What Carlton Forge Works does

Carlton Forge Works is an aviation and aerospace forging manufacturer founded in 1929 and headquartered at its primary production facility in Paramount, California, with a corporate office in Lake Oswego, Oregon. The company produces seamless rolled rings and open and closed die forgings across the full spectrum of forgeable alloys — carbon and alloy steels, aluminum, titanium, nickel, cobalt, and other exotic high-temperature metals — with ring sizes ranging from 4 inches to 180 inches in outside diameter, heights up to 65 inches, and weights exceeding 16,000 pounds. Its equipment base centers on proprietary large-scale capital assets including the R180 Radial Axial Mill (the largest of its kind, commissioned 1994), the C3 8,000-ton press (installed 1982), the R50 Radial Axial Mill (1984), and a 50,000-pound closed-die hammer acquired through the 1991 Arcturus acquisition.

The company supplies flight-critical components — turbine cases, fan cases, combustion liners, compressor cases, and bearing seals — to aircraft engine manufacturers, with a documented history of marquee programs including the GE90 fan case (140-inch OD, 1996) and the one-piece WASP LPT case (1995) for the largest aircraft engine in the world. It holds AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certifications valid through January 2027, satisfying direct qualification requirements for all major aircraft engine OEMs. Beyond aerospace, the company serves gas turbine, industrial, commercial, and nuclear industry customers with similar forged ring and die-forging requirements.

Carlton has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC) since 2009, and PCC has since been acquired by Berkshire Hathaway. Revenue is generated through a B2B direct enterprise sales model with custom quote-based pricing tied to part specifications, alloy, size, tolerance, and volume, typically contracted on multi-year programs. The company employs 251-500 people and conducts sales through phone, email, and contact-form engagement with engineering and procurement teams at major industrial customers — there is no e-commerce, channel partner, or self-service pathway.

Name

Carlton Forge Works

Legal name

Carlton Forge Works

Website

https://carltonforgeworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Carlton Forge Works, founded in 1929 and headquartered in Paramount, California, manufactures seamless rolled rings and open/closed die forgings from exotic high-temperature alloys for aircraft engine manufacturers and gas turbine, industrial, and nuclear customers, operating as a subsidiary of Precision Castparts Corp. within Berkshire Hathaway.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace and Industrial Metal Forgings

NAICS

Forging and Stamping (3321)

SIC

Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460)

akta.pro primary industry

Tooling, Jigs, Fixtures & Molds for Airframe/Composite Manufacturing (IMABAEAI)

Keywords

• Seamless rolled rings
• Closed die forgings
• Aerospace forgings
• Metal forging manufacturing
• Open die forgings

Headquarters

HQ city

Paramount

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Forged Ring Manufacturing: B2B manufacturing of custom seamless rolled rings and open/closed die forgings for aerospace, gas turbine, industrial, commercial and nuclear industries. Revenue generated through production of custom parts to customer specifications across various alloy types including carbon steels, alloy steels, aluminum, titanium, nickel, cobalt, and exotic high-temperature metals. Pricing based on part complexity, material type, size, and specifications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Carlton Forge Works is a custom manufacturer of seamless rolled rings and open and closed die forgings produced from carbon and alloy steels, aluminum, titanium, nickel, cobalt, and other exotic high-temperature metals. The company serves aerospace, gas turbine, industrial, commercial, and nuclear customers with part sizes ranging from 4 inches to 180 inches in outside diameter, up to 65 inches in height, and in excess of 16,000 pounds per part. Production is built to customer specifications and certified to ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D for use by major aircraft engine manufacturers.

