What Berlin Metals does

Berlin Metals is a Hammond, Indiana-based steel service center distributor and precision coil processing company, founded in 1932 as Hokin Steel & Tinplate, renamed under Berlin family ownership in 1967, and acquired by Olympic Steel Inc. (NASDAQ: ZEUS) in 2018. The company specializes in light-gauge tin mill products (Tin Plate, Black Plate, TFS, Tin Coated Sheet), stainless steel strip (including the proprietary Intercept Ultra Stainless alloy for window spacer systems), galvanized steel, and cold rolled steel. Its core technical capability is precision coil slitting, operated through four modern high-speed slitters capable of processing thicknesses from .005 to .075 inches into widths as narrow as .375 inches from master coils up to 62 inches wide and 40,000 lbs, plus one cut-to-length line, all housed in a 158,000 sq ft climate-controlled facility. The facility features shimless tooling with turret heads for quick changeovers, scratch-free slitting capability for coated and laminated coils, and automated packaging using stretch wrap and vapor corrosion inhibitors.

The company's business model combines two revenue streams: distribution margin on prime steel products sold directly to manufacturers, and transaction-fee toll slitting services for producing mills and end users processing customer-owned coils. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with direct phone (800-754-8867) and website contact, serving customers across automotive & transportation components, residential window manufacturing, telecommunications cable, computer and electronic parts, hardware, and general stamping industries throughout North America (USA and Canada). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

The company operates under Olympic Steel's ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system, with documented APQP quality planning including FMEA, PPAP, and Control Plans. Operational performance metrics include over 99.5% on-time delivery and less than 0.5% returns rate as measured by customers. Headcount is reported at 51-100 employees. Berlin Metals is positioned as one of the largest Service Center distributors of prime tin mill products and stainless steel strip in slit coil form in North America.

Name

Berlin Metals

Legal name

Berlin Metals LLC

Website

https://berlinmetals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Berlin Metals is a Hammond, Indiana-based steel service center distributor and precision coil processor specializing in light-gauge tin mill, stainless steel, galvanized, and cold rolled steel products for automotive, window, telecommunications, electronics, and hardware manufacturers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel Service Center Distribution and Precision Coil Processing

NAICS

Rolling and Drawing of Purchased Steel (33122)

SIC

Steel Works, Blast Furnaces & Rolling & Finishing Mills (3310), Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro primary industry

Steel Service Centers & Processing (Slitting, Cut-to-Length, Blanking, Leveling) (IMAKABAL)

Keywords

• Precision coil slitting
• Tin mill products
• Stainless steel strip
• Galvanized steel distribution
• Cold rolled steel

Headquarters

HQ city

Hammond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Steel Product Sales: Sale of tin mill products (Tin Plate, Black Plate, TFS, Tin Coated Sheet), stainless steel strip, galvanized steel, cold rolled steel in slit coil form. Revenue from product margin on distribution of prime steel products.
2. Toll Slitting Services: Processing fee for toll slitting of customer-owned aluminum coils and bare, plastic laminated and coated steel coils. Provides high-quality scratch-free slitting services for producing mills and end users.
3. Distribution Services: Service center distribution of prime steel products to manufacturers. Strategic stocking facilities enable customers to pull exact amounts needed on daily or weekly basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Berlin Metals distributes prime tin mill products, stainless steel strip, galvanized steel, and cold rolled steel to industrial manufacturers, and provides precision coil slitting and cut-to-length processing services from its Hammond, Indiana facility. The company serves automotive components, residential window, telecommunications cable, computer and electronic parts, hardware, and stamping manufacturers across North America. It also offers toll slitting of customer-owned aluminum and steel coils with scratch-free quality for producing mills and end users.

Product overview

Berlin Metals is a steel service center distributor and precision coil processing company offering a portfolio of metal products and processing services. The core product portfolio includes Tin Mill Products (Tin Plate, Black Plate, TFS, Tin Coated Sheet), Stainless Steel Strip (Austenitic, Ferritic, Martensitic, and Intercept Ultra Stainless), Galvanized Steel (hot-dipped and electrolytic), and Cold Rolled Steel. The company operates as both a distributor of prime steel products and a toll slitter offering precision coil processing services (slitting and cut-to-length) from its Hammond, Indiana facility. Intercept Ultra Stainless represents a specialized sub-product line developed for window manufacturing spacer applications. Supporting the product portfolio, the company provides technical resources including steel making documentation, a products glossary, and nickel information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers6 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 indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ryerson: Large publicly traded value-added metals distributor and processor with extensive service center capabilities in carbon steel, stainless, and aluminum. Directly comparable as a steel service center competitor offering slitting, cut-to-length, and processing across multiple end markets including automotive and industrial.
• Steel Technologies LLC: Flat-rolled steel processor and service center specializing in carbon flat-rolled, stainless, and aluminum with significant automotive exposure. Direct competitor in precision cold-rolled and coated steel processing serving similar industrial and automotive end markets.
• Mill Steel Company: Flat-rolled steel service center focusing on slitting, cut-to-length, and toll processing of cold-rolled, galvanized, and coated steels. Comparable as a direct competitor in light-gauge steel distribution and processing, serving manufacturers with similar processing requirements.
• Action Stainless: Stainless steel service center providing cut-to-length, slitting, and polishing of stainless plate, sheet, and strip. Comparable as a direct stainless steel processing competitor with overlapping product categories in stainless strip distribution.
• Integrity Stainless: Stainless steel flat-rolled service center providing slitting and cut-to-length processing of stainless sheet, strip, and plate. Comparable as a direct stainless steel processing peer with overlapping capabilities in precision strip slitting for industrial customers.

Broad incumbents

• Russel Metals: Canadian-based publicly traded metal service center group with broad product portfolio across carbon steel, stainless, and aluminum processing and distribution. Comparable as a broad incumbent competitor operating service centers across North America.
• Kloeckner Metals: International steel and metal service center group offering slitting, cut-to-length, and distribution of flat-rolled products including coated, stainless, and cold-rolled steel. Direct functional overlap with Berlin Metals' processing and distribution model.
• Samuel, Son & Co. North American metals service center and processor with extensive slitting, cut-to-length, and value-added processing across carbon and stainless steel. Comparable as a broad incumbent in flat-rolled steel distribution and processing.
• Olympic Steel: Publicly traded (NASDAQ: ZEUS) metals service center and Berlin Metals' parent. Operates processing and distribution of carbon flat-rolled steel, stainless steel, and aluminum plate, overlapping with Berlin Metals' slitting and distribution activities from a broader platform perspective.
• Worthington Industries: Major diversified steel processor with significant cold-rolled and coated steel processing capabilities serving automotive, construction, and industrial markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent in light-gauge flat-rolled steel processing and distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

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 Berlin Metals