Mullen Circle Brand
Mullen Circle Brand, founded in 1912 and headquartered in Skokie, Illinois, is a privately held specialty blender of industrial lubricants, metalworking fluids, rust preventives, and cleaners. It sells primarily through industrial distributors and direct field sales to U.S. manufacturing and elevator/escalator maintenance customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1912
- HeadquartersSkokie, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Mullen Circle Brand does
Mullen Circle Brand, Inc. is a privately held specialty blender of industrial lubricants, metalworking fluids, rust preventives, and cleaners, founded in 1912 and headquartered at 3514 West Touhy Avenue in Skokie, Illinois. The company's product platform is organized around three flagship technology lines: (1) the Circle Cut #729 family of sulfur- and chlorine-free neat cutting oils built on a proprietary phosphorous complex that the company reports outperforms chlorinated cutting oils up to 15% by weight of chlorine, with Circle Draw #729 extending the same chemistry into metalforming; (2) the Shurcool #600/#700/#800 and Supercool #3000 bio-stable semi-synthetic and synthetic coolants, marketed for combining oil lubricity with water cooling and extended fluid life; and (3) WC Grinding Oils for carbide and high-speed-steel grinding. A broader general line covers air tool, compressor, hydraulic, way, spindle, gear, and worm-gear oils, plus rust preventives (#300 dry-film, #500 self-healing, water-soluble) and industrial cleaners (#1800 solvent series, citrus, detergent). Blending capabilities span petroleum blends up to 10,000 SUS @ 100°F and synthetic blends up to 50,000 SUS @ 100°F.
The business model is overwhelmingly B2B and channel-driven. Mullen sells through a recruited industrial distributor network (with named outlets such as Groves Industrial and Bass Tool in Houston) and direct field sales targeting the Southern Wisconsin and Chicago area markets. Quote-based pricing is the norm; container formats range from quarts and gallons to 5-gallon pails, 16/30/55-gallon drums, and 275/330-gallon totes, with free local delivery on a one-drum minimum and most orders shipping in 1–2 days. Ancillary services — product consolidation, custom formulating, toll blending, oil analysis, waste oil/coolant pickup, and dispensing equipment distribution — create recurring, account-embedded revenue beyond commodity fluid sales. The company also runs a 40-year franchise in the elevator and escalator vertical (hydraulic, worm gear, chain/cable, and dash-pot/buffer oils) and lists consumer-accessible SKUs such as Foamy Cutting Fluid on Amazon and eBay. Leadership is Ken Reed (President), and the company shows no subsidiaries, no VC/PE sponsorship, and no public disclosure of revenue or headcount.
Mullen Circle Brand firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mullen Circle Brand
- Legal name
- Mullen Circle Brand, Inc.
- Website
- https://mullenoil.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1912
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Mullen Circle Brand, founded in 1912 and headquartered in Skokie, Illinois, is a privately held specialty blender of industrial lubricants, metalworking fluids, rust preventives, and cleaners. It sells primarily through industrial distributors and direct field sales to U.S. manufacturing and elevator/escalator maintenance customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mullen Circle Brand industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Lubricants
- NAICS
- Petroleum Lubricating Oil and Grease Manufacturing (324191), All Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (32599)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Packaging, Filling & Private Label / Contract Manufacturing (EUALAJAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Fuel Additives & Lubricant Additives (IMAEAMAL)
Keywords
Where Mullen Circle Brand is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Skokie
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Mullen Circle Brand business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Industrial Lubricant Sales: Sale of industrial lubricants, metalworking fluids, rust preventives, and cleaners through distributor network and direct sales. Products sold in various container sizes including quarts, gallons, 5-gallon pails, 16/30/55 gallon drums, and 275/330 gallon totes.
- Custom Blending and Toll Blending Services: Custom formulating and toll blending services for specialized industrial lubricant requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Container size-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Mullen Circle Brand product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mullen Circle Brand manufactures and blends industrial lubricants, metalworking fluids, rust preventives, and industrial cleaners for manufacturing and elevator/escalator customers. The company operates as a blender, selling core product lines such as Circle Cut #729, Circle Draw #729, Shurcool #800 bio-stable semi-synthetic coolants, and WC Grinding Oils in container sizes ranging from quarts to 330-gallon totes, and offers custom formulating, toll blending, and oil analysis services.
Product overview
Mullen Circle Brand is a manufacturer of industrial lubricants, metalworking fluids, rust preventives, and cleaners founded in 1912. The company operates as a blender and offers products across three main categories: (1) Cutting and Grinding Oils including the flagship Circle Cut #729 (sulfur/chlorine-free cutting oil) and Circle Draw #729 (metalforming oils); (2) Coolants including Shurcool #600/700/800 semi-synthetic and synthetic lines plus Supercool #3000; and (3) EEZ Products hand-applied and flood-applied industrial lubricants. Additional offerings include elevator-specific lubricants (hydraulic oil, worm gear oil, chain/cable fluid), rust preventives (#300, #500, water soluble series), industrial cleaners, and comprehensive industrial lubricant lines (air tool oil, compressor oil, hydraulic oil, gear oil, way oil, spindle oil, greases). The company provides customization services including product consolidation, custom formulating, toll blending, and oil analysis. All petroleum blends available up to 10,000 SUS @ 100F; synthetic blends up to 50,000 SUS @ 100F.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EEZ Products: Product line featuring Foamy Cutting Fluid, Tuf Tap, Insted-a-Led, Micro Max, Cool Aid, Ultrafinish, Safetee Cut, Thread Cut Cutting Oils, White Kut Soluble Oil, Clean Wheel Synthetic Coolants, Cost Cut Synthetic Coolants, Delta #900 Bio-Stable Coolants, Saw Cut #683, Way Oils, Hydraulic Oil, Spindle Oil, Gear Oil, Compressor Oil, Synlube products, Saver Chain & Cable Fluid, XP Rust Preventives, and Grease products.
