TRC was founded in 1942 by Dr. Fredrick D. Rossini , Chief of the Section on Thermochemistry and Hydrocarbons, at the National Bureau of Standards (now National Institute of Standards and Technology) in Washington, D.C. to undertake the American Petroleum Institute Research Project 44.    The major purpose of this project was to obtain information on thermodynamic and thermophysical properties of selected hydrocarbons and their sulphur-containing derivatives. That information was critically important to provide numerical background necessary to develop new refinery technologies vital during World War II.  Data tables were first circulated in loose-leaf sheets, and then published by the Government Printing Office in a bound book form around 1948. "Selected Values of Physical and Thermodynamic Properties of Hydrocarbons and Related Compounds", comprising the tables of the APIRP44 extant as of December 31, 1952, were published for API by Carnegie Press.   The outstanding accomplishments of the staff of the API Research Project 44 were readily apparent by the recognition and acceptance of the work by all of industry and by virtually every major educational institution in the world today.  The API Research Project 44 operated at NBS from its beginning in July, 1942 until June, 1950, and since then at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) , where Dr. Rossini was a Silliman Professor and Head of the Department of Chemistry.

In 1955 TRC started another national project - Manufacturing Chemists' Association (now Chemical Manufacturers Association )  Research Project - at Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, PA.  The purpose was to expand coverage to all organic compounds, using the same kind of loose-leaf tables as the APIRP-44.  Dr. Bruno Zwolinski joined APIRP-44 and MCA Project as Associate  Director in 1958.   In 1961, Dr. Rossini left TRC to become Dean of the College of Science and Acting Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Notre Dame.  TRC was relocated to Texas A&M University as a part of the Chemistry Department. Dr. Bruno Zwolinski became the second Director of TRC.  Dr. Randolph C. Wilhoit joined TRC as Assistant Director in 1964, later as Associate Director.

Later, the project name was changed to the "Chemical Thermodynamic  Properties Data Project" and then the name of the tables was changed to TRC Thermodynamic Tables-Hydrocarbons and TRC Thermodynamic Tables - Non-Hydrocarbons respectively.  NIST/ Standard Reference Data supported special data evaluation projects at TRC, but not  for the TRC Thermodynamic Tables.  The Thermodynamic Tables became self-supporting, with much help from the spectral data sheets, which were part  of the APIRP 44 and MCA projects from the beginning.

Around 1975, TRC was moved from the Chemistry Department to the Texas Engineering Experiment Station at the Texas A&M University System. In 1979,  Dr. Zwolinski resigned as Director and Dr. Kenneth. R. Hall replaced him as the third Director.  In 1985, Dr. Kenneth N. Marsh became its fourth Director.  After retirement of Dr. Marsh from Texas A&M University in 1997, Dr. Kenneth. R. Hall became Director of TRC for the second term, which ended in 2000. 

A serial publication - TRC International Data Series initiated by TRC in 1973 provides fully documented tabular experimental data for non-electrolyte mixtures of organic compounds.   

Since 1986,  Dr. Wilhoit designed and created an electronic database, called "TRC SOURCE", for managing numerical values of thermodynamic, thermochemical and transport properties of pure compounds and mixtures extracted from the world's scientific literature.  It marked the entrance for TRC of a new phase of computerized data management and processing.  Following it, the electronic version of the TRC Thermodynamic Tables, called "TRC Table Database", had been generated on PCs.  A great number of other specialized databases, such as "TRC Vapor Pressure", "Floppy Book", "TRC Ideal Gas", "Viscosity"... were prepared and distributed at TRC.

In 1991, the TRC Industry Partnership was established to ensure the continuing development and distribution of critical data for both petroleum and chemical industries.  In this program, industry participants were able to obtain thermodynamic and physical property data via electronic databases that contain critically assessed experimental data and recommended data covering organic compounds and their mixtures.  Companies of different size specializing in petroleum, traditional chemicals, chemical engineering, and process simulation participated in the TRC Industry Partnership.  Workshops were held annually from 1992 to 2000 providing a platform for exchanges between TRC data professionals and industrial representatives.

In September, 2000 TRC moved to Boulder, Colorado to rejoin National Institute of Standards and Technology where it is currently operated within the Physical and Chemical Properties Division.  Dr. Michael Frenkel has been appointed as the fifth Director.