[8] Charles' older brother, Victor-François, was not interested in running the family business and moved from Hayange to estates on the Seille river.

[10] In the 1830s the family matriarch, Madame Joséphine de Wendel, drew up contracts through which the children and grandchildren of François de Wendel would nominally receive a cash payment as their share of the inheritance, but the money would be invested in the business, paying a low rate of return.

[11] Théodore de Gargan died in 1851 and Charles became the sole manager, but still shared ownership with his siblings and their children.

[13] During the metallurgy slump of 1847–50 Charles de Wendel was assisted by the Bank of France, which he fully repaid in 1851.

[1] In the crisis year of 1848 Charles de Wendel and Eugène Schneider saved the foundry at Fourchambault from bankruptcy by co-signing a huge bank loan.

[14] In 1846 Charles de Wendel and the Parisian businessman Georges Hainguerlot bought the coal mining concession of Schœneck.

[15] Charles de Wendel undertook construction of the very modern Stiring factory while negotiating the purchase of the Schœneck concession.

In 1865 the Wendel metallurgical factories were taking 7⁄8 of the output from the Compagnie de Stiring, paying below market prices.

The company records show that Charles de Wendel intervened in board meetings several times to reduce the price paid for coal by his factories.

[16] For many years Charles de Wendel undertook costly but unsuccessful experiments on removing phosphorus from pig iron.

[18] Charles de Wendel initiated a policy of recruiting from the children of his workers, with son following father.

[7] Charles de Wendel supported the tariff reductions of the Anglo-French Cobden–Chevalier Treaty of 1860, saying his only regret was that his competitor, Eugène Schneider (1805–75), had been consulted beforehand and he only afterwards.

[24] For example, Charles de Wendel resented the control of the committee exerted by Schneider of Le Creusot in Burgundy.