What Great Lakes Copper does

Great Lakes Copper Ltd. is a Canadian manufacturer of seamless copper tubing founded in 1958, operating from a single, fully integrated facility at 1010 Clarke Road in London, Ontario, where it performs casting, extruding, and drawing operations with inline quality inspection. Its product portfolio spans four core categories — copper plumbing tube (Types K, L, M, and DWV), cleaned-and-plugged refrigeration tube, ACR/medical gas tubing, and engineered-to-order industrial/OEM products — and is complemented by a coated and pre-assembled line set portfolio (including standard line sets, ductless mini-splits, and the EZ-Roll Plus Black coated product) and by the Kamco Division, acquired in 2008, which manufactures plastic-coated copper for gas (Gas-Tec), fuel oil (Oil Pro-Tec, Oil V-Tec), and potable water (Aqua Shield) applications. The company sells through direct customer-service channels to plumbing contractors, HVAC/refrigeration contractors, medical gas installers, industrial/OEM customers, and distributors across Canada and the United States, using published price lists (PDF and Excel) with discount schedules and multipliers for net pricing. Great Lakes Copper Ltd. is privately held, has no disclosed parent company or institutional ownership, and operates as an independent corporate entity headquartered in Ontario.

Name

Great Lakes Copper

Legal name

Great Lakes Copper Ltd.

Website

https://glcopper.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Great Lakes Copper Ltd. is a Canadian manufacturer of seamless copper tubing serving plumbing, refrigeration, HVAC, medical gas, industrial/OEM, and specialty coated-tube markets in North America since 1958 from a single integrated facility in London, Ontario.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Copper Tube Products: Manufacture and sale of copper tube in wide range of diameters and lengths for plumbing (Type K, L, M, DWV), refrigeration, medical gas, and industrial applications. Products sold through direct pricing with published discount schedules.
2. Fabricated/Configured Products: Industrial/OEM products made-to-order using specific design specifications provided by customers. Configurable options include wall thickness, outside diameter, temper, length, and packaging options.
3. Line Sets and Mini Splits: Pre-assembled line sets, mini splits, and coated line sets for HVAC and refrigeration applications sold as finished products.
4. Kamco Division Products: Plastic coated copper products including Gas-Tec, Oil Pro-Tec/V-Tec, and Aqua Shield product lines for specialized applications in gas, fuel oil, and potable water.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Great Lakes Copper is a manufacturer of seamless copper tubing serving the plumbing, refrigeration, HVAC, industrial/OEM, and medical gas markets. Its London, Ontario facility is fully integrated for casting, extruding, and drawing copper tube in a wide range of diameters and lengths, with quality inspection throughout each process. The portfolio includes standard copper tube types (K, L, M, DWV), pre-assembled line sets and mini-splits, and the Kamco Division's plastic-coated copper products for gas, fuel oil, and potable water applications.

Product overview

Great Lakes Copper is a copper tube manufacturer serving the plumbing, refrigeration, HVAC, medical gas, industrial, and specialty markets since 1958. The company's product portfolio is organized into core copper tube products (Plumbing, Refrigeration, Medical Gas Tubing, Industrial/OEM) supplemented by the Kamco division acquired in 2008, which provides plastic-coated copper products for gas, fuel oil, and potable water applications. Additionally, the company offers line set products including standard line sets, ductless mini splits, and coated line sets (EZ-Roll Plus Black) for air conditioning and refrigeration applications. The facility is completely integrated for production of copper tube in a wide range of diameters and lengths with casting, extruding, and drawing operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kamco Division: Division specializing in plastic coated copper products, including Gas-Tec for natural and LP gas applications, Oil Pro-Tec and Oil V-Tec for fuel oil applications, and Aqua Shield for potable water applications.

