Paul Wissmach Glass Company

What Paul Wissmach Glass Company does

Paul Wissmach Glass Company is a 121-year-old privately held art glass manufacturer headquartered in Paden City, West Virginia. The company produces two primary product lines: non-fusible Art Glass (sheet glass for stained glass, mosaics, and cold working) and COE 96 Kiln Glass (fusible sheet, frit, powder, casting billets, and specialty luminescent glass for fusing, slumping, and kilnforming). Manufacturing relies on traditional handmade processes using a base blend of limestone, soda ash, and sand, with proprietary chemical mixtures and century-old color recipes that constitute the company's core technical differentiator. Wissmach also produces dalle de verre, cullet, and offers custom color development services.

The company operates a hybrid distribution model. Wholesale volume flows through a global network of authorized distributors and retailers, supplemented by trade show presence (including glasstec in Düsseldorf) and a searchable distributor database on its website. Direct-to-consumer sales occur through the on-site Factory Outlet in Paden City (short sheets, quarter sheets, cut lites, frit, powder, cullet, sample sets) and a limited e-commerce store at wissmach.odoo.com for sample sets, billets, and dalles with continental US shipping. Pricing is unit-based across SKUs ranging from roughly $4 (cut lites) to $103 (50lb cullet sack), with periodic factory sales offering up to 50% discounts.

Wissmach targets two primary end-user segments: traditional stained glass artists using lead came or copper foil techniques, and kiln glass artists engaged in fusing and kilnforming. Its customer base is predominantly long-tail individual artists and SMB studios, with occasional enterprise-scale installations such as Jorge Ortiz Bencomo's 30,000-square-foot stained glass at the Santuario de Martires in Guadalajara and Yvelle Gabriel's light spheres in Jerusalem. Owners Jason Wilburn and Annabelle Javier (also listed as COO) oversee operations; the company has received the WV Centurion designation (2025), SBA WV Small Business Exporter of the Year (2025), and NASBITE International Outstanding Exporter (2025).

Name

Paul Wissmach Glass Company

Legal name

Paul Wissmach Glass Company

Website

https://wissmachglass.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Paul Wissmach Glass Company is a 121-year-old West Virginia manufacturer of handmade art glass and COE 96 kiln glass, supplying stained glass artists and kilnforming crafters globally through wholesale distributors, a factory outlet, and direct e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Glass Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Pressed and Blown Glass and Glassware Manufacturing (327212), Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (32721)

SIC

Glass & Glassware, Pressed Or Blown (3220)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Decorative Glass Packaging (Custom Shapes, Embossed, Premium) (IMALAEAE)

Keywords

• Stained glass materials
• Kiln glass manufacturing
• Art glass supplies
• COE 96 fusible glass
• Glass fusing materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Paden City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Glass Distribution: Primary revenue stream through a global network of distributors who purchase wholesale glass and supplies for resale to artists and craftsmen. Distributors offer retail sales, wholesale sales, classes, and custom studio work.
2. Factory Outlet Direct Sales: Direct sales to consumers through the company's Factory Outlet in Paden City, WV, selling short sheets, quarter sheets, cut lites, frit, powder, cullet, and sample sets at factory pricing.
3. Online Store Sales: E-commerce sales through wissmach.odoo.com for sample sets, merch, billets, dalles, and other products with shipping within the continental US.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Paul Wissmach Glass Company manufactures handmade art glass sheet and COE 96 fusible kiln glass at its facility in Paden City, West Virginia. Products include art glass for stained glass and mosaics, dalle de verre, COE 96 sheet glass, frit, powder, casting billets, cullet, and specialty luminescent glass, produced from proprietary chemical recipes many over a century old. The company sells primarily through a global wholesale distributor network, supplemented by a Factory Outlet store and online store.