- Circle Cut #729
- Circle Draw #729
- Shurcool #800 Bio-Stable Semi-Synthetic Coolants
- WC Grinding Oils
Products and services
- Circle Cut #729
Quantifiable outcome
- Circle Cut #729 outperforms any chlorinated cutting oil up to 15% by weight of chlorine while avoiding health, safety, environmental and disposal problems associated with chlorine
Companies that use Mullen Circle Brand
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Mullen Circle Brand technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Mullen Circle Brand partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Groves Industrial (Houston)minorIndustrial distributor in Houston that stocks and sells Mullen Circle Brand products including Foamy Cutting Fluid. Customers can purchase products at this distributor location.
- Bass Tool (Houston)minorIndustrial tool distributor in Houston that carries Foamy Cutting Fluid from Mullen Circle Brand.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mullen Circle Brand competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CLC Lubricants: CLC Lubricants is a direct competitor of Mullen Circle Brand, explicitly listed in Mullen's own competitor cross-reference guide. Both companies serve industrial lubricant and metalworking fluid customers in the US market with overlapping product portfolios.
- Tower Oil & Technology: Tower Oil is a direct competitor named on Mullen's competitor cross-reference page. Tower manufactures and supplies industrial lubricants, metalworking fluids, and specialty oils to manufacturing customers, directly overlapping Mullen's core offering.
- Lubriplate Lubricants: Lubriplate is a direct competitor referenced in Mullen's cross-reference guides. Lubriplate specializes in industrial lubricants including machine oils, gear oils, and metalworking fluids, serving overlapping manufacturing customer segments.
- Qualichem: Qualichem is a direct competitor in metalworking fluids and specialty industrial lubricants, focused on machining and grinding fluids for precision manufacturing. Both companies serve similar CNC machining and grinding customer use cases.
- Condat: Condat is a specialty metalworking fluids manufacturer with comparable neat oils, soluble oils, and synthetic coolants. Both companies address similar industrial metalworking lubricant needs across machining and forming applications.
Broad incumbents
- Fuchs Lubricants: Fuchs is a broad incumbent industrial lubricant major named on Mullen's competitor cross-reference. Fuchs offers a comprehensive portfolio including industrial oils, metalworking fluids, and specialty lubricants, competing across Mullen's full product line with substantially greater scale.
- Castrol Industrial: Castrol is a global industrial lubricant major offering metalworking fluids, cutting oils, and specialty industrial lubricants. Castrol serves the same manufacturing customer base as Mullen but operates at much greater scale across geographies.
- Mobil Industrial Lubricants (ExxonMobil): Mobil is a broad incumbent and named competitor cross-reference for Mullen. ExxonMobil's industrial lubricants business spans hydraulic oils, gear oils, and metalworking fluids, directly overlapping Mullen's industrial lubricant range with vastly greater resources.
- Shell Lubricants: Shell is a named competitor cross-reference for Mullen and one of the world's largest lubricant companies. Shell offers industrial lubricants, metalworking fluids, and greases that overlap directly with Mullen's full product portfolio.
- Citgo Lubricants: Citgo is a broad incumbent and named competitor cross-reference for Mullen, producing industrial lubricants, cutting oils, and metalworking fluids. Citgo serves manufacturing customers across the US with a much broader product and distribution footprint than Mullen.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Mullen Circle Brand social profiles
Digital presenceMullen Circle Brand financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mullen Circle Brand leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Mullen Circle Brand funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mullen Circle Brand 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 Mullen Circle Brand
What does Mullen Circle Brand do?
Mullen Circle Brand manufactures and blends industrial lubricants, metalworking fluids, rust preventives, and industrial cleaners for manufacturing and elevator/escalator customers. The company operates as a blender, selling core product lines such as Circle Cut #729, Circle Draw #729, Shurcool #800 bio-stable semi-synthetic coolants, and WC Grinding Oils in container sizes ranging from quarts to 330-gallon totes, and offers custom formulating, toll blending, and oil analysis services.
Is Mullen Circle Brand a public or private company?
Mullen Circle Brand is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Mullen Circle Brand founded?
Mullen Circle Brand was founded in 1912. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mullen Circle Brand based?
Mullen Circle Brand is headquartered in Skokie, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mullen Circle Brand make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Industrial Lubricant Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Blending and Toll Blending Services.
Who are Mullen Circle Brand's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CLC Lubricants, Tower Oil & Technology, Lubriplate Lubricants, Qualichem and Condat. Broad incumbents are Fuchs Lubricants, Castrol Industrial, Mobil Industrial Lubricants (ExxonMobil), Shell Lubricants and Citgo Lubricants.
Does Mullen Circle Brand have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mullen Circle Brand.
What industry is Mullen Circle Brand in?
Mullen Circle Brand's product category is Industrial Lubricants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUALAJAD, Packaging, Filling & Private Label / Contract Manufacturing, with a secondary code of IMAEAMAL, Fuel Additives & Lubricant Additives. Its NAICS code is 324191 and its SIC code is 2890.