What Craco does

CRACO Mfg., Inc. (operating as Craco Metals) is a privately held, full-service manufacturer of light gauge cold-formed steel framing products, accessories, and connectors serving the commercial and residential building construction industry across the eastern United States. The company is headquartered at a 1122 Johnson Road manufacturing facility in York, South Carolina, where it operates slitting, roll forming, and brake forming equipment to convert coiled steel into finished framing components. Founded in the early 1980s, CRACO distributes its products under the unified SmartFrame brand, which spans four interconnected product lines: Interior Drywall Framing (SmartStud and SmartTrack), Structural Exterior Framing, Connectors (deflection, rigid, bridging, utility angles), and Framing Accessories (hat channel, resilient channel, cold-rolled channel, furring, straps, shaft wall components, and steel deck accessories). All products are certified code-compliant to ICC ESR #3943 and ESR #3957P and carry UL certification, with LEED documentation support including EPDs and HPDs for green-building projects.

The company generates revenue through direct quote-based hardware sales to contractors, builders, and construction professionals, with pricing governed by a formal Sales Quote Policy and credit application process. Go-to-market is sales-led and executed through three regional sales offices (Atlanta, East Coast, Mid-West) staffed by dedicated sales managers and supported by technical representatives who assist with product selection, submittals, LEED documents, and bid-process consultation. Distribution is anchored by the York, SC plant, which provides overnight delivery throughout the eastern United States and job-site deliveries with off-loading capabilities within a 400-mile radius. The company sources raw steel from NUCOR, US Steel, and ArcelorMittal, and operates a wholly-owned steel service center subsidiary, CRACO Metal Supply, extending its reach into steel distribution. The privately held company is owned by Jamie Crane, with Will McCormick serving as President, and has between 101 and 250 employees.

Name

Craco

Legal name

CRACO Mfg., Inc.

Website

https://cracometals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CRACO Mfg., Inc. (Craco Metals) is a privately held, York, SC-based manufacturer of light gauge cold-formed steel framing products, connectors, and accessories sold under the SmartFrame brand to contractors and builders across the eastern United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Steel Framing Products Sales: CRACO manufactures and sells light gauge steel framing products including Steel Studs & Track, Connectors, Resilient Channel, and Framing Accessories. Revenue is generated through direct product sales to the building industry (contractors, builders, construction professionals). The company provides products throughout the eastern United States with overnight and job-site delivery options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CRACO is a full-service manufacturer of light gauge cold-formed steel framing products, accessories, and connectors under the SmartFrame brand. The company produces steel studs, tracks, connectors, resilient channel, and framing accessories for interior drywall, exterior structural, and shaft wall applications, serving contractors, builders, and construction professionals throughout the eastern United States.

Product overview

CRACO is a full-service manufacturer of Cold Formed Steel Framing Products and Connectors, offering a unified product ecosystem under the SmartFrame brand. The portfolio comprises four interconnected product lines: SmartFrame Interior Drywall Framing (non-structural studs and track for interior applications), SmartFrame Exterior Structural Framing (structural-grade framing for exterior use), SmartFrame Connectors (specialized hardware for load transfer and deflection), and SmartFrame Framing Accessories (supporting components including channels, straps, and deck accessories). The SmartSpec Submittal Builder serves as a complementary digital tool for creating product submittals. All products are manufactured from high-quality steel and are certified code-compliant to ICC ESR #3943 and ESR #3957P, serving the building construction industry throughout the eastern United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SmartFrame: Product line including SmartFrame Interior Drywall Framing, SmartFrame Connectors, SmartFrame Exterior Structural Framing, and SmartFrame Framing Accessories

