Online Metals

What Online Metals does

OnlineMetals.com is a Seattle-headquartered, privately held online distributor of metals, plastics, and other raw materials, founded in 1998/1999 and operating under the legal name OnlineMetals.com. The company runs a self-serve e-commerce platform at onlinemetals.com where customers can browse 18,000+ product categories across aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, copper, brass, bronze, titanium, alloy steel, tool steel, plastics, and engineered composites, with availability of 85,000+ cut sizes and roughly 400 new categories added annually. Core platform capabilities include custom cut-to-size ordering with no minimum purchase requirements, free custom cuts, real-time pricing, same-day order processing, and nationwide shipping from six dedicated order fulfillment centers, supplemented by eight pickup locations across Seattle, Portland, Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Toledo, Wallingford, and Chicago.

The business model is primarily transactional product sales: per-unit pricing on individual SKUs, with no minimums on consumer orders, volume discounts and brokerage sourcing for larger buyers, Net 30 revolving credit terms for qualified businesses, and a subscription-style Member Rewards program offering discounts on orders and shipping. Revenue is generated from hardware sales (metals and raw materials) rather than software or service fees, and the company serves a B2B/B2C mix spanning twelve verticals including aerospace, architectural, automotive/motorsports, defense, medical, prototyping/R&D, robotics, marine, bladesmithing, and education, plus a long tail of hobbyist and maker customers. Add-on services such as ProtoBoxes, Sample Packs, partner waterjet and laser cutting, 3D printing supplies, and a Paperless Parts integration extend the platform into adjacent fabrication workflows.

Operationally, the company employs 51-100 people, maintains an active presence across Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube, and supports its catalog with a Knowledge Hub of technical reference content. Online Metals holds a 4.8-star average across 938 customer reviews on its website, was recognized as one of the 25 Best Architectural Metal Suppliers in 2025 by metalarchitecture, and self-describes as the "#1 trusted online metal distributor." Ownership is private with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or management team in the source materials, and there is no public revenue, funding, or M&A data available.

Name

Online Metals

Legal name

OnlineMetals.com

Website

https://onlinemetals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

OnlineMetals.com is a Seattle-based online distributor of metals, plastics, and raw materials offering 18,000+ products with custom cut-to-size ordering, free cuts, and same-day shipping from six US fulfillment centers to consumers, SMBs, and industrial buyers across aerospace, automotive, prototyping, and other verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Metals Distribution

NAICS

Metal Service Centers and Other Metal Merchant Wholesalers (423510)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050), Wholesale-Metals Service Centers & Offices (5051)

akta.pro primary industry

Metals, Plastics & Fabrication Materials Marketplaces (CRAFAHAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Chemicals, Ingredients & Raw Materials Marketplaces (CRAFAHAK)

Keywords

• Online metals distribution
• Industrial metal supply
• Custom cut-to-size metals
• Metal raw materials
• Metalworking supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Metals and Raw Materials): Revenue is generated through the sale of metals (aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, copper, brass, bronze, titanium, tool steel, alloy steel, etc.), plastics, and other raw materials. Sales are primarily one-time transactions with no minimum order requirements. Volume discounts and brokerage sourcing are available for larger orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Online Metals operates an e-commerce storefront (OnlineMetals.com) that sells metals (aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, copper, brass, bronze, titanium, tool steel, alloy steel, etc.), engineering plastics, and other raw materials directly to consumers and businesses with no minimum order requirements. Orders can be custom cut to exact specifications with free cuts on all orders, with same-day processing and shipping from six nationwide fulfillment centers and eight pickup locations.

