Vinyl History

The most versatile plastic had a rather humble beginning: A rubber scientist during the early 1920s stumbled onto a new material with fantastic properties during his search for a synthetic adhesive. Waldo Semon was intrigued with his finding, and experimented by making golf balls and shoe heels out of the versatile material called polyvinyl chloride, or PVC.

Manufacturing PVC began to spring up during the '30s to meet demand for the versatile material. Just a decade after its conception, PVC - commonly known as vinyl - was sought for a variety of industrial applications including gaskets and tubing!

Industries across the nation during the '40s, PVC manufacturers turned their attention to assisting the war effort. Vinyl-coated wire was widely used aboard U.S. military ships, replacing wire insulated with rubber. Vinyl manufacturers were working in high gear as World War II wound down, and they quickly found new markets for the durable plastic. Following the war, news of vinyl's versatility and flame-resistant properties spread, leading to dozens of commercial uses.

Five companies were making PVC at the century's midpoint, and innovative uses for vinyl continued to be found during the '50s and '60s. A vinyl-based latex was used on boots, fabric coatings and inflatable structures, and methods for enhancing vinyl's durability were refined, opening the door to applications in the building trades.

Vinyl is the second largest-selling plastic in the world, and the industry employs more than 100,000 people in the United States alone. Vinyl's low cost, versatility and performance make it the material of choice for dozens of industries such as health care, communications, aerospace, automotive, retailing, textiles and construction. Rigid as pipe or pliable as plastic wrap, vinyl is a leading material of the 21st century.

Here at signoutfitters.com , we have an abundant color selection for vinyl signs i.e., Magnetic Signs for automobiles or Yard Signs that are not ordered in large quantities such as Golf Outing Signs or Quick Signs. We continue to update of color selections of vinyl material, so visit or website often for new and available colors!