What Frederick Steel does

Frederick Steel is a privately held steel service center and fabrication processor headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, operating as the Cincinnati node of the Benjamin Steel network — described as Ohio's largest full-service supplier of structural steel shapes, plate, tube, pipe, and bar products. The company stocks over 27 million pounds of steel product across four Ohio locations (Cincinnati, Springfield, Lima, Mansfield) and operates a fleet of 36 delivery trucks and 40 modern processing machines serving a five-state region with over 2,000 customers.

The company's core offering combines inventory distribution with value-added processing. Product lines span structurals (angle, I-beam, WF beam, channel), tube and pipe, plate and sheet, hot and cold finish bar, expanded metal, grating, and ancillary items such as rebar and threaded rod. Differentiated processing services include the PythonX robotic plasma structural fabrication system (installed late 2015, the industry's first all-in-one structural fabrication machine combining multi-axis robotics with HD plasma), TRUMPF 7000 and MAZAK FabriGear 3D rotary tube lasers, 14 fully automatic CNC saws, AKS plasma tables with True Hole technology, and Ficep CNC angle-line punching. Customers benefit from mill-buy optimization, JIT/Kanban programs, kitting, and one-day turnaround on standard items.

Frederick Steel generates revenue through one-time product sales and processing services, with pricing set via quote requests rather than disclosed list pricing. The company sells through a direct sales force of application-experienced representatives (combined 300 years of experience) and is a member of the North American Steel Alliance (NASA), a 125-member purchasing cooperative with $8 billion in combined sales that provides mill purchasing leverage. Primary customer segments are structural fabricators, OEM manufacturers (e.g., automated painting systems), and industrial equipment manufacturers (e.g., bulk material handling for grain storage), with documented multi-decade relationships including 40-year and 30+ year customers. The company holds OSHA SHARP safety recognition and operates an ISO 9001-aligned quality management system.

Name

Frederick Steel

Legal name

Frederick Steel Co., Inc.

Website

https://fredericksteel.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Frederick Steel is a privately held Cincinnati-based steel service center and fabrication processor, operating as part of the Benjamin Steel network to supply structural steel, tube, pipe, plate, and bar products plus advanced processing (PythonX, tube lasers, CNC sawing) to over 2,000 fabricators and OEMs across a five-state region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel Products and Processing Services

NAICS

Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel (3312), All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (33299)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals Service Centers & Offices (5051)

akta.pro primary industry

Steel Service Centers & Processing (Slitting, Cut-to-Length, Blanking, Leveling) (IMAKABAL)

Keywords

• Steel service center
• Structural steel products
• Steel processing services
• Metal distribution
• Plate and tube

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Steel Product Sales: Frederick Steel sells a comprehensive range of steel products including structurals (angle, I beam, WF beam, channel, tees), tube and pipe (round, square, rectangular), plate and sheet, hot roll bar, cold finish bar, and expanded metal/grating. Revenue is generated through product sales at competitive prices, driven by mill purchasing relationships through the North American Steel Alliance cooperative.
2. Steel Processing Services: Value-added processing services including structural plasma cutting (PythonX), plate and sheet processing (oxyfuel and plasma cutting, shearing), 3D laser tube cutting (tube lasers), CNC saw cutting, and CNC punching. These processing capabilities differentiate the company and generate additional revenue per customer.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Frederick Steel is a steel service center and distributor that sells a broad range of carbon steel products (structurals, tube and pipe, plate and sheet, hot roll and cold finish bar, expanded metal and grating, rebar and related items) and provides value-added processing services including robotic plasma cutting, 3D tube laser cutting, CNC saw cutting and CNC punching. Customers in Ohio and surrounding states place quote-based orders that are processed in-house, stocked across 27M+ pounds of inventory and delivered via a 36-truck fleet.

