U.S.F. Powder Company (also known as U.S. Flashless Powder Company) was incorporated by Ernest du Pont and Francis I. du Pont on February 4, 1919 to develop and manufacture flashless powder for the United States Navy under their patents. Ernest du Pont was elected president, Francis I. du Pont vice president, and Charles A. Tripp treasurer and secretary. After Tripp's death in 1930, assistant treasurer Walter Blackston took his place. The company was dissolved on May 12, 1945.

William du Pont, a second cousin of brothers Ernest and Francis I., became a stockholder on February 12, 1919, and his son, William du Pont Jr. became a stockholder in 1920. William du Pont served on the company's board of directors until 1926; William du Pont Jr. served on the board from December 23, 1929, until its dissolution. From 1920 to 1930, the Atlas Powder Company owned a controlling interest in U.S.F. Powder Company because it was its sailing agent. At the time of dissolution, the company's stockholders were the Delaware Chemical Engineering Company, Ernest du Pont, William du Pont Jr. and Shapdale, Inc.

According to the 1922 report "Development of Flashless Powder by U.S.F. Powder Company. Early Development" (Subseries D. Data File, folder "Reports - Flashless Powder"), Ernest du Pont was approached by the United States Navy in the spring of 1917 about the development of a flashless powder. Powder samples were made at the Francis I. du Pont Experimental Station laboratory. In April 1918, experimental firings started at the Granogue plant of the Ball Grain Explosives Company, with which Ernest du Pont was affiliated at that time. After successful control firings in December 1918, the Navy Department Bureau of Ordnance granted the Ball Grain Explosives Company its first contract (45761) for production of 2000 pounds of flashless powder on January 23, 1919. Two more contracts (47908, June 1919 and 49068, October 1919) were also issued to the Ball Grain Explosives Company, while contract 51102 of June 1920 and the subsequent contracts were issued to the U.S.F. Powder Company.

According to Ernest du Pont's memoir, "Brief History of Events Leading to the Invention and Manufacture of Flashless Powder by the U.S.F. Powder Company" (Sub-subseries E. Correspondence, folder "Ernest du Pont"), he formed the U.S.F. Powder Company after the successful test of powder manufactured under first contract, during fleet maneuvers in March 1919. In December 1919, a U.S.F. Powder Company plant was built at Carrcroft, near Wilmington, with buildings, machinery and equipment transferred from Granogue, which remained the company's firing ground. In order to manufacture one hundred thousand pounds of powder under contract 51102, the company renewed and upgraded the Carrcroft plant so it could produce eight hundred pounds a day.

The business did not go successfully. The results of experiments with various chemical compositions and production conditions for 3", 4", 5" and 6" caliber gunpowder did not satisfy the Navy Department. Several explosions and fires at the Carrcroft plant, especially one with three casualties on June 30, 1921, caused delays in completing the contracts. In January 1926, the company sold to the Navy the rights to manufacture flashless powder at the Naval Powder Factory at Indian Head, Maryland, under the U.S.F. Powder Company patents. The company entered into similar agreements with E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (February 10, 1927, modified in November 1936) and Nobel Industries, Ltd., of England (June 2, 1927). The plant at Carrcroft, Delaware, ceased operations in May 1926 and was eventually dismantled. The U.S.F. Powder Company existed for another two decades receiving royalty payments from the DuPont Company and Nobel Industries and was dissolved in May 1945, declaring no income for the year 1944.

The Ball Grain Explosives Company was organized in Delaware by Alfred I. du Pont (circa 1915--see letter of July 30, 1915, Sub-subseries 6. Ball Grain Explosives Company Records, folder "Patent Specifications") to manufacture cannon powder by using the method of continuous wet mixing under hydraulic pressure. A small plant was built at Granogue, near Wilmington, "which never went beyond the experimental stage" ( History of the Explosives Industry in America by Arthur Pine Van Gelder and Hugo Schlatter, New York, 1927, p. 125). Numerous patents by Francis I. and Ernest du Pont assigned to the company in 1915-1919 also show their intent to explore possibilities for the manufacture of smokeless powder. In 1919, Ernest du Pont was the company's vice president, and his brother Archibald M.L. du Pont was secretary and treasurer. At that time, the Granogue plant was used as a flashless powder production facility for the United States Navy. The company was dissolved on December 31, 1920, and its plant buildings, machinery, and equipment was transferred to the Carrcroft plant of the U.S.F. Powder Company. William du Pont was on the board of directors of the company.

While the subseries contains records for both the Ball Grain Explosives Company and U.S.F. Powder Company, there are more documents for the latter.

The papers document the U.S.F. Powder Company activities from early 1918 with the flashless powder experiments at the Ball Grain Explosives Company's Granogue plant until the U.S.F. Powder Company's dissolution in 1945. There is administrative, financial and technical documentation, correspondence, and subject files; numerous patents of Francis I. and Ernest du Pont for their inventions and improvements in the field of smokeless and flashless powder manufacture, with applications and technical specifications; agreements and related materials with the Atlas Powder Company, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Nobel Industries, Ltd., and United States Navy Ordnance Department. The subseries also contains a file of correspondence from the Association of Rifle Grenade Manufacturers (and Loaders). C. A. Tripp, secretary and treasurer of the U.S.F. Powder Company, had worked for the Association in the same capacity, prior to his employment at U.S.F. Powder.