Products and services

• Plumbing Tube Copper plumbing tube in Types K, L, M, and DWV for residential and commercial plumbing installations, in a wide range of diameters and available in straight lengths or coils, manufactured to ASTM requirements.
• Refrigeration Products Specially cleaned and plugged copper tube products for refrigeration installations in sensitive environments requiring specific cleanliness levels to avoid contamination; available in straight length or coils.
• Medical Gas Tubing (ACR) ACR copper tubing engineered for medical gas applications in healthcare facilities, meeting stringent cleanliness and quality standards.
• Industrial / OEM Products Made-to-order copper tube products engineered to specific OEM and industrial customer specifications, with configurable wall thickness, outside diameter, temper, length, and packaging options.
• Line Sets Pre-assembled copper line sets for air conditioning and refrigeration installations, supplied as standard configurations to reduce installation time.
• Mini-Splits Pre-sleeved ductless mini split line sets comprising insulated liquid line and insulated suction line for ductless air conditioning units, available in 1/4 to 5/8 inch diameters, 15 to 100 foot lengths, and 3/8 to 1 inch insulation thicknesses.
• EZ-Roll Plus Black Seamless, factory-assembled insulated copper tube featuring black polymeric protective coating for air conditioning, refrigeration, and HVAC use, with operating temperature range -297°F to 220°F and ASTM E 84 25/50 rating. Introduced as a new product in 2025.
• Kamco Gas-Tec Plastic coated copper tube for natural and LP gas applications with protective coating suited for shallow burial installations.
• Kamco Gas-Tec Plus Enhanced plastic coated copper tube for natural and LP gas shallow burial applications, with TSSA adoption.
• Kamco Oil Pro-Tec Plastic coated copper tube designed for fuel oil applications.
• Kamco Oil V-Tec Plastic coated copper tube with striped coating for fuel oil applications, providing visual identification.
• Kamco Aqua Shield Plastic coated copper tube for potable water applications with a protective barrier against corrosion and external contaminants.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

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.

• Wolverine TubeOthersGreat Lakes Copper Ltd. originated in 1958 as the Canadian plumbing tube mill for Wolverine Tube, establishing its long-standing reputation in the copper tube manufacturing industry.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Mueller Industries: Mueller Industries is a major North American manufacturer of copper, brass, aluminum, and plastic products serving plumbing, HVAC, and industrial markets. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping copper tube, line set, and fittings offerings that compete head-on with Great Lakes Copper across multiple end-segments.
• Wieland Group: Wieland is one of the world's largest manufacturers of copper and copper-alloy semi-finished products including rolled, drawn, and extruded copper tubes. It serves HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, and industrial markets globally, making it a direct competitor in the copper tube space Great Lakes Copper occupies.
• Halstead International (Victaulic): Halstead (now part of Victaulic) manufactured copper tube and line sets for HVAC and plumbing markets across North America. It competes with Great Lakes Copper in coated line sets and refrigerant tubing used by HVAC contractors and OEMs.
• KME Group: KME is a European manufacturer of semi-finished copper and copper-alloy products, including tubes for HVAC, plumbing, and industrial applications. It serves as a broader global incumbent in copper tube with comparable end-market exposure.

Direct peers

• Wolverine Tube: Wolverine Tube is a major North American manufacturer of copper and copper-alloy tubes serving HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, and industrial OEMs. It is the parent origin of Great Lakes Copper (formed as Wolverine's Canadian plumbing mill in 1958), making it the most directly comparable historical peer.
• Cerro Flow Products: Cerro Flow Products manufactures copper tube, fittings, line sets, and mini-splits for plumbing, HVAC, and refrigeration markets. Its product portfolio, distribution model, and target customers closely mirror Great Lakes Copper's offering across plumbing, ACR, and industrial segments.
• Cambridge-Lee Industries: Cambridge-Lee is a North American copper tube manufacturer offering seamless copper tube for plumbing, refrigeration, and industrial applications. It is a direct peer in seamless copper tube manufacturing with overlapping customer base of plumbing wholesalers and OEMs.
• Mueller Streamline Co. Mueller Streamline is the copper tube division of Mueller Industries, producing copper tubing, line sets, and related products for plumbing and HVAC markets. It is a direct North American competitor to Great Lakes Copper's core plumbing and ACR tube offerings.

Emerging players

• BrassCraft Manufacturing: BrassCraft manufactures plumbing supply lines, fittings, and water heater connectors using copper and other metals. While it focuses downstream of copper tube production, it shares Great Lakes Copper's plumbing contractor customer base and represents adjacent demand for upstream copper tube.
• SDI LaFarga CopperWorks: LaFarga CopperWorks produces copper and copper-alloy products including tubes, bars, and rods from recycled and refined copper. It is an emerging player in copper tube manufacturing serving plumbing, HVAC, and industrial markets with an emphasis on sustainable/recycled copper inputs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Great Lakes Copper