Editing WD-40

{{Short description|Lubricating oil and water displacement spray}}
{{About|the product|its manufacturer|WD-40 Company}}
{{Redirect|WD40|the biomolecular structure|WD40 repeat}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox brand
| name                     = WD-40
| logo                     = WD-40 logo.svg
| image                    = WD-40 Smart Straw.JPG
| image_upright            = 0.6
| caption                  = WD-40 with Smart Straw
| type                     = Water displacer
| currentowner             = [[WD-40 Company]]
| origin                   = [[San Diego]], [[California]], [[United States]]
| introduced               = {{Start date and age|1953|09|23|br=yes}}
| discontinued             =
| related                  =
| markets                  =
| previousowners           =
| trademarkregistrations   =
| ambassadors              =
| tagline                  =
| website                  = {{URL|www.wd40.com}}
}}

[[File:WD-40.jpg|thumb|upright|WD-40 spray can from Germany]]

'''WD-40''' ('''Water Displacement, 40th formula''') is an American manufacturer and the [[trademark]] of a [[penetrating oil]] manufactured by the [[WD-40 Company]] based in [[San Diego]], California.<ref name="latimes">{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-qa-wd-40-20150730-story.html|title=Q&A WD-40 CEO Garry Ridge explains company's slick success|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=July 30, 2015|access-date=July 30, 2015|archive-date=September 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905100953/http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-qa-wd-40-20150730-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Its formula was invented for the '''Rocket Chemical Company''' in 1953, before it was renamed to the [[WD-40 Company]]. It became available as a commercialized product in 1961.<ref>{{cite web|date=October 21, 2020|title=WD-40 COMPANY 2020 10-K|url=https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/105132/000010513220000046/wdfc-20200831x10k.htm|access-date=June 8, 2021}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Davies |first1=Adam |title=The Case Against WD-40 |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a6064/wd-40-vs-the-world-of-lubricants/ |website=Popular Mechanics |date=31 August 2010 |access-date=June 13, 2022 |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619092005/https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a6064/wd-40-vs-the-world-of-lubricants/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

It is a successful product to this day, with steady growth in net income from $27&nbsp;million in 2008 to $70.2&nbsp;million in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|date=March 19, 2022|title=Statista - WD-40 Net Income, 2008-2021|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/565621/net-income-of-wd-40-company/|access-date=March 20, 2022|archive-date=March 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320035647/https://www.statista.com/statistics/565621/net-income-of-wd-40-company/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, it was inducted into the [[International Air & Space Hall of Fame]] at the [[San Diego Air & Space Museum]].<ref>Sprekelmeyer, Linda, editor (2006).''These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame''. Donning Co. Publishers, {{ISBN|978-1-57864-397-4}}.</ref>

== History ==
Sources credit different people with inventing WD-40 formula in 1953 as part of the Rocket Chemical Company (later renamed to the [[WD-40 Company]]), in [[San Diego]], California; the formula was kept as a [[trade secret]] and was never [[patent]]ed.<ref name=BarryObit/>

