Bar Keepers Friend was originally manufactured in 1882 as a cleaning agent in powdered form.

The product was originally sold to bars in Indianapolis and Hoffman asserted in a patent application that the name had been used since January, 1887.

Additional products manufactured and marketed under the Bar Keepers Friend brand name include liquid, cream and spray cleaners.

[4] Bar Keepers Friend products are mass-produced in a manufacturing environment that has significant automation in the process.

[3] According to the 2015 material safety data sheet (MSDS), the ingredients are feldspar, linear sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (DDBSA) and oxalic acid.

[17] The product can also remove small scratches from stainless steel,[18] silver and plates.