Cactus Drilling Co

What Cactus Drilling Co does

Cactus Drilling Company, L.L.C. is the largest privately-held U.S. land drilling contractor, headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with operations spanning four active onshore basins: Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. The company provides B2B contract drilling services to 23 oil and gas exploration and production operators using a fleet of 49 contracted rigs operated by 1,564 personnel, delivering 3.36 million man-hours over a recent 12-month period. Cactus organizes its rig fleet into three series: LEGACY (conventional and mid-spec rigs), ROCKET (modern high-spec rigs with 1500-2000 HP and AC/DC drive systems), and BOSS (premium rigs with 1500 HP and AC drive).

The company's service offering is differentiated by integration with SLB's digital drilling technologies — DrillSync, DrillOps, and Neuro — which enable automated and autonomous drilling capabilities and provide real-time data insights to improve drilling efficiency and equipment utilization. This collaboration, formalized in a June 2025 strategic agreement, positions Cactus as a vehicle for scaling intelligent well-construction solutions on a privately-held operational platform. The fleet's high-spec fit-for-purpose rigs are operated by company personnel under a direct enterprise sales model, with no intermediary distribution.

Cactus generates revenue through dayrate-based contract drilling services with long-term contracts negotiated directly with E&P operators, augmented by professional services revenue associated with the integrated SLB digital drilling solutions. In November 2025, the company acquired Unit Drilling from Unit Corp for $120 million, expanding fleet capacity and basin presence. The company operates as a privately-held LLC, with no public listing, parent company, or institutional ownership disclosed in available sources.

Name

Cactus Drilling Co

Legal name

Cactus Drilling Company, L.L.C.

Website

https://cactusdrlg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Cactus Drilling Co is the largest privately-held U.S. land drilling contractor, operating 49 contracted rigs across Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico to serve 23 oil and gas E&P operators through B2B dayrate-based contract drilling services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Drilling Services

NAICS

Drilling Oil and Gas Wells (213111)

SIC

Drilling Oil & Gas Wells (1381)

akta.pro primary industry

Drilling & Workover Rigs (Land & Offshore) (EUALABAA)

Keywords

• Land drilling services
• Contract drilling rigs
• Oil and gas drilling
• Onshore drilling contractor
• Drilling fleet operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contract Drilling Services: Dayrate-based contract drilling services providing drilling rigs and personnel to oil and gas operators. Revenue generated through long-term contracts with exploration and production companies in active basins.
2. Integrated Digital Drilling Solutions: Services incorporating SLB digital technologies (DrillSync, DrillOps, Neuro) that provide real-time data insights, improve drilling efficiency, and optimize equipment utilization for customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cactus Drilling Co provides U.S. domestic land-based contract drilling services to oil and gas exploration and production companies. The company operates a fleet of 49 contracted rigs across four active basins (Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico), supported by 1,564 team members delivering safe, efficient, and reliable well construction services. Its rig fleet includes LEGACY, ROCKET, and BOSS series rigs equipped with SLB digital drilling technologies (DrillSync, DrillOps, Neuro) for automated and autonomous drilling.

Product overview

Cactus Drilling Co is a mid-size U.S. domestic land drilling contractor operating as a single unified service offering. The company provides land drilling services through a fleet of 49 contracted rigs across 4 active basins (Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico). Their rig fleet consists of three main rig type brands: LEGACY rigs (conventional and older-model rigs), ROCKET rigs (modern high-spec rigs including National 110-UE, NOV DSGD series, and Alta ARS series), and BOSS rigs (Alta ARS-1512 series). In June 2025, Cactus entered a strategic collaboration with SLB to integrate SLB's digital drilling technologies—DrillSync, DrillOps, and Neuro—into their rig operations, enabling automated and autonomous drilling capabilities with real-time data insights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Drilling Services U.S. domestic land drilling services provided through a fleet of 49 contracted rigs operated by 1,564 team members across Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico, serving 23 current operators in 4 active basins. Services cover directional drilling and conventional land-based well construction for oil and gas E&P companies.
• Rig Fleet (LEGACY, ROCKET, and BOSS Rig Series) High-specification drilling rigs offered across three main series: LEGACY rigs (conventional, including Oilwell E-2000, Ideco 2100-E, Mid-Continent U-914-EC), ROCKET rigs (modern high-spec including National 110-UE, NOV DSGD series, Alta ARS series with AC/DC drive), and BOSS rigs (Alta ARS-1512 series, 1500 HP, AC drive, SLB Precise controls). Available horsepower ratings range from 1400–2000 HP across multiple states.
• Integrated Digital Drilling Solutions (SLB DrillSync, DrillOps, Neuro) Digital drilling services incorporating SLB technologies (DrillSync, DrillOps, and Neuro) integrated into Cactus Drilling's rigs to improve drilling efficiency, equipment utilization, and provide real-time data insights for automated and autonomous well construction. Delivered to oil and gas operators as part of contract drilling engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.36 million man-hours worked in 12-month period

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SLBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2025SLB announced a strategic collaboration agreement with Cactus Drilling to expand adoption of automated and autonomous drilling solutions. Under the agreement, Cactus integrates SLB's digital drilling technologies including DrillSync, DrillOps, and Neuro systems to improve drilling efficiency, equipment utilization, and provide real-time data insights. The collaboration aims to shape the future of well construction by scaling intelligent solutions to improve drilling performance and safety.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nabors Industries: Global drilling contractor with substantial U.S. land rig operations and a strong focus on high-spec rigs, drilling automation, and downhole performance technologies — overlapping directly with Cactus's premium and digital drilling strategy.
• Precision Drilling: North American drilling contractor operating a large land rig fleet in the U.S. and Canada with high-spec AC drive rigs, mirroring Cactus's premium rig positioning and SLB-style digital integrations.
• Independence Contract Drilling: Pure-play U.S. land drilling contractor operating pad-optimal rigs targeting the Permian and other active basins; competes head-to-head with Cactus for E&P contracts among independent operators.
• Patterson-UTI Energy: Public U.S. land drilling and oilfield services company with ~140 drilling rigs plus pressure pumping and directional drilling, directly competing with Cactus for E&P contracts in the Permian, Anadarko, and other onshore basins.

Others

• ProPetro Holding: U.S. oilfield services company focused on pressure pumping and complementary well completion services rather than drilling rigs; serves the same E&P customer base during the completions phase that follows Cactus's drilling phase.

Broad incumbents

• Helmerich & Payne: Largest U.S. land drilling contractor by rig count (~210 rigs), offering FlexRig and conventional land drilling services to E&P operators across the Lower 48 — the dominant public incumbent to Cactus's 'largest privately-held' position.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cactus-drilling-co
• Xx.com/cactusrigs
• Facebookfacebook.com/cactus-drilling-company-185263044897234

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Cactus Drilling Co