Cardinal Paint & Powder
Cardinal Paint & Powder is a US-based, privately held industrial coatings manufacturer founded in 1952, formulating liquid and powder coating systems for OEMs across at least 14 end-market verticals, with multi-region facilities in North America and Asia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1952
- HeadquartersSouth El Monte, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cardinal Paint & Powder does
Cardinal Paint & Powder is a US-based, privately held industrial coatings manufacturer founded in 1952 and headquartered in South El Monte, California. The company formulates and sells both liquid coating systems (top coats, primers, touch-ups, UV curable coatings, additives, reducers, specialty finishes, conductive coatings, adhesion promoters, and metal conditioners) and powder coating systems (specialty finishes, superdurable, Cardinal Xpress, epoxy, TGIC polyester, polyurethane polyester, HAA polyester, hybrid, and primers). It also sells specialty lines Luthierlac and Luthierthane targeted at fine musical instrument finishes.
The underlying technology spans waterborne, solventborne, UV curable, and high-solids liquid chemistries alongside multiple powder chemistries (epoxy, TGIC/HAA/polyurethane polyester, hybrid), supported by in-house compliance testing. Products carry CARB, SCAQMD Rule 1145, REACH, RoHS/WEEE, LEED, Prop 65, and Conflict Mineral Free certifications, addressing OEM customers in regulated end markets. A dedicated powder coating sub-brand, Cardinal Xpress, supports a boutique small-order service with minimum orders starting at 5 lbs.
The company makes money primarily through direct B2B sales of coatings to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), supplemented by an e-commerce storefront (shop.cardinalpaint.com) for smaller orders. Pricing is quote-based for enterprise customers, with unit pricing on the boutique e-commerce side. Cardinal serves at least 14 end-market verticals — including industrial manufacturing, electronics, musical instruments, signage, transportation, glass, aerospace, heavy equipment, architectural, marine, and medical — and operates manufacturing and distribution facilities across North America and Asia. The company employs 51-100 people and was founded by Marvin Ekstorm.
Cardinal Paint & Powder firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cardinal Paint & Powder
- Legal name
- Cardinal Paint & Powder
- Website
- https://cardinalpaint.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1952
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cardinal Paint & Powder is a US-based, privately held industrial coatings manufacturer founded in 1952, formulating liquid and powder coating systems for OEMs across at least 14 end-market verticals, with multi-region facilities in North America and Asia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cardinal Paint & Powder industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Coatings
- NAICS
- Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)
- SIC
- Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Powder Coatings (IMAEAHAE)
Keywords
Where Cardinal Paint & Powder is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- South El Monte
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cardinal Paint & Powder business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Industrial Coatings Product Sales: Sale of liquid and powder coating products to industrial customers, including topcoats, primers, specialty finishes, and related coating systems. Products are sold in various quantities with minimum orders starting at 5 lbs for powder coatings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Powder Coatings - Minimum Order 5 lbs |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Cardinal Paint & Powder product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cardinal Paint & Powder manufactures and sells industrial liquid and powder coating systems, including topcoats, primers, UV curable coatings, conductive coatings, adhesion promoters, metal conditioners, specialty finishes, and superdurable powder chemistries. The company serves OEMs across markets such as industrial manufacturing, electronics, transportation, heavy equipment, architectural, marine, medical, and musical instruments, providing custom formulation and in-house compliance testing from facilities in North America and Asia. Specialty sub-brands include Cardinal Xpress (boutique powder color service), Luthierlac (nitrocellulose musical instrument lacquers), and Luthierthane (polyurethane musical instrument finishes).
Product overview
Cardinal Paint & Powder is an industrial coatings manufacturer established in 1952, offering a comprehensive portfolio of liquid and powder coating systems. The product offering consists of two core product lines: Liquid Coatings (including top coats, primers, touch-ups, UV curable, additives, reducers, specialty finishes, conductive coatings, adhesion promoters, and metal conditioners) and Powder Coatings (including specialty finishes, superdurable, Cardinal Xpress, epoxy, TGIC polyester, polyurethane polyester, HAA polyester, hybrid, and primers). The company also produces specialty products such as Luthierlac and Luthierthane for musical instrument finishes. These products serve various industrial markets and substrates including cold rolled steel, aluminum, stainless steel, galvanized, plastics, composites, wood, glass, and concrete. Cardinal operates facilities across North America and Asia, providing coatings solutions to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cardinal Xpress: A unique handcrafted, boutique powder coating service offering solid colors in gloss range 10-90 and texture finishes, utilizing exterior durable polyester TGIC chemistry.
