Who Owns the Paint Industry

The can of Valspar paint you buy at Lowe's is a Sherwin-Williams product. The Glidden at Home Depot belongs to PPG Industries. And the Farrow and Ball you paid $65 for a 2.5-litre tin of at a specialist retailer is now owned by AkzoNobel, a Dutch multinational.

The global paint and coatings market is worth approximately $200 billion annually, according to IBISWorld. Most people picture house paint when they hear "paint industry," but architectural coatings are only a portion of total revenue. Industrial coatings for automotive manufacturing, aerospace, marine, and infrastructure are a similarly large segment. Four companies control most of it: Sherwin-Williams, PPG Industries, AkzoNobel, and BASF Coatings.

This guide maps every major paint brand to its corporate owner across both consumer and industrial coatings.

Sherwin-Williams: The Dominant Global Leader

[Sherwin-Williams](/brands/sherwin-williams) is the world's largest paint company by revenue and the clear leader in US architectural paint. The company trades on NYSE under ticker SHW and reported consolidated net sales of approximately $23.1 billion in 2024, a record. Sherwin-Williams operates approximately 4,900 company-owned stores in the United States and also sells through Home Depot and Lowe's.

The company's core business is professional contractors, not retail consumers. Contractors buy in higher volumes, at higher average selling prices, and with more predictable frequency than DIY shoppers. That professional relationship is one of the most durable competitive advantages in consumer products manufacturing.

Through acquisitions, Sherwin-Williams has built a portfolio of complementary brands spanning different price points and distribution channels:

[Valspar](/brands/valspar) was acquired by Sherwin-Williams in 2017 for approximately $11.3 billion, the largest acquisition in the company's history. Valspar is sold through Lowe's under an exclusive retail arrangement. Its portfolio also includes industrial coatings used in packaging, coil, and general industrial applications.

[Dutch Boy](/brands/dutch-boy) is a US architectural paint brand with roots dating to 1907, positioned in the value and mid-market segments and sold primarily through home improvement and mass retail channels.

[Krylon](/brands/krylon) is the leading spray paint brand in the United States, used by both consumers for craft and DIY projects and by industrial users for maintenance and marking applications. Sherwin-Williams acquired Krylon as part of its broader portfolio strategy.

[Minwax](/brands/minwax) is the leading US brand for wood stains, varnishes, and wood care products. Minwax is sold through home improvement retailers and hardware stores and is the market leader in its category by a significant margin.

[Cabot](/brands/cabot-stains) is a premium exterior wood stain and finish brand, positioned in the professional and serious DIY segment alongside Minwax.

Note on Rust-Oleum: Rust-Oleum is owned by RPM International, not Sherwin-Williams. It is frequently grouped with Sherwin-Williams products in retail, but it is a separate company. RPM International acquired Rust-Oleum in 1994. See the RPM International section below.

PPG Industries: The Automotive and Industrial Specialist

PPG Industries is the second-largest coatings company in the world by revenue, with net sales of approximately $15.9 billion in 2025. PPG trades on NYSE under ticker PPG and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its architectural paint business is significant, but PPG's primary differentiation is in industrial and automotive coatings, where it holds leading global positions. According to PPG's 2025 Annual Report, automotive OEM coatings and industrial coatings together account for the majority of revenue.

[Glidden](/brands/glidden) is PPG's primary architectural paint brand in the United States, sold through Home Depot under an exclusive distribution arrangement. Glidden competes in the value to mid-market price range, below Sherwin-Williams's premium positioning.

[Olympic](/brands/olympic-paint) is PPG's exterior stain and sealant brand, sold through Lowe's.

[Sikkens](/brands/sikkens) is PPG's premium professional refinish brand, used extensively in automotive body shops for vehicle refinishing. Sikkens is one of the most recognised brands in professional automotive refinish globally.

[Nexa Autocolor](/brands/nexa-autocolor) is PPG's automotive refinish brand for European markets.

In automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) coatings, PPG holds a leading global position, supplying coatings for vehicle production to manufacturers including General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, and Volkswagen Group.

AkzoNobel: Dulux and the European Leader

AkzoNobel N.V. is a Dutch multinational listed on Euronext Amsterdam under ticker AKZA. It is the market leader in architectural paint across most of Europe, many Asian markets, and several emerging markets. The company reported revenues of approximately 9.6 billion euros in 2024.

[Dulux](/brands/dulux) is AkzoNobel's global flagship architectural paint brand, the market leader in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and several Asian markets. Dulux is one of the most recognised paint brand names outside North America.

[Glidden](/brands/glidden) (outside the US) operates as an AkzoNobel brand in several international markets, though in the United States the Glidden brand is owned by PPG following historic brand licensing splits.

