What Sheffield Forgemasters International does

Sheffield Forgemasters International is a UK Ministry of Defence-owned steelmaker and manufacturer of high-integrity forgings and castings, headquartered in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The business traces its heritage to 1776, when George Naylor established a crucible steel furnace in Sheffield, and now operates as a single integrated heavy-industrial site centred on open-die forging, steel casting, and advanced machining. Core product capability comprises large open-die forgings, precision castings, and — newly added in 2026 — additive-manufactured pattern tooling via a CEAD Flexbot hybrid 3D printer. A £1.3bn MoD-backed recapitalisation programme is delivering a 13,000-tonne forging line (the largest open-die forging facility in the UK once complete) and a 30,000 sq metre / 323,000 sq ft New Machine Shop at the Brightside site.

The company serves a narrow, sovereign-defence-anchored customer base. Its sole owner, the UK Ministry of Defence, is also its primary buyer, and the firm is a tier-1 steel supplier to domestic defence primes Rheinmetall and KNDS for the ~£1bn RCH 155 artillery programme (first deliveries 2028), with 500+ UK supply-chain jobs attributed to that programme. Civil nuclear was a stated growth vector — Rolls-Royce SMR components were an expected pipeline — but reactor pressure vessel contracts were awarded to Doosan (South Korea) and CEZ (Czech Republic), indicating a setback in non-defence diversification. Revenue mechanics are bespoke project-based government and prime-contractor hardware sales with no public pricing; go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales. The firm employs approximately 770 staff and runs an annual apprenticeship intake (18 apprentices in 2026 across machining, CNC programming, metallurgy, foundry, and project management).

Name

Sheffield Forgemasters International

Legal name

Sheffield Forgemasters International

Website

https://sheffieldforgemasters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1776

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Sheffield Forgemasters International is a UK Ministry of Defence-owned manufacturer of high-integrity steel forgings and castings, based in Sheffield, serving UK defence primes (Rheinmetall, KNDS), MoD programmes, and civil nuclear, marine, and renewables markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Industrial Steel Forgings and Castings

NAICS

Iron and Steel Forging (332111), Steel Foundries (except Investment) (331513), Forging and Stamping (3321)

SIC

Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460), Steel Works, Blast Furnaces & Rolling & Finishing Mills (3310)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Alloy Steel (Stainless, Tool Steel, Electrical Steel, High-Strength/HSLA) (IMAKABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Steel Casting (Continuous Casting, Ingots, Semi-Finished Slabs/Billets/Blooms) (IMAKABAD), Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping) (IMAHADAC), Shipbuilding Castings & Forgings (Rudders, Stern Frames, Shafts) (IMAJAKAG)

Keywords

• Steel castings manufacturing
• Open die forgings
• Heavy industrial forging
• Defence metal components
• Nuclear power forgings

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Defence Manufacturing Contracts: Government defence contracts for high-integrity steel forgings and castings, including supplying steel for major programmes like RCH 155 artillery systems to prime contractors Rheinmetall and KNDS
2. Civil Nuclear Manufacturing: Civil nuclear sector opportunities, previously expected to supply components for Rolls-Royce SMR programme
3. Marine and Renewables: High-integrity forgings and castings for global marine and renewables markets

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sheffield Forgemasters International manufactures large steel castings and open-die forgings for defence, marine, civil nuclear, and renewable-energy customers. Its core product range includes forged and cast naval propulsion components, nuclear reactor and steam-generator components, armour steel, and large-scale structural forgings, produced from its Sheffield facilities housing a 13,000-tonne open-die press, foundry operations, metallurgical laboratories, and heavy machining capacity.

