ExpressPaint

What ExpressPaint does

ExpressPaint is a privately-held, direct-to-consumer e-commerce company that sells factory-matched automotive touch-up paint products. Founded in 1987 as ClassicRunners USA and rebranded/launched as ExpressPaint in 2005 in partnership with ColorRite, the company operates from Torrance, California (headquarters) with operational and fulfillment facilities in East Bangor, Pennsylvania. The company serves two distinct customer segments: DIY vehicle owners seeking to repair minor scratches, chips, and curb damage, and professional auto body shops requiring OEM-quality refinishing supplies at competitive pricing.

The product portfolio includes 2WAY PEN dual-application applicators, touch-up jars, aerosols, professional-sized containers, primers, clearcoats, application accessories, and specialized rim/wheel paint. Each order is custom-mixed to match the OEM paint code of a specific vehicle make, model, and year. Coverage spans 50+ automotive manufacturers and model years from 1952 to present, supported by a proprietary color-code database built and maintained through a decades-long sister-company collaboration with ColorRite, which operates in the motorcycle paint segment. ExpressPaint also distributes SprayMax aerosol products as a complementary off-the-shelf line.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model with typical SKU pricing between $11.95 and $45.95, supported by shared in-house customer service (with ColorRite) and a just-in-time fulfillment operation that ships orders within 1-3 business days. Geographic coverage is restricted to the United States and Canada. The company is privately held with no public ticker, no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no publicly available headcount or revenue data.

Name

ExpressPaint

Legal name

Express Paint, Inc.

Website

https://expresspaint.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ExpressPaint is a private e-commerce company selling factory-matched automotive touch-up paint to DIY vehicle owners and professional body shops across the US and Canada, covering 50+ manufacturers from 1952 to present.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Torrance

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Automotive Touch-Up Paint Sales: ExpressPaint generates revenue through direct e-commerce sales of automotive touch-up paint products. Products are sold in various sizes ranging from 1/2 oz touch-up pens to professional quarts, with pricing varying by product type and volume. All paints are made-to-order for specific vehicle color codes.
2. Clearcoat and Primer Products: Revenue from complementary automotive paint products including clearcoats, primers, and preparation solutions required for proper paint application.
3. Painting Accessories: Sales of painting accessories including sandpaper, masking tape, tack cloths, adhesion promoters, respirators, and touch-up kits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ExpressPaint is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer that manufactures and ships made-to-order, factory-matched automotive touch-up paint. Products span touch-up pens (including the dual 2WAY Pen), 1/2 oz brush-in-cap jars, 11 oz aerosols, and professional pint/quart sizes, supported by clearcoats, primers, prep solutions, accessories, rim paint, and touch-up kits covering 50+ automotive makes from 1952 to present.

Product overview

ExpressPaint is a do-it-yourself automotive touch-up paint company offering Factory Matched Automotive Paint in various sizes and application methods. The core product portfolio includes touch-up pens (2WAY PEN, 1/2 oz. pens), touch-up jars, and aerosol cans for consumers, alongside professional sizes (1/2 pint, pint, quart) for trained professionals. Supporting products include Clearcoat Applications (touch-up pen clearcoat, aerosol UCA-150, High-Solids Urethane Clearcoat, KK7 Urethane Clear Kit), Primer Applications (pen primer, jar primer, aerosol primer, catalyzed professional primer, SprayMax variants), Cleaners Preparation Solution (Prep-Wipes, Wax & Grease Remover), and Painting Accessories (sandpaper, tack cloth, adhesion promoters, masking tape, gloves). Specialty offerings include Rim Paint in custom colors (Hyper Silver, Racing Black Satin, G.T. Graphite, Endurance White, Competition Bronze) and complete Touch Up Paint Kits. The company also offers Color Rite Products and SprayMax Products as sub-brands, with Color Rite being a long-standing paint company since 1988 and SprayMax featuring proprietary aerosol technology. All products are urethane-based, base-coat/clear-coat applications tested to meet or exceed OEM quality standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 2WAY Pen A dual-ended touch-up pen that combines factory-matched color paint on one side and high-quality clearcoat on the other, designed for DIY consumers repairing small scratches and nicks.
• 1/2 oz Touch-Up Pen Pen-style applicator with a chiseled nib tip resembling a magic marker, used for repairing small nicks and scratches with a 7-10 year shelf life when stored properly.
• 1/2 oz Touch-Up Jar Traditional brush-in-cap style applicator for repairing slightly larger damaged areas and larger scratches than a pen can cover.
• 11 oz Aerosol Can DIY aerosol spray paint for covering larger repair areas, capable of achieving near-professional quality results with proper preparation.
• Professional Sizes (1/2 pint, Pint, Quart) Professional-grade factory-matched paint packaged in 1/2 pint, pint, and quart sizes for trained professionals using spray guns, meeting or exceeding OEM standards when properly applied.
• Clearcoat Applications

