
<PAGE>
 
                                                                      Exhibit 21
 
                             PPG INDUSTRIES, INC.
                         AND CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES
                         -----------------------------

                        SUBSIDIARIES OF THE REGISTRANT

The Registrant is PPG Industries, Inc.  There are no subsidiaries for which
separate financial statements are filed or included in group financial
statements filed for unconsolidated subsidiaries.  Material subsidiaries
included in the 1995 consolidated financial statements of the Company are:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                         Percentage of
                                                         Voting Power
<S>                                                      <C>
Domestic:
 Eighty-Three/One Hundred, Inc. - Delaware..............     100.00%
 LYNX Services from PPG, L.L.C. - Kansas................      80.00
 Market View, Inc. - Delaware...........................     100.00
 Matthews Paint Company - Delaware......................     100.00
 PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc. - Delaware............     100.00
 PPG Industries International, Inc. - Delaware..........     100.00
 PPG Industries Securities, Inc. - Delaware.............     100.00
 Transitions Optical, Inc. - Delaware...................      51.00

Canadian:
 PPG Canada Inc. - Canada...............................     100.00

European:
 Ampaspace S.r.l. - Italy...............................      80.00
 PPG Iberica, S.A. - Spain..............................      60.00
 PPG Industries (Deutschland) GmbH - Germany............     100.00
 PPG Industries Fiber Glass B.V. - The Netherlands......     100.00
 PPG Industries France - France.........................     100.00
 PPG Industries Glass S.A. - France.....................     100.00
 PPG Industries Italia S.r.l. - Italy...................     100.00
 PPG Industries (U.K.) Limited - England................     100.00
 PPG Ouvrie, SA - France................................     100.00
 PPG Industries Chemicals B.V. - The Netherlands........     100.00
 VB Glas GmbH - Germany.................................     100.00

Subsidiaries in other areas:
 PPG Coatings (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd. - Hong Kong..........      60.00
 PPG - Feng Tai, Ltd. - Hong Kong.......................      55.00
 PPG Industries Asia/Pacific Ltd. - Japan...............     100.00
 PPG Industries de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. - Mexico........     100.00
 PPG Industries Export Sales Corporation - U.S. Virgin   
  Islands..............................................      100.00
 PPG Industries Taiwan Ltd. - Taiwan....................      55.00
 Taiwan Chlorine Industries Ltd. - Taiwan...............      60.00

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