What Chemetall GmbH does

Chemetall GmbH is the global surface treatment business of Surventis Surface Treatment GmbH, operating as an applied specialty chemicals supplier with origins dating to 1889 as the chemicals division of Metallgesellschaft. The company sells surface treatment solutions — conversion coatings, pretreatments, metalworking fluids, cleaners, corrosion protection, sealants, and non-destructive testing chemicals — applied to metal, plastic, and glass substrates for over 42,000 customers across more than 20 industries. Its branded technology portfolio includes Gardobond (conversion coatings), Gardoclean (cleaners), Gardostrip (paint stripping), Oxsilan (zirconium/silane thin-film pretreatment), VIANT (one-step chrome-free coating + primer), Naftoseal and Ardrox (aerospace sealants and chemicals), Tech Cool (metalworking fluids), FiSan (food & beverage sanitation), and Xmor (NDT). Industry verticals include automotive, aerospace, defense, transportation, food & beverage, appliances/HVAC, ACE & heavy equipment, coil coating, and plastics recycling.

The company operates through 40 subsidiaries in 100+ countries supported by 17 production sites and approximately 10,700 employees (Surventis-wide), with headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales backed by localized technical service teams of chemists and process engineers who collaborate directly with customers on line qualification, process optimization, and environmental compliance. Aerospace qualification (ISO 9100, AS 9100, NADCAP) and automotive certification (IATF 16949) across multiple sites function as regulatory moats. Chemetall generates revenue through B2B direct sales of consumable specialty chemicals, with pricing quote-based and tied to customer-specific applications.

In July 2026, Chemetall was separated from BASF as part of the broader BASF Coatings carve-out into the new Surventis Surface Treatment GmbH, majority-owned by Carlyle in partnership with Qatar Investment Authority, with BASF retaining a 40% stake. The carve-out is significant both as an ownership transition and as an explicit signal that sponsors expect to invest in growth via the standalone platform.

Name

Chemetall GmbH

Legal name

Chemetall GmbH

Website

https://chemetall.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chemetall GmbH is the global surface treatment brand of Surventis, selling conversion coatings, pretreatments, sealants, and metalworking chemicals to over 42,000 industrial customers across automotive, aerospace, and 18+ other industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Surface Treatment Chemicals

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551), Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (3259), Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electronic & High-Purity Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAD), Textile, Leather & Paper Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAM)

Keywords

• Surface treatment chemicals
• Conversion coatings
• Metal pretreatment
• Aerospace sealants
• Metalworking fluids

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt, Hesse

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Surface Treatment Products and Solutions: Chemetall generates revenue through the sale of surface treatment chemicals, pretreatments, conversion coatings, metalworking fluids, sealants, and related specialty chemicals to industrial customers across automotive, aerospace, and general industry sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chemetall GmbH manufactures and sells specialty surface treatment chemicals for metal, plastic, and glass substrates, including conversion coatings, pretreatments, cleaners, corrosion protection agents, metalworking fluids, aerospace polysulfide sealants, and non-destructive testing products. These solutions serve more than 20 industries — automotive, aerospace, defense, transportation, food and beverage, coil coating, appliances, heavy equipment, energy, and general manufacturing — delivered as branded product lines (Gardobond, Oxsilan, VIANT, Ardrox, Naftoseal, Tech Cool, FiSan, Xmor, Gardoclean, Gardostrip and others) through a global direct-sales network.

Product overview

Chemetall GmbH, the leading global surface treatment brand of Surventis, offers a comprehensive portfolio of surface treatment solutions spanning over 4,500 products and technologies. The core Chemetall brand provides end-to-end surface treatment services, while specialized technology brands address specific applications: Gardobond and Oxsilan for conversion coatings; Gardoclean, Gardacid, and Gardolene for cleaning and pretreatment; Gardostrip for paint stripping and purge cleaning; Gardofloc for paint detackification; Gardorol for corrosion protection; VIANT for combined conversion coating and primer; Ardrox and Naftoseal for aerospace applications; Tech Cool for metalworking coolants; FiSan for food industry sanitation; and Xmor for non-destructive testing. These solutions serve over 20 industries including automotive, aerospace, defense, transportation, food and beverage, and general industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chemetall: Leading global surface treatment brand operating under Surventis, providing applied surface treatments across more than 20 industries.
• Glasurit
• R-M

Products and services

• Chemetall Surface Treatment Solutions End-to-end surface treatment product portfolio spanning 4,500+ technology offerings covering metal pretreatment, conversion coatings, cleaners, corrosion protection, metalworking fluids, sealants, and NDT products for industrial customers across automotive, aerospace, defense, and general manufacturing sectors.
• Gardobond
• Gardoclean
• Gardorol
• Gardostrip
• Gardofloc
• VIANT
• Ardrox
• Naftoseal
• Tech Cool
• Oxsilan
• Gardolene
• Antox
• Gardacid
• FiSan
• Xmor
• Gardo Control

Quantifiable outcome

• 11th consecutive year receiving Airbus SQIP 'Accredited Supplier' status
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments13 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chemetall-gmbh

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Chemetall GmbH