3M makes a wide range of industrial and household products. They include sandpaper and other abrasives, industrial tapes and adhesives, electrical products, respirators, hearing and fall protection, and roofing granules; films, ceramics and other materials for cars, aircraft, electronics, chips, data centers and road signs; and household brands such as Scotch tape, Post-it notes, Command hooks, Filtrete air filters, Scotch-Brite sponges and Nexcare bandages. It sells directly to users and through wholesalers, retailers, distributors and dealers in many countries.
3M reports three segments: Safety and Industrial, Transportation and Electronics, and Consumer. In 2025, sales in Safety and Industrial rose 3.9 percent. The Americas made up just over half of its sales, with the rest coming from Asia Pacific and from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company says most of its products face competition from other technology-driven manufacturers.
3M was incorporated in 1929 to continue a business begun in 1902. In April 2024 it spun off its health care business as a separate company, Solventum. It finished exiting the manufacture of PFAS, a family of long-lasting chemicals, by the end of 2025, but still faces lawsuits and regulation over them. At the end of 2025 it employed about 60,500 people, about 22,500 of them in the United States.