Sea-Land Chemical Co.

What Sea-Land Chemical Co. does

Sea-Land Chemical Company is a North American specialty chemical distributor founded in 1964 in Cleveland, Ohio and operating as a 100% employee-owned ESOP since 1990. The company sources specialty chemical additives and raw ingredients from a portfolio of 25+ Tier 1 global manufacturers — including BASF, Evonik, Chevron Phillips Chemical, LANXESS, Advancion, Dow, Sonneborn, Seppic, and Si Group — and distributes them to industrial formulators across ten market segments, with Lubricants (347 products) as the primary segment, followed by HI&I cleaning (181 products), Grease, Automotive Care, Agriculture, Water Treatment, CASE, Chemical Intermediates, Construction, Personal Care, and Plastics.

The company's technical platform centers on an in-house Application Lab and formulation services, augmented by TribSys LLC (acquired in 2014), which provides tribological testing for industrial lubricant companies. Sea-Land operates a field-based enterprise sales motion with regional account managers covering every major US territory, dedicated industry managers for Lubricants and HI&I, business development coverage of the Gulf Region and Mexico, and VP-level Corporate Account executives. Pricing is quote-based with no e-commerce or self-service channels; revenue is generated through product margin on specialty chemical sales.

Commercially, Sea-Land positions itself as a technically credible distribution partner rather than a transactional reseller, leveraging NACD Responsible Distribution certification (since 1992), ISO 9001:2015 certification (2015), and ACD Responsible Distribution certification (2023) as compliance differentiators. The firm ended the 2010s ranked 29th largest chemical distributor in North America by ICIS, expanded into Canada via Sea-Land Chemical Canada, Ltd. in the early 2010s, and most recently announced a distribution agreement with Carpenter Co. in December 2025 alongside the promotion of John Kivi to SVP of Commercial Excellence in January 2026.

Name

Sea-Land Chemical Co.

Legal name

Sea-Land Chemical Company

Website

https://sealandchem.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sea-Land Chemical Co. is a 100% employee-owned North American specialty chemical distributor, founded 1964 in Cleveland, Ohio, serving industrial formulators across lubricants, HI&I, automotive care, water treatment, and other verticals with additives from 25+ Tier 1 manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemical Distribution

NAICS

Other Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (42469)

SIC

Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Treatment & Process Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Commodity Surfactants & Detergent Base Chemicals (IMAEAAAI)

Keywords

• Specialty chemical distribution
• Chemical additives supply
• Industrial lubricant additives
• Water treatment chemicals
• CASE coatings additives

Headquarters

HQ city

Middlewich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Specialty Chemical Distribution: Sea-Land distributes specialty chemical additives and raw materials sourced from manufacturer partners to industrial customers across multiple market segments including lubricants, HI&I, automotive care, agriculture, water treatment, CASE, construction, personal care, and plastics. Revenue generated through product margin on specialty chemical sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sea-Land Chemical Co. is a specialty chemical distributor that sources additives and specialty chemicals from global manufacturers and resells them to industrial formulators across more than 10 market segments, including lubricants, grease, HI&I, automotive care, water treatment, agriculture, CASE, plastics, personal care, and chemical intermediates. The company is supported by in-house application and formulation laboratories and is 100% employee-owned through an ESOP.

