EXHIBIT 23



                         INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT



THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
VALLEN CORPORATION

We consent to incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements (No.
333-03915, 333-03917 and 333-03919) on Form S-8 of Vallen Corporation of our
report dated July 12, 1996, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of
Vallen Corporation and subsidiaries as of May 31, 1996 and 1995, and the related
consolidated statements of earnings, shareholders' equity and cash flows and
related schedules for each of the years in the three-year period ended May 31,
1996, which report appears in the May 31, 1996 annual report on Form 10-K of
Vallen Corporation.






                                               KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP





Houston, Texas
August 22, 1996