People Are Only Just Realizing What WD-40 Stands For After 70 Years

Despite the wide use of WD-40 as a lubricant, rust preventive, penetrant, and moisture displacer, the full meaning of its name is unknown to most people. It is commonly used to fix hinges, wheels, rollers, chains, gears, and similar moving parts.

Recently, curious Reddit users went online to ask, “What does WD-40 actually stand for,” and “What is WD-40 actually used for?” and to their surprise, it has an interesting origin. “Right up there with duct tape for must-have useful items,” a satisfied customer wrote, praising the item.

What does WD-40 actually mean?

The WD-40 is a story of many attempts that ended in success. The Rocket Chemical Company wanted to create rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for equipment in the aerospace industry, so they started production from a small lab in San Diego, California. In 1953, and after 40 tries, the WD-40 came to be. “It took them 40 attempts to get their water displacing formula to work, but on the 40th attempt, they got it right in a big way,” the WD-40 website reads.

RELATED: The Cast Of ‘Home Alone 1 & 2’ Then And Now 2023

The statement further explained that WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula “WD-40 Multi-Use Product was born. That’s the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who developed the product,” it further stated. Upon this realization, Redditors got even more curious about other possibilities. “I wonder if they stopped at 40. Serious question: was there a 41 that just wasn’t as good?” someone asked. “Thank god he didn’t stop at 39,” another added.

From Aerospace to home sheds

The first company to commercially use WD-40 was an American aircraft-manufacturing company, Convair, and they applied it to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion. It was so effective that workers started to sneak cans out of the plant to their homes, inspiring Norm Larsen— the founder and president of Rocket Chemical Company, to expand its market to households.

“Since the early days of the space race when workers snuck WD-40 Multi-Use Product out of the shop in their lunchboxes, WD-40 Company has grown to nearly 600 employees worldwide,” a statement explained. “WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a household name, used in numerous consumer and industrial markets such as automotive, manufacturing, sporting goods, aviation, hardware and home improvement, construction, and farming.”