Why Kilfrost
Our Heritage
Decade by decade, we’ve stood at the forefront of innovation.
Shaping the aviation industry since the 1930s
Since the 1930s we have been innovating and shaping the aviation industry with our deicing fluids and have since expanded our reach into more industries and products. We are the original pioneers and continue to lead the way in developing products that outperform and are kinder to our environment.
Explore our incredible history and lasting impact…
1930
Joseph ‘Tiny’ Halbert pioneered and brought to the market the first aviation deicing fluid after being inspired by the snowdrop’s capability to survive even in the coldest of winters, due to its anti-freeze properties.
Initially the fluid was used to deice football pitches, including Newcastle United’s St James’ Park. But then, Kilfrost turned its attention to aviation and in 1936 launched an aircraft defrosting composite which was trialed on Imperial Airways’ Sunderland Flying Boats.
1940
Demand for our defrosting composite soared during the Second World War, and we worked hard to expand to meet the nation’s needs. Having moved from Whitley Bay to London in the 1930s, we returned to the North East, and set up a factory in Haltwhistle, Northumberland: that site is still our head office today.
As well as employing more than 100 people in our production departments, we added a larger laboratory and invested heavily in product development and research. We also lent our expertise to a joint venture with Tecalemit and Sheepridge Stokes which saw us produce the deicing fluid used in the developed TKS system.
1950
Our product range continued to grow as a result of work carried out in our R&D laboratory.
Between 1949 and 1952 Kilfrost radiator anti-freeze was used in the Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic expeditions, and by the British North Greenland Expedition team from 1952 to 1954, and the Commonwealth Trans-Arctic Expeditions from 1955 to 1958.
1960
In 1962 we won a large contract with Lufthansa for our DC2A fluid.
Our ongoing investment in product development led to the launch of another world-first in 1965: our ABC fluid was the first modern thickened fluid to provide extended holdover protection from icing.
1970
The late 1970s saw an increased focus on product efficacy, and the Association of European Airlines (AEA) introduced fluid specifications to regulate production. We became the only company recommended in its guidelines and, in fact, the Type II specification document was designed around our ABC product and test procedures.
Our commitment to product development continued across the 1970s, and in 1980 we launched the K400 pneumatic tool anti-freeze lubricant which is still in use – and high-demand – today.
1980
Not only did the 1980s see us become the only fluid manufacturer recommended by the AEA, but our R&D team pioneered two additional products which we brought to market – ABC-2 and ABC-3 – both of which provided longer holdover protection from icing.
1990
By 1996 we had started our global expansion, with licensing of our Type I fluid agreed in Japan to support operations in East Asia. This was followed by our ABC-S Type IV fluid in 1998.
America followed the year after as demand for ever-longer holdover protection continued to grow and in 1999 we launched ABC II Plus, which provided the longest holdover protection offered by a Type II fluid.
2000
The noughties saw us focus even more heavily on the environment, and our R&D team set to work on developing more world-leading products. An innovative partnership with DuPont Tate & Lyle BioProducts saw us develop the first glycol-based fluid derived from a sustainable source – DFsustain.
A brand-new eco deicer for electrified third rails – Kilfrost Rail – was launched to support the rail sector and this was quickly embraced by mass transit system operators across the globe. Today, Kilfrost Rail continues to be a leader within the rail industry and has a number of applications.
2010
After significant investment in R&D, and following a period of strategic global expansion, Kilfrost was honoured with a number of awards and accolades.
In 2011 we picked up the prestigious title of North East Business of the Year, secured 17th place in the Sunday Times Profit Track 100, and we were also listed as The Journal newspaper’s ‘Highest Climber’ in its Top 200.
Our Type I and Type II fluids were approved for use by China Airways, and our bio-glycol-based DFsustain product generated prestigious contract wins with Japan’s ANA airline and St Louis Lambert International Airport in Missouri.
In 2012, our expert scientists revealed a game-changing suite of world-first heat transfer fluids – following two years of dynamic and pioneering research.
We also launched our Specialty Fluids Division which was set up to focus our R&D on solving some of the greatest modern-day challenges faced in industrial and commercial applications. In line with this, we developed our Low Viscosity range which boasts superior performance – and our scientists carefully crafted these products to be non-toxic and climate friendly.
2020
In 2024, we made a significant investment in upgrading our environmental testing facilities. The new, custom-built climatic chamber was developed in partnership with a manufacturer of environmental test chambers and simulation equipment.
It provides increased safety and efficiency in testing deicing and anti-icing fluids and enables the conduction of the Water Spray Endurance Test (WSET) – which we originally pioneered – and the Boundary Layer Displacement Test (BLDT).
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Get in touch with our team to find out more about our deicing, anti-icing and heat transfer fluids.