What Shapiro Metal Supply does

Shapiro Metal Supply, legally Shapiro Supply Company, is a fourth-generation, family-owned metal distribution business headquartered at 5617 Natural Bridge in Saint Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1904 by Max Shapiro with a horse-drawn wagon, the company has been continuously operated by the Shapiro family across more than 120 years and currently runs under Stan and Sam Shapiro, with grandson Dylan being groomed as the next generation operator. The business distributes a broad portfolio of metals — aluminum (6061, 6063, 5052, 2024, 3003), 4130 chromoly, stainless steel (304, 430), hot/cold/galvanized steel, brass and copper, and specialty items including titanium, magnesium, super alloys, and engineering plastics (acetron, PTFE, Nylatron, phenolic) — plus ancillary items such as Parker hydraulic hose and AR400/AR500 plate for shooting targets.

The company runs a Magento-based e-commerce storefront (shapirosupply.com) layered on top of a single physical showroom that serves as both retail counter and headquarters, supplemented by a 1-800 phone order line (800-833-1259) for freight assistance. Its core commercial differentiator is a no-minimum-order / no-minimum-quantity / no-minimum-size policy, supported by in-house cutting. Revenue mechanics are straightforward one-time unit sales priced by material, dimension, and specification, with UPS used for parcel-sized orders and freight carriers for larger items. Marketing is largely organic — SEO-optimized product pages, Google AdSense remarketing, and email newsletter signup — and the customer base is split across manufacturing/fabricating firms and machine shops (primary verticals), hospitals, universities, schools, municipalities, government agencies, and the airline manufacturing sector, with shipping extending to all 50 U.S. states and select foreign countries.

Name

Shapiro Metal Supply

Legal name

Shapiro Supply Company

Website

https://shapirosupply.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shapiro Metal Supply is a fourth-generation, family-owned metal distributor in St. Louis, Missouri, selling aluminum, steel, stainless, brass, copper, and specialty metals with no minimum order requirements to manufacturers, machine shops, government, and aerospace buyers nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Distribution and Industrial Supply

NAICS

Metal Service Centers and Other Metal Merchant Wholesalers (423510)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050)

akta.pro primary industry

Steel Products Trading & Service Centers (Flat, Long, Pipe & Tube, Rebar) (IMAKAJAB)

Keywords

• Metal supply
• Aluminum products
• Stainless steel
• Metal distribution
• Industrial metals

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal Product Sales: One-time purchase sales of metals and metal-related equipment including aluminum, stainless steel, steel, 4130 chromoly, brass, copper, titanium, and other specialty metals. No minimum order requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shapiro Metal Supply distributes metals and metal-related products in small quantities direct to buyers across the United States and internationally. The inventory spans aluminum (6061-T6, 6063, 5052-H32, 2024-T3), 4130 chromoly, stainless steel (304, 430), hot/cold/galvanized steel, brass, copper, and specialty materials including titanium, zinc, magnesium, super alloys, and plastics (acetal, PTFE, Nylatron). Products are sold as tubes, pipes, sheets, plates, solid bars, rods, and structural shapes, with in-house cutting services and no minimum order, size, or quantity requirements.

