Cylinder Head Gasket Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
- 61.7% concentration. The top five assignees combined hold 235 of the 381 records in scope — well over half the field sits with a small group of established gasket makers.
- Filing has cooled from its 2019 peak. Filings peaked at 10 in 2019 and the 2021-to-2024 span shows a -100% swing, though 2025–2026 figures are still filling in under normal publication lag.
- F16J dominates, but the tail is thin. 81.4% of records sit in F16J (pistons, seals & gaskets) against a scatter of coating, sheet-metal and sensing classes each below 3% of records.
Filing growth compares 2021 (2 records) with 2024 (0) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 381 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This landscape maps patent activity at the intersection of multi-layer steel (MLS) cylinder head gaskets and the specific mechanical and material features that make them work under repeated thermal and bolt-load cycling: embossing beads, stopper layers, elastomer coatings and bead fatigue behaviour. The search combines core gasket terms with these functional features so the set stays close to actual sealing performance claims rather than generic engine-component filings.
Coverage runs from 2015 through the 2026-07-31 cut-off, with 381 published records in scope. Receiving-office data shows filing activity concentrated in the United States, Europe and via the PCT route, with meaningful volume also filed directly in India, Canada and Germany.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 381 records: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how those records distribute across IPC subclasses.
Filing trend, 2017–2026
Filings ran from 1 in 2017 up to a peak of 10 in 2019, then eased. The 2021-to-2024 window shows a -100% change; 2025 and 2026 are undercounted because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so recent-year figures should not be read as a real decline yet.
IPC subclass composition
F16J (pistons, seals & gaskets) covers 81.4% of the 381 records and F02F (engine cylinders & pistons) covers 47.8%, confirming this is squarely a mechanical sealing field. Smaller shares in B21D, C09D, C08F, C09K, G01F and G01K — each under 3% of records — mark adjacent claim territory in forming, coatings, polymer chemistry and sensing that sits outside the core bead/stopper-layer claims.
Shares are the percentage of the 381 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Cylinder Head and Multi Layer Steel Gaskets with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about cylinder head and multi layer steel gaskets and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records in this set
MLS gasket with epoxy bead stopper layer (US6957815B1)
A multi-layer steel cylinder head gasket built from a unitary stopper layer sandwiched between mirror-image beaded outer layers. A folded stopper ring around the combustion opening pre-stresses the gasket interface when the cylinder head is torqued down, while a raised epoxy bead circling the stopper ring spreads load away from the combustion aperture boundary to avoid point loading.Filed by Dana Automotive Systems Group, LLC; published 2005-10-25.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US7000924B2 | Flat gasket and method for the production thereof | 64 |
| 2 | US6361830B1 | Process for manufacturing metal sheet gaskets coated with elastomer | 60 |
| 3 | US6423378B1 | Use of silicone compositions cross-linkable by cationic process under UV radiation and of an onium borate typ… | 55 |
| 4 | US5979906A | Multi-layered metal gasket assembly and method of constructing the same | 53 |
| 5 | US20040041352A1 | Flat gasket and method for the production thereof | 51 |
| 6 | US5490681A | Three layer metal gasket with dual coating | 50 |
| 7 | US20050023768A1 | Head gasket assembly | 41 |
| 8 | US20060097459A1 | Flat gasket and method for the production thereof | 40 |
| 9 | US20060119050A1 | Enhanced multilayer metal gasket | 39 |
| 10 | US5505466A | Cylinder head gasket with retaining ring and spring seal | 31 |
Citation counts favour older filings simply because they have had longer to accumulate citations inside the searched corpus — read them as a signal of influence, not of current relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three read-outs from the filing and citation data that matter for freedom-to-operate decisions.
The field is held by a small group
Five assignees account for 235 of the 381 records in scope. That level of concentration means core bead-geometry and stopper-layer claims are largely occupied by long-standing gasket suppliers rather than new entrants.
Volume has passed its peak
Filings rose to a peak of 10 in 2019 before easing. The 2021-to-2024 change of -100% is the clearest complete-year signal available; 2025–2026 counts will rise as publication catches up.
Sealing mechanics, not chemistry, dominates
F16J and F02F together describe the bulk of activity — this is a mechanical-structure field first. Coating and polymer classes (C09D, C08F, C09K) each sit at 2.4–2.9% of records, marking where materials-side claims are comparatively sparse.