Quantifiable outcome

• Paints meet or exceed all O.E.M. quality standards for durability, gloss, and depth
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ColorRitecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005ExpressPaint formed a partnership with ColorRite, the leading supplier of OEM color-matched motorcycle paint since 1988, to launch ExpressPaint in 2005. ColorRite provides the automotive paint expertise and color-matching technology that underlies ExpressPaint's product offerings. ExpressPaint also shares customer service email ([email protected]) and operates as a sister company to ColorRite's motorcycle paint business. Color Rite Products are also sold through ExpressPaint's site.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ColorRite: ColorRite is the sister company of ExpressPaint (sharing the same customer service email and parent organization), specializing in OEM color-matched motorcycle, PWC, snowmobile, and marine paint. It is highly comparable as both a partner/supplier and as a peer operating in the same color-matching, made-to-order paint business for powersports.
• AutomotiveTouchup: AutomotiveTouchup is one of the closest direct competitors to ExpressPaint, offering factory-matched automotive touch-up paint, aerosols, primers, and clearcoats via DTC e-commerce across multiple vehicle makes. It competes head-to-head on OEM color matching, product range, and online DIY consumer targeting.
• PaintScratch: PaintScratch sells factory-matched automotive touch-up paint, aerosols, and accessories DTC to DIY consumers, with comparable make/model/year coverage and price positioning. It is a long-standing direct competitor in the same OEM touch-up niche.
• Dr. ColorChip: Dr. ColorChip sells a proprietary automotive touch-up paint system (lidded bottle paint + sealact blending solution) directly to consumers for chip and scratch repair. It competes in the same DIY automotive touch-up category with a differentiated application method.
• Chipex: Chipex is a UK-based DTC provider of DIY automotive touch-up paint systems with proprietary blending technology, directly comparable to ExpressPaint on product, target customer (DIY car owners), and made-to-order color matching, but operating primarily in Europe.
• SEM Products: SEM Products manufactures automotive refinish coatings, including color-matched coatings, primers, clearcoats, and plastic repair products. It targets both professional body shops and DIY consumers, overlapping with ExpressPaint on product chemistry and customer use cases (scratch/chip repair) at a professional-refinish level.

Broad incumbents

• Dupli-Color: Dupli-Color is a Sherwin-Williams brand offering a broad portfolio of automotive touch-up paints, aerosols, and coatings through mass retail and auto-parts channels. It is a larger, well-established player in the same OEM automotive paint category but with much wider distribution and a broader (less specialized) product set.
• Axalta Coating Systems: Axalta is a global automotive coatings leader offering primers, basecoats, and clearcoats to OEMs and refinish shops. It is comparable to ExpressPaint at the product-chemistry level (urethane automotive coatings) but operates at vastly larger scale in the professional refinish channel rather than DTC touch-up.
• Rust-Oleum: Rust-Oleum is a major broad-line coatings manufacturer with an automotive touch-up and specialty coatings range sold through hardware and mass retail. It competes in the same end use (DIY automotive paint repair) but as part of a much wider paint/coatings portfolio.
• PPG Refinish: PPG Refinish is one of the largest global suppliers of automotive coatings, primers, and clearcoats to professional body shops. It serves the same end-product category (automotive paint systems) but is heavily skewed to professional/B2B channels rather than DTC DIY.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/express-paint-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ExpressPaint