What Blackburn Chemicals does

Blackburn Chemicals Limited is a UK-based, family-owned specialty chemical manufacturer founded in 1972 in Blackburn, Lancashire, and currently led by Managing Director John Covill (in role since 2016). The company develops and sells foam control agents — antifoams, defoamers, deaerators, and silicone emulsions — under the registered Dispelair™ brand, with over 200 proprietary formulations in active production. From a single manufacturing site in Blackburn (capacity exceeding 40,000 tonnes per year) plus remote Area Managers in Malaysia, Germany, and the Netherlands, it supplies industrial customers in over 60 countries across 19 industry sectors, with the strongest commercial emphasis on Paper, Pulp, and Tissue, followed by Construction, Food/Sugar Processing, Adhesives, Oil Production, Textiles, and Surface Coatings.

The product portfolio spans silicone emulsion defoamers (BfR-compliant for pulp applications), silicone-free defoamers for systems sensitive to silicone contamination, wet-end deaerators and deaerator concentrates/hybrids meeting BfR, FDA, and GB 9685 requirements, tissue coating products, size-press starch antifoams, the Cylcon range for fabric/cylinder deposition control, and a wetting agent for jet-dyeing of textiles. Customers are industrial B2B users with process-specific requirements — antifoam selection depends on wood type, mill location, washing system, transport costs, and regulatory environment, and Blackburn supports this with a tailor-made/bespoke formulation service that designs products to individual customer specifications.

The business model is direct-to-industrial: products are sold via a technical sales team organised by vertical (Paper/Pulp/Tissue, Construction/Food, Surface Coatings) and region, supported by an on-the-ground area manager network and inbound product-information requests via the corporate website. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; commercial transactions are handled through direct phone/email contact and bespoke quoting. Revenue sources are product sales under the Dispelair™ brand alongside collaborative R&D and technical support services. Multi-generation family ownership (founder George Lamb's grandchildren are now in operational roles), ISO 9001 compliance since 1997, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Kosher, Halal, SafeContractor, SEDEX, UN Global Compact, and EcoVadis Gold certifications underpin the company's positioning as a long-tenured, compliance-anchored specialty chemicals supplier rather than a commodity player.

Name

Blackburn Chemicals

Legal name

Blackburn Chemicals Limited

Website

https://bbchem.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Blackburn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foam Control Agent Products: Manufacturing and sale of foam control agents (antifoams/defoamers) under the Dispelair™ brand. Over 200 products in active production serving wide variety of industrial applications across 19 industry sectors.
2. Bespoke/Tailor-Made Solutions: Custom formulation service creating foam control solutions specifically designed for individual customer requirements. One-to-one consultation approach with products developed to solve individual problems.
3. Technical Support Services: Technical sales and customer support integrated with product offerings. R&D team collaborates closely with customers to ensure products meet their needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Blackburn Chemicals manufactures and supplies over 200 proprietary foam control agents (antifoams, defoamers, deaerators and silicone emulsions) under the Dispelair™ and Dispelair® brands, serving 19 industrial sectors including paper, pulp, tissue, adhesives, construction, coatings, food processing, oil production, textiles and water treatment. The company also offers a tailor-made bespoke formulation service where its R&D team develops custom foam control solutions for individual customer processes.

Product overview

Blackburn Chemicals is a chemical manufacturing company specializing in foam control solutions, offering over 200 Dispelair™ branded foam control agents in active production. The product portfolio centers around the Dispelair™ trade name, which encompasses multiple product lines including silicone emulsions, silicone-free defoamers, deaerators, antifoams, and specialty wetting agents. The company operates a tailor-made/bespoke service model where products can be designed specifically for individual customer requirements. Products serve diverse industrial applications across paper, pulp, textiles, adhesives, construction, coatings, and chemical processing industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dispelair™: Synonymous with quality and technical excellence; foam control agent trade name with over 200 products in active production including FCA (Foam Control Agent) product range, silicone emulsions, and defoamers
• Dispelair® Silicone Emulsion BFR Compliant
• Dispelair® Silicone Free Defoamers
• Cylcon

