What Crawford Composites does

Crawford Composites is a privately held US manufacturer founded in 1990 that designs, engineers, and fabricates carbon fiber and composite components for aerospace, automotive OEM, defense, medical imaging, industrial, architectural, motorsports, and adaptive sports applications. Operations are anchored by a 50,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Denver, North Carolina, supported by a sales and marketing office in Charleston, South Carolina and a corporate office in Providence, Rhode Island. Core technical capabilities include prepreg layup with oven, autoclave (6'x10' and 5'x12'), and press cure processes; CNC mold and tooling fabrication (pattern cutters up to 24'x5'); multi-axis machining of composites and metals (3-6 axis mills, 5-axis routers up to 10'x5'); laminate processing of mid-to-high temperature thermoplastics including Nylon, PEEK, PEI, and PPS at up to 225°C; contact and non-contact dimensional inspection via two 7-axis Faro Arms; and full in-house commercial painting including a proprietary satin non-glare carbon fiber finish. The company holds proprietary helmet manufacturing processes for weight and strength optimization and maintains ISO 9001:2015 certification renewed in 2025.

The company operates a dual business model combining quote-based contract manufacturing services for enterprise customers with direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales of standardized carbon fiber motorsports components (ducts, elbows, couplers, reducers, Y-pipes, caps, tubes, and mirrors typically priced $37-$447). Enterprise sales are field-led targeting automotive OEMs, aerospace primes, defense programs, and medical device manufacturers across multiple verticals. Fiber reinforcement expertise spans carbon (standard, medium, and high modulus), aramid/Kevlar, E-glass and S2-glass, HDPE (Dyneema, Spectra), and quartz, with thermoset cure temperatures of 100-120°C, 175°C, and 225°C. Crawford traces its heritage to pioneering the introduction of autoclaved composite laminates to the American race car industry and building the first US privately owned, non-aerospace complete carbon fiber composite race car (the Mazda RX7-92P) for IMSA series competition in 1990.

Name

Crawford Composites

Legal name

Crawford Composites, LLC

Website

https://crawfordcomposites.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crawford Composites is a privately held manufacturer founded in 1990 that designs and fabricates carbon fiber composite parts for aerospace, automotive, defense, medical, industrial, and motorsports clients from a 50,000 sq ft facility in Denver, North Carolina.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Composite Manufacturing & Carbon Fiber Fabrication

NAICS

Machine Shops (33271)

akta.pro primary industry

Composite Structures & Layup Manufacturing (IMABAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automotive Exterior Body Panels & Closures Manufacturing (Bumpers/Fenders/Hoods/Doors/Tailgates) (IMACAKAD), Automotive Exterior Trim & Appearance Components Manufacturing (Moldings/Badges/Grilles/Chrome/Cladding) (IMACAKAE)

Keywords

• Composite manufacturing
• Carbon fiber fabrication
• CNC machining services
• Aerospace composite parts
• Motorsports carbon components

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Composite Manufacturing Services: Contract manufacturing of carbon fiber and composite parts, tools, patterns, and large-scale prototypes for various industries. Includes CNC machining, painting, and dimensional inspection services.
2. Motorsports Product Sales: Direct sale of carbon fiber motorsports components including ducts, elbows, reducers, y-pipes, and mirrors through e-commerce store.
3. Contract CNC Machining: Custom CNC prototype, production, short run and ongoing contract machining services for plastics, metals, foams and alloys. Includes 3, 4 & 5-axis milling, turning, prototyping, and finishing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Crawford Composites designs, engineers, and manufactures carbon fiber and composite parts, tools, patterns, and large-scale prototypes using prepreg materials cured via oven, autoclave, or press processes. The company also fabricates molds and tooling via CNC, machines composites and metals, performs dimensional inspection, and provides commercial in-house painting. It sells a line of standardized motorsports carbon fiber components (ducts, elbows, couplers, reducers, Y-pipes, caps, tubes, mirrors) through an e-commerce store alongside custom contract manufacturing for aerospace, automotive, defense, medical, industrial, architectural, and sports clients.