- Luthierlac
- Luthierthane
Products and services
- Liquid Coatings Industrial liquid coating systems including topcoats, primers, touch-ups, UV curable coatings, additives, reducers, specialty finishes, conductive coatings, adhesion promoters, and metal conditioners. Formulated in waterborne, solvent-borne, UV curable, and high-solids chemistries to meet demanding performance and emission standards across metal, plastic, composite, wood, glass, and concrete substrates.
- Powder Coatings
- Cardinal Xpress
- Luthierlac
- Luthierthane
- OEM Custom Formulation and In-House Compliance Testing
Companies that use Cardinal Paint & Powder
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cardinal Paint & Powder technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Cardinal Paint & Powder partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cardinal Paint & Powder competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hempel: Global coatings company with strong industrial, marine, and protective coatings franchises. Comparable to Cardinal in marine, industrial, and architectural liquid coatings serving OEMs across multiple geographies.
- Axalta Coating Systems: Pure-play industrial and transportation coatings company offering both liquid and powder systems to OEMs. Closest large-scale peer to Cardinal in industrial OEM liquid and powder coatings, particularly in transportation, heavy equipment, and industrial segments.
- TCI Powder Coatings: US-based powder coatings manufacturer offering custom formulations across epoxy, polyester, polyurethane, and hybrid chemistries. Directly competes with Cardinal's powder coatings portfolio in the North American OEM market.
- Tiger Coatings: Austrian powder coatings specialist with global manufacturing including North America. Direct competitor in powder coatings serving industrial, architectural, and functional OEM applications.
Broad incumbents
- AkzoNobel: Global paints and coatings major with strong industrial and powder coatings franchises (including Interpon). Directly comparable to Cardinal across liquid and powder OEM coatings, especially in Europe and Asia where Cardinal has facilities.
- BASF Coatings: Division of BASF SE serving automotive OEM, automotive refinish, and industrial liquid coatings. Overlaps with Cardinal in OEM liquid topcoats, primers, and conductive/functional coatings, with deeper global R&D and raw-material integration.
- Sherwin-Williams: Largest coatings company in North America with industrial, automotive refinish, and protective/marine segments. Competes with Cardinal in industrial OEM liquid and powder coatings and benefits from unmatched scale, distribution, and brand recognition.
- RPM International: Holding company for specialty coatings and sealants brands (including Stonhard, Tremco, Carboline). Competes with Cardinal in industrial and specialty protective coatings through a federated portfolio of niche-focused subsidiaries.
- PPG Industries: Global coatings major with broad industrial, automotive, aerospace, and protective coatings portfolios. Overlaps with Cardinal across liquid industrial coatings for OEM customers, but operates at vastly greater scale with full R&D and global account coverage.
- Nippon Paint Holdings: Asia-headquartered global coatings major with growing industrial and automotive OEM exposure. Comparable to Cardinal across liquid and powder OEM coatings in Asian and North American markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cardinal Paint & Powder social profiles
Digital presenceCardinal Paint & Powder compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Cardinal Paint & Powder financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cardinal Paint & Powder leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Cardinal Paint & Powder funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cardinal Paint & Powder 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 Cardinal Paint & Powder
What does Cardinal Paint & Powder do?
Cardinal Paint & Powder manufactures and sells industrial liquid and powder coating systems, including topcoats, primers, UV curable coatings, conductive coatings, adhesion promoters, metal conditioners, specialty finishes, and superdurable powder chemistries. The company serves OEMs across markets such as industrial manufacturing, electronics, transportation, heavy equipment, architectural, marine, medical, and musical instruments, providing custom formulation and in-house compliance testing from facilities in North America and Asia. Specialty sub-brands include Cardinal Xpress (boutique powder color service), Luthierlac (nitrocellulose musical instrument lacquers), and Luthierthane (polyurethane musical instrument finishes).
Is Cardinal Paint & Powder a public or private company?
Cardinal Paint & Powder is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cardinal Paint & Powder founded?
Cardinal Paint & Powder was founded in 1952. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cardinal Paint & Powder based?
Cardinal Paint & Powder is headquartered in South El Monte, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cardinal Paint & Powder make money?
One revenue line is on record: industrial Coatings Product Sales.
Who are Cardinal Paint & Powder's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hempel, Axalta Coating Systems, TCI Powder Coatings and Tiger Coatings. Broad incumbents are AkzoNobel, BASF Coatings, Sherwin-Williams, RPM International, PPG Industries and Nippon Paint Holdings.
Does Cardinal Paint & Powder have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cardinal Paint & Powder.
What industry is Cardinal Paint & Powder in?
Cardinal Paint & Powder's product category is Industrial Coatings. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEAGAB, Industrial & Protective Coatings, with a secondary code of IMAEAHAE, Powder Coatings. Its NAICS code is 325510 and its SIC code is 2851.