Steel Dog

What Steel Dog does

Steel Dog is a US-based manufacturer of concrete forming products, operated as a commercial brand of Titcomb Bros. Mfg., a family-owned company headquartered and manufactured in Westport, Massachusetts. The company produces the 1-1/8" form system, form ties, and one-sided/blind-side hardware, primarily serving concrete contractors working on residential foundations and specialty architectural/exposed concrete applications. Its product line is built around American-made panels using 11-ply Structural 1 grade Douglas fir plywood clad with 120lb high-density overlay, supplemented by a broad accessory catalog including transition ties, corner hardware, stacking clips, waler systems, and custom-configured ties. A key technical differentiator is the patented Fiberglass Loop Tie (Patent #10,907,365), which is described as the first and only heavy-duty fiberglass loop tie for steel-framed modular forms, offering 5x the strength-to-weight ratio of steel with no rust and no patching requirement.

The company generates revenue through one-time hardware sales across a deep SKUs portfolio (form panels, ties, accessories, and custom-fabricated products) distributed via a US-wide dealer network plus direct factory sales. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; products display $0.00 placeholders on the website, and the typical contact path is the factory phone line or email. Steel Dog emphasizes rapid customization with most orders shipping within 3 days from its Westport, MA factory. Distribution is domestic only, with no international presence disclosed. The company holds a single patent and operates trademarks (Steel Dog, Gap Latch, SideBar) but has no disclosed external investors beyond a $200,000 Massachusetts Manufacturing Accelerator grant received in March 2024.

Name

Steel Dog

Legal name

Titcomb Bros. Mfg.

Website

https://steel-dog.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Steel Dog, a brand of Titcomb Bros. Mfg. (Westport, MA), manufactures American-made concrete forming hardware including 1-1/8" form systems, patented fiberglass loop ties, and custom form ties sold through US dealers and direct factory sales to concrete contractors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Concrete Forming Hardware

NAICS

Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel (3312), Rolled Steel Shape Manufacturing (331221)

SIC

Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440), Prefabricated Metal Buildings & Components (3448)

akta.pro primary industry

Cold-Formed Steel Framing & Studs (IMADACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rebar Fabrication & Reinforcing Products (IMADACAH)

Keywords

• Concrete forming hardware
• Concrete form ties
• Concrete form systems
• Formwork accessories
• Concrete construction supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Westport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Concrete Form Hardware Sales: One-time hardware sales of concrete forming products including panels, form ties, accessories, and custom fabricated ties. Products are sold through dealer network and direct from factory.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Steel Dog manufactures and sells American-made concrete forming hardware and accessories, including its flagship 1-1/8" Form System (4-bar, 5-bar, and 6-bar panel families), patented Fiberglass Loop Ties, one-sided/blind-side forming hardware, and custom-fabricated form ties. Products are sold through a nationwide dealer network and direct from the Westport, MA factory, with most custom orders shipping within 3 days. The company targets concrete contractors and specialty concrete applications such as foundations, architectural walls, water treatment facilities, and insulated concrete walls.