Product overview

OnlineMetals.com operates as an online B2B/B2C e-commerce platform for metals, plastics, and raw materials. The core offering is the e-commerce platform (OnlineMetals.com) combined with custom metal cutting services that provides exact-size orders with no minimums. The product portfolio spans metals (aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, copper, brass, bronze, alloy steel, titanium, tool steel, cast iron, nickel, lead, magnesium, tungsten carbide, zinc, nickel silver, pewter, beryllium copper) and raw materials (carbon fiber, graphite, machinable wax, rubber, wood, plastics, fiberglass, foam, kevlar, wrought iron). Products are offered in various forms including bars, sheets/plates, tubes/pipes, and specialty shapes. Add-on services include ProtoBoxes (prototype sample packs), Sample Packs, OLM Rewards Program, Net 30 Credit Terms, Quick Quote Tool, Knowledge Hub educational resources, and partner cutting services (waterjet cutting, laser cutting, 3D printing). The company stocks 18,000 product categories with 85,000 different cut sizes and ships from 8 pickup locations across the US including 6 dedicated fulfillment centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aluminum Products Complete aluminum product line including round, square, rectangle, hex, angle, channel, and T-bar; sheets/plates; tubes, pipes, coil, and foil in various alloys, for fabrication, aerospace, automotive, and prototyping use.
• Stainless Steel Products Full range of stainless steel products including bars, sheets, plates, tubes, pipes, wire mesh, and specialty items in grades such as 304, 316, 17-4, and 15-5 for marine, medical, architectural, and industrial use.
• Carbon Steel Products Carbon steel offerings including bars, sheets, plates, tubes, pipes, angles, channels, and specialty products for structural and fabrication use.
• Copper Products Copper bars, sheets, plates, tubes, coils, tapes, and custom cut pieces for electrical, plumbing, and decorative applications.
• Brass Products Brass bars, sheets, plates, tubes, pipes, angles, decorative items, and specialty brass products.
• Bronze Products Bronze bars, sheets, plates, and hollowbar products.
• Alloy Steel Products High-strength alloy steels including chromoly (4130, 4140) and heat-treatable alloys (4340) in bars, sheets, plates, and tubes for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications.
• Titanium Products Titanium bars, sheets, plates, and tubes for aerospace, medical, and industrial applications.
• Tool Steel Products Tool steel bars, sheets, plates, and drill rods for tooling, machining, and bladesmithing applications.
• Plastics Engineering plastics including sheets, plates, tubes, rods, and protoboxes in various plastic types for prototyping, fabrication, and industrial use.
• Other Raw Materials Additional raw materials including carbon fiber, graphite, machinable wax, rubber, and wood for specialty and craft applications.
• ProtoBoxes Sample packs containing multiple metal pieces for prototyping, allowing customers to evaluate materials before placing full production orders.
• Sample Packs Curated selection of material samples available by material type for testing and evaluation purposes.
• Custom Metal Cutting Services Provides free custom cuts to size with tight tolerances on all orders, allowing customers to receive exact dimensions needed for their projects, reducing waste and saving time.
• 3D Printing Supplies 3D printing supplies and services for additive manufacturing applications.
• Waterjet Cutting Services Waterjet cutting services for precise metal cutting without heat-affected zones.
• Laser Cutting Services Laser cutting services for precision metal fabrication.

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• OLM Rewards Program PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMember rewards program offering discounts on orders and shipping. First-time signup bonus of $10 off cart and shipping. Earn more rewards based on spending levels.
• Net 30 Credit Terms PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness partners can apply for Net 30 credit terms to manage cash flow. Also offers W9 Form and ACH payment setup for vendor relationships.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• McMaster-Carr: McMaster-Carr is the dominant industrial MRO e-commerce supplier, offering millions of SKUs including metals, plastics, and raw materials with same-day shipping and a legendary customer experience. It is a direct functional competitor in the small-quantity metals e-commerce category, but operates at vastly larger scale and broader assortment.
• Ryerson: Ryerson is a major North American metal processor and distributor with extensive value-added services and an expanding e-commerce platform. While it serves larger industrial accounts primarily, it competes with Online Metals for mid-market online metal orders and is an ever-present large-scale competitor.
• Kloeckner Metals: Kloeckner Metals is a global metals distributor and service center with a growing digital platform (Kloeckner Online) targeting small and mid-sized buyers. It is a broader incumbent competitor pursuing the same e-commerce enablement of metals distribution that Online Metals pioneered.
• Alro Metals Plus: Alro operates a network of metals service centers across the US with an online catalog and cut-to-size services. It competes with Online Metals across steel, aluminum, and plastics, particularly for small-quantity and will-call business through its Metals Plus offering.
• thyssenkrupp Materials Services / Online Storefront: thyssenkrupp Materials Services is a global metals distribution and service-center giant; based on the storefront addon in Online Metals' HTML, the company appears to operate on a thyssenkrupp-built e-commerce platform. It is a broad incumbent competitor and a notable technology partner relative to Online Metals.

Direct peers

• Metal Supermarkets: Metal Supermarkets operates a franchise-based network of small-quantity metal supply stores across North America, offering cut-to-size metals with no minimums. It is the closest direct competitor in business model (small quantities, custom cuts, walk-in/online ordering) and is a likely primary alternative for Online Metals' target customer.
• Speedy Metals: Speedy Metals is an online-first metals distributor offering cut-to-size aluminum, steel, brass, copper, and other metals with no minimum orders. It competes head-to-head with Online Metals across the same product categories, online ordering experience, and small-quantity value proposition.
• IMS (Industrial Metal Supply): IMS is a multi-location metals service center serving the US West Coast and beyond, offering a wide range of metals with cut-to-size and same-day will-call services. It competes directly with Online Metals' pickup-location model and serves many of the same SMB and individual customer segments.
• Midwest Steel & Aluminum: Midwest Steel & Aluminum is a metals service center offering a broad range of carbon, aluminum, stainless, and specialty steel products online and via multiple US locations. It is a direct comparable in service-center operations, online order capability, and broad metals assortment.
• Online Metal Supply: Online Metal Supply is an e-commerce-focused metals distributor offering cut-to-size and small-quantity orders across common alloys. It is a direct online-only competitor targeting the same hobbyist, maker, and small-business customer base as Online Metals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/onlinemetals
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/onlinemetals?sub_confirmation=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/onlinemetals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/onlinemetals
• Instagraminstagram.com/onlinemetals
• Pinterestpinterest.com/onlinemetals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Online Metals