Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co., Inc.

What Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co., Inc. does

Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co., Inc. is a Winona, Minnesota-based manufacturer of large-diameter hot-forged fasteners (up to 4-1/2 inches / M72), founded in 1983 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) since its 2015 acquisition. The company is described as one of the largest manufacturers of large diameter, hot forged bolts in America, serving five primary verticals: Construction (A490/A325 structural bolts meeting ASTM/AASHTO), MRO (certified bolt blanks with same-day shipping), OEM (ISO 9001-certified custom parts), Oil & Gas (API 20E BSL 1/2/3 compliant fasteners from 1/2" through 4-1/2"), and Wind Power (turbine fasteners). The core product portfolio includes heavy hex bolts, hex cap screws, 12-point/Ferry cap screws, socket head cap screws, plow bolts, body bolts, and specialty configurations, complemented by a proprietary Birdie Chart one-page catalog and forged-to-order custom parts delivered in 3-5 days.

The company's manufacturing technology centers on single-blow open-die and two-stroke closed-die hot forging presses with induction heating units and optical pyrometers, combined with proprietary processes developed since 2001: hot forging cap screws to dimensional tolerances without secondary operations, inclusion-free roll threading for safety-critical fastener integrity, and 24-hour custom tooling production. Quality infrastructure is anchored by A2LA-accredited testing laboratories in eight locations across the US (Winona, Loves Park, Wallingford), UK (Nottingham), Czech Republic (Modrice), China (Shanghai), Taiwan (Gangshan District), and Malaysia (Nusajaya), with stack certifications including ISO 9001:2015, ISO 17025, API 20E, and ASTM/SAE/ASME/ISO/DIN compliance.

Cardinal generates revenue through direct, quote-based B2B sales (no public pricing, customers request quotes via email and phone), with a portfolio mix of standard catalog items and custom forged-to-order parts. Distribution is direct manufacturer-to-customer with same-day or next-day shipment capability (claimed 97% on-time performance) and, since the Fastenal acquisition, access to Fastenal's industrial distribution channels. The company sells to leading fastener distributors and end-users across construction, infrastructure, energy, and industrial OEM markets globally.

Name

Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co., Inc.

Legal name

Cardinal Fastener, Inc.

Website

https://cardinalfastener.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co., Inc. is a Winona, Minnesota-based manufacturer of large-diameter (up to 4-1/2 inch / M72) hot-forged fasteners, founded in 1983 and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fastenal Company since 2015. It serves Construction, MRO, OEM, Oil & Gas, and Wind Power customers with same-day manufacturing and globally A2LA-accredited quality testing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Fasteners Manufacturing

NAICS

Bolt, Nut, Screw, Rivet, and Washer Manufacturing (332722)

SIC

Bolts, Nuts, Screws, Rivets & Washers (3452)

akta.pro primary industry

Fasteners, Anchors & Connectors (Bolts, Weld Studs, Plates) (IMADACAJ)

Keywords

• Hot forged fasteners
• Large diameter bolts
• Structural fasteners
• Heavy hex bolts
• Custom forged fasteners

Headquarters

HQ city

Winona

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fastener Manufacturing and Sales: Manufacture and sale of large diameter hot forged bolts and fasteners. Products include hex head bolts, heavy hex bolts, cap screws, nuts, and custom fastener designs. Revenue generated from product sales with both standard catalog items and custom forged-to-order parts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cardinal Fastener manufactures large diameter hot forged bolts, cap screws, and nuts for industrial applications. The company produces standard and custom fasteners in diameters up to 4-1/2 inches (M72) from carbon steels, alloys, high nickel alloys, and stainless steels. Products serve five industry verticals: Construction, MRO, OEM, Oil & Gas, and Wind Power, with same-day or next-day manufacturing and shipping capabilities.