Product overview

Steel Dog (a brand of Titcomb Bros. Mfg.) manufactures American-made concrete forming products for the construction industry. The product portfolio centers on the 1-1/8" Form System built with 11-ply Structural 1 grade Douglas fir plywood, available in 4-bar, 5-bar, and 6-bar panel families with associated corner clips, stacking hardware, and waler systems. Complementing the form system are One-Sided/Blind-Side Hardware solutions including transition ties (Loop Coil, Snap-Coil, Resi-Coil, Cam-Lock, Aluma-Coil) and existing wall attachment hardware (Rebar Hook, Coil-Lag, Coil-Stud, AnchorBar, Coil Weld Angle Bracket). Fiberglass Loop Ties represent a patented (Patent# 10,907,365) innovation offering 5x strength-to-weight ratio over steel without rust or patching requirements. The company also produces custom-configured form ties in various materials. All products are manufactured in Westport, MA with rapid 3-day shipping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1-1/8" Form System Complete concrete forming system built with 11-ply Structural 1 grade Douglas fir plywood clad with 120lb high density overlay. Includes 4-bar, 5-bar, and 6-bar panel families with associated hardware for foundation construction. Used by concrete contractors for residential and commercial foundations.
• Fiberglass Loop Ties (FPL) Patented heavy-duty epoxy-coated fiberglass loop ties for steel-framed modular forms. Five times stronger than steel by weight, never rusts, and eliminates patching. Maximum Safe Working Load: 2800 lbs. Designed for concrete contractors needing rust-free ties in architectural and exposed concrete walls, water treatment facilities, and insulated concrete walls.
• One-Sided/Blind-Side Hardware Comprehensive line of hardware for forming concrete against existing walls or structures without external backbracing. Includes transition ties (Loop Coil, Snap-Coil, Resi-Coil, Cam-Lock Loop-Coil, Aluma-Coil, One-Piece Rebar Hook Tie) and existing wall attachment hardware (Rebar Hook, Rebar Coil Clamp, AnchorBar, Coil-Lag, Coil-Stud, Coil Weld Angle Bracket, Stud Tie). For concrete contractors performing retaining walls, basement walls, and additions against existing structures.
• Custom Form Ties Custom-manufactured loop ties, button-head snap ties, cam-lock ties, residential 1-1/8" ties, coil ties, blind side wall ties, and specialty ties in any length, configuration, waterstop, cones, or stainless steel. Made in USA at Westport, MA factory with 3-day shipping. For concrete contractors needing non-standard tie configurations.
• Field Tie Field-fabricated tie system that allows contractors to make long ties on-site without welding or special equipment. For concrete contractors needing custom-length ties at the job site.
• Hinged Corner Lock New hardware for corner connections in concrete forming applications, enabling rapid corner assembly. For concrete contractors building form walls.
• Resi Hook Ties Residential hook ties designed for 1-1/8" forming systems. For residential concrete foundation contractors.
• Gap Latch Precision forming accessory for 1-1/8" system that joins two panels with intentional 1/4" or 1/2" space for dimension adjustments. For concrete contractors needing precision gap control.
• SideBar™ Extension Clip Extension clip designed for SideBar form system applications. For concrete contractors using Steel Dog's SideBar form extension system.
• Turnbuckle Loop Coil Ties (LCT) Steel loop coil ties with turnbuckle adjustment for steel/plywood forming systems. For concrete contractors needing adjustable form tie tension.
• Form Ties (Standard Line) Catalog of standard form ties including Loop Coil (LC), Snap-Coil (SC), Resi-Coil (RC), Cam-Lock Loop-Coil (GC), Aluma-Coil (AC), Offset Resi-Ties, Combo Ties, Resi-Ties for 1-1/8" forms, Deep Breakback Ties, Loop Ties (SPL), Custom Snap Ties (SNP), Foam Nails, and Cages. For concrete contractors using modular handset forming systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fiberglass ties are 5x stronger than steel by weight with 2800 lbs maximum safe working load
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Dayton Superior (Symons brand): Dayton Superior offers the Symons line of concrete forming systems and a wide portfolio of form hardware, ties, and accessories for the same concrete contractor customers Steel Dog serves. It is a much larger incumbent in the same category, but its product breadth and distribution scale mean it competes directly on form hardware and ties.
• PERI Group: PERI is one of the world's largest formwork and scaffolding manufacturers serving commercial and infrastructure concrete construction. While it focuses on larger engineered systems, it competes for the same contractor spend on forming hardware and accessories that Steel Dog sells.
• Doka USA: Doka supplies formwork, shoring, and accessories for concrete construction globally. It competes with Steel Dog indirectly via its wall and column form systems and the hardware ecosystem that surrounds them.
• ULMA Construction: ULMA provides formwork and scaffolding systems for concrete construction worldwide. It competes for the same wall, column, and foundation forming projects where Steel Dog's form systems and ties are specified.

Direct peers

• EFCO (Economy Forms Corporation): EFCO designs and manufactures concrete forming systems and related hardware for commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects. It is a direct competitor in poured-in-place wall and foundation forming, the core use case for Steel Dog's 1-1/8" form system and tie products.
• Aluma Systems: Aluma Systems manufactures aluminum column forms and handset forming systems, an adjacent forming technology to Steel Dog's steel/plywood 1-1/8" panels. It competes for the same concrete contractor customers on residential and light commercial foundation work.
• Gates Concrete Forms: Gates produces the Cam-Lock modular forming system and associated hardware. Steel Dog even makes transition ties explicitly compatible with Gates Cam-Lock forms, making Gates one of the closest direct comparables for Steel Dog's steel/plywood form ties and hardware.
• Western Forms: Western Forms is a long-established US manufacturer of aluminum concrete forming systems for residential and light commercial foundations, overlapping directly with Steel Dog's residential 1-1/8" form system, ties, and accessories.
• Titan Form Tie Systems: Titan manufactures form ties and accessories used in concrete wall and foundation construction, directly competing with Steel Dog's steel loop ties, snap ties, and custom form tie line.

Others

• White Cap (HD Supply Construction Supply): White Cap is the largest US distributor of concrete forming hardware, ties, and accessories, and competes as a one-stop-shop alternative to specialist manufacturers like Steel Dog. It is a channel peer rather than a product peer, but it directly influences Steel Dog's dealer network economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Steel Dog