Kane International Corporation

What Kane International Corporation does

Kane International Corporation is a privately held manufacturer and distributor of shellac and specialty chemicals, founded in 1931 and operating as a subsidiary of RPM International Inc. The company maintains its corporate office in Rye, New York, with R&D and manufacturing facilities in St. Louis, Missouri, and holds a principal ownership stake in a shellac factory in Ranchi, India. Its product portfolio spans the Tigerlac series of shellac grades (including 5050, CF 5050, 5052, 5056, 5058, 5061, and LEM1 variants), processed shellacs (Dewaxed Bleached, Chlorine Free Bleached, Waxy Bleached, Dewaxed Flaked, and Lemon Flaked), the Earthlac zero-VOC water-based coating line, the Toughlac VOC-compliant solvent-based coating line, the STYSOLAC AW plasticizer, and, through its Parker Ingredients subsidiary, confectionery and pharmaceutical coatings.

The business operates a vertically integrated, consultative, direct-sales model in which technical expertise is used to recommend specific shellac grades and variants to customers based on application requirements. End markets include industrial primer sealers and coatings, time-release pharmaceuticals, food glaze, confectionery coatings, and printing inks. Customers are industrial buyers across multiple verticals, and pricing is handled through direct quotation rather than public disclosure. Shellac processing is described as an all-natural ingredient platform, which the company leverages through environmentally differentiated offerings (zero-VOC and VOC-compliant variants).

The competitive position is anchored by more than 90 years of accumulated shellac-processing expertise, vertical integration through the Indian factory, and a diversified grade portfolio that allows the company to match technical specifications (acid value and melting temperature ranges) to customer applications. The company does not disclose revenue, runs with a small employee base of approximately 10, has no public funding or acquisition history in the available data, and has no documented AI/ML or digital platform capabilities.

Name

Kane International Corporation

Legal name

Kane International Corporation

Website

https://kaneinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kane International Corporation is a privately held, Rye, New York-based manufacturer and distributor of shellac and specialty chemicals founded in 1931, serving industrial coatings, pharmaceutical, food, confectionery, and printing ink customers through vertically integrated operations in the U.S. and India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals

NAICS

Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255), Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (3259)

SIC

Adhesives & Sealants (2891), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Adhesives & Sealants Chemicals (IMAEABAA)

Keywords

• Shellac manufacturing
• Specialty chemicals
• Industrial coatings
• Pharmaceutical coatings
• Confectionery coatings

Headquarters

HQ city

Rye

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Shellac Manufacturing and Distribution: Kane International generates revenue through the manufacture and distribution of shellac and other specialty chemicals. As a company founded in 1931 with decades of industry experience, they produce various shellac grades for diverse industrial applications including primer sealer, printing inks, pharmaceuticals, and food glaze. The company operates its own manufacturing facilities and maintains ownership in a shellac factory in India to ensure supply chain control.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Kane International Corporation manufactures and distributes shellac and specialty chemicals for industrial applications. The company's product portfolio includes the Tigerlac series of shellac grades, processed shellac variants (dewaxed bleached, chlorine-free bleached, waxy bleached, dewaxed flaked, lemon flaked), specialty chemicals (STYSOLAC AW), and branded coating products (Earthlac zero-VOC stain blocker and Toughlac VOC-compliant stain blocker). Through its Parker Ingredients subsidiary, the company also manufactures confectionery and pharmaceutical coatings.

Product overview

Kane International Corporation is a manufacturer and distributor of Shellac and specialty chemicals founded in 1931. The company offers a portfolio of shellac products in various grades (Tigerlac series including 5050, CF 5050, 5052, 5056, 5058, 5061, and LEM1) and processed variants (Dewaxed Bleached, Chlorine Free Bleached, Waxy Bleached, Dewaxed Flaked, and Lemon Flaked Shellac). They also manufacture specialty coatings including Earthlac (water-based, zero VOC) and Toughlac (solvent-based, VOC compliant). Through their Parker Ingredients subsidiary, they produce Confectionery and Pharmaceutical Coatings. Shellac is used as primer sealer, printing inks, time release pharmaceuticals, and food glaze across various industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tigerlac: Various grades of shellac products including TIGERLAC 5050, TIGERLAC CF 5050, TIGERLAC 5052, TIGERLAC 5056, TIGERLAC 5058, TIGERLAC 5061, TIGERLAC LEM1
• Earthlac
• Toughlac
• Parker Ingredients

Products and services

• Tigerlac 5050

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered subsidiary and minor.

• Parker IngredientssubsidiaryOthersParker Ingredients is a subsidiary of Kane International Corporation that focuses on the manufacture of Confectionery and Pharmaceutical Coatings, extending Kane's product capabilities into specialized coating applications.
• RPM International Inc.minorOthersRPM International Inc. is the parent company that owns, licenses, and operates Kane International's websites and provides corporate privacy policy, terms of use, and data protection frameworks. Contact for privacy requests: RPM International Inc., 2628 Pearl Road, Medina, OH 44256.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ashland: Global specialty chemicals company with a pharmaceutical, personal care, and coatings portfolio. Relevant peer for Kane's pharma-grade shellac, coating additives, and specialty chemical formulation capabilities.
• Kerry Group: Large specialty ingredients and flavors platform serving food, beverage, and pharma end-markets. Comparable to Kane and Parker Ingredients on the food-grade and pharmaceutical coatings side, though Kerry operates at much greater breadth and scale.
• Sensient Technologies: Diversified specialty ingredient and color supplier serving food, beverage, personal care, and pharmaceutical customers. Overlaps with Kane/Parker Ingredients in food glazes, confectionery coatings, and pharma coatings, but at much larger scale and across broader chemistries.
• Lubrizol: Specialty chemicals manufacturer with coatings, personal care, and pharmaceutical excipient businesses. Competes with Kane's shellac-based coatings and Parker Ingredients' pharma coating offerings, but at significantly larger scale and across broader chemistries.
• RPM International Inc. Parent company of Kane International; a publicly traded diversified specialty coatings conglomerate. Adjacent peer because RPM owns and consolidates Kane alongside other specialty coatings brands with overlapping chemistries and end-markets.

Direct peers

• Colorcon: Global specialty supplier of film coatings and functional excipients for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. Directly comparable to Parker Ingredients' pharmaceutical coatings business and to Kane's time-release pharma shellac grades.
• Strohmann GmbH: Long-established German shellac specialist producing bleached, dewaxed, and flaked shellac grades for coatings, inks, and food applications. A direct global competitor to Kane's Tigerlac and bleached shellac lines in industrial and food-grade end-markets.
• Mantrose-Häuser Company: A specialty manufacturer of shellac-based and natural coatings for food, confectionery, and pharmaceutical applications. Highly comparable to Kane/Parker Ingredients due to overlapping shellac grade portfolios and edible/pharma-grade end-markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kane-international-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Kane International Corporation