The company, originally called Fastener Corporation, was founded in 1937 by the late Henry A. Torstenson. It started out as a small manufacturer of hand-held staplers and related fasteners on the north side of Chicago. Products were sold under the Duo-Fast brand name. The company grew rapidly during World War II when it was awarded substantial government contracts for Duo-Fast staples, hand tackers and hammer tackers. The market's acceptance of automatic stapling products quickly increased within various industrial markets. After the war, the company further established itself in the industrial staple industry by expanding its product line to meet the needs of new applications, particularly those in the furniture and woodworking industries.

In 1947, Fastener Corporation, in collaboration with a major automobile manufacturer, developed the world's first pneumatic stapler. Not only did this stapling tool eliminate the production bottleneck in the carmaker's upholstery trim shop, but it also led the way for new generations of air-driven staplers that played a major role in the economic boom of the late 1940s through the 1950s.

New markets opened up for Fastener Corporation in 1964 when the company introduced its first pneumatic strip nailer (CN-135). Within the next five years the company introduced additional strip and coil nailers, all of which led to a new period of growth and development as Duo-Fast pneumatics quickly gained the wide-spread acceptance of homebuilders and manufacturers alike. The Duo-Fast brand name became so well recognized that it was adopted as the corporate name. In 1974, Fastener Corporation officially became Duo-Fast Corporation.

In 1999, Duo-Fast Corporation was acquired by Illinois Tool Works, Inc., a diversified manufacturer of engineered components and systems, including many specifically for the construction market. Today, Duo-Fast Construction draws on the global resources of its parent company to provide innovative tools and fasteners to residential construction professionals!