Chicago Tube & Iron

What Chicago Tube & Iron does

Chicago Tube and Iron Company (Chicago Tube & Iron, "CTI") is a privately held, specialty steel service center founded in 1914 and headquartered in Romeoville, Illinois. The company distributes carbon, stainless, and aluminum steel products — including mechanical and hydraulic tubing, structural tubing, cold-finished and hot-rolled bar, pipe, boiler tubing, and valves and fittings — and operates over 30,000 line items of inventory across more than 1.2 million square feet of warehouse and processing space. CTI runs nine service centers across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, and Monterrey, Mexico, and is ISO 9001:2015 certified across the majority of its network.

The company's technology platform centers on value-added processing rather than raw distribution. Capabilities include six-axis tube laser cutting (up to 14" OD across round, square, rectangular, and open profiles such as angle iron, I-beams, and C-channels), dual-head robotic MIG and TIG welding with 10'x4' and 24'x4' envelopes, 14+ manual and CNC benders plus three roll benders for coiling, CNC precision parts production with tight-tolerance OD/ID machining and surface finishing, and production sawing, lathe cutting, and shear cutting. Supporting commercial offerings include just-in-time delivery, vendor-managed inventory, Kanban, part kitting, consignment programs, EDI, and global shipping.

CTI sells primarily to industrial manufacturers through direct sales from its branch network ([email protected] and [email protected]), with quote-based pricing, net 30 day payment terms, and a cash discount for payment within 10 days. Revenue is generated from one-time sale of steel inventory and from value-added processing services. The company is led by Dr. Don McNeeley (Chairman & CEO), Bill Zielinski (President & COO), and Janeth Villalobos-Quiroz (VP Administration), and operates as an independent private corporation with no disclosed parent, no funding rounds, and no public listing.

Name

Chicago Tube & Iron

Legal name

Chicago Tube and Iron Company

Website

https://chicagotube.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Chicago Tube & Iron is a privately held, 1914-founded specialty steel service center selling carbon, stainless, and aluminum tubing, pipe, bar, valves, and fittings across nine Midwest, Southeast U.S., and Monterrey, Mexico branches, with in-house tube laser cutting, robotic welding, CNC bending, and precision machining serving industrial manufacturer customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Steel Distribution and Fabrication

NAICS

Iron and Steel Pipe and Tube Manufacturing from Purchased Steel (33121)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals Service Centers & Offices (5051)

akta.pro primary industry

Steel Service Centers & Processing (Slitting, Cut-to-Length, Blanking, Leveling) (IMAKABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Steel Products Trading & Service Centers (Flat, Long, Pipe & Tube, Rebar) (IMAKAJAB), Pipe & Tube Manufacturing (Seamless & Welded OCTG/Line Pipe/Structural Tube) (IMAKABAI)

Keywords

• Steel service center
• Metal distribution
• Tube laser cutting
• Steel fabrication services
• Industrial steel supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Romeoville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Steel Products Sales: Sale of specialty steel products including carbon steel tubing, stainless steel, aluminum, hydraulic tubing, boiler tubing, pipe, valves, fittings, and bar products. The company maintains over 30,000 line items of inventory.
2. Value-Added Processing Services: Processing services including tube laser cutting, welding, bending, precision parts production, sawing, and heat treating. Services support various industries with custom fabrication capabilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Chicago Tube & Iron is a specialty steel service center that distributes a broad inventory of carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, hydraulic, and boiler tubing, pipe, bar, valves, and fittings, while also providing value-added processing services such as tube laser cutting, robotic welding, CNC bending, sawing, and precision parts production for industrial customers.

