In 2026, Soudal celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Silirub, a brand recognised in more than 35 countries around the world. Providing sealing excellence for over 50 years, Silirub has become a well-structured range of professional quality silicones, developed to suit the demands of the construction industry for a wide range of sealing applications.
Silirub is used globally for perimeter sealing around window and door installations, façade joints, roofing applications, roofline and drainage systems, as well as sanitary applications and more. The strength of the brand is based around its advanced sealing capabilities and specialist solutions for even the most challenging applications.
The History of Silirub
In the mid‑1970s, the use of silicone sealants was not common practice by construction professionals in Belgium. Having initially focused on putties, Vic Swerts, the founder of Soudal, recognised an opportunity in the market. He set out to create an innovative alternative to these traditional putty sealants, a decision that later became the birth of Silirub.
From the very beginning, this new sealing technology stood out as a breakthrough development in the market, quickly earning the trust of industry professionals; especially amongst the glazing community, used for perimeter sealing around windows and doors. Soudal’s approach towards technical sales and collaboration with end users set Silirub apart from the competition, constantly delivering hands‑on product demonstrations to industry professionals. In the words of Vic: "We worked hard to make Silirub known: people had to feel the rubber”. By allowing installers to experience the sealant’s unique texture in-situ on site, Soudal accelerated trust and adoption of this new silicone sealant formulation.
As production volumes grew and the price gap with traditional sealants narrowed, demand for Silirub continued to rapidly grow, soon becoming a reference point for quality and high-performance. The introduction of Silirub was so successful that other major manufacturers soon approached Soudal to manufacture the product on their behalf, under their own brands. A testament to the increasing recognition of Silirub in the market.
Over time, Silirub continued to evolve and keep pace with the changing needs of the construction and industrial sectors. What began as a single product, started to expand into a comprehensive range, with each variant tailored towards specific market requirements. Working closely with installers, Soudal developed new and advanced formulations to meet the ever‑increasing expectations for performance, durability, and reliability.
Fast forward 50 years and Silirub remains the silicone of choice for many installers and construction professionals from across the industry. It has become more than a product, Silirub represents five decades of innovation, collaboration with installers, and evolution shaped by the requirements of the fenestration and construction markets across the globe.
In the UK, the Silirub neutral range is available in 39+ stock colour options, with the capability to match any trending colours on the market or develop any RAL colour with Silirub Color’s bespoke colour matching service.
Share Your Excellence
For the 50th anniversary of Silirub, Soudal would like to celebrate 50 years of installers sealing excellence. Soudal is proud to see Silirub products used on so many impressive projects around the world. We invite you to share your favourite window and door installations, or airtightness projects using Soudal products. Why? To celebrate the glazing industry and showcase the expertise and craftsmanship of our community.
Would you like to share your project?
To participate, simply scan the QR code and complete the short survey below with a description of the project, as well as any photos of your installation: Any project selected to feature on our website or social media channels will receive a £100 Amazon Voucher.
