What Chicago Hardware & Fixture does

Chicago Hardware & Fixture Company is a U.S.-based, privately held manufacturer founded in 1912 and headquartered at 9100 Parklane Avenue in Franklin Park, Illinois. The company produces wire rope and chain fittings, industrial and marine hardware, and allied products, with a core manufacturing capability in drop forging and hot-dip galvanizing. Its product portfolio spans approximately 22 catalog lines, including forged and midget turnbuckles, drop forged shackles, malleable and drop forged wire rope clips, thimbles, eyebolts, ring bolts, lifting eyes, hoist rings, hooks, swivels, pad eyes, eye nuts, rods and rod ends, pins, yoke ends and SAE clevis pins, bevel washers, S-hooks, U-bolts, threaded rod and coupling nuts, structural shapes, and stainless steel hardware. Key products carry certifications to ASTM Specification F1145-92 Type 1 Grade 1 and Federal Specification RRC-271D Type IV, which are standard qualification references for rigging and marine applications.

The company distributes exclusively through industrial hardware distributors rather than direct end-user sales. Sales offices and warehouse stocks are maintained in four principal U.S. cities — Franklin Park IL, Atlanta (Monroe) GA, Chino CA, and Houston TX — to enable prompt fulfillment of either stock items or products manufactured to customer specifications. Commercial engagement is supported by a website (chicagohardware.com) that hosts downloadable product-category PDFs, a complete catalog, a schematics catalog, and a contact form for pricing requests. Pricing follows an annual cycle, with the most recent iteration being the D2025 price booklet and Excel price list; pricing is not publicly listed and requires a distributor or direct-buyer inquiry. The company does not disclose revenue, ownership, management, headcount beyond an 11-50 band, or any partnerships, M&A, or funding activity.

Customer segmentation is vertical-based, with industrial and construction as a primary segment (rigging hardware, overhead crane components, load securement fittings for heavy lifting operations) and marine/maritime as the other primary segment (corrosion-resistant hardware for vessel construction and offshore operations). A secondary use-case segment covers rigging and crane service shops in the Chicago metro. The company is recognized by an independent industry review as one of the top ten turnbuckle manufacturers globally, alongside The Crosby Group, Columbus McKinnon, and Van Beest.

Name

Chicago Hardware & Fixture

Legal name

Chicago Hardware & Fixture Company

Website

https://chicagohardware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chicago Hardware & Fixture Company is a 1912-founded U.S. manufacturer of drop forged and hot-dip galvanized industrial and marine hardware, selling through a four-city domestic warehouse network to distributors serving industrial, construction, marine, and rigging end markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Rigging Hardware

NAICS

Other Fabricated Wire Product Manufacturing (332618)

SIC

Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifting Accessories & Rigging (Slings, Shackles, Hooks, Spreaders) (IMAHAJAI)

Keywords

• Wire rope fittings
• Marine hardware
• Rigging hardware
• Drop forged fittings
• Industrial hardware

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Hardware Products: Sale of USA manufactured industrial and marine hardware including turnbuckles, shackles, wire rope clips, eyebolts, hooks, swivels, and related hardware components. Products available as stock items or manufactured to customer specifications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Chicago Hardware & Fixture Company manufactures and sells USA-made wire rope and chain fittings, industrial and marine hardware, and allied products including drop forged turnbuckles, shackles, wire rope clips, eyebolts, hooks, swivels, and related rigging components. Products are sold as stock catalog items or manufactured to customer specifications, with warehouse stocks maintained in four principal U.S. cities to service distributor and customer requirements.

Product overview

Chicago Hardware & Fixture Company is a USA-based manufacturer of industrial and marine hardware, producing a comprehensive portfolio of wire rope and chain fittings. The product line includes forged turnbuckles, shackles, wire rope clips, eyebolts, lifting eyes, hoist rings, hooks, swivels, pad eyes, and various fastening hardware. The company maintains multiple warehouse locations (Franklin Park IL, Atlanta GA, Chino CA, Houston TX) to service distributors with stock products and custom-manufactured items. The product portfolio is organized around rigging and lifting hardware categories, with many products meeting ASTM and Federal specifications. The company operates as a single unified manufacturing operation rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Crosby Group: The largest North American manufacturer of rigging hardware, including turnbuckles, shackles, wire rope clips, and hooks. Directly comparable as the leading USA-made competitor in Chicago Hardware's core product categories.
• Columbus McKinnon: Global manufacturer of lifting and rigging products including hoists, cranes, chain, and fittings. Comparable in product overlap (turnbuckles, shackles, hooks) while operating at much larger scale across industrial and marine end-markets.
• Pewag Group: Austrian manufacturer of chains and chain fittings for industrial, forestry, and marine applications. Comparable in chain fittings and rigging hardware manufacturing, particularly for heavy-duty lifting and load securement.
• Peerless Chain: Manufacturer of chain and chain fittings, including industrial chain, transport chain, and accessories. Comparable in the chain fittings and industrial hardware categories that overlap with Chicago Hardware's product line.
• RUD Chains: German manufacturer of lifting and lashing chains, slings, and rigging components. Comparable as a specialty European rigging hardware manufacturer with similar product categories and specification-driven positioning.
• Van Beest (Green Pin): Dutch manufacturer of rigging fittings including turnbuckles, shackles, and wire rope products. Directly comparable as a global peer in the same rigging hardware categories, particularly serving marine and offshore markets.

Broad incumbents

• Kito Group: Japanese manufacturer of chain hoists, electric hoists, and lifting equipment. Comparable in the broader lifting and rigging equipment category, though more focused on hoists than basic fittings.
• Campbell Chain (Regal Rexnord): Chain and chain fittings brand within Regal Rexnord's portfolio. Comparable in chain fittings and industrial hardware, though operating as part of a much larger diversified industrial platform.
• Gunnebo Industries: Global provider of lifting and rigging solutions under brands including Crosby, Gunnebo, and Tirfor. Broader portfolio than Chicago Hardware but significant product overlap in shackles, turnbuckles, and lifting accessories.

Regional players

• Harrington Hoists: USA-based manufacturer of hoists, cranes, and material handling products. Comparable as a domestic industrial lifting equipment manufacturer, though with greater emphasis on hoists and cranes than Chicago Hardware's fittings focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Chicago Hardware & Fixture