, complemented by chemical services. The heat transfer fluid product lines include SAFE-T-THERM® (proprietary inhibited propylene glycol products including GRAS for food-safe applications, HD for heavy duty HVAC, AL for aluminum systems, LC 25 for data centers, PDO BioGreen for 1,3-propanediol applications, R for reclaimed glycol, and N with nitrite), WINTREX® (inhibited ethylene glycol products including standard, HD, and N formulations), and GeoSafe® (geothermal ethanol-based fluid). The antifreeze/coolant portfolio includes Pah|Nol® and SECURITY® brand extended life products, plus GREEN MOUNTAIN® non-toxic formulations. Chemical services include glycol analysis, glycol removal and disposal, and bulk delivery/blending/warehousing. The company sells physical chemical products through traditional distribution channels, not as a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SAFE-T-THERM®: Proprietary inhibited propylene glycol heat transfer fluid product line including GRAS, HD, HD Biobased, AL, LC 25, N, PDO BioGreen, and R variants.
• WINTREX®
• GeoSafe®
• Pah|Nol®
• SECURITY®
• MacGuard®
• PUROBROM®
• PUROCIDE®

Products and services

• SAFE-T-THERM® GRAS
• SAFE-T-THERM® GRAS Biobased
• SAFE-T-THERM® HD
• SAFE-T-THERM® HD Biobased
• SAFE-T-THERM® LC 25
• SAFE-T-THERM® AL
• SAFE-T-THERM® R
• SAFE-T-THERM® PDO BioGreen
• SAFE-T-THERM® N
• GeoSafe® Geothermal Fluid
• WINTREX®
• WINTREX® HD
• WINTREX® N
• Pah|Nol® Gold
• Pah|Nol® Gold Automotive
• SECURITY® Extended Life
• SECURITY® Heavy Duty
• GREEN MOUNTAIN® Non-Toxic
• SECURITY® Scrub
• Glycol Analysis Service
• Glycol Removal & Disposal Services
• Bulk Fleet, Laboratory, Blending and Warehousing Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 85,000 gallons delivered in under five days
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Association of Water Technologies (AWT)coreOthersActive membership and recognition as Supplier of the Year in 2008. Industry association for water treatment professionals where Houghton participates as glycol supplier.
• ASTM InternationalcoreOthersTechnical standards organization participation. Company is led by ASTM Fellow Chemist in antifreeze division, indicating active involvement in standards development.
• NSF InternationalcoreOthersProduct certification for food equipment. SAFE-T-THERM® products are NSF approved as HT1, HT2, HTX1, and HTX2 for incidental food contact applications.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)coreOthersSAFE-T-THERM® GRAS products are Generally Recognized As Safe under FDA guidelines for systems with incidental food or potable contact.
• International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA)supportingTechnology or IntegrationIndustry association for geothermal systems where GeoSafe® products are utilized in ground source heat pump applications.
• International Institute of Refrigeration (IIAR)supportingTechnology or IntegrationRefrigeration industry association supporting ammonia and natural refrigeration. Products support industrial refrigeration applications.
• Retail Energy Association (RETA)supportingTechnology or IntegrationIndustry association for retail energy professionals. Houghton products support HVAC and refrigeration needs in retail environments.
• National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD)supportingOthersTrade association for chemical distribution industry representing industry standards and best practices.
• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) / LEEDsupportingTechnology or IntegrationSAFE-T-THERM® Biobased products can contribute to LEED Innovation credits for green building certifications.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Eastman Chemical Company: Producer of Therminol heat transfer fluids serving industrial process heating and cooling. Overlaps with Houghton's industrial process fluid offerings, though Eastman skews more toward high-temperature synthetic fluids.
• Clariant: Specialty chemicals manufacturer selling Antifrogen inhibited glycol heat transfer fluids in Europe and globally. Directly comparable product line to Houghton's WINTREX/SAFE-T-THERM, targeting similar HVAC and industrial cooling end users.
• Dow Inc. Global chemical giant that produces Dowfrost and Dowcal inhibited glycol heat transfer fluids directly competing with Houghton's SAFE-T-THERM and WINTREX lines. Houghton even partners with Dow on aircraft deicing fluid shipments, underscoring overlapping product portfolios and customer overlap.
• BASF: World's largest chemical company offering Glytherma and other glycol-based heat transfer fluids. Competes with Houghton across commercial HVAC and industrial process cooling, with vastly greater global distribution and R&D resources.

Direct peers

• Dynalene Inc. US-based specialty heat transfer fluids company offering custom-formulated glycol and non-glycol fluids for HVAC, solar, and process cooling. Closest mid-market competitor to Houghton in formulation customization and direct customer engagement.
• Recochem Inc. Canadian manufacturer of heat transfer fluids, antifreeze, and specialty chemicals serving North American HVAC, automotive, and industrial markets. Highly comparable in scale, product mix, and customer profile to Houghton.
• Prestone Products: Iconic US antifreeze and coolant brand under Old World Industries, selling through retail and automotive channels. Direct rival for Houghton's Pah|Nol and SECURITY antifreeze products in fleet and consumer segments.
• Old World Industries (Peak Antifreeze): Family-influenced US antifreeze and coolant producer selling Peak, Prestone, and BlueDevil brands. Directly comparable to Houghton's Pah|Nol, SECURITY, and MacGuard antifreeze lines in automotive and fleet channels.
• Radco Industries (Radtherm): US specialty heat transfer fluid manufacturer producing Radtherm inhibited glycol and synthetic fluids. A focused mid-sized competitor targeting similar HVAC, chillers, and process cooling end users as Houghton.

Emerging players

• Paratherm (Heat Transfer Fluid Specialist): Niche heat transfer fluid specialist focused on non-glycol and glycol-based thermal fluids for industrial processes. Overlaps with Houghton's industrial process cooling applications but with narrower product breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/houghtonchem
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/HoughtonChemical
• Facebookfacebook.com/houghtonchemical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/houghton-chemical-corporation

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Houghton Chemical Division