Pittsburgh-Rockwell Meter co.
🏭 Origins: Pittsburgh Equitable Meter Company (early 1900s)
The meter story begins with the Pittsburgh Equitable Meter Company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Were active by at least the early 1900s–1910s producing water meters, gas meters and regulators.
This company represents the original “Pittsburgh meter” lineage often referred to later as the:
Pittsburgh Equitable Meter Division
🔄 Rockwell takes over (1920s–1940s)
Industrialist Willard F. Rockwell became involved with the company in the 1920s.
The business eventually evolved into:
➤ Rockwell Manufacturing Company
By the 1940s the Equitable Meter business had been absorbed and re-organised
The meter division became:
“Pittsburgh Equitable Meter Division – Rockwell Mfg. Co.”
⚙️ Product development (1930s–1960s)
Rockwell became a major American meter manufacturer, especially in:
domestic water meters
gas meters
industrial measurement systems
🔧 Empire series (piston / displacement meters)
One of the best‑known lines The Empire type meters (e.g. Type 12, Type 16) made in the 1940's.
with Oscillating piston design and Split‑case construction used for municipal and industrial services.
🔧 Tropic Flow & residential meters
Were designed for smaller connections (⅝″, ¾″, 1″)
Often brass-bodied and compact.
🔧 Sealed register innovation (1957)
Rockwell made a major leap forward in meter technology with world first Magnetic drive sealed register (1957).
This eliminated geared train stuffing boxes (a common leakage point).
Using a magnetic coupling between measuring chamber and dial.
👉 Benefits:
- Fully hermetically sealed dial
- No fogging or contamination
- Increased reliability
Rockwell described it as “the first major advance in water measurement in 50 years”.
.jpg@webp "1936")
.jpg@webp "1940")
.jpeg@webp "1980's meter with hermetic seal")
.jpeg@webp "Industrial water meter")
🏢 Industrial growth and scale
By the mid‑20th century:
Rockwell Manufacturing became a large diversified industrial company and produced:
- water meters
- gas meters
- valves
- power tools
- automotive components
By 1968, the company had multiple divisions, including meter production.
📈 Production scale
Rockwell reached very high output levels:
A Rockwell meter produced in 1971 was the 21 millionth meter manufactured.
👉 This shows:
Rockwell was one of the largest meter producers in the world by the mid‑20th century.
🔄 Transition to Rockwell International (1970s)
With 1973 restructuring Rockwell shift in focus as:
- Aerospace (NASA Space Shuttle)
- Defense
- Electronics
The Meter manufacturing became a smaller part of a giant conglomerate.
🔚 Later legacy and spin‑offs from the 1980s onward:
Rockwell began divesting divisions and the meter businesses eventually became part of Sensus.
later utility metering companies (e.g. Sensus lineage, via industry consolidation)
✅ Summary of Rockwell / Pittsburgh meter range:
Complete coverage from domestic to municipal scale with typical sizes: 5/8″ → 12″+ Pictured below are a few Pittsburgh water meters pictured from the Museum's collection.
.jpeg@webp "1920's")