According to [[Iris Engstrand]], a historian of San Diego and California history at the [[University of San Diego]], Iver Norman Lawson invented the formula,<ref name=Engstrand2014>{{cite journal|last1=Engstrand|first1=Iris H.W.|title=WD-40: San Diego's Marketing Miracle|journal=The Journal of San Diego History|date=Fall 2014|volume=60|issue=4|pages=253–270|url=http://www.sandiegohistory.org/sites/default/files/journal/v60-4/v60-4engstrand.pdf|access-date=March 7, 2017|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222232703/https://sandiegohistory.org/sites/default/files/journal/v60-4/v60-4engstrand.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> while the WD-40 company website and other books and newspapers credit [[Norman Larsen|Norman B. Larsen]]. According to Engstrand, "(Iver Norman) Lawson was acknowledged at the time, but his name later became confused with company president Norman B. Larsen."<ref>{{cite web|title=WD-40 History – History and Timeline|url=https://wd40.com/cool-stuff/history|publisher=WD-40 Company|access-date=April 10, 2017|language=en|archive-date=February 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210000427/https://wd40.com/cool-stuff/history|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Mercer2011">{{cite book
  |author=Bobby Mercer|title=ManVentions: From Cruise Control to Cordless Drills – Inventions Men Can't Live Without|url=https://archive.org/details/manventionsfromc0000merc|url-access=registration|access-date=June 28, 2013|year=2011 |publisher=Adams Media |isbn=978-1-4405-1075-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/manventionsfromc0000merc/page/181 181]–
}}</ref><ref name=BarryObit>{{cite news|last1=Martin|first1=Douglas|title=Obituary: John Barry, Popularizer of WD-40, Dies at 84|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/business/22barry1.html|work=The New York Times|date=July 22, 2009|access-date=February 26, 2017|archive-date=February 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218043350/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/business/22barry1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> "WD-40" is abbreviated from the term "Water Displacement, 40th formula",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wd40.com/history/|title=WD-40 History &#124; Learn the Stories Behind the WD-40 Brand &#124; WD-40|website=www.wd40.com|access-date=November 7, 2020|archive-date=December 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209024004/https://www.wd40.com/history/|url-status=live}}</ref> suggesting it was the result of the 40th attempt to create the product.<ref name="latimes"/> The spray, composed of various [[hydrocarbon]]s, was originally designed to be used by [[Convair]] to protect the outer skin of the [[SM-65 Atlas|Atlas missile]] from rust and corrosion.<ref name="aboutus">{{cite web |title=Our History |publisher=WD-40 |url=http://www.wd40.com/about-us/history/ |access-date=April 20, 2011 |archive-date=June 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623152408/http://wd40.com/about-us/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="barrynytobit"/> This outer skin also functioned as the outer wall of the missile's delicate [[balloon tank]]s.  WD-40 was later found to have many household uses<ref name="latimes"/> and was made available to consumers in San Diego in 1958.<ref name="aboutus"/>

In Engstrand's account, it was Iver Norman Lawson who came up with the water-displacing mixture after working at home and turned it over to the Rocket Chemical Company for the sum of $500 ({{Inflation|US|500|1953|fmt=eq|r=-2}}). It was Norman Larsen, president of the company, who had the idea of packaging it in aerosol cans and marketed it in this way.<ref name=Engstrand2014/>

It was written up as a new consumer product in 1961.<ref>''Changing Times'' (pre-1986) 15.5 (May 1, 1961): p. 36.</ref> By 1965 it was being used by airlines including Delta and United; United, for example, was using it on fixed and movable joints of their DC-8 and Boeing 720s in maintenance and overhaul.<ref name=AEAT1965>{{cite journal|title=New Materials|journal=Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology|date=May 1965|volume=37|issue=5|pages=165|doi=10.1108/eb034021}}</ref> At that time, airlines were using a variant called WD-60 to clean turbines, removing light rust from control lines, and when handling or storing metal parts.<ref name=AEAT1965/> By 1969 WD-40 was being marketed to farmers and mechanics in England.<ref>{{cite news|title=New on the Market|work=Farm & Country |location=London|date=January 1969|page=72}}</ref> In 1973, WD-40 Company, Inc., went public with its first stock offering. Its [[nasdaq|NASDAQ]] stock symbol is ({{NASDAQ|WDFC}}).<ref>{{cite web
  |title=History
  |work=WD-40
  |url=https://wd40.co.uk/about-us/
  |date=January 2017
  |access-date=February 18, 2020
  |archive-date=February 18, 2020
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218205052/https://wd40.co.uk/about-us/
  |url-status=live
  }}</ref>

