What King Industries Inc. does

King Industries, Inc. is a privately held specialty chemical additives manufacturer founded in 1932 and headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes performance additives organized into four divisions — Coatings, Lubricants, Rubber, and Specialty — serving B2B manufacturers worldwide through 15+ branded product families including NACURE acid catalysts, K-FLEX resin modifiers, K-KAT tin-free catalysts, NACORR corrosion inhibitors, NA-LUBE antiwear and extreme-pressure lubricant additives, BONDOGEN rubber peptizing aids, and K-PURE catalysts for electronic and specialty applications.

Its core technology centers on proprietary additive chemistry developed over nearly 94 years, including novel metal-free catalysts for low-temperature-cure epoxy coatings, tin-free catalysts for 2K PU systems, and ashless antiwear additives such as NA-LUBE AW-6110. The company maintains global regulatory compliance (FDA registration, NSF HX-1, EU Ecolabel/LuSC-List, Halal, Kosher, FDA 21 CFR 178) and supports customers through in-house technical service with complimentary testing and formulation assistance.

The business model is B2B specialty chemical sales through technical sales representatives and a website sample-request system, with quote-based pricing, multi-year contracts, and FOB shipping terms. The company operates globally from three offices — USA (Norwalk, CT), Netherlands (Amsterdam Science Park), and China (Zhongshan) — targeting end markets including aerospace, automotive, can and coil coatings, industrial and wood coatings, hydraulic and gear lubricants, metalworking fluids, and rubber processing. Revenue, ownership structure, and headcount are not publicly disclosed.

Name

King Industries Inc.

Legal name

King Industries, LLC

Website

https://kingindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Short description

King Industries is a privately held specialty chemical additives manufacturer founded in 1932, serving global B2B customers in coatings, lubricants, rubber, and specialty applications with proprietary catalysts, corrosion inhibitors, and antiwear additives across four product divisions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemical Additives

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Surfactants & Performance Additives (IMAEABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Catalysts & Adsorbents (IMAEABAB), Fuel Additives & Lubricant Additives (IMAEAMAL), Lubricant Additives & Performance Chemicals (EUALAJAB)

Keywords

• Specialty chemical additives
• Coatings additives
• Lubricant additives
• Rubber processing aids
• Corrosion inhibitors

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwalk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Specialty Chemical Additives Sales: B2B sale of specialty chemical additives to coatings, lubricants, and rubber manufacturers. Products sold in various quantities with pricing based on order specifications. Includes FOB shipping terms with title passing to buyer upon delivery to carrier.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

King Industries designs, manufactures, and distributes specialty chemical additives organized into four divisions: Coatings, Lubricants, Rubber, and Specialty. Products include acid catalysts (NACURE), resin modifiers (K-FLEX), tin-free catalysts (K-KAT), corrosion inhibitors (NACORR, K-CORR), rheology modifiers (K-STAY, K-SPERSE, DISPARLON), specialty diols (K-POL), lubricant additives (NA-SUL, NA-LUBE including anti-wear, extreme pressure, antioxidants, friction modifiers, alkylated naphthalenes), rubber processing aids (BONDOGEN, PLASTOGEN, REOGEN), and specialty/electronic-grade catalysts and thermal acid generators (K-PURE). Selling is quotation-based B2B with FOB shipping, minimums and +/- 10% quantity tolerances.

Product overview

King Industries Inc. is a specialty chemicals company that designs, manufactures, and distributes additives organized into four divisions: Coatings, Lubricants, Rubber, and Specialty. The Coatings Division offers NACURE acid catalysts, K-FLEX resin modifiers (including acetoacetates, polyester diols, and urethane diols), K-KAT tin-free catalysts, NACORR corrosion inhibitors, K-POL specialty diols, DISPARLON thixotropes/dispersants, K-STAY rheology modifiers, and K-SPERSE dispersants. The Lubricants Division provides NA-SUL and K-CORR rust inhibitors, NA-LUBE branded products including KR alkylated naphthalenes, BL additive packages, EP extreme pressure additives, ADTC multifunctional additives, AO antioxidants, AW anti-wear additives, and FM friction modifiers. The Rubber Division supplies BONDOGEN peptizing aids, PLASTOGEN plasticizer, and REOGEN processing aids. The Specialty Division features K-PURE CXC catalysts, TAG thermal acid generators, CDR resin modifiers, and CDI corrosion inhibitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NACURE: Acid catalysts product line for amino crosslinked systems
• K-FLEX
• K-KAT
• NACORR
• K-POL
• DISPARLON
• K-STAY
• K-SPERSE
• NA-SUL
• K-CORR
• NA-LUBE
• K-PURE
• BONDOGEN
• PLASTOGEN
• REOGEN

