Chicago Nut & Bolt

What Chicago Nut & Bolt does

Chicago Nut & Bolt is an Illinois-based custom industrial fastener manufacturer operating from East Dundee (despite its name and Bloomingdale mailing reference), founded in 1990. The company produces bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, and bushings across standard and custom specifications, with materials spanning commodity grades through to exotic alloys (stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, Inconel, Hastelloy, brass, bronze, ceramics). Manufacturing is in-house and covers machining, cold heading, hot and cold forging, thread rolling, heat treatment (quenching and tempering), and CNC fabrication, supporting order sizes from a single prototype to 10 million pieces. The operating model pairs the manufacturing floor with engineering and prototyping services, rush-work turnaround (overnight or within-hours), and EDI-capable warehousing with blanket orders and JIT delivery.

The customer base is concentrated in heavy-industrial OEMs and government end-markets, including Caterpillar, Komatsu, GE Transportation/Wabtec, John Deere, Deere Hitachi, Detroit Diesel, Ingersoll Rand, 3M, Cummins, MTU Friedrichshafen, Lockheed Martin, and transit authorities such as MBTA, CTA, and NYCTA. Sales runs through a direct B2B motion: an online RFQ form, phone outreach, and a Thomasnet supplier listing. Pricing is quote-based with a $250 minimum order value, structured as unit pricing for production runs and multi-year contracts for warehousing. Reported landmark projects (Arecibo Observatory, Golden Gate Bridge, Seawolf Submarines, Biosphere 2) and Caterpillar Approved Supplier status anchor credibility.

Commercially, the company generates revenue from one-off custom and standard fastener sales plus contracted recurring revenue from warehousing and JIT programs. Quality and regulatory gating — ISO 9001:2015, A2LA Fastener Quality Act compliance, ASME, ASTM, SAE, Lloyd's Register System and Production certification, Pressure Vessel Certification, and Mil-spec compliance (MIL-S-1222, MIL-DTL-1222, FF-S-85, FF-S-86) — is required to participate in the defense, marine, railroad, and heavy-equipment verticals, functioning as the barrier to competitor entry in these accounts.

Name

Chicago Nut & Bolt

Legal name

Chicago Nut & Bolt

Website

https://cnb-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chicago Nut & Bolt is a U.S. custom industrial fastener manufacturer producing bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, and bushings from commodity to exotic alloys, serving heavy-equipment OEMs and government end-markets in mining, agriculture, marine, railroad, construction, engine manufacturing, and defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomingdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Fastener Manufacturing & Sales: Chicago Nut & Bolt generates revenue primarily through manufacturing and selling custom bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, and bushings tailored to customer specifications. They produce fasteners in various materials including stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, Inconel, Hastelloy, and specialty alloys.
2. Standard Fastener Sales: Sale of standard off-the-shelf fasteners available for immediate delivery from inventory.
3. Warehousing Services: Provides warehousing capabilities for large-volume blanket orders, storing a year's product volume and shipping based on MRP schedules or electronically transmitted weekly schedules. EDI-capable dock-to-stock supply services.
4. Rush Order Services: Expedited manufacturing and delivery services for urgent customer needs, providing fasteners overnight or within hours for time-critical applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chicago Nut & Bolt is a manufacturer of custom and standard industrial fasteners, producing bolts, nuts, screws, rivets, and bushings using machining, cold heading, hot forging, cold forging, thread rolling, heat treatment, and precision CNC fabrication. The company serves enterprise OEM and government customers across mining, construction, railroad, marine, military, agriculture, and engine manufacturing, offering rapid prototyping, rush work, and EDI-capable warehousing/JIT delivery.

Product overview

Chicago Nut & Bolt is a fastener manufacturer offering a portfolio of standard and custom mechanical fastening products, including custom bolts, custom fasteners (screws, nuts, rivets, bushings), and standard off-the-shelf options. The company complements its core product lines with value-added services: Fastener Engineering & Prototyping for design and testing support, Rush Work Services for expedited delivery, and Warehousing Services including EDI-capable inventory management and just-in-time delivery. Custom Plating & Finishing is offered as an additional treatment service. Products are manufactured using machining, cold heading, and heat treatment processes, serving industries including mining, railroad, construction, marine, military, agriculture, and engine manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Bolts

Quantifiable outcome

• Emergency order of 750 hot-dip galvanized bolts with nuts and washers delivered same evening (by 8pm) for Madison Street bridge rehab in Chicago
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GE Transportation/WabteccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago Nut & Bolt manufactures all heavy machinery and railroad fasteners for GE Transportation Systems according to Six Sigma specifications. They produce yearly quantities, inventory on shelves, and provide seamless supply based on electronically transmitted weekly schedules.
• Komatsu MiningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNB manufactures more than a dozen mining fasteners and custom parts for Komatsu Haulpak off-highway trucks. Each eight-foot wheel requires 50 of these 3-pound bolts to secure the electric engine. Direct manufacturer relationship replacing traditional distributors.
• DMI (DoMor Industries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNB delivers uninterrupted supply of 40 different custom agricultural fasteners for DMI's revolutionary tillage system. Receives weekly MRP schedules for all parts needed for the next six months, with internal systems ensuring on-time delivery every time.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Infasco: Canadian-based manufacturer of industrial fasteners including custom bolts, nuts, and construction products serving North American OEMs and distributors. Comparable in custom industrial fastener manufacturing and cross-border North American distribution.
• Haydon Bolts: US manufacturer of custom industrial fasteners, anchor bolts, and construction-related fastening products. Directly comparable in product offering, custom engineering focus, and end-market exposure.
• Vossloh: Global manufacturer of rail fastening systems and infrastructure products, including fasteners for transit authorities and locomotive OEMs. Directly comparable to CNB's railroad customer base and mil-spec/rail fastener capabilities.
• Elgin Fastener Group: Multi-brand manufacturer of specialty and custom fasteners serving industrial OEM customers. Comparable in custom and engineered fastener manufacturing across multiple industrial verticals.
• Birmingham Fastener & Supply: Manufacturer and distributor of standard and specialty industrial fasteners serving heavy industrial customers. Comparable in product breadth, B2B industrial sales motion, and customer base in construction/equipment manufacturing.
• Portland Bolt & Manufacturing Company: US-based custom bolt and fastener manufacturer producing made-to-order and large-diameter structural bolts for construction, infrastructure, and heavy industry. Highly comparable to Chicago Nut & Bolt in product mix, customization model, and target customer base.
• Lewis Bolt & Nut Company: Custom manufacturer of large-diameter structural bolts, nuts, and related fasteners for construction and heavy industry. Comparable to CNB in custom engineered bolt manufacturing and infrastructure customer use cases.
• Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. Midwest-based manufacturer of rivets, screw machine products, and cold-headed fasteners serving automotive and industrial OEMs. Closely comparable to CNB in product category (custom small fasteners/screw machine products) and B2B OEM customer profile.

Broad incumbents

• Nucor Fasteners: Fastener division of Nucor Corporation, one of North America's largest steel and fastener producers, offering a broad standard and custom product portfolio. A much larger scaled competitor with overlapping product categories but broader reach and pricing power.
• Stanley Black & Decker: Diversified industrial conglomerate with fastener and fastening systems exposure as part of its tools and industrial portfolio. A broader incumbent with overlapping fasteners capabilities but very different scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/custombolts

Compliance14 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Chicago Nut & Bolt