What Taber Industries does

Taber Industries is a privately held, vertically integrated manufacturer founded in 1941 and headquartered in North Tonawanda, NY, with approximately 90 employees. The company designs and produces precision materials testing instruments, pressure transducers, and low-tonnage presses across three operating divisions: Materials Test & Measurement, Taber Transducer, and Kenco Press. Its portfolio centers on abrasion, wear, scratch, mar, and stiffness testing equipment, anchored by the flagship Taber Abraser platform introduced in 1941 and extended through linear and reciprocating abraser variants, the V-5 Stiffness Tester, and associated consumables.

Underlying technology is precision electromechanical: calibrated wheel-based abrasion mechanisms, controlled reciprocating and linear motion platforms, and pressure transducer signal-conditioning hardware, all manufactured in-house under a 100% vertical-integration model. The company holds ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation for calibration and ISO 9001:2015 certification, and its test methodologies are referenced in international standards published by ASTM, ISO, and EN — most recently including ASTM D8380 for smart-device abrasion testing.

Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) capital-equipment sales of instruments and transducers to aerospace and defense, industrial process control, higher education, quality assurance labs, and manufacturing R&D customers; (2) recurring consumables revenue from proprietary Taber Wheels and Wearasers that fit only Taber instruments; and (3) repair, calibration, and accredited testing services. Distribution is executed primarily through a global authorized-dealer network, with no evidence of a direct enterprise sales motion or subscription/software component.

Name

Taber Industries

Legal name

Taber Industries

Website

https://taberindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Taber Industries is a privately held, 100% vertically integrated manufacturer of precision materials testing instruments, pressure transducers, and low-tonnage presses, founded in 1941 and serving aerospace, industrial, academic, and QA lab customers worldwide via hardware sales, proprietary consumables, and accredited calibration services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Materials Test and Measurement Instruments

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches) (IMAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Test, Measurement & Calibration Equipment Manufacturing Services (ATE, DAQ, metrology electronics) (IMAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Abrasion testing instruments
• Materials test measurement
• Pressure transducers manufacturing
• Stiffness testing equipment
• Abrasive wheels consumables

Headquarters

HQ city

North Tonawanda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Materials Testing Instruments and Equipment: Design, manufacture, and sale of precision test instruments including the Taber Abraser, Linear Abraser, Reciprocating Abraser, Stiffness Testers, Scratch/Mar Testers, and associated accessories. Products are sold directly and through authorized distributors globally.
2. Repair, Calibration, and Testing Services: Calibration and repair services for Taber instruments. Calibration is performed to factory requirements per tolerances stated on applicable certificates. Taber is ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited by Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation (accreditation number 102863). Testing services include 3rd party paid testing and demonstration testing at no charge.
3. Proprietary Consumables (Taber Wheels and Wearasers): Sale of proprietary abradant wheels and Wearasers — silicon carbide or aluminum oxide abrasives in resilient or vitrified binder. Available exclusively through authorized Taber distributors, identifiable by security labels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Taber Industries designs, manufactures, and services precision materials testing and measurement instruments—including the flagship Taber Abraser rotary platform abrader, Linear Abraser, Reciprocating Abraser, Stiffness Testers, and Scratch/Mar Testers—along with proprietary consumables (Taber Wheels and Wearasers). The company also supplies high-reliability pressure transducers through its Taber Transducer division and low-tonnage mechanical stamping presses through Kenco Press. All instruments are proprietary designs manufactured in a 100% vertically integrated facility in North Tonawanda, NY, complemented by ISO/IEC 17025:2017-accredited calibration, repair, and third-party testing services.

Product overview

Taber Industries operates as a Materials Test & Measurement Division and is a global leader in precision test instruments for evaluating physical properties of materials. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of testing equipment centered around abrasion and surface wear testing (Taber Abraser rotary platform and Linear Abraser models), scratch/mar resistance testing (Shear/Scratch Tester and Multi-Finger Scratch/Mar Tester), and stiffness/bending measurement (V-5 Stiffness Tester and Fabric Stiffness Tester). These core products are supported by essential accessories including the Grit Feeder, Wheel Refacer, Sample Cutter, and proprietary Abrading Wheels/Wearasers. Taber also offers associated product lines through two acquired divisions: Taber Transducer (pressure measurement transducers acquired 1955) serving aerospace and industrial markets, and Kenco Press (low tonnage mechanical presses acquired 1967) serving manufacturing applications. All Taber instruments are proprietary designs manufactured exclusively at the company's factory in North Tonawanda, NY.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Materials Test & Measurement Division: Global leader for the design and manufacture of high quality, affordable test instruments for evaluating physical properties of materials, including abrasion, scratch, mar, and stiffness testing equipment.
• Taber Transducer
• Kenco Press