Products and services

• NACURE Acid Catalysts Acid catalysts for amino crosslinked systems used in coatings formulations by industrial coatings manufacturers.
• K-FLEX Resin Modifiers Resin modifiers including acetoacetates, polyester diols, and urethane diols for high-performance VOC-compliant coatings used by industrial coatings manufacturers.
• K-KAT Tin-Free Catalyst Non-tin catalysts for 2K PU and blocked isocyanate coating systems, serving manufacturers needing tin-free alternatives for regulatory compliance.
• NACORR Corrosion Inhibitors (Coatings) Liquid organic corrosion inhibitors formulated for waterborne and solventborne coating systems, used by industrial coatings manufacturers.
• K-POL Specialty Diols Specialty diols for 2K polyurethane (PU) coating systems used by industrial coatings manufacturers.
• DISPARLON Thixotropes & Dispersants Thixotropes and dispersants for surface control and rheology modification in waterborne and solventborne coating systems.
• K-STAY Rheology Modifiers Pourable liquid thixotropes for pigmented systems that impart anti-sag and anti-settle properties to coatings.
• K-SPERSE Dispersants High-efficiency dispersants for solventborne coating systems used by industrial coatings manufacturers.
• NA-SUL Rust Inhibitors Rust and corrosion additives for general-purpose and high-performance industrial lubricant applications.
• K-CORR Rust & Corrosion Inhibitors Rust and corrosion inhibitors formulated for industrial lubricant applications.
• NA-LUBE KR Alkylated Naphthalenes Higher-performance alkylated naphthalene base stocks used in industrial lubricant formulations.
• NA-LUBE BL Packages Ashless additive packages for industrial lubricants, bundling multiple functional additives for lubricant manufacturers.
• NA-LUBE EP Extreme Pressure Additives Extreme pressure additives used by industrial lubricant manufacturers to enhance load-carrying performance.
• NA-LUBE ADTC Multifunctional Additives Multifunctional additives delivering combined performance benefits in industrial lubricant formulations.
• NA-LUBE AO Antioxidants Antioxidant additives formulated for industrial lubricant applications to extend service life.
• NA-LUBE AW Anti-Wear Additives (incl. NA-LUBE AW-6110) Anti-wear additives for lubricants including ashless options; NA-LUBE AW-6110 provides anti-wear, extreme pressure, and rust inhibition at low treat rates of 0.10-0.15% across compressor oils, gear oils, hydraulic fluids, metalworking fluids, turbine oils, and greases.
• NA-LUBE FM Friction Modifiers Friction modifier additives for industrial lubricant formulations to control friction and wear characteristics.
• BONDOGEN Peptizing Aids Peptizing aids used by rubber compound manufacturers to improve processing efficiency.
• PLASTOGEN Plasticizer Plasticizer additives for rubber compound formulations used by rubber goods manufacturers.
• REOGEN Processing Aids Processing aids used in rubber manufacturing to improve compound processing and properties.
• K-PURE CXC Catalysts Catalysts for epoxies and electronic applications, including high-purity electronic-grade specialty chemicals.
• K-PURE TAG Thermal Acid Generators Thermal acid generators used in specialty applications requiring controlled acid release on thermal activation.
• K-PURE CDR Resin Modifiers Resin modifiers for specialty coatings applications requiring precise catalytic and film-property control.
• K-PURE CDI Corrosion Inhibitors Corrosion inhibitors formulated for specialty industrial applications including electronic and high-purity uses.

Quantifiable outcome

• NA-LUBE AW-6110 effective at low treat rates of 0.10-0.15%

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lanxess: Global specialty chemicals company with lubricant additives, rubber chemicals, and industrial preservatives. Directly competes in the rubber processing aid and lubricant additive spaces where King operates BONDOGEN, PLASTOGEN, and NA-LUBE lines.
• Clariant: Swiss specialty chemicals producer with additives for coatings, plastics, and industrial fluids. Comparable product overlap with King's coatings and rubber processing aid portfolios, particularly in performance and sustainability-driven formulations.
• Arkema: French specialty chemicals company with coating additives, rheology modifiers, and lubricant specialties. Comparable on K-STAY-style rheology products and polyurethane catalyst chemistries, serving overlapping industrial customer bases.
• Eastman Chemical: Specialty chemical manufacturer with additives and intermediates for coatings, adhesives, and rubber. Overlaps with King's K-FLEX resin modifiers and coating additive offerings but spans a far broader product portfolio.
• Croda International: UK-based specialty chemicals company with performance additives and specialty ingredients for coatings, lubricants, and industrial applications. Comparable in being a high-touch, formulation-led specialty additive supplier with similar certification-driven positioning.
• Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals major with significant additives businesses in coatings (crosslinkers, matting agents) and lubricants. Overlaps with King on tin-free catalysts and resin modifiers but operates at vastly larger scale across multiple chemistries.
• BASF: World's largest chemical company with broad coatings additives, performance chemicals, and lubricant additive portfolios. Competes with King across multiple product categories but at substantially greater scale and with deeper R&D resources.

Direct peers

• Afton Chemical: Specialty additive manufacturer focused on lubricant and fuel additives including antiwear, antioxidant, and corrosion inhibitor chemistries. Comparable on product category, customer base (oil majors and industrial lubricant blenders), and quotation-based B2B sales motion.
• Lubrizol: Berkshire Hathaway-owned specialty chemical additive supplier serving lubricant and coatings markets with antiwear, extreme pressure, and corrosion inhibitor technologies. Closest direct comparable given overlapping NA-LUBE-style product portfolios and B2B technical sales model.
• Element Solutions: Specialty chemicals platform (formerly Platform Specialty Products) producing additives for electronics, industrial, and automotive applications. Comparable in size and product mix, with similar focus on high-mix, technically demanding formulations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KingIndustries
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KingIndustriesInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/KingIndustriesInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/king-industries-inc

Compliance7 records

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 King Industries Inc.