WD-40

This article is about the product. For its manufacturer, see WD-40 Company.
"WD40" redirects here. For the biomolecular structure, see WD40 repeat.

WD-40
WD-40 with Smart Straw
Product typeWater displacer
OwnerWD-40 Company
CountrySan Diego, California, United States
IntroducedSeptember 23, 1953; 70 years ago (1953-09-23)
Websitewww.wd40.com
WD-40 spray can from Germany

WD-40 is an American brand and the trademark of a penetrating oil manufactured by the WD-40 Company based in San Diego, California.[1] Its formula was invented for the Rocket Chemical Company in 1953, before it became the WD-40 Company. WD-40 became available as a commercial product in 1961.[2] It acts as a lubricant, rust preventive, penetrant and moisture displacer. There are specialized products that perform better than WD-40 in many of these uses, but WD-40's flexibility has given it fame as a jack of all trades.[3] WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula.

It is a successful product to this day, with steady growth in net income from $27 million in 2008 to $70.2 million in 2021.[4] In 2014, it was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.[5]

  1. ^ "Q&A WD-40 CEO Garry Ridge explains company's slick success". Los Angeles Times. July 30, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  2. ^ "WD-40 COMPANY 2020 10-K". October 21, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Davies, Adam (August 31, 2010). "The Case Against WD-40". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  4. ^ "Statista - WD-40 Net Income, 2008-2021". March 19, 2022. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Sprekelmeyer, Linda, editor (2006).These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Donning Co. Publishers, ISBN 978-1-57864-397-4.