What FRAM makes

FRAM is an automotive aftermarket filtration brand built around oil, air, and cabin air filters, with fuel filters, PCV valves, crankcase filters, transmission modulators, and a line of fluids and chemicals alongside them. The oil-filter range spans everyday to premium tiers: Extra Guard and Drive at the value end, Tough Guard and Force in the middle, and Ultra Synthetic, Titanium, and Synthetic Endurance for extended-interval synthetic oil, plus dedicated Diesel and Racing filters. Air filtration follows the same ladder from Extra Guard to Ultra Air and Titanium, and cabin air runs from Fresh Breeze to TrueAir, which the company describes as using N95-grade media to capture 95% of airborne particles.

The brand positions itself as America's number one oil filter brand and markets under the line "Trusted Since 1934." Its filters sell through national auto-parts retailers, mass merchants, quick-lube channels, and e-commerce to professional mechanics and DIY consumers. FRAM parts are cataloged by vehicle application across cars, light trucks, and heavy-duty and off-road engines, the aftermarket counterpart to the parts an OEM fits at the factory.

Ownership and history

FRAM traces to 1932, when chemists Frederick Franklin and T. Edward Aldham developed a replaceable oil-filtering element in Providence, Rhode Island; the name blends their surnames, and the company incorporated in 1934. It became original equipment early, on the 1936 Studebaker, then on Cadillac, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, and Graham vehicles by 1938, and the company says its filtration reached 40% of U.S. heavy-duty diesel engines as original equipment by 1994. Over the following decades FRAM passed through several corporate owners, most recently First Brands Group.

The brand went through a sharp disruption in 2025 and 2026. First Brands Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2025 in a collapse later reported at roughly $2.3 billion, which interrupted supply of FRAM and its sister brands. FRAM itself survived the failure through a sale. Premium Guard Inc. (PGI), a Memphis, Tennessee filtration manufacturer founded in 1996, acquired FRAM's intellectual property and assets in two phases, closing the IP purchase on April 16, 2026 and completing the Phase 2 acquisition of manufacturing, R&D, and distribution assets on June 17, 2026. The deal reopened the Albion, Illinois plant, reinstated close to 300 roles across the assets acquired, moved manufacturing equipment from the legacy Greenville, Ohio site, and added a 730,000-square-foot distribution center in Hebron, Kentucky. PGI, led by founder and CEO Anan Bishara, was named to the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of fast-growing private companies and also owns Autolite, TRICO, ANCO, and LuberFiner.

Sourcing evidence

FRAM's US import record runs under the entity Fram Group Operations: 3,097 sea shipments from January 2015 through March 2026, averaging 1.84 TEU per shipment. The mix reflects a filtration business that assembles and packages domestically while importing components and finished elements, with a spark-plug stream carried under the same operations entity for the sister Autolite brand. The most active suppliers on record:

Seven shown of dozens of recorded suppliers. By origin, China leads with 2,268 shipments, followed by South Korea (364), Thailand (261), Taiwan (40), and Malaysia (24), with smaller flows from Germany, Brazil, and Mexico. The record also names a Mexicali, Mexico operation, a cross-border footprint relevant to buyers weighing nearshoring and tariff exposure.

One timing note matters for reading this data. The last recorded shipment, March 24, 2026, predates the June 2026 Premium Guard acquisition, so this customs history reflects First Brands-era operations. Post-acquisition importing shifts to PGI's own entities and will accumulate under different records over time.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements, including most US-Mexico flows, do not appear; some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers; and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does FRAM make?

FRAM makes automotive aftermarket filters: oil filters, air filters, and cabin air filters, plus fuel filters, PCV valves, crankcase filters, transmission modulators, and fluids and chemicals. Its oil-filter lines run from Extra Guard and Drive up through Tough Guard, Force, Ultra Synthetic, Titanium, and Synthetic Endurance, with dedicated Diesel and Racing filters.

Who owns FRAM?

FRAM has been owned by Premium Guard Inc. (PGI), a Memphis, Tennessee filtration manufacturer, since June 2026. PGI acquired FRAM's intellectual property and assets out of the First Brands Group bankruptcy in two phases, closing the IP purchase in April 2026 and the manufacturing and distribution assets on June 17, 2026.

What happened to FRAM in the First Brands bankruptcy?

FRAM's former parent, First Brands Group, filed for Chapter 11 in September 2025 in a collapse later reported at about $2.3 billion, which disrupted supply of FRAM and sister brands. The FRAM brand survived the failure: Premium Guard Inc. bought its assets in 2026, reopened the Albion, Illinois plant, and restored product availability.

Where is FRAM located?

FRAM's current owner, Premium Guard Inc., is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Its US import operations entity, Fram Group Operations, registers at 1100 Worldwide Blvd, Hebron, Kentucky. Manufacturing and distribution assets tied to the brand include sites in Albion, Illinois and a distribution center in Hebron, Kentucky.

When was FRAM founded?

FRAM was founded in 1934 in Providence, Rhode Island, after chemists Frederick Franklin and T. Edward Aldham developed a replaceable oil-filtering element in 1932. The brand's name combines their surnames, and it markets under the line "Trusted Since 1934."

Does FRAM supply original equipment?

FRAM has an original-equipment heritage dating to the 1936 Studebaker and, by the company's account, reached 40% of U.S. heavy-duty diesel engines as original equipment by 1994. Today it is primarily an aftermarket replacement-parts brand, sold as a service part rather than a factory-fit component on most current vehicles.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.