Superior Steel

What Superior Steel does

Superior Steel Inc. is a family-owned, full-service structural steel contractor founded in 1978 and headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. The company provides design, engineering, fabrication, erection, painting, and maintenance services to commercial, industrial, institutional, and government/military clients across the Southeastern United States, with named project experience including Neyland Stadium, Bristol Motor Speedway, Disney facilities, LP Field, and homebuilder/low-rise work. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts for new construction and maintenance, with work delivered across an 8-state service territory spanning Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, and South Carolina.

The company operates 100,000+ square feet of manufacturing capacity split between Knoxville, TN and Rockmart, GA, supporting 18,000+ tons of annual fabrication. It carries a $120M aggregate bonding capacity as of March 2025, AISC Advanced Certified Steel Erector status, and the AISC Sophisticated Paint Endorsement backed by a 100-foot blast/paint facility. Yard equipment includes 30-ton and 60-ton cranes, and the engineering workflow is built on SDS/2 3D detailing, RAM Structural System, BIM with CIS/2, Autodesk Revit, and Tekla. The company is led by a 16-person management and salaried professional team with 200+ years of combined field supervision experience, and it has held a .79 EMR (Experience Modification Rate) as of March 2025 - well below the 1.0 industry baseline.

The business model is straightforward: bid competitively on steel fabrication and erection packages (often as a subcontractor to general contractors), execute under a bonded contract, and bill on milestone or tonnage-based progress payments. The combination of dual-state manufacturing, in-house painting, and Advanced Erector certification allows Superior Steel to take on larger and more technically demanding projects than a single-site, non-certified competitor. As a family-owned operator with no disclosed external capital, growth has been funded internally and paced to the cyclicality of Southeast commercial construction.

Name

Superior Steel

Legal name

Superior Steel, Inc.

Website

https://superstl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Superior Steel is a family-owned, full-service structural steel contractor founded in 1978 and headquartered in Knoxville, TN. It provides design, engineering, fabrication, erection, painting, and maintenance services to commercial, industrial, institutional, and government clients across the Southeast US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Steel Fabrication and Erection Services

NAICS

Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing (332312), Plate Work Manufacturing (332313)

SIC

Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440)

akta.pro primary industry

Structural Steel Fabrication (IMADACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Steel Plate, Sections & Welded Assemblies (IMADACAD)

Keywords

• Structural steel fabrication
• Steel erection services
• Structural engineering design
• Steel painting coatings
• AISC certified fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Steel Fabrication and Erection Services: Project-based revenue from steel fabrication and erection services including engineering and design. Services provided under competitive bid, negotiated contract, design build and fast track arrangements. One-stop shop offering design, fabrication, erection, painting, and maintenance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Superior Steel is a full-service structural steel company providing integrated Design & Engineering, AISC Certified Steel Fabrication, AISC Advanced Certified Steel Erection, and certified Steel Painting and Maintenance services to general contractors and project owners. The company operates two fabrication facilities (Knoxville, TN and Rockmart, GA) with combined capacity exceeding 18,000 tons of fabricated steel annually, supported by in-house structural engineers and a crane fleet capable of erecting projects with up to three 150-ton cranes.

Product overview

Superior Steel is a full-service steel company offering a one-stop-shop experience with four integrated service offerings: Design & Engineering, Steel Fabrication, Steel Erection, and Paint and Maintenance Shop. The company provides comprehensive steel services from structural engineering and in-house detailing through fabrication in AISC certified shops to self-performed erection and painting. The Design & Engineering service includes 3D detailing using SDS/2 software and BIM capabilities using CIS/2 protocol, with structural engineers licensed in 11 states. Steel Fabrication is performed at two facilities (Knoxville, TN and Rockmart, GA) with over 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space and capacity exceeding 18,000 tons annually. Steel Erection is performed by AISC Advanced Certified erectors with full-time crane personnel. The Paint Shop provides certified enclosed facility painting with complex coating capabilities. These services are offered as an integrated portfolio, allowing customers to source all steel needs from a single provider.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design & Engineering Structural engineering services including design-build project assistance, connection design, analysis, and complete building envelope engineering with stamped drawings for design-build projects. Targeted at general contractors and project owners needing in-house licensed engineering for structural steel projects.
• Steel Fabrication AISC Certified steel fabrication across two facilities (Knoxville, TN and Rockmart, GA) producing more than 18,000 tons of fabricated steel annually using state-of-the-art equipment. Targeted at general contractors and project owners requiring AISC-certified structural steel fabrication.
• Steel Erection AISC Advanced Certified Steel Erection services with full-time experienced personnel and crane equipment ranging from 40-ton to three 150-ton cranes. Targeted at general contractors and project owners who need reliable on-site erection of fabricated structural steel on complex, fast-track projects.
• Paint and Maintenance Shop Certified enclosed steel painting facility offering complex protective coatings (zincs, epoxies, urethanes, multi-coat systems) along with maintenance services for vehicles and cranes up to 300 tons. Targeted at general contractors, project owners, and internal fleet maintenance needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,000+ tons annual fabrication capacity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SteelFab: SteelFab is a regional structural steel fabricator and erector serving the Carolinas and Southeast US, directly comparable to Superior Steel in service mix (fabrication, erection, detailing) and customer segments (commercial, institutional, healthcare). Operates multiple fabrication facilities with comparable capacity and AISC certifications.
• LeJeune Steel Company: LeJeune Steel is a structural steel fabricator and erector serving the upper Midwest with comparable AISC certification, in-house detailing, and one-stop service model. Similar mid-market regional fabrication and erection profile with project-based commercial, healthcare, and institutional work.
• Cives Steel Company: Cives Steel is a large North American structural steel fabricator and erector with multiple plants and an integrated design-fabrication-erection model. Directly comparable service portfolio and end markets, though at greater geographic scale and capacity than Superior Steel.
• Banker Steel Company: Banker Steel is a structural steel fabricator with AISC certifications serving commercial, healthcare, education, and stadium projects. Comparable in scope to Superior Steel with similar fast-track and complex project capabilities, including large-scale venue and convention work.
• Basden Steel & Erection: Basden Steel is a regional structural steel fabricator and erector serving the Southeast US with comparable AISC certifications and a project-based commercial/institutional customer profile. Similar size and capacity to Superior Steel's Rockmart and Knoxville operations.
• Koontz-Bryant Steel & Supply: Koontz-Bryant is a regional structural steel fabricator and erector serving the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast with comparable one-stop service capabilities, in-house detailing, and AISC certifications. Similar commercial and institutional project mix.

Broad incumbents

• AZZ Inc. (Structural Steel Solutions): AZZ is a publicly traded diversified metal products and services company with a structural steel fabrication business, alongside metal coating and electrical products. Comparable in fabrication capability but operates as a much broader industrial incumbent with significantly larger scale.
• Nucor Corporation: Nucor is the largest U.S. steel producer with a downstream joist and deck fabrication business. While vertically integrated and far larger than Superior Steel, Nucor's structural products division competes for some of the same nonresidential construction demand.
• Gerdau Ameristeel: Gerdau operates a major U.S. steel fabrication network serving construction and infrastructure end markets. Comparable structural steel exposure but operates at vastly larger scale and as a primary steel producer plus fabricator.

Others

• American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC): AISC is the trade body that certifies Superior Steel's fabrication, erection, and painting operations and issues the IDEAS2 awards. As the industry's governing standards body, AISC is a direct ecosystem participant and credentialing authority for the structural steel fabrication market Superior Steel competes in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/superiorsteelinc
• Xx.com/steelsuperior
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/steel-superior

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Superior Steel