Product overview

Sea-Land Chemical Company is a specialty chemical distributor offering an extensive portfolio of chemical additives and ingredients across multiple market segments including Lubricants (347 products), HI&I Household/Industrial/Institutional cleaning (181 products), Grease, Automotive Care, Agriculture, Water Treatment, CASE Coatings/Adhesives/Sealants/Elastomers, Chemical Intermediates, Construction, Personal Care, and Plastics. Their product portfolio includes branded sub-products from major suppliers such as BASF (ACROFLOR®), Evonik (TOMADOL®, TOMAMINE®, TEGO®), Chevron Phillips Chemical (Synfluid® PAO, AlphaPlus®), Si Group (ETHANOX™, ETHAFLOW™), Lanxess (BAYPURE®, BAYHIBIT®), Seppic (SIMULSOL™, SEPIMAX ZEN™), and proprietary products including NIONIC™ surfactants and CORRGUARD™ metalworking fluid additives. They also offer formulation lab services and technical expertise for product development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lubricant Additives
• Grease Additives
• Automotive Care Chemicals
• Water Treatment Chemicals
• Agricultural Chemicals
• CASE Additives (Coatings, Adhesives, Sealants, Elastomers)
• Plastic Additives
• Personal Care Chemicals
• Chemical Intermediates
• HI&I Chemicals (Household, Industrial & Institutional)
• Construction Chemicals
• Tribology Testing and Formulation Support In-house application and formulation laboratory services with tribology testing capabilities, supporting customer formulation development across served market segments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 29th largest chemical distributor in North America (ICIS ranking)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Carpenter Co.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 December 2025Sea-Land Chemical Company announced a distribution agreement with Carpenter Co. in December 2025, expanding the company's product portfolio and distribution reach in the specialty chemical market.
• BASF CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership formed during the 2000s with one of the largest chemical manufacturers in the world. Sea-Land distributes BASF specialty chemical products across North American markets.
• Advancion Chemical CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey supplier partnership (formerly ANGUS Chemical Company) established during the 2000s expansion. Advancion is a leading manufacturer of specialty chemicals including amino alcohols and performance additives.
• Chevron Phillips Chemical CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor supplier partnership formed during 2000s with global chemical manufacturer. Sea-Land distributes Chevron Phillips specialty products including AlphaPlus alpha olefins and Synfluid PAO base stocks.
• LANXESS CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey supplier partnership established during 2000s expansion with major specialty chemicals company. Products include BAYPURE chelating agents and BAYHIBIT scale inhibitors.
• Evonik CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor supplier partner providing extensive portfolio of specialty chemicals including surfactants (TOMADOL, TOMAMINE, REWOFERM product lines), silicone quaternaries, and specialty additives. Evonik products represent the largest share of Sea-Land's product catalog.
• DowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership with global materials science company for specialty chemical distribution including DOWICIL biocides.
• SonnebornmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for white oils, petrolatums, and specialty petroleum products including KAYDOL, MULTIWAX, and SEMTOL product lines.
• Emery OleochemicalsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for oleochemicals including EMEROX azelaic acids, EMERY fatty acids, and RADIA esters used in lubricants, coatings, and personal care applications.
• SeppicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for specialty ingredients including SIMULSOL alkylpolyglucosides, SEPIMAX polymers, and SOLAGUM thickeners for cleaning and personal care formulations.
• Si GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for antioxidant and specialty additive products including ETHANOX antioxidants and ETHAFLOW lubricity additives for lubricants and greases.
• Daubert Chemical CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for corrosion inhibitors and rust preventatives including SACI product line for metalworking fluids and industrial applications.
• IngevitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for biobased chemicals including Diacid dicarboxylic acids and specialty intermediates for metalworking fluids and cleaning applications.
• OleonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for oleochemicals including RADIASURF ester base oils, RADIALUBE triol esters, and RADIACID dimer acids for lubricants and coatings.
• INEOS InovynmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for chlorinated paraffins including Cereclor products used in metalworking fluids and greases.
• TPC GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for polyisobutylene (PIB) products including TPC 1285, TPC 1350, and TPC 175 used in lubricants, greases, and CASE applications.
• Vaport, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for specialty oils and tallow products including Tallow 44-degree and Tallow Soft for agriculture and industrial applications.
• DICminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for specialty chemicals used in metalworking fluid and grease applications.
• BorregaardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for Exilva microfibrillated cellulose products used as rheology modifiers in various applications.
• AquapharmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for Aquacid organophosphate products used as chelating agents and scale inhibitors in water treatment and agriculture.
• Hexion, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for Versatic acids and specialty resin products used in metalworking fluids and construction applications.
• Kao Chemicals GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for specialty surfactant and cleaning ingredients.
• AemedsaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for specialty chemical products.
• EnviroZymeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier partnership for bio-based cleaning solutions and bacterial concentrate products for odor control and grease degradation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Barentz International: Specialty chemical distributor serving food, personal care, pharmaceuticals, and industrial markets across Europe, North America, and beyond. Comparable to Sea-Land in its focus on specialty ingredients, technical sales support, and partnerships with major chemical manufacturers.
• Hawkins, Inc. US-based specialty chemical distributor serving water treatment, industrial, and food markets with technical expertise. Comparable to Sea-Land in North American focus, specialty chemicals portfolio, and segment-based sales organization.
• Caldic: Global specialty chemical distributor serving personal care, food, HI&I, and industrial markets with formulation support. Comparable to Sea-Land in vertical market segmentation, supplier partnerships with major manufacturers, and value-added technical services for customers.
• TER Group (Helm AG): International specialty chemical distribution group with strong presence in life sciences, industrial chemicals, and feed/food. Comparable to Sea-Land in its specialty distribution model, supplier partnership approach, and focus on technical market segments.
• Azelis: Global specialty chemical distributor organized around market segments including personal care, HI&I, lubricants, and CASE. Highly comparable to Sea-Land in the application-focused, supplier-partnership-driven distribution model and vertical segmentation strategy.
• IMCD N.V. Leading global specialty chemical distributor focused on formulation-driven sales of additives and ingredients across personal care, lubricants, HI&I, and industrial markets. Directly comparable to Sea-Land's specialty distribution model, supplier portfolio approach, and technical-support-led GTM motion.

Broad incumbents

• Stepan Company: Specialty chemical manufacturer of surfactants, polymers, and specialty products for personal care, HI&I, and industrial markets. Adjacent to Sea-Land's HI&I and personal care distribution activities—serves overlapping customers but operates as a manufacturer rather than distributor.
• Chase Corporation: Specialty chemicals manufacturer serving industrial, electronic, and construction markets with protective materials and chemical formulations. Comparable in serving industrial and CASE end markets that overlap with Sea-Land's distribution segments, but operates as a manufacturer rather than distributor.
• Brenntag: Global market leader in chemical distribution with extensive specialty chemicals offerings across lubricants, personal care, HI&I, and industrial markets. Comparable to Sea-Land as a specialty chemical distributor serving overlapping end markets, but with global scale, broader product lines, and stronger digital infrastructure.
• Univar Solutions: One of the largest chemical distributors in North America, offering a broad portfolio of specialty and commodity chemicals across industrial markets. Comparable to Sea-Land in core distribution activity and customer base, but with significantly larger scale, broader geographic reach, and a more diversified product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sea-land-chemical-co-

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Sea-Land Chemical Co.