Sterling Plastics
Founded by George and Mary Staab of Mountainside N.J., they purchased Acu-Rule Mfg. on June 25, 1968. Sterling operated in Mt. Olive for about a year and then moved the plant equipment to New Jersey. Sterling was purchased by Borden Chemical in 1970. Slide rules were produced as late as 1972. Most models use the same mold, but vary at time by the color of the text or plastic slide or stock.
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S446 Sterling 584 white - Early Version
Sterling 584 white Early Version - Closed Simplex
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Note early style stock construction with only 2 bridges
Front Scale
A [ B, CI, C ] D, K
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]


ISRM Sterling 584 Slide Rule


Leslie Konshak USAF SMSgt,
Retirement Ceremony (1958)

Sterling 584 white (Later Version)
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Note late style stock construction with 5 bridges
Front Scale
A [ B, CI, C ] D, K
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]
Donated by Susan E. Konshak (1919-2003) and Leslie (Les) Konshak (1914-2010)
Mike Konshak, the ISRM Curator writes about his parent's slide rule: "Like most things Dad and Mom had, it was not elegant, always practical, and in this case is one of the least expensive out there. Yes, it's a Sterling 584 which many collectors wouldn't even give a second glance. Sometime along the way the plastic slide rule broke and rather than toss it away, Dad (or Mom) epoxied it back together and it was given a new life. Eat it up, wear it out, do with or do without. Les spent 20 years in the USAF retiring as a Senior Master Sergeant in 1959. He was an original founder of the The Retired Enlisted (Men's) Association (TREA) first charter in Colorado Springs, He spent 10 years working at Ampex Corp. in Colordao Springs and retired with a small pension. He and Susan (ne Garrard) spent their last years living in Tucson, Arizona Dad passed on in 2010 at age 93. Mom passed on in 2003 at 84. They are both buried at Fort Logan National Cemetary in Colorado. They had 4 children, 7 grandkids and as of 2011, 5 great grandchildren"


ISRM Sterling 584 white
Sterling 584 white - 1968
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
A [ B, CI, C ] D, K
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]


Sterling 587
ISRM 11.08.16.01

Finley Carlyle Pearce in 1973
Finley Carlyle Pearce (1915-1998) worked as a pressure vessel inspector for the State of California where he lived in Yorba Linda, Calif. for 29 years. Mr. Pearce retired from Shell Chemical after 30 years as a chemical engineer and safety officer. He was an active member of the LDS Church, and served as a bishop, stake president and patriarch. He was also very active and supportive of the Boy Scouts of America. He and his wife Orba had five sons and two daughters.
Sterling 587 - Closed Simplex
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
A [ B, CI, C ] D, K
Back Slider (flip over to use)
[ S, L, T ]
Donated by Ron Pierce of Littleton, Colorado
Ron Pearce describes the slide rule that belonged to his father, Finley Pearce: "He was a chemical engineer who worked primarily for Shell Chemical. The personal attachment for me is that as far as I know most of my siblings, including myself, literally cut our teeth on the slide rule case that held this slide rule. The case is gone, but the rule remains." "In another slide rule story, I recall being called to the president's office at Southern Pacific Transportation (railroad). The president was Denman McNear who was himself an engineer. I was a cost analyst at the time and used an HP financial calculator to perform my analysis. Mr, McNear would check our figures using his pocket slide rule which was about the same size as my father's slide rule."


P019 Sterling 587 Promotional
Sterling 587 - Promotional
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
A [ B, CI, C ] D, K
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]
Back Adv: LightninMixers and Agitators, Mixing Equipment Co., Inc., Rochester, NY
Original owner: Michael P. Taylor, retired Director Dow Chemical. Graduated Univ of Houston, TX. Taught at TAMU and UH. Designed/Built the Houston Dow Center &Dow Chemical plant in Toronto.


ISRM Sterling 587 Promotional (ESNA)
Sterling 587 - Promotional (ESNA)
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
A [ B, CI, C ] D, K
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]
Back Adv: Amerace ESNA Corp. Union, New Jersey
Donated by David Sweetman


S151 Sterling 589 green slider
Sterling 589 green slider
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
A [ B, CI, C ] D, K
Back Slider
[ S, L, T ]


ISRM Sterling 589 Senior red txt slide
Sterling 589 Senior red txt slide - Closed Simplex
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
A [ B, CI, C ] D, K
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]
Original Owner: Walter T.Irwin, 1923 Houston Dr., Las Vegas, Nevada.
Donated by David Sweetman