Product overview

Chicago Tube & Iron is a specialty steel service center founded in 1914, offering a comprehensive portfolio of steel products and precision fabrication services. The company operates over 1.2 million square feet across nine locations with an inventory of over 30,000 line items. The core product portfolio includes round mechanical tubing, square/rectangular/round structural tubing, hydraulic tubing, cold finished/hot roll bar, stainless pipe/tube/bar, aluminum pipe/tube/bar, carbon steel pipe, valves & fittings, and boiler tubing. These products are complemented by value-added services including precision parts production (CNC machining), bending (manual and CNC with 14+ benders), tube laser cutting (up to 14" OD), welding (MIG, TIG, and robotic), and sawing/cutting operations. The company maintains ISO 9001:2015 certification across most locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Round Mechanical Tubing Specialty steel tubing manufactured to mechanical specifications for structural and mechanical applications, available in various grades and finishes.
• Square, Rectangular & Round Tubing Structural steel tubing in multiple geometric profiles including square, rectangular, and round shapes for construction and fabrication applications.
• Hydraulic Tubing Tubing designed for hydraulic systems, available in seamless and welded configurations meeting various J-series specifications.
• Cold Finished/Hot Roll Bar Precision-machined bar stock produced through cold finishing or hot rolling processes for mechanical applications.
• Stainless Pipe, Tube & Bar Stainless steel piping, tubing, and bar products including various grades such as T303, T304, T316, T416 with corresponding ASTM specifications.
• Aluminum Pipe, Tube & Bar Aluminum piping, tubing, structural products, drawn coils, and extruded hollow bar in various alloys including 6061 and 6063-T6.
• Carbon Steel Pipe Carbon steel pipe products including welded, seamless, and various structural configurations meeting A500, A53, and API specifications.
• Valves & Fittings Pipe valves, flanges, and fittings in carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, duplex, and special alloys including ball, butterfly, gate, globe, and check valves.
• Boiler Tubing Boiler tube products including ERW, seamless carbon/alloy, and condenser tubing meeting SA178, SA192, SA209, SA210, and SA213 specifications.
• Precision Parts Production CNC-machined precision parts production with tight tolerances, OD/ID machining, surface finishing, and end profiles for production volumes.
• Bending Services Metal bending services using manual and CNC benders for tubing and pipe, including coiling operations with 14 different benders and three roll benders.
• Tube Laser Cutting Precision laser cutting services for round, square, and rectangular tubes up to 14 inches OD, plus open profile structures like angle iron, I-beams, and C-channels.
• Welding Services Welding services including MIG and TIG processes with robotic welding capabilities featuring dual welding heads and 10-foot x 4-foot welding envelope.
• Sawing and Other Services Production sawing, cut-to-length parts, shear cutting, lathe cutting, and saw cutting with inventory management, Kanban systems, kitting, threading, and reverse engineering.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Affiliated DistributorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliated Distributors is referenced as a partner/distributor relationship. An announcement about this partnership was made in August 2017 on the Chicago Tube & Iron blog.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ThyssenKrupp Materials NA: North American metals service center subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp, distributing carbon steel, stainless, aluminum, and specialty alloys with value-added processing. Comparable to CTI in product breadth, processing services, and industrial customer base.
• Ryerson: One of North America's largest metals service centers with 100+ locations and 70,000+ products. Directly comparable to CTI as a value-added metal distributor and processor serving industrial OEMs; CTI itself cross-links Ryerson on its website.
• TW Metals: Specialty metals distributor focused on stainless steel, aluminum, nickel alloys, and titanium for aerospace, medical, and industrial customers. Comparable to CTI in metals distribution and processing, with overlapping specialty tubing and bar product lines.
• Samuel, Son & Co. North American family-owned metals processor and distributor with service centers across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Highly comparable to CTI in steel/metal service center model, processing capabilities, and family-owned private structure.
• Kloeckner Metals: U.S. operations of Kloeckner & Co, operating a network of service centers distributing steel and aluminum products with value-added processing. Closely comparable to CTI in product mix (carbon steel, stainless, aluminum) and industrial customer focus.
• Olympic Steel: National steel service center founded in 1954 focused on value-added processing of flat-rolled and other metal products. Comparable to CTI in business model (distribution + processing) and customer base (industrial manufacturers); also cross-linked on CTI's website.
• Wieland Metals: Specialty metals distributor with a North American service center network focused on copper, brass, bronze, and stainless products with processing services. Comparable to CTI as a value-added metals service center serving industrial customers, though with a different metallurgical mix.

Broad incumbents

• Reliance Steel & Aluminum: Largest U.S. metals service center operator with a network of 300+ locations and a broad product line spanning carbon, stainless, aluminum, and specialty alloys. Comparable to CTI in core steel service center activities, but at significantly larger scale and national footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_0r89xxtzFjThf6XGd8McA/playlists

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries9 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 Chicago Tube & Iron