Product overview

Shapiro Metal Supply is a family-owned metal distribution business founded in 1904, operating as a single-location e-commerce platform serving customers nationwide. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of metal products organized into six core categories: Aluminum (tubes, pipes, sheets, plates, bars, rods, and structural shapes in various alloys including 6061, 6063, 5052, and 2024), 4130 Chromoly (sheets, plates, and seamless tubing), Stainless Steel (304 and 430 grades in tubes, sheets, plates, bars, and structural forms), Steel Hot/Cold/Galvanized (including AR plate for shooting targets and tread plate), Brass and Copper, and Other Materials (titanium, zinc, magnesium, super alloys, and plastics). The company differentiates through no minimum order requirements and maintains in-house cutting capabilities. A secondary offering includes overstock and drop pieces at discounted pricing. The company operates from St. Louis, Missouri and serves customers throughout all 50 states and international markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aluminum products Full line of aluminum products including tube and pipe (round, square, rectangular), sheet and plate (6061-T6, 6063, 5052-H32, 2024-T3, cast tooling plate, diamond plate/treadbrite, expanded, perforated), solid bars and rods (hex bar, round bar, square bar, flat/rectangle bar), and structural shapes (angle, channel). Available in various alloys and tempers including 6061-T6511, 6063-T52, and 2011-T3. Targeted at manufacturing, fabricating, aerospace, automotive, and structural applications customers.
• 4130 Chromoly products 4130/4140 chromoly steel products including sheets, plates, and seamless round tube. Offered in various thicknesses for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications. Aimed at manufacturers and fabricators needing chromoly steel in small to medium quantities.
• Stainless Steel products Stainless steel inventory including tube and pipe (round, square, rectangular, polished finish), sheet and plate (304 and 430 grades in brushed #3 and mirrored #8 finishes, expanded, perforated, wire mesh), solid bars and rods (hex bar, square bar, flat bars, solid round bars), and structural shapes (brushed angle, channel). Targeted at industrial and manufacturing buyers needing stainless steel in small quantities.
• Steel Hot/Cold/Galvanized products Hot rolled, cold rolled, and galvanized steel products including sheet and plate (mild steel, expanded sheets, tread plate, galvanized sheets in G60 and G90, perforated sheets, AR plate for steel shooting targets), tube and pipe (ERW electric weld tubing, DOM seamless tubing, square tube, rectangle tube), solid bars and rods (hot rolled and cold rolled steel in flat bar, round bar, square bar, hex bar), and structural shapes (channel, I-beams, angle, galvanized angle). Targeted at manufacturers, fabricators, target shooting enthusiasts, and general steel users.
• Brass and Copper products Brass products including plate, square tube, solid hex, square bars, solid round, and flat bar. Copper products including square/rectangle bars, sheet, solid round, and angle. Aimed at manufacturers, fabricators, and artisans needing non-ferrous metals in small quantities.
• Other specialty materials and items Specialty metals including titanium (bars, sheet/plate, commercially pure solid rounds, tubing), zinc, magnesium, super alloys, plastics (white acetron GP acetal rod, PTFE/Teflon rods, Nylatron, phenolic), and machines/industrial items. Targeted at specialty manufacturers, research facilities, and industrial buyers needing non-standard metals.
• Overstock and Drop Pieces Discounted overstock, surplus, and off-fall metal pieces available across aluminum, stainless steel, and steel categories including angles, solid bars, plate, round tube, square/rectangular tube, and sheet. Targeted at cost-sensitive buyers looking for discounted metal pieces in assorted sizes.
• Hydraulic Hose Products Parker hydraulic hose products including 797TC-24 and 797TC-32 models in 5-foot and 10-foot lengths, available for industrial and mobile equipment applications. Targeted at industrial and mobile equipment buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• No minimum order requirements enabling purchase of exact quantities needed

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Parker HannifinminorOthersVendor relationship for hydraulic hose products including Parker 797TC-24 and 797TC-32 series hoses sold through the Shapiro Supply catalog.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Online Metals: Online-first small-quantity metal retailer offering cut-to-size aluminum, steel, stainless, brass, copper, and plastics with nationwide shipping. Most direct head-to-head competitor to Shapiro's e-commerce model.
• Metal Supermarkets: Franchise-based metal supply chain specializing in small-quantity, no-minimum orders of aluminum, steel, stainless, and other metals. Direct rival for Shapiro's small-quantity niche across multiple U.S. markets.
• Midwest Steel & Aluminum: Independent metal service center headquartered in the Midwest offering steel and aluminum products to industrial customers. Comparable regional independent competing in overlapping geographies and product lines.
• Industrial Metal Supply Co. West Coast-based metal service center offering aluminum, steel, stainless, and specialty metals to small and large buyers with walk-in and shipping options. Comparable mid-size independent service center competing for the same small-quantity buyer.
• Speedy Metals: Online metal service center selling small-to-mid quantities of steel, aluminum, stainless, and specialty metals with cut-to-size options. Closely mirrors Shapiro's small-quantity, no-minimum positioning.

Broad incumbents

• McMaster-Carr: Industrial supply giant with deep online catalog of metals, hardware, and MRO products, known for same-day shipping and best-in-class e-commerce. Sets the bar Shapiro's Magento storefront is benchmarked against.
• TW Metals: Multi-location specialty metals service center focused on stainless, aluminum, and high-performance alloys serving aerospace and industrial buyers. Comparable product mix including specialty metals, with broader geographic reach.
• Ryerson: Public, multi-location metal service center with broad ferrous and non-ferrous inventory and value-added processing. Represents the scale player Shapiro cannot match on footprint or processing breadth.
• Kloeckner Metals: Global metal service center with digital platform 'Kloeckner Online' for online metal purchasing. Comparable product breadth and a competing digital channel aimed at small and mid-size buyers.
• Reliance Steel & Aluminum: Largest U.S. metal service center network with hundreds of locations and broad product portfolio. Establishes the upper-bound competitive ceiling Shapiro competes beneath in the small-quantity segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shapirometals
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShapiroMetalSupply
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/able-metal-co

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 Shapiro Metal Supply