Products and services

• SmartFrame Interior Drywall Framing Light gauge steel framing system designed for interior drywall applications, featuring SmartStud and SmartTrack components in various flange sizes (1-1/4") and gauge thicknesses (18-33mil), serving contractors and construction professionals for non-structural interior framing.
• SmartFrame Connectors Comprehensive line of steel connectors including deflection connectors (VertiFlex, TopFlex-e, TopFlex-i, StrutFlex, WebFlex), rigid connectors (Tuff-Clip, TuffStrut, TuffAnchor, Rigid-AP), bridging connectors (BridgeSmart, CRC-Connector, KatzBlocking, Solid-Blocking), utility angle connectors, and miscellaneous connectors (WebStiffener, GussetPlate, StrapTies, CoilStraps, Multi-Purpose) for load transfer and deflection management in steel framing projects.
• SmartFrame Exterior Structural Framing Structural steel framing system for exterior applications, offering SmartStud and SmartTrack products with flange sizes ranging from 1-3/8" to 3-1/2" and multiple coating options (CP60, CP90, G40) in various gauges from 12mil to 33mil, serving contractors requiring ICC-certified structural framing.
• SmartFrame Framing Accessories Supporting steel framing components including Furring (Hat) Channel, Resilient Channel (RC-1, RC-2, RC-1 MAGNUM), Cold Rolled Channel, Flat Strap, Z Furring, Long Angle, Slotted Slip Track, Shaft Wall & Area Separation Wall components (CT Stud, Tabbed Track, Jamb Track, H Stud, C-Runner, Break Away Clips), and Steel Deck Accessories (End Closure, Z Closure, J Closure, Column Closure, Girder Filler, Pour Stop, Flat Plate, Ridge Valley Plate, Roof Cant).
• SmartSpec Submittal Builder Web-based digital tool that enables construction professionals to select CRACO products and generate PDF submittal documents with customizable cover sheets for project submissions, simplifying the submittal creation process.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Allegro FoundationminorOthersCRACO supports the Allegro Foundation through participation in the 14th Annual Allegro Invitational charitable event. Allegro's philosophy emphasizes combining cognitive and muscle memories to stimulate learning, problem-solving skills, and physical coordination.
• NUCOR SteelcoreTechnology or IntegrationNUCOR Steel is a primary steel supplier for CRACO. Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for NUCOR steel are available on CRACO's Support Center. NUCOR provides recycled content documentation for CRACO's LEED documentation requirements.
• US SteelcoreTechnology or IntegrationUS Steel is a steel supplier for CRACO. Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for US Steel products are maintained on CRACO's Support Center.
• ArcelorMittalcoreTechnology or IntegrationArcelorMittal is a steel supplier for CRACO. Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for ArcelorMittal steel are maintained on CRACO's Support Center.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ClarkDietrich Building Systems: Largest North American manufacturer of cold-formed steel framing, including studs, tracks, joists, and connectors, serving commercial and residential construction. Direct head-to-head competitor to CRACO's SmartFrame product line, with broader national footprint and engineering services.
• CEMCO (California Expanded Metal Products): Major West-Coast-based manufacturer of cold-formed steel framing, connectors, and accessories for commercial and residential construction. Competes directly with CRACO on studs, tracks, connectors, and ICC-certified product lines, with a similar specialty-niche positioning.
• Marino\WARE (a division of Ware Industries): Manufacturer of steel framing studs, tracks, joists, and accessories serving the Eastern US and national accounts. Direct competitor to CRACO with overlapping ICC-certified product lines and a comparable focus on commercial construction documentation and LEED support.
• Telling Industries: Manufacturer of cold-formed steel framing and connectors acquired through roll-ups of MBA Metal Framing and other regional players. Comparable product breadth and ICC-certified offering; competes with CRACO for national-account framing specifications.
• The Steel Network: Manufacturer of steel connectors, clips, and light-gauge steel framing accessories with a strong emphasis on deflection and rigid connectors — directly comparable to CRACO's SmartFrame Connectors line (VertiFlex, Tuff-Clip, etc.).

Broad incumbents

• Simpson Strong-Tie: Dominant manufacturer of structural connectors, fasteners, and lateral-force resisting systems for construction. Adjacent to CRACO's framing connectors but broader portfolio across wood, concrete, and steel; significant incumbent in the structural-connector category where CRACO also competes.

Regional players

• Quail Run Building Products: Manufacturer of light-gauge steel framing products and connectors serving primarily Western US markets. Comparable product mix to CRACO but operates in a non-overlapping geography, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.

Others

• NUCOR Corporation: Largest US steel producer and primary raw-material supplier to CRACO. Included as an ecosystem participant (upstream supplier providing coil stock and recycled-content documentation for LEED), not a competitor.
• United States Steel Corporation: Major domestic steel producer and one of CRACO's documented raw-material suppliers. Included as an ecosystem participant providing coil steel, not as a downstream framing competitor.
• ArcelorMittal: World's largest steel producer and a documented raw-material supplier to CRACO. Included as an ecosystem participant (upstream coil supplier), not a downstream competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CRACOmfg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/craco-mfg.-inc.

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Craco