Foundational claims still anchor the art
The most-cited records date back to the early 2000s and cover flat-gasket construction and elastomer coating processes. New filings in bead geometry and stopper layers are still built and argued against this earlier foundation.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to cylinder head and multi layer steel gaskets, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the gate sits
The ranking covers 85 companies counted by records — not a top-50 or top-100 cut, the full set the data endpoint returns.
A clear leader, then a steep drop
The leading assignee holds 63 records against 33 at fifth place and 8 at tenth — the curve steepens fast outside the top few names, typical of a field where a handful of legacy OEM suppliers built out the core claim territory early.
Ten names cover most of the field
The top 10 assignees combined account for 308 of the 381 records, or 80.8% of everything in scope. Anyone entering this space is filing against a small set of well-established portfolios rather than a fragmented landscape.
Co-filing is limited but not absent
Ten co-assignee pairs appear in the data, with the strongest pairing recurring six times. Co-filing here tends to reflect corporate restructuring and joint-venture history among the same small group of gasket specialists rather than open collaboration with new entrants.
Recent-year activity looks quiet across the board
The leading assignees by cumulative volume all show zero filings in the latest tracked year. Given the roughly 18-month publication lag, this reads as an incomplete recent window rather than a genuine pullback by any single company.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Dana Corp | 0 | — |
| Federal-Mogul Corporation | 0 | — |
| Federal-Mogul Sealing Systems GmbH | 0 | — |
| Reinz-Dichtungs-GmbH | 0 | — |
| Dana Automotive Systems Group, LLC | 0 | — |
| Tenneco Inc | 0 | — |
| Federal-Mogul LLC | 0 | — |
| Carl Freudenberg KG | 0 | — |
Where to take this
The data points to a concentrated, mechanically-defined field with a few specific openings. Here is how to act on it.
Map claims against the top-held portfolios
With 61.7% of records held by five assignees, any new bead-geometry or stopper-layer filing should be checked against those specific portfolios first, not the field as a whole.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaProbe the under-claimed IPC classes
Coating, polymer and sensing classes each sit under 3% of records. That is a narrower search job than the core F16J space and can surface open claim angles faster.
Run a white-space search in EurekaTrack the recent-year filing gap
Because publication lags filing by about 18 months, the apparent 2025–2026 drop-off needs re-checking on a rolling basis rather than treated as settled.
Set up filing alerts in EurekaCommon questions on this landscape
Filing in this field is concentrated: the top five assignees combined hold 235 of the 381 records in scope, which is 61.7% of everything tracked. The leading assignee alone holds 63 records, well ahead of fifth place at 33. This is a field shaped by a small number of long-established automotive sealing suppliers rather than a broad spread of independent filers, so any freedom-to-operate check should start with those named leaders.
Filing peaked at 10 records in 2019 and the 2021-to-2024 window shows a -100% change, the last span that can be read as complete data. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still low, but publication typically lags filing by roughly 18 months, so those years understate real activity rather than proving a slowdown. Treat any 2025–2026 apparent decline with that lag in mind rather than as a confirmed trend.
The bulk of records sit in F16J, pistons seals and gaskets, covering 81.4% of the 381 records, with F02F, engine cylinders and pistons, covering 47.8%. Smaller shares appear in sheet-metal working, coatings, addition polymers, and temperature and flow sensing, each under 3% of records. This confirms the field is defined primarily by mechanical sealing structure — bead geometry, stopper layers, load distribution — with materials and sensing as secondary, less-claimed layers.
US6957815B1 covers a multi-layer steel cylinder head gasket with a unitary stopper layer between mirror-image beaded outer layers, where a folded stopper ring around the combustion opening pre-stresses the gasket interface, and a raised epoxy bead around that ring spreads load to avoid point loading at the combustion aperture. It is a structural and material combination claim, so it constrains designs that pair a folded-edge stopper ring with an epoxy or similar load-spreading bead in that specific arrangement. Designs using a different stopper-layer geometry, a different load-spreading material, or no stopper ring at all sit outside its core claim scope, though a full freedom-to-operate review should check the granted claim language directly.
The clearest openings sit outside the dominant F16J and F02F classes: sheet-metal forming methods for bead profiles, elastomer and silicone coating chemistry, addition-polymer bead materials, and in-service temperature or flow sensing integration each account for under 3% of the 381 records. These are narrower, less-crowded claim areas compared to the core bead-geometry and stopper-layer space, which is already held tightly by the top-ranked assignees. A new filing targeting coating chemistry or sensor integration on an MLS gasket is likely to face less prior art than one targeting bead geometry alone.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.