Woodward Fab
Woodward Fab is a U.S.-based manufacturer of sheet metal fabrication and metal forming tools founded in 1966, serving professional metalworkers, automotive fabricators, and serious DIY builders through direct e-commerce, phone sales, and free catalog distribution across 23 product categories.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1966
- HeadquartersHartland, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Woodward Fab does
Woodward Fab, founded in 1966 and headquartered in Hartland, Michigan, is a U.S.-based manufacturer and direct-to-consumer supplier of sheet metal fabrication and metal forming tools. The company operates as a product line under parent Heck Industries, which itself is the world leader in plate beveling machines with patented hand-held, bench, and power-feed Bevel-Mill systems. Woodward Fab's catalog spans 23 core product categories covering the full metal fabrication workflow — English Wheels, bead rollers, pipe and tube benders, shrinker stretchers, sheet metal brakes and shears, iron workers and punches, metal cutting saws, presses, welders and weld positioners, bench vises, anvils, nibblers, and supporting hand tools and accessories — with prices ranging from $22 branded apparel to $8,929.99 for the WFCS400 16-inch Industrial Cold Saw. The product mix is both proprietary (Woodward Fab branded equipment such as the WFEW series English Wheels and WFSS series Shrinker Stretchers) and resold (Martin Tools, PRO-TOOLS, Roper Whitney, Heck-Heuer).
The company sells exclusively direct to U.S. customers through its woodwardfab.com e-commerce storefront, toll-free phone sales, and free mail-order catalog, supplemented by financing through QuickSpark for higher-ticket equipment. It reaches buyers through a multi-channel marketing mix including its YouTube channel, Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest presence, email newsletter, free catalog distribution, and physical presence at events such as SEMA and car shows. Customer segments are hybrid: professional metalworkers and fabricators (primary), automotive body and custom car professionals including hot rod and racing builders (primary), and serious DIY hobbyists (secondary). Named end users in the source data are all SMB or individual — AFAB Fabricating, Bubbas East Coast Rods & Customs, and Car Collector Magazine — indicating a long-tail customer base with no disclosed enterprise concentration.
Revenue is one-time/perpetual license on physical goods with no recurring subscription component. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, no acquisition activity, and U.S.-only operations. Product launches have been steady (2016 planishing hammers, 2019 manual weld positioners, 2022 industrial cold saw and bench-top English Wheels, 2023 powered weld positioners and professional English Wheel, 2024 power turning roll set), consistent with incremental catalog expansion rather than disruptive repositioning.
Woodward Fab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Woodward Fab
- Legal name
- Woodward Fab
- Website
- https://woodwardfab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1966
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Woodward Fab is a U.S.-based manufacturer of sheet metal fabrication and metal forming tools founded in 1966, serving professional metalworkers, automotive fabricators, and serious DIY builders through direct e-commerce, phone sales, and free catalog distribution across 23 product categories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Woodward Fab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hartland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Woodward Fab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Primary revenue from selling sheet metal fabrication tools and equipment directly to customers. Products include hand tools, machines, and accessories priced from under $100 to several thousand dollars. One-time purchase model with no recurring subscriptions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Entry-level tools and equipment |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Mid-range professional equipment |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Heavy-duty industrial equipment |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Apparel and accessories |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Woodward Fab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Woodward Fab manufactures and directly supplies a full-line catalog of sheet metal fabrication tools and metalworking equipment, including English Wheels, Bead Rollers, Pipe and Tube Benders, Shrinker Stretchers, Sheet Metal Shears, Welding Equipment, Presses, Metal Cutting Saws, and Bench Vises. The company sells its own branded equipment alongside complementary lines such as Martin Tools, PRO-TOOLS, and Roper Whitney, with prices ranging from under $100 for hand tools up to $8,929.99 for industrial cold saws, distributed through its own e-commerce site, phone sales, and free catalog mail orders.
