NL Industries
An American industrial company descended from the National Lead Company, with a history in lead smelting, lead-based paint, and industrial holdings.
Last updated October 28, 2026
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Overview
NL Industries is an American industrial company based in Dallas, Texas. Its corporate history reaches back to business activity in Philadelphia in 1772 and is associated with the development of the National Lead Company, a major American lead-processing and paint enterprise. The National Lead name was adopted in 1891 following a series of mergers, and the company was among the original twelve stocks included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average when that index was created on May 26, 1896. In 1971, the company changed its name to NL Industries. The company’s historical identity was shaped by lead smelting and by its long-running role in the manufacture and marketing of lead-containing paints. In 1907, National Lead entered the consumer paint market with titanium-based paints sold under the Dutch Boy name. The brand became closely identified with the company through the Dutch Boy Painter symbol, created by artist Lawrence Carmichael Earle. Dutch Boy products competed in a market in which National Lead also supplied mineral materials to other paint brands. The company’s paint history later became a major source of litigation and reputational risk because of the health consequences associated with exposure to lead paint. NL Industries sold the Dutch Boy brand to Sherwin-Williams in 1980, two years after a Consumer Product Safety Commission directive took effect prohibiting the manufacture of lead-based residential paint. The divestiture marked a significant separation from the consumer paint business that had made the National Lead name widely recognizable, although the company continued to face legal claims connected with historical lead-paint sales. The most prominent later legal dispute involved an action brought by California governmental entities against NL Industries, Sherwin-Williams, and ConAgra. In January 2014, the Santa Clara County Superior Court found the defendants jointly and severally liable for $1.15 billion intended for a lead-paint abatement fund. The ruling alleged that the companies had manufactured, marketed, and sold lead paint without adequately disclosing its health risks. In November 2017, the California Sixth District Court of Appeal reversed the judgment and remanded the case, directing the trial court to recalculate the abatement amount for pre-1951 homes and conduct a hearing concerning a receiver. The California Supreme Court declined review in February 2018. NL Industries settled its portion in May 2018 by paying $60 million and agreeing not to support a ballot measure backed by ConAgra and Sherwin-Williams. NL Industries has also been associated with industrial businesses outside its historic paint operations. CompX International, a Dallas-based manufacturer of security products, furniture components, and recreational marine components, became a subsidiary of NL Industries after NL Industries acquired a 68 percent interest in 2004 for $168.6 million. CompX had previously completed an initial public offering in 1998 and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CIX. Its business supplied original-equipment manufacturers and distributors, with products aimed at higher-end applications. CompX later sold its furniture-components operations to Knape & Vogt Manufacturing Company in December 2012 for approximately $59 million in cash. The available reference material does not establish a complete current operating profile for NL Industries, its present executive leadership, or all of its holdings. The company is nevertheless distinct from modern paint manufacturers that use the Dutch Boy name: NL Industries is the former National Lead enterprise, while the Dutch Boy brand was divested decades ago. Its historical significance rests on its early place in American industrial consolidation, its membership in the original Dow Jones Industrial Average, its role in lead and paint markets, and the long-term legal consequences of those activities.
History
NL Industries traces its origins to business activity begun in Philadelphia in 1772. The enterprise developed through a series of mergers and adopted the name National Lead Company in 1891. Its principal historical activities centered on lead smelting and the manufacture and distribution of lead-related products. National Lead was sufficiently prominent in American industry to be included among the twelve original constituents of the Dow Jones Industrial Average when the index was launched on May 26, 1896. In 1907, National Lead expanded into consumer paints with titanium-based products marketed under the Dutch Boy name. The brand’s imagery included the Dutch Boy Painter, designed by Lawrence Carmichael Earle, which became an enduring corporate symbol. National Lead also supplied mineral materials used by other paint companies, giving it a significant position within the broader paint-materials market. The later restriction and prohibition of lead-based residential paint changed the commercial and regulatory environment in which the company operated. Following a Consumer Product Safety Commission directive that took effect in 1978, National Lead sold Dutch Boy to Sherwin-Williams in 1980. The corporate name changed from National Lead Company to NL Industries in 1971. Despite the divestiture of Dutch Boy, the company continued to encounter legal claims related to its historical lead-paint business. In California, governmental plaintiffs sued NL Industries, Sherwin-Williams, and ConAgra over lead paint used in older housing. A 2014 trial-court ruling imposed joint and several liability of $1.15 billion for an abatement fund. The California Sixth District Court of Appeal reversed that judgment in 2017 and remanded the case for a narrower calculation focused on pre-1951 homes, together with an evidentiary hearing concerning a receiver. The California Supreme Court denied review in February 2018. NL Industries resolved its part of the dispute in May 2018 through a $60 million payment and a commitment not to support a related ballot initiative. The company also became connected with diversified industrial operations through CompX International. CompX was established in 1993, completed an initial public offering in 1998, and operated businesses producing security products, furniture components, and marine components. NL Industries acquired a 68 percent interest in CompX in September 2004. CompX later sold its furniture-components business to Knape & Vogt Manufacturing Company in December 2012. The supplied sources do not provide enough information to describe all current NL Industries operations, its complete portfolio, or its current management with confidence. NL Industries is therefore best understood as a historically rooted industrial company whose identity combines lead and paint heritage with later industrial holdings.
- 2012
CompX sells furniture-components operations
[1]CompX sold its furniture-components operations to Knape & Vogt Manufacturing Company for approximately $59 million in cash.
- 2004
NL Industries acquires majority interest in CompX
[1]NL Industries completed the acquisition of a 68 percent interest in CompX International for $168.6 million.
