Caltex

On 30 June 1936, Socal and Texaco formed the California Texas Oil Company Limited as a holding company for their combined marketing operations outside the Americas and Europe. As part of the arrangement Texaco gained a 50 percent stake in Socal's California Arabian Standard Oil Co (later Aramco) in December 1936, while Socal gained access to Texaco's established distribution network in Asia, Africa, and Australasia.

The joint venture officially shortened its name to Caltex in 1968, becoming Caltex Petroleum Corporation. Headquarters moved from its original base to Dallas, Texas in 1982, then relocated to Singapore in 1998 to reflect the brand's concentration in Asian markets. On 1 January 1999, the company was renamed Caltex Corporation.

When Chevron merged with Texaco in 2001 to form ChevronTexaco, it became the sole owner of Caltex. The former joint venture entity was renamed ChevronTexaco Global Energy Inc, then Chevron Global Energy Inc when ChevronTexaco reverted to the Chevron name in 2005. From that point, Caltex continued as a brand managed by Chevron subsidiaries across the Eastern Hemisphere.

Texaco products were first sold in Australia in 1900. The Caltex brand was formally adopted on 2 January 1941 when Texas Company (Australasia) Limited renamed itself Caltex Limited. Caltex Australia acquired Golden Fleece in 1981 and, in the same year, became the first multinational oil company to float shares on the Australian public market.

In May 1995, Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd merged with rival Ampol Limited to form Australian Petroleum Pty Ltd. Caltex Australia absorbed full ownership in 1997 when Pioneer International sold its 50 percent share. Chevron sold its 50 percent stake in Caltex Australia in 2015, valuing the company at AU$9.24 billion, while allowing continued use of the brand name.

In December 2019, Chevron gave notice to terminate the licence agreement for the Caltex brand in Australia, effective 30 June 2020. Caltex Australia was renamed Ampol Limited at its annual general meeting in May 2020. The transition allowed Ampol exclusive use of the Caltex name through 31 December 2021, followed by a non-exclusivity period until 31 December 2022, after which Ampol could no longer use the brand.

Chevron re-entered Australia through the acquisition of Puma Energy's Australian operations, completed in July 2020, and began relaunching Caltex-branded stations in 2022. Since 2023, Caltex in Australia is used solely by Chevron.

Caltex's New Zealand presence began as the Star Oil Company in 1920, importing fuel under the Texaco brand. New Zealand was the first market where Caltex sold Boron fuel, leading to the additive's wider global rollout. In June 2016, Z Energy acquired Chevron New Zealand and continued operating the Caltex-branded network under a licence agreement, renewed in March 2022 for a further five years. As of early 2026, more than 120 Caltex-branded service stations and approximately 60 truck stops operate around New Zealand.

GS Caltex is a joint venture with GS Group (formerly part of LG Corporation), established in May 1967 as the first private oil company in South Korea. The partnership was originally formed as LG Caltex when Caltex entered the Korean market in 1968.

Chevron South Africa, which operated the Caltex brand across South Africa and Botswana, was acquired by Glencore and Off the Shelf Investments in September 2018 and rebranded as Astron Energy. Astron continued operating under the Caltex licence until a rebranding program began in September 2022. Before the transition, approximately one quarter of all Caltex service stations globally were located in South Africa, making it one of the country's top five petroleum brands. Astron Energy owns a refinery in Milnerton, Cape Town, with a production capacity of 100,000 barrels per day.

Caltex traces its Singapore presence to 1933 when the Texas Company (China) Ltd was established there. In 1979, Caltex acquired a one-third interest in Singapore Refining Co., which operates a 285,000 barrels per day refinery; that stake was raised to 50 percent in 2004. As of 2022, there are 25 Caltex stations in Singapore.

In the Philippines, Texaco began marketing through local distributor Wise and Co. in 1917, formally establishing Texaco (Philippines) in 1921. Caltex today operates nearly 600 locations across the country.

In February 2026, Thai petroleum company Bangchak acquired 100 percent of Chevron's Hong Kong fuel business for $270 million, though the Caltex brand name continues under a licence agreement. As of November 2022, there were 32 Caltex stations in the territory.

Caltex's product range includes Havoline motor oils, Delo engine oils, and the Techron fuel additive, which was introduced across eight countries in Asia-Pacific and Africa from March 2006. The current Caltex visual identity and logo were designed by Landor Associates and introduced in 1996.

Caltex represents one of the most enduring petroleum brand names in the Asia-Pacific region, surviving the merger and full absorption of its two founding parents while maintaining strong consumer recognition across the Eastern Hemisphere. Its history mirrors the post-war expansion of American oil majors into Asia and the subsequent consolidation of the global petroleum industry through the large integrated companies of the twenty-first century.