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 23, 1999, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of
Vallen Corporation and subsidiaries as of May 31, 1999 and 1998, 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, 1999, which report
appears in the May 31, 1999 annual report on Form 10-K of Vallen Corporation.



                                                            KPMG  LLP



Houston, Texas
August 30, 1999