CRONIMET

Metal Recycling and Raw Materials Tradingcronimet.de

CRONIMET Holding GmbH is a family-controlled German metal recycling group, founded 1980 in Karlsruhe, supplying stainless steel, specialty alloys, and ferroalloys from 70+ wholly-owned locations across six continents to industrial melt-shop customers.

Company typePrivate
Founded1980
HeadquartersKarlsruhe, Germany
Headcount1,001–5,000
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What CRONIMET does

CRONIMET Holding GmbH is a privately held, family-controlled German metal recycling group headquartered in Karlsruhe and founded in 1980. The company operates as an all-round B2B supplier of stainless steel, specialty alloys, and ferroalloy raw materials, trading both secondary (recycled) and primary inputs to industrial melt-shop customers worldwide. Its commercial backbone is a network of more than 70 wholly-owned locations spanning Europe, the Americas, and Asia, executed through 20+ subsidiaries (e.g., CRONIMET Dortmund GmbH, ERG Edelstahl Recycling GmbH, CRONIMET Envirotec GmbH, CRONIMET Hispania S.A., CRONIMET Brasil LTDA, CRONIMET Turkey Metal A.S.).

Core technical capabilities center on physical scrap processing — baling, crushing, and briquetting — to prepare various metal forms for downstream melting, alongside dedicated sub-brands that address complex waste streams: CRONIMET ENVIROTEC handles metal soft scrap, contaminated spent catalysts, and drilling muds; CRONIFOND supplies purified recycled materials as a substitute for primary raw materials; and Aviation Recycling provides mobile end-of-life processing for aircraft, engines, and parts. Customer-facing tooling includes the CRONnect-App for contract and delivery tracking.

The business model is sales-led B2B with quote-based pricing on commodity scrap and ferroalloy transactions plus value-added processing fees. Customer segments span stainless steel producers, specialty metals manufacturers (HSS, tool steel, tungsten, superalloys), and ferrous/non-ferrous scrap generators. Revenue, headcount, and detailed financials are not publicly disclosed; growth and strategic direction are inferred from the addition of regional market entities (Turkey, Brazil, US, Estonia) and new sub-brand launches.

CRONIMET firmographics

Firmographics

Name: CRONIMET
Legal name: CRONIMET Holding GmbH
Website: https://cronimet.de
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1980
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1,001–5,000 employees
Short description: CRONIMET Holding GmbH is a family-controlled German metal recycling group, founded 1980 in Karlsruhe, supplying stainless steel, specialty alloys, and ferroalloys from 70+ wholly-owned locations across six continents to industrial melt-shop customers.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

CRONIMET industry classification

Industry

Product category: Metal Recycling and Raw Materials Trading
NAICS: Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers (423930), Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (33141)
SIC: Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)
akta.pro primary industry: Stainless Steel & High-Temperature Alloy Scrap (Stainless, Inconel, Titanium, Specialty Alloys) (IMAKAMAC)
akta.pro secondary industries: Catalyst & Precious Metal Scrap Recycling (Auto Catalysts, Refinery/Petrochemical Catalysts) (IMAKAMAI), Construction & Demolition (C&D) Metal Recycling (Structural Steel, Rebar, Roofing, Wire) (IMAKAMAF), Metal Melting & Secondary Smelting/Refining (Recycled Feedstock Producers) (EUAIAJAJ)

Keywords

Stainless steel recycling
Specialty alloys trading
Metal scrap processing
Ferroalloys supply
Secondary raw materials

Where CRONIMET is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Karlsruhe
HQ country: Germany
HQ region: Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

CRONIMET business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

Metal Recycling and Trading: CRONIMET recycles various types and forms of stainless steel and special alloys, returning materials to the economic cycle through their worldwide network. The company trades both secondary (recycled) raw materials and primary raw materials.
Processing Services: Value-added processing services including baling, crushing, and briquetting materials for the melting process

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

CRONIMET product offering

Product offering

Core offering

CRONIMET is a global all-round supplier that recycles stainless steel and special alloys and supplies industrial customers with both secondary (recycled) and primary raw materials. The company processes materials via baling, crushing, and briquetting to prepare them for melting, and operates a worldwide network of 70+ locations covering the global market for stainless steel and special alloy recycling.

