Bakelite Society

The trademark Bakelite and its associated logotype were first coined in the early years of the 20th century to describe the products of the phenol formaldehyde reaction developed in America by Leo H Baekeland. His patent specifications covering the chemical reaction and its uses are regarded by many as the birth certificate of the modern plastics industry. The mathematical infinity symbol underneath a capital B was intended to indicate the myriad uses of his phenolic materials. This was replaced with the three-lobed version circa 1926, which was inspired by the amalgamation of Baekeland's General Bakelite Co. with the Condensite Co. and Redmanol Chemical Products Co. to form the Bakelite Corporation. The logo was 'modernised' in 1956 and survived in this form until the Company's demise.