California Fine Wire Co
California Fine Wire Co., founded 1961, is a privately held custom manufacturer of precision and ultra-fine wire (10 µm to 1 mm) in 900+ alloys, serving medical device, aerospace, electronics, defense, and R&D customers worldwide via direct B2B sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1961
- HeadquartersGrover Beach, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What California Fine Wire Co does
California Fine Wire Co. (CFW), founded in 1961 and headquartered in Grover Beach, California, is a privately held custom manufacturer of precision and ultra-fine wire serving medical device, aerospace, electronics, defense, and research customers worldwide. With 51–100 employees and a self-described "multi-million dollar" revenue base, CFW produces drawn wire in diameters from 10 µm to 1 mm (0.0004" to 0.040") across a library of 900+ metals and alloys including gold, platinum, copper, aluminum, nickel, stainless steel, refractory metals, MP35N superalloy, and thermocouple alloys.
The company's core technology stack is vertically integrated under a single roof: precision cold drawing using in-house-polished dies, bright and strand annealing in hydrogen/argon/oxygen atmospheres up to 2,000°F, dry-operating precision rolling mills achieving flattening ratios up to 40:1, reel-to-reel and barrel electroplating (copper, nickel, gold, silver, tin, tin-lead), PTFE and enamel insulation coating on 25+ dedicated machines, proprietary stranding equipment, and a proprietary Ultra Finish process using custom polycrystalline diamond dies that achieves roundness as tight as 0.64 µm. Products are configured as round wire, flat ribbon, stranded constructions (2- to 19+ strands), bonding wire, and composite-clad wire, with value-added services including ultrasonic/chemical cleaning, precision cutting (0.125" to 72"), custom spooling, and testing with ±0.00005" accuracy.
CFW operates a direct B2B sales-led go-to-market with no intermediaries, accepting requests for quote (RFQ) through its website or by phone and evaluating lead times job-by-job. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific with no publicly disclosed rates; repeat customers participate in kanban inventory management programs. The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified and compliant with ITAR, DFARS, REACH, RoHS, and CMRT, supports international shipping, and markets through its website, technical content resources, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and a ThomasNet listing. Ownership is private with no disclosed parent company, investors, funding rounds, or institutional capital.
California Fine Wire Co firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- California Fine Wire Co
- Legal name
- California Fine Wire Co.
- Website
- https://calfinewire.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1961
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- California Fine Wire Co., founded 1961, is a privately held custom manufacturer of precision and ultra-fine wire (10 µm to 1 mm) in 900+ alloys, serving medical device, aerospace, electronics, defense, and R&D customers worldwide via direct B2B sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
California Fine Wire Co industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Wire Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Other Fabricated Wire Product Manufacturing (332618), Communication and Energy Wire and Cable Manufacturing (33592), Other Communication and Energy Wire Manufacturing (335929)
- SIC
- Drawing & Insulating Of Nonferrous Wire (3357)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coaxial, RF & Specialty Signal Cable (IMADAMAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Data, Communications & Fiber Optic Cable (IMADAMAD), Building Wire & Cable (Residential/Commercial) (IMADAMAA)
Keywords
Where California Fine Wire Co is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grover Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
California Fine Wire Co business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Custom Wire Manufacturing: Made-to-order precision wire products sold on a project/job basis. Customers specify alloy, diameter, coating, and configuration requirements. Revenue is generated through one-time project orders and repeat business through kanban inventory programs for ongoing customer needs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
California Fine Wire Co product offering
Product offeringCore offering
California Fine Wire Co. manufactures custom, made-to-order precision wire and ribbon products in diameters from 0.0004" to 0.040" (10 microns to 1 mm), drawing from a library of 900+ metals and alloys. Capabilities span precision drawing, rolling, stranding, annealing, electroplating, insulation coating (PTFE, enamel, ceramic), Ultra Finish finishing, cutting/straightening, packaging, and testing, all delivered direct to medical, aerospace, defense, and electronics manufacturers.
Product overview
California Fine Wire Co is a precision wire manufacturing company offering made-to-order custom wire products and services since 1961. Their core product portfolio centers on drawn wire manufacturing with diameters ranging from ultra-fine (0.0004") to standard sizes (0.040"), supported by extensive value-added services including insulation/coating (PTFE, enamel, ceramic), electroplating, annealing, cutting/straightening, ultra-finishing, packaging, and testing. The company maintains over 900 metals and alloys in inventory including precious metals (gold, platinum), base metals (copper, aluminum, nickel), stainless steel, refractory metals, and specialty alloys (MP35N, thermocouple alloys). Their products serve critical applications in medical (implants, catheters, pacemakers), aerospace (avionics, satellites), electronics (semiconductors, bonding wire), and defense industries. The integrated manufacturing approach combines drawing, rolling, stranding, coating, and finishing capabilities under one roof, enabling them to produce custom configurations including round, flat ribbon, stranded, and insulated wire to exact customer specifications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Drawn Wire Precision cold-drawn wire manufactured using precision drawing dies, available in diameters from 0.0004" to 0.040" (10 microns to 1 mm) with tolerances as tight as ±0.000025". Available in round, ribbon, bifilar, and stranded configurations.
