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 20, 1998, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of
Vallen Corporation and subsidiaries as of May 31, 1998 and 1997, and the
related consolidated statements of earnings, shareholders' equity and cash
flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended May 31, 1998, which
report appears in the May 31, 1998 annual report on Form 10-K of Vallen
Corporation.
 
                                          KPMG PEAT MARWICK LLP
 
Houston, Texas
August 27, 1998