WD-40
Encyclopedia
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
name of a United States-made water-displacing spray. It was developed in 1953 by Norm Larsen
Norm Larsen
Norman B. Larsen was an industrial chemist whose most famous invention is WD-40. Born in Chicago in the 1920s, he had an insatiable desire to create things that would help make life easier for people...
, founder of the Rocket Chemical Company, San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was originally designed to repel water and prevent corrosion, and later was found to have numerous household uses.
WD-40 stands for "Water Displacement – 40th Attempt". Larsen was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion in nuclear missiles, by displacing the standing water that causes it. He claims he arrived at a successful formula on his 40th attempt. WD-40 is primarily composed of various hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....
s.
WD-40 was first used by Convair
Convair
Convair was an American aircraft manufacturing company which later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft, and went on to produce a number of pioneering aircraft, such as the Convair B-36 bomber, and the F-102...
to protect the outer skin of the Atlas missile from rust and corrosion. The product first became commercially available on store shelves in San Diego in 1958.
Function
The long-term active ingredient is a non-volatile, viscous oil which remains on the surface, providing lubrication and protection from moisture. This is diluted with a volatile hydrocarbon to give a low viscosity fluid which can be sprayed and thus penetrate crevices. The volatile hydrocarbon then evaporates, leaving the oil behind. A propellant (originally a low-molecular weight hydrocarbon, now carbon dioxide) provides gas pressure in the can to force the liquid through the spray nozzle, then itself diffuses away.These properties make the product useful in both home and commercial fields; lubricating and loosening joints and hinges, removing dirt and residue, and extricating stuck screws and bolts are common usages. The product also may be useful in displacing moisture, as this is its original purpose and design intent.
Formulation
WD-40's formula is a trade secretTrade secret
A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers...
. The product is not patented to avoid completely disclosing its ingredients. WD-40's main ingredients, according to U.S. Material Safety Data Sheet
Material safety data sheet
A Material Safety Data Sheet is a form with data regarding the properties of a particular substance....
information, are:
- 50% Stoddard solvent (i.e., mineral spirits: primarily hexaneHexaneHexane is a hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C6H14; that is, an alkane with six carbon atoms.The term may refer to any of four other structural isomers with that formula, or to a mixture of them. In the IUPAC nomenclature, however, hexane is the unbranched isomer ; the other four structures...
, somewhat similar to keroseneKeroseneKerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
) - 25% Liquefied petroleum gas (presumably as a propellant; carbon dioxideCarbon dioxideCarbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
is now used instead to reduce WD-40's considerable flammability) - 15+% Mineral oilMineral oilA mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of alkanes in the C15 to C40 range from a non-vegetable source, particularly a distillate of petroleum....
(light lubricating oil) - 10-% Inert ingredients
The German version of the mandatory EU safety sheet lists the following safety-relevant ingredients:
- 60–80% Heavy NaphthaNaphthaNaphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
(petroleum product), hydrogenHydrogenHydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
treated - 1–5% Carbon dioxideCarbon dioxideCarbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
It further lists flammability and effects to the human skin when repeatedly exposed to WD-40 as risks when using WD-40. Nitrile rubber
Nitrile rubber
Nitrile rubber, also known as Buna-N, Perbunan, or NBR, is a synthetic rubber copolymer of acrylonitrile and butadiene. Trade names include Nipol, Krynac and Europrene....
gloves and safety glasses should be used. Water is unsuitable for extinguishing burning WD-40.
There is a popular urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
that the key ingredient in WD-40 is fish oil
Fish oil
Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oils contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid , and docosahexaenoic acid , precursors of certain eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation throughout the body, and are thought to have many health benefits.Fish do not...
. However, the WD-40 web site states that it is a petroleum based product.
WD-40 company
John Barry (WD-40)
John Steven Barry , was an American business executive who popularized WD-40, a water-displacing spray and solvent that had been created in the 1950s for use in the space program and spread its use in the consumer market....
, on becoming President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
and CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
, changed the name to WD-40 Company after what was then its only product. John Barry, who died July 3, 2009, reportedly made the name change on the basis that the Rocket Chemical Company did not make rockets. The company went public in 1973. Its NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
stock symbol is . In recent years the WD-40 company has acquired several household-products companies, adding such brand names as 3-In-One Oil
3-In-One Oil
3-in-One Oil is a general-purpose lubricating oil sold in small cans and squeezable containers for household and do-it-yourself use. It was originally formulated in 1894. Its name, given by the inventor George W. Cole of New Jersey, derives from the product's triple ability to "clean, lubricate and...
, Lava
Lava (soap)
Lava is a heavy-duty hand cleaner made by WD-40, first produced in 1893. WD-40 acquired the brand from Block Drug in 1999 who acquired it from Procter & Gamble in 1995. It was originally developed by the Waltke Company of St. Louis in 1893. Unlike typical hand soaps, Lava contains ground pumice,...
, Spot Shot, X-14, Carpet Fresh, and 2000 Flushes to its roster. The company still has its corporate offices in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. It now markets its products in more than 160 countries around the world.