Product overview

Crawford Composites is a manufacturing and machining company specializing in structural and non-structural composite components. The company operates as a single integrated operation offering both product sales and manufacturing services. The product portfolio includes direct-to-consumer carbon fiber motorsports components (ducts, elbows, couplers, reducers, Y-pipes, caps, tubes, and mirrors sold through the Motorsports Store) and adaptive sports equipment (CD1 Fixed Seat and CD2 Rolling Seat for para-rowing). Manufacturing services include composite structures manufacturing, CNC mold/tooling fabrication, dimensional inspection, machining of composites and metals, and commercial painting. The company serves diverse industries including aerospace, automotive, defense, medical, industrial, structures/architectural, and sports, providing both standard catalog products and custom fabrication. The business model combines direct product sales with contract manufacturing services, all supported by in-house capabilities across a 50,000-square-foot facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Motorsports Carbon Fiber Components Standardized carbon fiber components for race vehicles, including ducts (e.g., CC302 3\" Duct, CC306LW 3\" Duct Lightweight), 45 and 90 degree connectors/elbows (CC328, CC472, CC492, CC517, CC521, CC530, CC570), reducers (CC531, CC532), couplers (CC518, CC529), Y-pipes (CC526SW, CC526LW, CC541), caps (CC390, CC469), long tubes (CC519LW), fuel filter tubes (CC338), oil coolers (CC311), and curved mirrors (CC533); sold via the Motorsports Store e-commerce site to motorsports racers and teams.
• CD1 Fixed Seat Adaptive rowing fixed seat for boat and ergometer, designed for para-rowing use with a focus on weight reduction and strength; part of Crawford's family of adaptive rowing seats.
• CD2 Rolling Seat Rolling seat for adaptive rowing available for boat and ergometer use, leveraging carbon fiber weight reduction and strength properties for para-rowing athletes.
• Aerospace Composite Components High-performance carbon fiber composite structural and non-structural aerospace components with rapid response and turnaround capabilities, serving aerospace customers with quality-controlled fabrication and dimensional inspection.
• Automotive Composite Products Carbon fiber and composite bodywork, motorcycle parts, interior and exterior components, engine covers, dashes, air intake pipes, and wings for automotive OEMs, ranging from one-off prototypes to large-scale production.
• Defense/Military Components Helmet systems with proprietary manufacturing and machining processes for weight minimization and strength maximization, plus radomes, antenna enclosures, targeting boxes, and unmanned vehicle and aircraft components for military customers.
• Medical Imaging Components Carbon fiber panels, tables, plates, covers, and lightweight sandwich panels for radiological fixtures, leveraging carbon fiber's radiolucent (X-ray transparent) properties for medical imaging applications.
• Industrial Composite Products Composite solutions for heavy equipment, conveyor systems, maritime propulsion systems, and industrial instrument boxes that replace traditional metal applications with lightweight, durable composite alternatives.
• Architectural Composite Structures Architectural composite products including custom-fabricated cladding panels, building facades, cornices, columns, domes, cupolas, and balustrades that exploit molding freedom and deliver long lifespan for construction and architectural applications.
• Composite Structures Manufacturing In-house manufacturing of composite structures using carbon fiber, aramid, glass, and HDPE reinforcements across fiber forms (unidirectional, woven, random mat), with thermoset resin curing at typical temperatures of 100-120C, 175C, and 225C, and consolidation of mid-temperature thermoplastics like Nylon at 225C.
• CNC Mold and Tooling Fabrication In-house CNC mold and tooling fabrication using CNC pattern cutters up to 24' x 5', supporting composite parts manufacturing and prototypes.
• Dimensional Inspection Services Contact and non-contact dimensional inspection using two 7-axis Faro Arms, including one with scanner capability for portable measurement to support quality and prototype validation.
• Commercial In-House Painting Full commercial in-house painting services, including a non-glare satin finish for carbon fiber surfaces delivered through a dedicated paint booth within the 50,000 sq ft facility.
• Contract CNC Machining Services Custom CNC prototype, production, short run, and ongoing contract machining services for plastics, stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, foams, and alloys, with 3, 4, and 5-axis capabilities encompassing milling, turning, prototyping, assembly, fabrication, finishing, fixture design, and grinding.

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plasan Carbon Composites: Plasan manufactures autoclave-cured carbon fiber composite parts for automotive OEMs (GM, Ford, Chrysler) and defense applications. Most directly comparable to Crawford due to overlapping automotive and defense composite manufacturing capability.
• TPI Composites: Large-scale composite parts manufacturer with autoclave and infusion processes serving wind energy, transportation, and other markets. Comparable as a vertically integrated composites contract manufacturer; larger scale and different vertical mix.
• Velocity Composites: UK-based composites manufacturing services provider supplying aerospace primes (Boeing, Airbus, GKN) with autoclave-cured parts. Directly comparable contract manufacturing business model focused on aerospace, similar to Crawford's aerospace work.
• A&P Technology: Manufactures engineered composite reinforcement fabrics and parts using braiding and weaving processes for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications. Overlaps with Crawford in multi-vertical composites contract manufacturing.
• Continental Structural Plastics (Teijin): Acquired by Teijin, this Tier 1 supplier manufactures composite body panels, structural reinforcements, and Class A bodywork for automotive OEMs. Closest large-scale comparable for Crawford's automotive composite bodywork business.
• Lee Aerospace: Specializes in aerospace composite parts manufacturing, interior panels, and acrylic windows for commercial and military aircraft. Comparable mid-tier contract manufacturer serving aerospace with autoclave-based composite processes.

Broad incumbents

• Hexcel Corporation: Major composite materials supplier and parts manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, and industrial markets globally. Larger incumbent with broader portfolio but overlapping end-market exposure with Crawford.
• Toray Advanced Composites: Leading supplier of thermoset and thermoplastic prepreg composite materials, with parts manufacturing for aerospace, defense, and automotive. Larger incumbent that competes with Crawford in high-temperature thermoplastic processing and aerospace parts.
• SGL Carbon: Global manufacturer of carbon-based products including carbon fiber, composite materials, and finished parts for automotive, aerospace, and industrial applications. Larger incumbent with overlapping capabilities in composite manufacturing.

Emerging players

• 9T Labs AG: Swiss startup providing additive manufacturing and software solutions for serial production of continuous fiber-reinforced composite parts. Emerging competitor targeting cost-effective composite production that could disrupt traditional autoclave-based manufacturers like Crawford.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Crawford Composites