Product overview

Carlton Forge Works is a manufacturing company producing seamless rolled rings and open and closed die forgings for aerospace, gas turbine, industrial, commercial and nuclear industries. The product portfolio includes Small Rings (4" to 26.5" OD for applications like combustion liners, seal bearings, and petrochemical uses), Medium Rings (34" to 61.7" OD for turbine cases, spools, and fan cases), and Large Rings (up to 180" diameter, 65" height, and exceeding 16,000 pounds for nuclear, aerospace, and petroleum applications). The company works with the full spectrum of forgeable alloys including carbon and alloy steels, aluminum, titanium, nickel, cobalt, and exotic high-temperature metals. Manufacturing capabilities include radial axial mills (R50, R180) and closed-die forging equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Small Rings Forged rings as small as 4 inches in OD, formed to exacting standards, thoroughly inspected and tested. Examples include Containment Compressor Case (23 inch OD x 6.4 inch Lg), Machined Small Rings (4 to 26.5 inch OD), Combustion Liner (32.2 inch OD), Seal Bearing (14 inch OD), Combustion Fan Case (29.8 inch OD), and Petrochemical Application (19.75 inch OD). Serves aerospace, gas turbine and industrial customers.
• Medium Rings Wide range of ring sizes in all forgeable alloys in contoured and rectangular shapes. Examples include Combustion Case (34.4 and 43.5 inch OD), Aft Case (35.94 inch OD), Low Pressure Turbine Case (49.3 inch OD), Spool (45.62 inch OD), Fan Case (61.7 inch OD), Compressor Case (34 inch OD), Rotating Drum (6.5 inch OD), and Compressor Spool (40.3 inch OD). Targeted at aerospace and gas turbine OEM applications.
• Large Rings Largest rings achieving diameters up to 180 inches, heights through 65 inches, and weights in excess of 16,000 pounds. Examples include Low Pressure Turbine Case (75.9 and 68.3 inch OD), Fan Case (85, 91.3, 104.9, 120, and 135.6 inch OD), nuclear applications (80, 75, 76 inch OD), Copper Foil Drum (55 to 128 inch diameter, 80 inch OD x 64 inch Lg), and Aluminum Fan Case (110 and 120 inch OD). Used in nuclear, aerospace, and petroleum programs.
• Seamless Rolled Rings Seamless rolled rings manufactured using one of the most extensive lines of equipment and skilled craftsmen, produced for aerospace, gas turbine, industrial, commercial and nuclear industries across the full spectrum of forgeable alloys.
• Open and Closed Die Forgings Open and closed die forgings produced for aerospace, gas turbine, industrial, commercial and nuclear industries. Closed-die capabilities were added via the 1982 installation of the C3 8,000-ton press and the 1991 acquisition of Arcturus with its 50,000-pound closed-die hammer.

Quantifiable outcome

• Precision ring forging capabilities from 4 inch to 180 inch diameter
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 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

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Scot Forge: One of the largest open-die forging manufacturers in North America, producing forged rings, bars, and custom shapes in carbon, alloy, stainless, and tool steels. Direct competitor to Carlton in industrial and aerospace open-die forging, with overlapping size ranges and alloy capabilities.
• Weber Metals (a Howmet company): Aerospace forging specialist producing large aluminum and titanium forgings for engine and airframe applications. Direct peer to Carlton in aerospace closed-die and ring forging, supplying major engine OEMs with similar component categories.
• Wyman-Gordon (PCC): PCC sister company and one of the world's largest producers of forged components for aerospace and industrial gas turbine markets. Operates within the same parent group as Carlton with highly overlapping customer base (same engine OEMs) and product portfolio (large titanium and nickel forgings).
• Firth Rixson (a Howmet company): Specialist in seamless rolled rings for aerospace engines and industrial gas turbines. Most direct global competitor to Carlton's rolled-ring business, serving the same jet engine and IGT customers with overlapping product categories.
• FRISA Industries: Manufacturer of seamless rolled rings and open-die forgings for aerospace, power generation, and oil & gas. Direct competitor with comparable product portfolio and aerospace certifications, though serving a more diversified industrial mix.
• Ellwood Group: Producer of custom engineered forgings and castings for aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial markets. Comparable to Carlton in open-die forging capability and large component production, with significant aerospace engine OEM exposure.

Broad incumbents

• Howmet Aerospace: Major aerospace supplier producing engine components, fasteners, structures, and forged products including rings. Broader portfolio than Carlton but overlapping in aerospace forgings, with scale advantages as a publicly traded global leader.
• Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC): Parent company of Carlton Forge Works and one of the world's largest manufacturers of complex metal components for aerospace, power, and industrial markets. Operates multiple complementary forging and casting businesses serving the same engine OEM customers.
• ATI (Allegheny Technologies): Vertically integrated specialty materials and components producer with significant aerospace forging and ring-rolling operations. Overlaps with Carlton in aerospace jet engine forgings, particularly for larger OEMs, while also supplying raw titanium and nickel alloys.

Emerging players

• Bharat Forge: One of the world's largest forging companies, expanding into aerospace components including large titanium and nickel forgings. Represents a global, lower-cost competitor increasingly entering aerospace engine forging markets where Carlton operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carlton-forge-works

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Carlton Forge Works