Product overview

Paul Wissmach Glass Company is a glass manufacturer producing two primary product lines: Art Glass for stained glass, mosaics, and cold working applications; and COE 96 Kiln Glass for kilnforming, fusing, slumping, and casting. The Art Glass line is non-fusible and includes sheet glass in various colors with metal oxide pigments. The COE 96 line includes fusible sheet glass, frit (coarse, medium, fine), powder, casting billets, and specialty items like luminescent glass. Products are sold through a global distributor network, the factory outlet in Paden City, WV, and an online store. The company has operated since 1904.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art Glass
• COE 96 Kiln Glass
• Dalle de Verre
• Casting Billets
• Cullet Glass
• Luminescent Glass
• Factory Outlet
• Online Store

Named customers5 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pittsburgh Glass CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2024Partnership for open house events and educational programs. Wissmach participated in Pittsburgh Glass Center's brand new state-of-the-art building expansion celebration on October 12, 2024, featuring slideshows of historical factory images, glass classes in action, and artwork exhibitions using Wissmach glass products.
• Youghiogheny GlassminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 October 2024Coordinated Fall Factory Sale timing - Wissmach's annual Fall Factory Sale occurs the same weekend as Youghiogheny Glass's warehouse sale, approximately 2 hours drive apart, creating a combined destination for glass enthusiasts.
• Marshall University / MAMCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAMC (Marshall University) apprenticeship partnership to enhance workers' skills, part of the company's workforce development initiatives. The partnership helps train and develop employees using traditional glassmaking knowledge combined with modern techniques.
• Stained Glass Association of America (SGAA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership through community support and promotion of SGAA's Stained Glass Quarterly magazine. Wissmach encourages customers to submit to the magazine's columns including Health & Safety, Tool Tips, Crack Up, and Ask a Scientist.
• Glass Database ProjectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPromotion of Jason Robert Bauer's Glass Database project, a community-built public directory of glass artists, professional opportunities, educational programs, and trade shows. Wissmach shares this resource with their community to widen visibility channels for glass artists.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bullseye Glass Co. Bullseye Glass Co. is a direct peer - a Portland, Oregon-based manufacturer of fusible COE 90 kiln glass for kilnforming, fused jewelry, and architectural glass. Both companies occupy the same specialty glass-for-artists category with overlapping kiln glass product lines and educational content strategies.
• Kokomo Opalescent Glass Works: Kokomo Opalescent Glass Works is one of the oldest American art glass manufacturers, producing opalescent and specialty sheet glass for stained glass artists. It is a direct peer with overlapping handmade-art-glass positioning and a comparable heritage brand narrative.
• Youghiogheny Glass: Youghiogheny Glass produces art glass sheets for stained glass and fusing, including textured and opalescent varieties. It is a direct peer - both companies serve stained glass artists with handmade American-made sheet glass and even coordinate events together.
• Uroboros Glass Studios: Uroboros is a Portland-based manufacturer of art glass for stained glass and fusing applications, including textured and colored sheet glass. It is a direct peer in the specialty art glass category with overlapping customer segments among stained glass and kiln glass artists.
• Spectrum Glass (Oceanside Glass & Tile): Spectrum Glass, now part of Oceanside Glass & Tile, manufactures fusible glass (System 96) and art glass for stained glass and kilnforming. It is a direct competitor in both the art glass sheet and fusible kiln glass categories that Wissmach serves.

Emerging players

• Glass Alchemy: Glass Alchemy produces specialty borosilicate and soft glass colors for flameworking and glassblowing artists. It is an adjacent peer in the specialty colored glass chemistry space, sharing similar proprietary color recipe traditions but serving a different artisan community.
• Northstar Glassworks: Northstar Glassworks manufactures specialty colored glass rods and frit primarily for glassblowing and lampworking artists. It is an emerging/adjacent peer - same specialty colored-glass chemistry space, but a different end-application (flameworking vs. stained/kiln glass).

Regional players

• Vitrum Studio / Lamberts Glass: Lamberts is a German manufacturer of hand-cast, rolled, and mouth-blown specialty flat glass for restoration and architectural applications. It is a regional peer in the specialty/handmade decorative glass space, overlapping with Wissmach's dalle de verre and architectural stained glass offerings in Europe.
• Gaffer Glass Company: Gaffer Glass is a New Zealand-based manufacturer of specialty colored glass for studio glass artists. It is a regional peer with comparable product positioning (handmade colored art glass) but operates primarily outside the U.S. market where Wissmach is strongest.

Others

• Pittsburgh Glass Center: Pittsburgh Glass Center is a non-profit glass arts education and studio facility that partners with Wissmach for residencies and open houses. It is an ecosystem/adjacent organization - a customer, distributor, and community partner rather than a competitor, but deeply relevant to the art glass value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wissmachglass
• Instagraminstagram.com/wissmach_glass

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Paul Wissmach Glass Company