Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 4, 2026

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr Supply Company is a private American supplier of hardware, tools, raw materials, industrial materials, and maintenance equipment. They function as a business-to-business company. The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Elmhurst, Illinois, with distribution centers in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey; Santa Fe Springs, California; Douglasville, Georgia and Aurora, Ohio. A new distribution center and regional headquarters began construction in June 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas, with completion expected in 2027.

Last revised
Jul 4, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
McMaster-Carr
TypePrivate
IndustryIndustrial supply
Founded1901 (1901)
HeadquartersElmhurst, Illinois
Number of employees
3,0011
Websitewww.mcmaster.com

McMaster-Carr Supply Company is a private American supplier of hardware, tools, raw materials, industrial materials, and maintenance equipment. They function as a business-to-business company.2 The company was founded in 1901 and is based in Elmhurst, Illinois, with distribution centers in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey; Santa Fe Springs, California; Douglasville, Georgia and Aurora, Ohio.34 A new distribution center and regional headquarters began construction in June 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas, with completion expected in 2027.5

History

The company was founded in 1901 at 160 East Lake street in Chicago as the McMaster-Davis Supply Company.67 Starting with $50,000 in investor capital, its founders were T.J. McMaster, a former stationary engineer, and F.C. Davis, who had been a chief engineer in the U.S. Navy.68 In 1904, an attorney with a background in mechanical engineering named Walter S. Carr purchased the company.9 As early as 1908, the name of the company had been changed from McMaster-Davis to McMaster-Carr.1011

Harry and James Channon, the sons of Henry Channon the founder of the H. Channon company, a large Chicago distributor of maritime and steam engine supplies, later purchased the company.12

Catalog

In 1908 the company printed and copyrighted its first catalog, at 506 pages in length.1311 It releases its current catalog annually.14

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "McMaster-Carr's Competitors, Revenue, Number of Employees, Funding, Acquisitions". Owler.com.
  2. Hanson, Dana (2023-04-03). "20 Things You Didn't Know About McMaster-Carr". Money Inc. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  3. "Company Overview of McMaster-Carr Supply Company". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  4. "McMaster-Carr – Contact Us". McMaster-Carr. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  5. "McMaster-Carr to begin $100M in new construction at North Fort Worth site in June". Community Impact. 2025-04-24.
  6. The Railway Age. Vol. 32. Wilson Company. 1901. p. 617.
  7. Directory of Combination Export Managers. Washington, D.C.: USAID Office of Small Businesses. 1962. p. 93.
  8. The International Steam Engineer. International Union of Steam and Operating Engineers. 1903.
  9. The National Engineer. National Association of Power Engineers. 1904.
  10. Directory of Stationary Engineers of the States of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin: Containing a List of Steam Plants, with Capacity and Name of Engineer in Charge; an Alphabetical List of Engineers in Chicago; Classified Telephone Directory of Manufacturers and Supply Houses; List of Associations, and Useful Information for the Engineer ... Stationary Engineers Directory Company. March 3, 1908 – via Google Books.
  11. "The Engineer: With which is Incorporated Steam Engineering". March 3, 1908 – via Google Books.
  12. "Channon to Pay $450,000 to Two Sons he 'Fired'". The Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. July 11, 1919. p. 17.
  13. "Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [A] Group 1. Books. New Series". March 3, 1908 – via Google Books.
  14. LaPlace, Jules (August 28, 2013). "McMaster-Carr Catalog". AIGA. Archived from the original on 2018-06-07. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
External links