- Insulated Wire Enamel-coated wire produced using 25 enamel coating machines, with insulation options including ceramic, PTFE, nylon, and polyester coatings applied to wire diameters between 25 microns and 0.5 mm.
- PTFE Insulated Wire PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) insulated wire with proprietary coating process that applies a thin, uniform PTFE layer without primers. Operating temperature up to 240°C (464°F); available in clear, green, blue, black, and white colors.
- Electroplated Wire Electroplated wire with reel-to-reel and barrel plating options for copper, nickel, gold, silver, tin, and tin-lead coatings, enhancing conductivity, corrosion resistance, and solderability.
- Flat Ribbon Wire Precision-rolled flat wire with thicknesses from 0.0002" to 0.050" and widths from 0.002" to 0.100", achieving flattening ratios up to 40:1 with clean, oil-free surfaces.
- Stranded Wire Fine stranded and twisted wire produced with proprietary stranding equipment that prevents stretching or damage, in 2-strand, 7-strand, 10-strand, and 19-strand constructions with conductor diameters from 25 microns to 2.5 mm.
- Ultra Finish Premium finishing process using custom polycrystalline diamond dies for ultra-tight tolerances. Sizes from 0.0003" to 0.004" (7.6 µm to 102 µm) with roundness as tight as 0.000025" (0.64 µm).
- Bonding Wire Fine-drawn bonding wire in gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), and aluminum (Al). Gold bonding wire available in hard drawn, stress relieved, and annealed forms; aluminum bonding wire includes 99.999% purity and aluminum/1% silicon options.
- Aluminum Wire Aluminum wire offering drawable to diameters as small as 0.0005", used in implanted cardiac devices, drift chambers, and semiconductor interconnects.
- Composite-Clad Wire Metallurgically bonded dissimilar metals combining properties such as strength, corrosion resistance, conductivity, and radiopacity. Available as dumet, 27% nickel clad copper, copper clad aluminum, copper clad steel, and copper clad niobium 48% titanium.
- Copper Wire Copper wire with round diameters as small as 0.0005" and ribbons as small as 0.00025" x 0.010", used in power transmission, electronic circuitry, and resistance applications.
- Gold Wire 99.99% pure gold wire with small amounts of beryllium for strength, offering superior corrosion resistance, bondability, and radiopacity. Available in round and ribbon forms.
- Platinum Wire 99.99% pure platinum wire with stable performance in high-temperature and chemically demanding environments. Available in round and ribbon forms; alloys available with rhodium, iridium, and tungsten.
- Nickel Wire Nickel wire providing corrosion and oxidation resistance with structural integrity up to 2,600°F. Drawable to 0.0004" diameters; includes pure nickel, Monel (copper-nickel), and Nichrome (nickel-chromium) alloys.
- Refractory Metal Wire High-strength, high-melting-point metals including molybdenum, niobium, rhenium, tantalum, and tungsten, with wire production down to 0.0002" diameter for aerospace, semiconductor, and high-temperature applications.
- Stainless Steel Wire Stainless steel wire offering corrosion resistance, fire/heat resistance, and high strength-to-weight ratio, with round diameters as small as 0.0003" and ribbons from 0.001" x 0.005" to 0.010" x 0.050".
- Thermocouple Wire Dissimilar metal alloys for accurate and repeatable temperature measurement, available in Type K, J, T, E, B, N, R, and S configurations for industrial and aerospace applications.
- MP35N Alloy Wire Nickel-cobalt superalloy with high physical strength, durability, and corrosion resistance, used for medical and surgical implants including pacemakers, defibrillators, catheters, and orthopedic devices.
- Annealing Heat treatment service using bright annealing, strand annealing, and batch annealing in hydrogen, argon, or oxygen atmospheres to relieve stresses and improve ductility and metallurgical uniformity at temperatures up to 2000°F.
- Wire Cutting & Straightening Precision wire cutting and straightening services for cut lengths from 0.125" to 72" with specialty end types including deburred, radius, and chamfered finishes.
- Packaging & Spooling Precision spooling and packaging services with options for plastic, composite, and metal spools including bonding and braiding spools, DIN spools, and custom specialty jigs and fixtures.