[Farrow and Ball](/brands/farrow-ball) is a British luxury paint brand acquired by AkzoNobel in 2014 for approximately £275 million. It is positioned at the ultra-premium end of the architectural paint market with a historically inspired colour palette and high-pigment formulations. A 2.5-litre tin retails at £55 to £65, roughly three to five times the price of mainstream architectural paint.

[Hammerite](/brands/hammerite) is AkzoNobel's direct-to-metal paint brand, used on gates, railings, and metal fixtures.

[Sikkens](/brands/sikkens) (outside automotive) operates as an AkzoNobel brand in some decorative paint markets.

BASF Coatings: Industrial at Scale

BASF Coatings is a division of BASF SE, the German chemical conglomerate (XETRA: BAS). BASF Coatings is the world's third-largest automotive OEM coatings supplier, competing with PPG and Sherwin-Williams's industrial business in supplying paint to vehicle assembly lines. BASF Coatings has no meaningful consumer architectural paint business.

R-M and Glasurit are BASF's automotive refinish brands for professional body shop markets. Glasurit holds a strong position in European professional automotive refinish.

RPM International: Rust-Oleum and Specialty Coatings

While not one of the top three global paint giants, RPM International is worth noting as a major player in the specialty coatings and DIY segments. RPM is publicly traded on NYSE under ticker RPM and reported net revenues of approximately $7.3 billion in fiscal year 2025.

[Rust-Oleum](/brands/rust-oleum) is RPM's most valuable consumer brand, the leading rust-preventive coating in the United States and a strong competitor in the spray paint category where it competes with Sherwin-Williams's Krylon.

Tremco and Tremco Roofing are RPM's commercial building maintenance and roofing solutions brands.

DAP is RPM's caulks, sealants, and spackling brand, the market leader in adhesives and sealants at retail.

The Full Ownership Map

Brand	Parent Company	Segment
Sherwin-Williams	Sherwin-Williams Co.	Premium architectural (US)
Valspar	Sherwin-Williams Co.	Mid-market architectural
Dutch Boy	Sherwin-Williams Co.	Value architectural (US)
Krylon	Sherwin-Williams Co.	Spray paint (US)
Minwax	Sherwin-Williams Co.	Wood care (US)
Glidden (US)	PPG Industries	Value architectural (US)
Olympic	PPG Industries	Exterior stain (US)
Sikkens (auto)	PPG Industries	Automotive refinish
Dulux	AkzoNobel	Premium architectural (ex-US)
Farrow and Ball	AkzoNobel	Ultra-premium architectural
Rust-Oleum	RPM International	Rust prevention/spray
DAP	RPM International	Sealants and caulks

Why the Paint Industry Is So Concentrated

Three structural factors drive consolidation in coatings:

Raw material scale. Paints are formulated from hundreds of chemical inputs. Larger companies have stronger purchasing leverage with chemical suppliers and can fund proprietary formulation technology unavailable to smaller competitors.

Retail shelf lock-in. Home Depot and Lowe's allocate limited space to paint. Exclusive distribution deals, such as Valspar's arrangement with Lowe's and Glidden's with Home Depot, structurally prevent competing brands from accessing the two largest retail channels in the United States.

Professional contractor loyalty. Professional painters buy the majority of architectural paint by volume. Once a painter adopts a brand, switching costs are real: color matching systems, product knowledge, and account relationships all create lock-in. Market positions built on professional loyalty are very difficult to displace.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns Valspar paint? Valspar is owned by Sherwin-Williams Company, which acquired it in 2017 for approximately $11.3 billion. Valspar is sold exclusively through Lowe's for its architectural paint products and operates as a brand within the Sherwin-Williams portfolio.

Who owns Dulux paint? Dulux is owned by AkzoNobel N.V., listed on Euronext Amsterdam under ticker AKZA. Dulux is AkzoNobel's global flagship architectural paint brand and is the market leader in the United Kingdom, Australia, and several other markets.

Who owns Farrow and Ball? Farrow and Ball is owned by AkzoNobel, which acquired the British luxury brand in 2014 for approximately £275 million. Farrow and Ball continues to manufacture in Dorset, England, and maintains its independent pricing and colour palette despite the corporate ownership.

Is Rust-Oleum owned by Sherwin-Williams? No. Rust-Oleum is owned by RPM International (NYSE: RPM). RPM acquired Rust-Oleum in 1994. Rust-Oleum and Sherwin-Williams's Krylon brand are direct competitors in the spray paint and rust-prevention segments.

Conclusion

Four companies control most of the global paint and coatings market: Sherwin-Williams leads in North American architectural paint, PPG leads in automotive and industrial coatings, AkzoNobel leads across European and international architectural markets, and BASF Coatings holds the third automotive OEM position globally.

The consumer-facing brands on store shelves are the visible layer of a much larger industrial business. Whether you are choosing interior house paint or the paint on your car, the same consolidation pattern applies. Browse our household consumer goods brand database to trace specific brands back to their corporate owners.