- 1980
Dutch Boy brand sold
[1]NL Industries sold Dutch Boy to Sherwin-Williams after federal restrictions on the manufacture of lead-based house paint had taken effect.
- 1971
Corporate name changed to NL Industries
[1]The National Lead Company adopted the NL Industries name.
- 1907
Dutch Boy paint line introduced
[1]National Lead entered the consumer paint market with titanium paints sold under the Dutch Boy name.
- 1896
Included in the original Dow Jones Industrial Average
[1]National Lead was one of the twelve original stocks included when the Dow Jones Industrial Average was created on May 26.
- 1891
National Lead Company name adopted
[1]Following a series of mergers, the business began operating under the National Lead Company name.
- 1772
Business activity begins in Philadelphia
[1]The enterprise that ultimately developed into NL Industries began business in Philadelphia.
Products and positioning
A historically significant American industrial company whose legacy spans lead smelting, consumer paint, and industrial component holdings. Its present business profile is less clearly documented in the supplied material than its historical operations and litigation record.
Consumer paint · 1907
Dutch Boy paints
Dutch Boy was the principal consumer-facing paint brand associated with National Lead. Introduced in 1907 as a titanium-paint line, it was supported by distinctive Dutch Boy Painter imagery created by Lawrence Carmichael Earle. The brand operated within a broader National Lead business that also supplied mineral materials to other paint makers. NL Industries sold Dutch Boy to Sherwin-Williams in 1980, so it is a historical offering rather than a current NL Industries brand.
Industrial materials
Lead and lead-related industrial materials
Lead smelting and related lead products form the historical industrial foundation of NL Industries and its predecessor, National Lead Company. The business’s involvement in lead materials also underlies the company’s later legal exposure concerning historical lead-based paint. The supplied material does not specify the full current product range in this category.
Security hardware
CompX security products
CompX International, an NL Industries subsidiary, manufactures security products for higher-end applications and sells through original-equipment manufacturers and distributors. The reference material does not identify individual product models, so this entry is limited to the subsidiary’s documented business segment.
Recreational marine components
CompX marine components
CompX’s marine-components segment serves recreational marine applications. Products are marketed through original-equipment manufacturers and distributors, alongside the subsidiary’s security-products activities.
Furniture hardware
CompX furniture components
Furniture components were one of CompX International’s operating segments before the business was sold to Knape & Vogt Manufacturing Company in 2012. The line is therefore part of the subsidiary’s documented history, not a confirmed current NL Industries offering.
Controversies
2020
California files Exide cleanup cost-recovery lawsuit against former operators and waste companies
California filed a lawsuit alleging that three companies or their corporate successors that formerly owned or operated the Exide Technologies battery recycling plant, and seven companies or successors that sent hazardous waste there or arranged for its treatment or disposal, are liable for cleaning up pollution under federal Superfund law. The state seeks to recover more than $136 million already spent on cleanup, plus future cleanup costs. The suit names NL Industries, JX Nippon Mining & Metals, Gould Electronics, Kinsbursky Bros., Trojan Battery Co., Ramcar Batteries, Clarios, Quemetco, International Metals Ekco and Blount.
2018
Settlement of California lead-paint claims
NL Industries settled its portion of the litigation for $60 million and agreed not to support a related ballot measure.
2017
Appellate reversal in California lead-paint case
An appellate court reversed the trial judgment and remanded the matter for a narrower abatement calculation and a hearing concerning a receiver.
2014
California lead-paint liability ruling
A California trial court held NL Industries and two other paint companies jointly and severally liable for $1.15 billion for a lead-paint abatement fund. The case concerned alleged failure to disclose health risks associated with lead paint.
Marketing campaigns
- 1907Dutch Boy Painter branding
United States
National Lead built consumer recognition for its Dutch Boy paint line around the Dutch Boy Painter symbol, created by Lawrence Carmichael Earle.
Outcome. The symbol became associated with National Lead for many years; the Dutch Boy brand was later sold to Sherwin-Williams in 1980.
Brand decisions
2012
Sale of CompX furniture-components operationsM&ABackground
Furniture components were one of CompX International’s operating segments.
Action taken
CompX sold the furniture-components operations to Knape & Vogt Manufacturing Company.
Aftermath
CompX retained its documented security and marine-components segments while exiting furniture components.
Sale consideration. Approximately $59 million in cash (December 2012)
2004
Acquisition of majority interest in CompX InternationalM&ABackground
CompX operated in security products, furniture components, and recreational marine components.
Action taken
NL Industries acquired 68 percent of CompX International.
Aftermath
CompX became a subsidiary and broadened NL Industries’ documented industrial portfolio beyond its historical lead and paint activities.
Acquisition consideration. $168.6 million (September 2004)
1980
Divestiture of Dutch BoyM&ABackground
Regulatory restrictions on lead-based residential paint had reshaped the paint industry, and NL Industries no longer retained the Dutch Boy brand after the sale.
Action taken
NL Industries sold Dutch Boy to Sherwin-Williams.
Aftermath
The transaction ended NL Industries’ direct ownership of the historically important consumer paint brand.
Recent events
California files Exide cleanup cost-recovery lawsuit against former operators and waste companies[2]
Reported:
California filed a lawsuit alleging that three companies or their corporate successors that formerly owned or operated the Exide Technologies battery recycling plant, and seven companies or successors that sent hazardous waste there or arranged for its treatment or disposal, are liable for cleaning up pollution under federal Superfund law. The state seeks to recover more than $136 million already spent on cleanup, plus future cleanup costs. The suit names NL Industries, JX Nippon Mining & Metals, Gould Electronics, Kinsbursky Bros., Trojan Battery Co., Ramcar Batteries, Clarios, Quemetco, International Metals Ekco and Blount.
Sources2 sources
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