- Special Handling & Processing Secondary processing including ultrasonic and chemical cleaning for high-purity applications, material testing, inspection, labeling, and custom processing procedures.
- Wire Testing Comprehensive testing including dimensional inspection with resolution of 0.00001" and accuracy of ±0.00005", tensile testing, and electrical resistance measurement with accuracy of 0.01%.
Companies that use California Fine Wire Co
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
California Fine Wire Co technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
California Fine Wire Co partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
California Fine Wire Co competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Elektrisola: Elektrisola is a global manufacturer of fine and ultra-fine enameled copper wire used in electronics, medical, and automotive applications. Direct competitor in the insulated fine wire category with comparable diameter range and enamel coating capabilities.
- MWS Wire Industries: MWS Wire Industries manufactures precision fine and ultra-fine wire in exotic alloys for medical, aerospace, and electronics applications. Directly comparable product portfolio (drawn wire, ribbon, stranded, insulated), same end markets, and similar tolerance focus make it the closest U.S. peer to California Fine Wire.
- Anomet Products: Anomet Products manufactures precious metal wire, clad wire, and custom alloy wire products for medical, aerospace, and electronics. Overlaps directly with California Fine Wire's gold, platinum, MP35N, and composite-clad wire product lines, serving the same specialty niche.
- Loos & Co. Loos & Co.'s Cableware division manufactures precision wire rope and specialty wire products serving medical, aerospace, and industrial markets. Comparable in producing made-to-order wire and cable to tight tolerances, with similar diversified end-market exposure.
- Fort Wayne Metals: Fort Wayne Metals produces precision wire and cable for medical devices including guidewires, leads, and DFT wire. Overlaps with California Fine Wire's medical segment and shares the ultra-fine, high-tolerance specialty wire focus, particularly for implantable and life-critical applications.
- California Wire Products: California Wire Products (distinct company) produces custom wire and cable assemblies for industrial and OEM customers. Overlaps in custom B2B wire manufacturing with similar quoting and made-to-order model, though generally less focused on ultra-fine diameters.
- Tanaka Precious Metals: Tanaka manufactures precious metal wire and bonding wire for electronics and medical applications. Comparable in precious metal wire offerings (gold, platinum, silver) and serves overlapping semiconductor and medical customers in Japan and globally.
Broad incumbents
- Sumitomo Electric: Sumitomo Electric produces bonding wire and specialty electrical wire products at global scale. Overlaps with California Fine Wire in bonding wire for semiconductors but operates across a far broader wire, cable, and electronics materials portfolio.
- Johnson Matthey: Johnson Matthey produces precious metal products including bonding wire for the semiconductor industry. Comparable in precious metal wire capability but operates as a large diversified chemicals and precious metals company with broader portfolio breadth.
- Heraeus Electronics: Heraeus is a large diversified precious metals and technology group with a major bonding wire division serving semiconductor packaging. Direct overlap in bonding wire (gold, copper, silver) but Heraeus operates at much greater scale and across broader materials and electronics segments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
California Fine Wire Co social profiles
Digital presenceCalifornia Fine Wire Co financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
California Fine Wire Co leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
California Fine Wire Co funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
California Fine Wire Co 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 California Fine Wire Co
What does California Fine Wire Co do?
California Fine Wire Co. manufactures custom, made-to-order precision wire and ribbon products in diameters from 0.0004" to 0.040" (10 microns to 1 mm), drawing from a library of 900+ metals and alloys. Capabilities span precision drawing, rolling, stranding, annealing, electroplating, insulation coating (PTFE, enamel, ceramic), Ultra Finish finishing, cutting/straightening, packaging, and testing, all delivered direct to medical, aerospace, defense, and electronics manufacturers.
Is California Fine Wire Co a public or private company?
California Fine Wire Co is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was California Fine Wire Co founded?
California Fine Wire Co was founded in 1961. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is California Fine Wire Co based?
California Fine Wire Co is headquartered in Grover Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does California Fine Wire Co make money?
One revenue line is on record: custom Wire Manufacturing.
Who are California Fine Wire Co's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Elektrisola, MWS Wire Industries, Anomet Products, Loos & Co., Fort Wayne Metals, California Wire Products and Tanaka Precious Metals. Broad incumbents are Sumitomo Electric, Johnson Matthey and Heraeus Electronics.
Does California Fine Wire Co have an API?
No public API is recorded for California Fine Wire Co.
What industry is California Fine Wire Co in?
California Fine Wire Co's product category is Precision Wire Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMADAMAE, Coaxial, RF & Specialty Signal Cable, with a secondary code of IMADAMAD, Data, Communications & Fiber Optic Cable. Its NAICS code is 332618 and its SIC code is 3357.