Product overview

Sheffield Forgemasters is a Ministry of Defence-owned steelmaking and manufacturing company operating as a single unified offering of high-integrity forgings and castings. The core product portfolio comprises the Open Die Forging Line (13,000-tonne press) and New Machine Shop (30,000 sq metre facility) as part of a £1.3bn recapitalisation programme, supplemented by additive manufacturing services using the CEAD Flexbot hybrid 3D printer. Products serve defence, marine, nuclear, and renewables sectors globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Large open-die steel forgings Manufacture of large steel open-die forgings (including shafts, rings, cylinders, and structural components) produced on the 13,000-tonne press for defence, marine, civil nuclear, and renewable-energy applications.
• Steel castings Production of steel castings from the on-site Sheffield foundry, supplying large cast components for naval, nuclear, and industrial customers.
• Naval propulsion forgings and castings Forged and cast components for naval propulsion systems, supplied to naval customers and propulsion OEMs.
• Nuclear-grade steel components Manufacture of nuclear-qualified steel forgings and castings for civil nuclear reactor and steam-generator applications.
• Armour steel plate Manufacture of armour steel plate for military vehicles and platforms, supplied to the UK Ministry of Defence and allied defence customers.
• Large renewable-energy forgings Manufacture of oversized single-piece steel forgings (such as shaft rings, hubs, and large bearings) for offshore wind, tidal, and hydro renewable-energy systems.
• CEAD Flexbot hybrid additive manufacturing service Large-format hybrid 3D printing of metal components using the CEAD Flexbot system installed in 2026, combining additive manufacturing with subtractive machining for large industrial parts.
• Metallurgical testing and qualification services In-house metallurgical testing, analysis, and qualification services supporting the company's forging and casting products and customer programmes.
• Heavy component machining and finishing In-house heavy machining and finishing of forged and cast components, delivering near-net-shape and finished parts to customer specifications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports 500+ UK supply chain jobs through RCH 155 programme
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RheinmetallcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2026Rheinmetall, as prime contractor for the £1bn RCH 155 artillery programme, sources British steel from Sheffield Forgemasters. The programme supports 500 UK jobs and first deliveries begin in 2028.
• KNDScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2026KNDS UK, as prime contractor for the RCH 155 programme alongside Rheinmetall, sources steel from Sheffield Forgemasters. Production split between Rheinmetall's Telford facility and KNDS UK's Stockport site.
• South Yorkshire Defence BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Defence Growth Deal bringing together government, industry, and academia to position South Yorkshire as a defence growth engine. Includes Sheffield Forgemasters, BAE Systems, and University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.
• BAE SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Co-beneficiary of £50m Defence Growth Deal for South Yorkshire alongside Sheffield Forgemasters, supporting regional defence manufacturing capabilities.
• University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Academic partner in South Yorkshire Defence Board; venue for £50m Defence Growth Deal announcement; supports cutting-edge defence research collaboration with Sheffield Forgemasters.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Doncasters Group: UK-based precision castings and forgings manufacturer supplying aerospace, defence, and industrial gas turbine markets with high-integrity nickel and steel components. Directly comparable as a privately held (now Platinum Equity-owned) precision metal parts producer serving overlapping defence and aerospace primes.
• Aubert & Duval: French producer of high-performance steel alloys, closed-die forgings, and cast parts for aerospace, defence, nuclear, and energy. Closely comparable as a European specialty-steel forging/casting specialist serving defence and nuclear primes, though currently undergoing restructuring.
• Scot Forge: US-based open and ring-rolled forging manufacturer producing large custom steel and alloy forgings for defence, marine, power generation, and heavy industry. Direct peer in open die forging for defence, naval, and nuclear applications.
• Ellwood Group: US integrated steelmaker and producer of large forged and cast steel components for defence, naval, mining, and heavy industrial markets. Comparable as a family-owned, vertically integrated open die forging operation serving similar end markets.
• William Cook Group: UK-based manufacturer of steel castings and fabricated assemblies serving rail, defence, heavy engineering, and process industries. Direct domestic peer in steel castings with overlapping defence and heavy engineering customers.
• Goodwin Steel Castings: UK steel foundry producing high-integrity castings for defence, marine, nuclear, and power generation markets from a Stoke-on-Trent base. Comparable as a UK-headquartered steel castings peer with defence and nuclear end-market exposure.

Broad incumbents

• voestalpine AG: Austrian steel and technology group with a Special Steel division producing high-grade tool steel, specialty forgings, and cast components for automotive, aerospace, energy, and rail. Comparable as a large European specialty steel producer with open die forging capacity, though operating at significantly greater scale and across a broader portfolio.
• Industeel (ArcelorMittal): ArcelorMittal subsidiary producing specialty steel plates and forged products for defence, nuclear, and heavy industry. Comparable as a high-integrity specialty steel producer serving nuclear and defence applications, though embedded within a much larger steelmaking group.
• Bradken: Global manufacturer of large engineered steel castings and forgings for mining, infrastructure, defence, and rail markets (private equity-owned by Lone Star Funds). Comparable as a diversified heavy-engineering metal casting/forging business serving defence and resource extraction with overlapping forged component capabilities.

Emerging players

• Leistritz Turbinen- und Verdichtertechnik: German precision forging and machining specialist producing turbine, compressor, and shaft components for power generation, oil & gas, and aerospace. Comparable as a European specialty forger with high-integrity component capabilities, though more focused on closed-die and turbine-specific work than Sheffield's open die portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ForgemastersHQ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Sheffield Forgemasters International