ISRM Sterling (594) Decimal Trig MultiLog (early)
Sterling (594) Decimal Trig MultiLog - (early) 1965
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
LL01, K, A [ B, T<45, T>45, ST, S ] D, DI, LL1
Back Slider
LL02, LL03, DF, [ CF, CIF, L, CI, C ] D, LL3, LL2
Note: Missing Model number and copyright date (look at other 594s)
Donated by David Sweetman


Sterling 594 Decimal Trig Log-Log c1965

ISRM 12.06.24.56
Sterling 594 Decimal Trig Log-Log - c1965
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
LL01, K, A [ B, T<45, T>45, ST, S ] D, DI, LL1
Back Slider
LL02, LL03, DF, [ CF, CIF, L, CI, C ] D, LL3, LL2
Note slight differences in scale label fonts.
Donated by the Huang Collection.
The donor, who prefers to remain anonymous, obtained a B.S. degree in Physics from Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University in 1971. His love for computation has encouraged him to build a collection of slide rules, HP and TI calculators, as well as abaci, many displayed at ISRM.


S222 Sterling (594) Decimal Trig Log Log
Sterling (594) Decimal Trig Log Log
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ. - Tan/Brown color
Front Scale
LL01, K, A [ B, T<45, T>45, ST, S ] D, DI, LL1
Back Slider
LL02, LL03, DF, [ CF, CIF, L, CI, C ] D, LL3, LL2
Note: Missing Model number but has copyright date


Sterling 651 Metric Converter

ISRM 12.07.18.01
Sterling 651 Metric Converter - Green colors
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ. - 1972
Front Scale
Volume, Weight, Liquid
Back Slider (flip to use)
Linear distances and Area
Note: White slide, Green Stock
Owned by Ward Anthony, Littleton, Colorado. Donated by his son Russell Anthony, Lafayette, CO. Ward B. Anthony ( -2012) was an aerospace engineer at Martin Marietta in Littleton, Colorado and worked on many of the launch systems. He used this slide rule in his profession. He built his own home in Morrison, CO.


S148 Sterling (651) Metric Converter
Sterling (651) Metric Converter
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
Volume, Weight, Liquid
Back Slider (flip to use)
Linear distances and Area
Note: White slide, Yellow Stock
Manual Donated by Albert Klumpp, Arlington Heights, Illinois 213Kb PDF


Sterling 651 Metric Converter

ISRM 13.01.08.01
Sterling 651 Metric Converter - Inverted colors
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ. - 1972
Front Scale
Volume, Weight, Liquid
Back Slider (flip to use)
Linear distances and Area
Note: Yellow slide, White Stock
Donated by Susanne Petersson of Park Ridge, Illinos
This slide rule was owned by Susanne Petersson's brother, Andeas, who recalls that his grandmother, gave this to him along with a set of drafting tools. Another donation of a Reiss slide rule is in the Germany/DDR gallery
In Family photo on left: Grandmother, Susanne, sister Sylvia, brother Andreas


P168 Sterling Pocket Metric Converter

Instructions 213Kb PDF
Sterling Pocket Metric Converter
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
Volume, Weight, Liquid, Linear distances and Area
Back Slider (flip to use)
Fahrenheit-Celsius Conversion
Instructions Donated by Albert Klumpp, Arlington Heights, Illinois


ISRM Sterling (685) Black Text
Sterling (685) Black Text
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
10in 1/16 // A [ B, CI, C ] D, K \\ 10in .050
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]
Donated by David Sweetman


ISRM Sterling (685) red text slide - solid back
Sterling (685) red text slide
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
10in 1/16 // A [ B, CI, C ] D, K \\ 10in .050
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]


S152 Sterling (685) red text slide - open back
Sterling (685) red text slide
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
10in 1/16 // A [ B, CI, C ] D, K \\ 10in .050
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]


S153 Sterling 685 green slide
Sterling 685 green slide - 1968
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
10in 1/16 // A [ B, CI, C ] D, K \\ 10in .050
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]


S232 Sterling 685 green-stock
Sterling 685 green stock - 1968
Made in USA - Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
10in 1/16 // A [ B, CI, C ] D, K \\ 10in .050
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]


Sterling 689 Mannheim Trig (1970)
Sterling 689 Mannheim Trig - green stock, white slider
Made in USA - Borden Chemical/ Sterling Plastics, Mountainside, NJ.
Front Scale
A [ B, CI, C ] D, K
Back Slider (flip to use)
[ S, L, T ]
Archive - Not in collection



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