Products and services

• Taber Rotary Platform Abraser (Model 5130/5150, 5135/5155, 1700/1750) Taber's flagship abrasion testing instrument that uses rotating abrasive wheels to simulate wear on materials. Used to evaluate the durability of surfaces including coatings, laminates, and finishes across aerospace, manufacturing, R&D, and QA laboratories.
• Taber Linear Abraser (Model 5750, 5770, 5800) Reciprocating linear abrasion tester that moves test specimens against abrasive materials in a back-and-forth motion for wear evaluation of materials and finished products.
• Taber Reciprocating Abraser (Model 5900) Reciprocating abrasion testing instrument for evaluating material wear resistance through linear back-and-forth motion.
• Taber Oscillating Abraser (Model 6160) Oscillating abrasion tester for evaluating material durability through controlled oscillatory motion with abrasive media.
• Taber V-5 Stiffness Tester (Model 150-B, 150-E, 150-T) Precision instrument for measuring the bending stiffness and resiliency of materials including paper, plastic, film, foil, and non-wovens.
• Taber Shear/Scratch Tester (Model 550, 551) Instrument for evaluating resistance to shear and scratch damage on material surfaces.
• Taber Multi-Finger Scratch/Mar Tester (Model 710) Scratch and mar resistance tester using multiple contact points to evaluate surface damage.
• Taber Abrading Wheels and Wearasers Proprietary abrasive wheels and Wearasers containing silicon carbide or aluminum oxide particles in resilient or vitrified binder. Essential consumables for Taber abrasion testing, identifiable by security label and available exclusively through authorized Taber distributors.
• Crockmeter Instrument for testing color transfer and crocking resistance of dyed or printed fabrics and materials.
• Falling Sand Abrasion Tester Abrasion tester that uses falling sand particles to evaluate material wear resistance.
• Oscillating Sand Abrasion Tester Abrasion tester using oscillating sand exposure for evaluating material durability.
• Webbing Abrasion Tester Tester for evaluating abrasion resistance of webbing, strapping, and narrow fabrics.
• Wire/Cable Scrape Tester Instrument for testing scrape and abrasion resistance of wire and cable insulation and jackets.
• Magnetic Stripe Tester Tester for evaluating the wear resistance of magnetic stripe cards and cards with magnetic coatings.
• Multi-Media Abraser Abrasion testing system capable of using multiple types of abrasive media for diverse material testing applications.
• Flexible Materials Abrasion Tester Specialized abrasion tester for evaluating flexible materials including films, fabrics, and elastomers.
• Heavy Duty Linear Abraser High-capacity linear abrasion tester for materials requiring greater testing forces.
• Fabric Stiffness Tester Instrument for measuring the stiffness properties of fabrics and textile materials.
• Torsional Stiffness Apparatus Device for measuring torsional stiffness properties of materials through rotational testing.
• Optical Micrometer Precision optical measurement instrument for dimensional measurement in testing applications.
• Taber Transducer Pressure Measurement Products Bonded foil strain gage pressure transducers engineered for high-reliability environments and demanding industrial markets including space, satellite aerospace, military applications, oil and gas, and marine. Product line acquired in 1955 from Fredric Flader, Inc.
• Kenco Press Low Tonnage Mechanical Stamping Presses Low tonnage mechanical stamping presses (3 to 5 tons of force) designed for applications requiring compact, reliable presses. Acquired in 1967.
• Taber Calibration, Repair, and Testing Services ISO/IEC 17025:2017-accredited calibration and repair services for Taber instruments, performed to factory requirements per applicable certificates. Includes 3rd party paid testing and demonstration testing. Calibration certificate L23-412 and Testing Lab certificate L23-413 under accreditation number 102863 from Perry Johnson Laboratory Accreditation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Taber instruments are referenced in numerous international test methods (e.g., EN 13329, ISO 24338, ASTM D8380, ASTM B1023)

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Authorized Independent Resellers and DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTaber Industries utilizes a global network of independent authorized resellers and distributors for product sales and customer support. These partners have extensive knowledge of Taber instruments and provide local sales, service, and technical support to customers internationally.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Instron: A subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works and one of the largest global manufacturers of materials testing instruments (tensile, fatigue, impact, hardness). Comparable because Instron competes directly with Taber's materials test and measurement business across abrasion and stiffness categories while offering broader capabilities.
• Sensata Technologies: A large public sensor manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, industrial, and heavy vehicle markets with pressure, position, and force sensors. Comparable to Taber's Transducer division as a much larger incumbent competing for the same mission-critical pressure measurement applications.
• MTS Systems: Global supplier of mechanical testing and simulation systems, including servohydraulic and electromechanical test systems. Comparable to Taber as a larger incumbent in the broader materials testing space with overlap on stiffness, fatigue, and durability evaluation.
• ZwickRoell: A privately held German manufacturer of materials and component testing systems serving plastics, metals, automotive, and medical industries. Overlaps with Taber in stiffness and surface durability testing and competes globally for the same industrial QC budgets.
• BYK-Gardner (part of ALTANA): Manufacturer of testing and inspection instruments for coatings, plastics, and appearance evaluation, including scratch and mar testers. Direct competitor to Taber's Shear/Scratch and Multi-Finger Scratch/Mar Tester product lines within the same QA applications.

Direct peers

• Elcometer: A UK-based manufacturer of coating, surface finish, and inspection instruments used widely in industrial QA. Comparable to Taber because Elcometer supplies abrasion, scratch, and coating-test equipment and consumables to overlapping end markets including aerospace and consumer electronics.
• Sheen Instruments: UK-based manufacturer of laboratory and production test equipment for paints, coatings, and inks, including washability, scrub, and abrasion testers. Comparable niche specialty manufacturer competing with Taber in coating QA testing applications.
• Erichsen: German manufacturer of test instruments for surface technology, including abrasion, scratch, and cupping tests on coatings and sheet metal. Comparable to Taber's wear/abrasion and scratch product lines for similar industrial QA and R&D customers.
• Tinius Olsen: A specialist manufacturer of mechanical testing equipment (tensile, hardness, impact, stiffness) for materials and metals. Closely comparable to Taber's Materials Test & Measurement Division in customer base, niche scale, and product positioning.

Others

• Kenco Press (in-house brand): Taber's own wholly owned subsidiary selling low-tonnage mechanical stamping presses (3–5 ton range). Listed for completeness as a recognized sub-brand rather than an external peer; included to indicate the limited standalone peer set for the Kenco Press product line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Taber Industries