Product overview

Cardinal Fastener is a hot-forged fastener manufacturer specializing in large diameter bolts up to 4-1/2 inches (M72). The company's core offerings include the Birdie Chart (one-page product catalog), certified bolt blanks inventory, and forged-to-order custom fasteners. Their product portfolio spans over 20+ bolt types including hex head, heavy hex, socket head, carriage bolts, and specialized configurations. Products serve five industry verticals: Construction (A490/A325 structural bolts), MRO (maintenance/repair), OEM (original equipment manufacturing), Oil & Gas (API-compliant fasteners), and Wind Power (turbine fasteners). Manufacturing capabilities include single-blow open-die and two-stroke closed-die hot forging presses, induction heating, cut-threading and roll-threading, with same-day/next-day shipment capability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hot Forged Bolts and Fasteners Complete line of large diameter hot forged bolts including hex head bolts, heavy hex bolts, hex cap screws, heavy hex cap screws, hex flange bolts, square head bolts, 12 point/Ferry cap screws, 12 point nuts, hex nuts, socket head cap screws, flat head cap screws, carriage bolts, sex bolts, body bolts, penta head bolts, oval head track bolts, pipe plugs, heavy hex nuts, square head set screws, plow bolts, liner bolts, and button head cap screws. Manufactured up to 4-1/2 inch or M72 diameter from carbon steels, alloys, high nickel alloys, and stainless steels meeting SAE, ASTM, and ISO standards.
• Custom Head Design Fasteners Custom manufactured fasteners with specialized head designs produced via proprietary tooling capability within 24 hours to meet unique customer specifications.
• Forged-to-Order Fasteners Custom forged-to-order fasteners manufactured in 3-5 days using hundreds of stock dies, with ability to create custom dies in a fraction of the time and expense of cold-forming dies.
• Certified Bolt Blanks Largest inventory of manufactured certified bolt blanks in the industry, enabling same-day manufacturing and shipment for most orders. Used for MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) applications.
• Structural Construction Fasteners (A490 and A325) High-strength structural bolts manufactured from American steel to meet all ASTM and AASHTO specifications including A490 and A325 grades, with flat bearing surface compliance for construction industry applications.
• Oil & Gas Fasteners High-performance fasteners for oil and gas applications including Grade B7, A320, and Grade 8 with Charpy Impact Testing. Available in Hex, Heavy Hex, Socket and 12 Point Flange configurations, diameters 1/2 inch through 4-1/2 inch and M20 through M72. Manufactured to API (American Petroleum Institute) standards.
• Wind Power Fasteners Specialized fasteners for wind turbine applications meeting ISO 9001:2008 quality standards, designed for the emerging North American wind power market.
• MRO Fasteners Maintenance, Repair and Operations fasteners from 1/2 inch to 4-1/2 inch diameter and metric sizes M20 to M72, enabling 24-hour delivery of high quality bolts for MRO needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lead times as fast as same-day manufacturing and shipping
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bossard Group: Bossard is a broad incumbent — a Swiss-based global leader in fastening technology and industrial fastener distribution, serving similar OEM and industrial customers with a complementary product portfolio including specialty large-diameter fasteners.
• Würth Group: Würth is a broad incumbent — the world's largest fastener distribution and manufacturing group, serving automotive, construction, and industrial OEM customers globally with both catalog and specialty fastener offerings.
• Nucor Corporation: Nucor is a broad incumbent — North America's largest steel producer with a fastener division producing construction and industrial bolts. Nucor's vertical integration into steelmaking gives it a structural cost advantage on raw material versus Cardinal's specialty focus.
• Illinois Tool Works (ITW): ITW is a broad incumbent — a diversified industrial manufacturer with fastener-related segments (including Paslode, Buildex) serving construction and industrial markets. ITW's scale and portfolio breadth contrast with Cardinal's niche specialization.

Direct peers

• Midwest Fastener: Midwest Fastener is a direct peer — a US manufacturer and distributor of industrial fasteners including large-diameter bolts and specialty threaded products serving construction and industrial OEM customers.
• Vulcan Threaded Products: Vulcan Threaded Products is a direct peer — a US manufacturer of threaded rod, anchor bolts, and large-diameter fasteners serving construction, OEM, and infrastructure markets with custom threading and forging capabilities.
• Haydon Bolts: Haydon Bolts is a direct peer — a large-diameter structural bolt manufacturer headquartered in Pennsylvania serving construction, infrastructure, and industrial markets with hot forged and cold drawn fasteners in overlapping ASTM grades.
• Portland Bolt & Manufacturing: Portland Bolt & Manufacturing is a direct peer — a US-based manufacturer of custom and non-standard large-diameter structural bolts and fasteners, serving construction and industrial markets with similar A325/A490 product lines and quote-based custom manufacturing.
• Dyson Corporation: Dyson Corporation is a direct peer — a custom manufacturer of large-diameter fasteners, headed studs, and threaded components for heavy industrial applications including construction, power generation, and oil & gas, with similar forged-to-order capabilities.

Others

• Fastenal Company: Fastenal is the parent company of Cardinal Fastener (acquired 2015) and one of North America's largest industrial distributors, with substantial fastener and MRO product lines. Listed as 'Others' rather than peer because it is the corporate parent, not a comparable independent manufacturer, though its industrial vending and on-site distribution models overlap with Cardinal's downstream channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CardinalFAST
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cardinal-fastener-inc-

Compliance7 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 Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co., Inc.