Products and services

• Dispelair™ Foam Control Agents Proprietary range of over 200 foam control agents (antifoams and defoamers) under the Dispelair™ brand, covering a wide variety of industrial applications for industrial buyers across sectors including paper, pulp, adhesives, construction, coatings, food processing, oil production and textiles.
• Dispelair® Silicone Emulsion Products (BFR Compliant) Silicone emulsion defoamers that are BfR compliant and highly effective at removing foam in production and washing stages of the pulping process. Product selection is based on wood type, mill location, washing system type and transport costs, for pulp and paper mill buyers.
• Dispelair® Silicone Free Defoamers Defoamers developed for sensitive systems where pulp cleanliness is paramount and which must remain free of any silicone contamination, with product selection based on mill requirements and regulatory requirements.
• Dispelair® Wet End Deaerators, Concentrates and Hybrids Products designed to work as effective deaerators in the paper and board manufacturing process, removing entrained air and controlling surface foam at the wet end, with concentrate and hybrid variants combining air removal with surface foam control for systems containing low levels of wet and dry strength polymers.
• Dispelair® Defoamers for Wet End Defoaming products for wet end paper and paper board production that assist in clean running of the paper machine without contributing to pitch accumulation.
• Dispelair® Antifoams for Size Press Starch Antifoams used to control foam in the preparation and application of starch for surface applications, generally applied to the cooked storage tank or size press recirculation tank in paper mills.
• Dispelair® Tissue Coating Products (Base Coat, Release Oils, Modifiers) Tissue portfolio comprising Base Coat products to protect the Yankee Cylinder, Release oils to control adhesion, and modifiers to alter properties of the base coat for tissue manufacturers.
• Dispelair FCA (Foam Control Agents) for Surface Coatings General foam control agents covering wood coatings, adhesives, polymer applications, inks and decorative paints, available in various chemistry types for clear and pigmented coating applications whether brush or spray applied.
• Cylcon Range Products designed to counter problems associated with deposition and dusting in the dryer section, typically applied continuously via spray bar onto the drying cylinder or fabric, providing fewer machine breaks, reduced deposition, increased doctor blade life, reduced dusting and increased production for paper mills.
• Dispelair Wetting Agent (Textiles) Wetting agent designed to ensure even dyeing of textile fabric, working alongside Dispelair FCA's to combat foam generated in jet dyeing processes at high temperatures and pressures for textile manufacturers.
• Tailor-Made / Bespoke Foam Control Solutions Custom formulation service in which the company works directly with industrial customers to create defoamers that suit their exact needs, using one-to-one consultation and products designed specifically for each customer.

Quantifiable outcome

• Production capacity over 40,000 tonnes per year
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals company with a substantial silicone and defoamer portfolio (e.g., TEGO Foamex) serving coatings, inks, adhesives, and industrial processes. Direct competitor in foam control chemistry, but operates as a broad-line specialty chemicals incumbent rather than a foam-control specialist.
• BASF: Global chemical major with a broad defoamer and foam-control product portfolio serving paper, coatings, adhesives, and industrial customers. Direct overlap with Blackburn across multiple of Blackburn's 19 sectors, but BASF operates at vastly greater scale and offers defoamers as part of a much wider chemicals portfolio.
• Clariant: Swiss specialty chemical company with defoamer and process additive products for industrial, paper, and coatings markets. Direct portfolio overlap with Blackburn across multiple end markets, though Clariant operates a much broader specialty chemicals portfolio.
• Ashland: Global specialty chemical company with defoamer and antifoam products (e.g., Drewplus) for coatings, adhesives, construction, and industrial applications. Overlaps with Blackburn's surface coatings and construction segments as part of a broader specialty additives portfolio.
• Dow Inc. Global chemical major producing silicone-based and non-silicone defoamers under its DOWSIL brand for industrial applications including paper, coatings, and water treatment. Overlaps directly with Blackburn's product categories but competes from a vastly larger resource base and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Momentive Performance Materials: Specialty silicones manufacturer with a dedicated antifoam/defoamer product line (e.g., Silbreak, Magnasoft) used in pulp & paper, textiles, paints, and industrial processes. Direct technology peer to Blackburn's silicone emulsion defoamers with overlapping end markets.
• Kemira: Finnish specialty chemicals company focused on the paper and pulp industry with a strong defoamer and process chemical portfolio. Closely comparable to Blackburn in end-market focus (paper/pulp primary) and in providing tailored process chemical solutions to paper mills.
• Shin-Etsu Chemical: Japanese specialty chemical company producing silicone defoamers for paper, textile, food, and industrial applications. Direct technology peer to Blackburn in silicone-based foam control chemistry, competing globally particularly in Asia-Pacific markets.
• Wacker Chemie: German specialty chemical company with a leading silicone defoamer portfolio (e.g., SILFOAM, WACKER Antifoam) used in paper, textiles, food, and industrial applications. Closest direct peer to Blackburn's Dispelair silicone emulsions in formulation technology and target end markets.
• Solenis: US-based specialty chemicals provider focused on paper, packaging, and water treatment industries with a comprehensive defoamer and process chemical portfolio. Direct competitor to Blackburn in the paper industry segment and similar consultative, tailored-solution selling model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Blackburn Chemicals