Black Diamond

What Black Diamond does

Black Diamond is a private structural steel distributor headquartered in Peotone, Illinois, founded in 2003 by Robert Shinn, who continues to serve as Founder and President. Per the primary firmographic record, the company distributes round pipe, square and rectangular tubing, sign poles, and steel pipes, serving construction, infrastructure, and sign fabrication customers in the Chicago-area and broader Midwest market. With 11-50 employees and a 22-year operating history, Black Diamond operates as a small for-profit regional B2B distributor with a direct sales model; pricing, channel structure, and customer mix are not disclosed in the available data.

The input aggregation also contains extensive reference material describing a global rock climbing equipment manufacturer of the same name (positioned alongside Petzl in a ~$1.45 billion 2024 market). That body of data is treated as misattributed to a separate entity, since the firmographic record, website URL (blackdiamondsteel.com), location, headcount, founding year, and product set all describe a regional steel distributor — not an outdoor equipment company. No company revenue figure, ownership structure beyond the founder, board composition, customer list, or strategic transaction history is disclosed for the steel distributor in the available sources. The Peotone, Illinois address overlaps with Brown Strauss Steel's Chicago service center location, which suggests the firm operates in a competitive regional steel distribution cluster but does not imply any corporate relationship.

Name

Black Diamond

Website

https://blackdiamondsteel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Black Diamond is a private structural steel distributor in Peotone, Illinois, founded in 2003 by Robert Shinn, offering round pipe, tubing, sign poles, and steel pipes to regional construction and infrastructure customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Peotone

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Climbing equipment sales: Sale of rock climbing equipment including harnesses, carabiners, belays, and passive protection gear

Core offering

Black Diamond is a structural steel distributor operating out of Peotone, Illinois, supplying round pipe, square and rectangular tubing, sign poles, and steel pipes to construction, fabrication, and infrastructure buyers. The company is a small for-profit private business (founded 2003, 11-50 employees) focused on regional Midwest steel product distribution rather than manufacturing.

Product overview

Black Diamond is an outdoor gear and equipment manufacturer specializing in rock climbing equipment, including harnesses, wearable gear, carabiners, belays, and passive protection products. The company is recognized as one of the leading players in the global rock climbing equipment market alongside competitors such as Petzl, with innovations focused on lightweight, durable, and eco-friendly gear. However, the available source data does not provide specific product names, product pages, or detailed descriptions of individual product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Round pipe Round steel pipe products sold to construction, fabrication, and infrastructure buyers through the Peotone, Illinois service center.
• Square and rectangular tubing Square and rectangular structural steel tubing products distributed to Midwest construction and fabrication customers.
• Sign poles Steel sign poles distributed for signage, roadway, and infrastructure applications.
• Steel pipes General steel pipe products distributed for construction, fabrication, and infrastructure use.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Brown Strauss Steel: Structural steel service-center chain with a Chicago-area service center in Peotone, IL — the same city as Black Diamond — offering round pipe, tubing, and structural products to construction and infrastructure customers. Directly comparable on product mix, geography, and customer base.
• Metal Supermarkets: Franchise-based small-quantity metal distributor offering steel pipe, tubing, bar, and plate to walk-in and small-business buyers. Comparable in product mix and target customer (small fabricators, contractors), with a much broader geographic footprint.
• Alro Steel: Privately held, family-owned metals service center and distributor with multiple Midwest locations offering steel pipe, tube, and structural products. Closely comparable in business model, customer base, and product portfolio to Black Diamond.
• Service Steel Warehouse: Structural steel and pipe/tube distributor serving the Midwest and Gulf Coast. Comparable as a regional steel service center with overlapping product categories (pipe, tube, structural) and a similar contractor/fabricator customer base.
• Continental Steel & Tube: Domestic and international steel distributor of pipe, tube, and structural products. Comparable product mix (carbon steel pipe, tubing) and small/medium business customer base, with broader geographic reach.
• Penn Stainless Products: Stainless and carbon steel pipe, tube, and bar distributor with a strong focus on contractor and fabricator customers. Comparable in distributor business model, customer base, and structural pipe/tube product focus.

Broad incumbents

• Ryerson: Public, North American metal service-center chain offering a broad portfolio of carbon steel pipe, tube, and structural products across many end-markets. Comparable on product lines but operates at significantly greater scale, processing capability, and geographic reach than Black Diamond.
• Olympic Steel: Public metal service center specializing in carbon flat-rolled, pipe, and tube products with multiple U.S. locations. Comparable in core steel distribution activities (pipe and tube), with a much larger scale, processing capacity, and customer roster.
• Kloeckner Metals: Large multi-national steel and metal products distributor with U.S. service centers serving construction, fabrication, and industrial customers. Comparable on pipe/tube/structural product mix, with broader scale and digital ordering capability.
• Worthington Industries: Diversified steel processor and distributor with a presence in steel pipe, tube, and structural products. Comparable in underlying product categories, with substantially greater scale, processing capabilities, and end-market diversification.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/black-diamond-pipe-and-tube-inc.

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 Black Diamond