Product overview

CRONIMET operates as a comprehensive metal recycling platform with a portfolio of specialized recycling and trading services. The core offering centers on metal recycling (stainless steel, specialty metals, ferroalloys) with processing capabilities including baling, crushing, and briquetting. The company differentiates through specialized sub-brands like CRONIMET ENVIROTEC for complex materials (drilling sludges, spent catalysts) and Aviation Recycling for end-of-life aircraft components. The CRONIFOND portfolio provides pure, clearly defined materials as primary raw material substitutes. CRONIMET also offers the CRONnect-App as a business partner portal for contract management, delivery tracking, and weighing processes. The company functions as an all-round supplier providing both secondary (recycled) and primary raw materials through its global trade and distribution network spanning more than 60 locations on four continents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

CRONIFOND: Pure and clearly defined materials as a substitute for primary raw materials portfolio.
CRONnect
CRONIMET ENVIROTEC
Aviation Recycling

Products and services

Stainless Steel Recycling

Companies that use CRONIMET

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

CRONIMET technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

CRONIMET partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

CRONIMET competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

EMR (European Metal Recycling): UK-headquartered global metal recycler with operations across Europe and North America. Comparable in scale, geographic reach, and the breadth of ferrous and nonferrous scrap processing capabilities.
Kuusakoski: Finnish family-owned metal recycler operating across Europe with a comparable mix of stainless and specialty alloy processing plus environmental services. Closest like-for-like peer in ownership structure and continental footprint.
ELG Haniel: Global stainless steel and high-performance alloy scrap recycler headquartered in Duisburg. Direct competitor in stainless steel scrap collection, processing, and mill supply; most comparable in business model and customer base to CRONIMET.
Sims Metal Management: Australia-listed global metal recycler with significant US and UK operations. Comparable as a multi-continent scrap collector and processor serving steel mills and foundry customers.
Schnitzer Steel Industries (Radius Recycling): US-based ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal recycler and processor. Competes with CRONIMET in stainless and specialty alloy scrap trading, with overlapping mill customer relationships across global markets.

Broad incumbents

Outokumpu: World's largest stainless steel producer, and CRONIMET's likely customer. Comparable in stainless value chain, though positioned downstream as a mill rather than upstream recycler.
Aurubis: European integrated nonferrous metals processor and recycler (copper-focused). Overlaps with CRONIMET in nonferrous scrap intake and recycling-for-mills, though broader in primary smelting and product finishing.
Glencore: Diversified global commodity trader with significant metals and recycling operations. Competes with CRONIMET in stainless and alloy scrap trading but with vastly broader scope and resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

CRONIMET financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

CRONIMET leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

CRONIMET subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries21 records

CRONIMET funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

CRONIMET M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about CRONIMET

What does CRONIMET do?

Is CRONIMET a public or private company?

CRONIMET is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.

When was CRONIMET founded?

CRONIMET was founded in 1980. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.

Where is CRONIMET based?

CRONIMET is headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, in the Europe region.

How does CRONIMET make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Metal Recycling and Trading is the primary driver. The others are processing Services.

Who are CRONIMET's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are EMR (European Metal Recycling), Kuusakoski, ELG Haniel, Sims Metal Management and Schnitzer Steel Industries (Radius Recycling). Broad incumbents are Outokumpu, Aurubis and Glencore.

Does CRONIMET have an API?

No public API is recorded for CRONIMET.

What industry is CRONIMET in?

CRONIMET's product category is Metal Recycling and Raw Materials Trading. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAMAC, Stainless Steel & High-Temperature Alloy Scrap (Stainless, Inconel, Titanium, Specialty Alloys), with a secondary code of IMAKAMAI, Catalyst & Precious Metal Scrap Recycling (Auto Catalysts, Refinery/Petrochemical Catalysts). Its NAICS code is 423930 and its SIC code is 3341.