Product overview
Woodward Fab is a U.S.-based manufacturer and supplier of sheet metal fabrication tools and metalworking equipment, established in 1966. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of industrial-grade metalworking machinery including English Wheels (WFEW series), Bead Rollers (manual, power, and Super Bead Roller), Pipe and Tube Benders (manual and hydraulic), Sheet Metal Shears (throatless hand shears, foot shears, rotary shears), Shrinker Stretchers, Welding Equipment (MIG, TIG, plasma cutters, weld positioners), Presses, Metal Cutting Saws (band, chop, cold saws), Bench Vises (Heck-Heuer, cast iron), and supporting hand tools. The product line spans 23 main categories covering the full metal fabrication workflow: cutting, bending, shaping, shrinking, stretching, rolling, punching, welding, and finishing. Woodward Fab serves professional fabricators, auto body shops, and serious DIY builders with both proprietary Woodward Fab branded equipment and resold brands (Martin Tools, PRO-TOOLS, Roper Whitney). The company also offers custom dies and tooling options for application-specific results.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sheet Metal Bending Equipment
Quantifiable outcome
- Produces curves as tight as 3 inch radius with Best Selling Shrinker Stretcher WFSS10
Companies that use Woodward Fab
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Woodward Fab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Woodward Fab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Woodward Fab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Eastwood Company: Direct competitor in the sheet metal fabrication and automotive restoration tool space, also serving professional and serious-DIY fabricators with a multi-channel catalog and direct-to-consumer model.
- Baileigh Industrial: Manufacturer and direct seller of metal fabrication machinery (benders, shears, rollers, presses) with overlapping SKUs across nearly every category Woodward Fab competes in.
- Trick-Tools.com: Online direct-to-consumer retailer of metal fabrication tools for automotive, hot rod, and industrial fabricators; mirrors Woodward Fab's DTC model and customer base.
- Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool: Manufacturer of fabrication equipment focused on race car and tube/frame fabrication (chassis vises, tube benders, power benders) — directly comparable to Woodward Fab's higher-end professional line.
- JD Squared (JD2): Specialist in tube and pipe bending equipment (manual and hydraulic benders) serving the custom-fab and chassis-building markets, with overlapping SKUs and customer base to Woodward Fab's pipe/tube category.
- Eastwood (Bevel-Mill competitor: H & M Pipe Beveling Machine Co.): Competitor in the metal beveling and weld-prep category where Woodward Fab's inherited Heck Industries Bevel-Mill IP competes; specialized pipe and plate beveling equipment manufacturer.
Broad incumbents
- Roper Whitney: Established manufacturer of metal fabrication equipment including punches, shears, and ironworkers — the same punch sets Woodward Fab resells — making it a direct category incumbent.
- Northern Tool + Equipment: Large multi-channel retailer selling sheet metal fabrication equipment alongside broader industrial and consumer tools, representing a downstream channel competitor for the same buyer.
- Harbor Freight Tools: Mass-market tool retailer with growing private-label sheet metal and metalworking lines competing primarily on price with the entry-level portion of the Woodward Fab catalog.
- Summit Racing Equipment: Major automotive aftermarket retailer that sells metal fabrication tools to racing and custom-auto buyers — overlapping customer base with Woodward Fab's automotive-professional segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Woodward Fab social profiles
Digital presenceWoodward Fab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Woodward Fab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Woodward Fab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Woodward Fab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Woodward Fab
What does Woodward Fab do?
Woodward Fab manufactures and directly supplies a full-line catalog of sheet metal fabrication tools and metalworking equipment, including English Wheels, Bead Rollers, Pipe and Tube Benders, Shrinker Stretchers, Sheet Metal Shears, Welding Equipment, Presses, Metal Cutting Saws, and Bench Vises. The company sells its own branded equipment alongside complementary lines such as Martin Tools, PRO-TOOLS, and Roper Whitney, with prices ranging from under $100 for hand tools up to $8,929.99 for industrial cold saws, distributed through its own e-commerce site, phone sales, and free catalog mail orders.
Is Woodward Fab a public or private company?
Woodward Fab is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Woodward Fab founded?
Woodward Fab was founded in 1966. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Woodward Fab based?
Woodward Fab is headquartered in Hartland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Woodward Fab make money?
One revenue line is on record: hardware Sales.
Who are Woodward Fab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Eastwood Company, Baileigh Industrial, Trick-Tools.com, Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool, JD Squared (JD2) and Eastwood (Bevel-Mill competitor: H & M Pipe Beveling Machine Co.). Broad incumbents are Roper Whitney, Northern Tool + Equipment, Harbor Freight Tools and Summit Racing Equipment.
Does Woodward Fab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Woodward Fab.