==Formulation==
WD-40's formula is a [[trade secret]].<ref name="explore">{{cite web |title=Explore myths, legends and fun facts |url=https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/ |publisher=WD-40 |access-date=16 March 2023 |date=2023 |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316220852/https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The original copy of the formula was moved to a secure bank vault in [[San Diego]] in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-14 |title=WD-40 Company Enlists Armoured Security to Move Top-Secret Formula |url=https://wd40.co.uk/news-and-events/wd-40-enlists-armoured-security-to-move-top-secret-formula/ |access-date=2020-12-04 |website=WD-40 UK |language=en-GB}}{{dead link|date=April 2023}}</ref>  To avoid disclosing its composition, the product was not patented in 1953, and the window of opportunity for patenting it has long since closed.<ref name="barrynytobit">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Douglas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/business/22barry1.html |title=John S. Barry, Main Force Behind WD-40, Dies at 84 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 22, 2009 |access-date=February 26, 2017 |archive-date=February 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218043350/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/business/22barry1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

WD-40's main ingredients as supplied in aerosol cans, according to the US [[safety data sheet|material safety data sheet]] information,<ref name=SDS>{{cite web |url=https://files.wd40.com/pdf/sds/mup/wd-40-multi-use-product-aerosol-low-voc-sds-us-ghs.pdf |title=SDSUSA |date=March 5, 2019 |website=www.wd40.com |access-date=February 17, 2020 |archive-date=September 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120911172324/http://www.wd40company.com/files/pdf/msds-wd494716385.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and with the [[CAS Registry Number|CAS numbers]] interpreted:<ref name=CAS >{{cite web |url=https://chem.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/ |title=ChemIDplus |website=chem.nlm.nih.gov |access-date=February 17, 2020}}</ref>
* 45–50% low vapor pressure [[aliphatic compound|aliphatic hydrocarbon]] ([[alkane|isoparaffin]])
* <35% [[petroleum]] base oil (non-hazardous heavy paraffins)
* <25% aliphatic hydrocarbons (same CAS number as the first item, but flammable)
* 2–3% [[carbon dioxide]] (propellant)

The European formulation<ref name=SDSUK >{{cite web |url=https://wd40.co.uk/data-sheets/#wd-40-multi-use-product |title=WD-40® Multi-Use Product |date=March 7, 2017 |website=wd40.co.uk |access-date=February 17, 2020 |archive-date=February 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218205111/https://wd40.co.uk/data-sheets/#wd-40-multi-use-product |url-status=live }}</ref> is stated according to the [[Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals|REACH]] regulations:
* 60–80% hydrocarbons C{{sub|9}} – C{{sub|11}} n-alkanes, iso-alkanes, cyclics <2% aromatics
* 1–5% carbon dioxide

The Australian formulation<ref name=SDSAUS >{{cite web |url=https://cdn.wd40.com.au/wd-40/images/2019/07/31202731/WD-40-Aerosol-AUNZ-GHS-SDS-5-Jul-18.pdf |title=WD-40® Multi-Use Product |date=July 5, 2018 |website=wd40.com.au |access-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813034755/https://cdn.wd40.com.au/wd-40/images/2019/07/31202731/WD-40-Aerosol-AUNZ-GHS-SDS-5-Jul-18.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> is stated:
* 50–60% naphtha (petroleum), hydrotreated heavy
* <25% petroleum base oils
* <10% naphtha (petroleum), hydrodesulfurized heavy (contains: 1,2,4-trimethyl benzene, 1,3,5-trimethyl benzene, xylene, mixed isomers)
* 2–4% carbon dioxide

In 2009, ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' published an article with the results of [[gas chromatography]] and [[mass spectrometry]] tests on WD-40, showing that the principal components were C{{sub|9}} to C{{sub|14}} [[alkane]]s and [[mineral oil]].<ref name=Wired>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/st_whatsinside |title=What's Inside WD-40? Superlube's Secret Sauce |last=Di Justo |first=Patrick |date=April 20, 2009 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=April 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119014037/http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/st_whatsinside |archive-date=January 19, 2014}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Ballistol]]

==References==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|https://www.wd40.com/}}
* [https://www.wd40company.com/partners-suppliers/msds-sds/ WD-40 Safety Data Sheet]
* [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/household-uses-for-wd-40/ WD-40 uses], by [[snopes|Snopes.com]]

[[Category:American brands]]
[[Category:American inventions]]
[[Category:Brand name materials]]
[[Category:Petroleum based lubricants]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1953]]
[[Category:Trade secrets]]