Product overview

Frederick Steel is a steel service center and distributor offering a comprehensive portfolio of steel products combined with advanced processing services. The core product offering includes seven main categories: Structural Products (Angle, I Beam, WF Beam, Channel), Tube & Pipe (Round, Square, Rectangular, Pipe-Size, and standard Pipe), Plate & Sheet, Hot Roll Bar, Cold Finish Bar, Expanded Metal & Grating, and Other Products (Rebar, Wire Mesh, Thread Rod). These products are complemented by five key processing services: PythonX Robotic Plasma Cutting, Plasma & Oxy-Fuel Plate Processing, 3D Laser Tube Cutting, CNC Saw Cutting, and CNC Punching. The company operates as part of the Benjamin Steel network, leveraging advanced automation technology to provide mill-direct purchasing advantages and just-in-time delivery programs for customers across multiple industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Structural Products Steel structural shapes including Angle, I Beam, WF Beam, Channel, and Tees, sold as cut-to-size material to structural fabricators and OEMs in Ohio and surrounding states.
• Tube and Pipe Round, square and rectangular tube plus pipe-size tube and standard pipe in grades A513, A500 and A53, sold to fabricators and OEMs.
• Plate and Sheet Carbon steel plate and sheet in grades A-36, A572GR50, A516GR70, AR400, Floor Plate, 1008/1010, Pickled and Oiled, Hot Roll CS, Cold Roll and Galvanized.
• Hot Roll Bar Hot rolled bar products including HR Round, HR Flat/Strip, HR Square, HR Bar Channel and HR Tees in grades 1018, A-36 and 1008/1010, stocked in 20-foot lengths.
• Cold Finish Bar Cold finished bar products including CF Round, CF Flat, CF Square and CF Hex in grades 1018, 1045, 1045 TG&P, 1141/1144, 1144A311B, 1215, 12L14, 4140AN and 8620, stocked in 12-foot and 20-foot random lengths.
• Expanded Metal and Grating Expanded metal products including Standard Expanded Metal, Flattened Expanded Metal, Expanded Metal Grating, Bar Grating (19W4 and 19W2 spacing) and Safety Grating in carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum.
• Other Steel Products (Rebar, Wire Mesh, Thread Rod, Seals, Strapping) Additional steel products including Rebar (GR 40 and GR 60), Wire Mesh, All Thread Rod, Crown Rail, Seals and Strapping/Strapping Tools.
• Structural Plasma Cutting (PythonX) Advanced structural steel fabrication using the PythonX robotic plasma system to perform bolt holes, copes, miter cuts, notches, slots, weld prep bevels, scribing, T-beams, stair stringers and layout marks on beams (4-36 inch widths), HSS tubes, channels, angles and flats in a single setup.
• Plasma and Oxy-Fuel Plate Processing Thermal cutting services for plate and sheet from 0.125-inch sheet to 8-inch thick plate using AKS plasma tables (up to 2-inch thickness with True Hole technology) and oxy-fuel torches, plus contour beveling and shearing up to 1/4-inch by 12-foot.
• 3D Laser Tube Cutting Multi-axis 3D rotary tube laser processing for round, rectangular tube, angle and flats using TRUMPF 7000 (3600 watts, max 10-inch OD) and MAZAK FabriGear (4000 watts, max 6-inch OD) systems, with bevels up to 45 degrees and finished part lengths up to 240-315 inches.
• CNC Saw Cutting Precision CNC sawing for bar, tube, pipe and structural products up to 26-inch diameter rounds and 24-inch square, with miter cuts up to 60 degrees and double miter capability, plus structural sawing up to 40-inch beams.
• CNC Punching CNC punching for holes and slots in angles, channels and flats with two punch stations for simultaneous angle leg punching and full character marking on pieces up to 40 feet, with angle capacities from 1-1/2 x 1-1/2 x 3/16 inch up to 6 x 6 x 3/4 inch.
• PythonX Robotic Plasma Cutting (standalone processing offering) Standalone PythonX robotic plasma cutting service that performs multiple cutting operations on a single machine, eliminating manual fabrication and multiple machine setups for structural steel customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved an estimated $25,000 through mill-buy optimization — ordering 27.5' tube lengths instead of 40' lengths, reducing scrap from 13 feet to 6 inches per piece.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• North American Steel Alliance (NASA)coreOthersFrederick Steel is a member of the North American Steel Alliance (NASA), a top purchasing cooperative that pools steel mill buys with 124 other steel suppliers having a combined $8 billion in sales. This pooled purchasing power gives Frederick Steel leverage with leading steel mills in North America, translating into competitive pricing for customers.
• Lincoln Electric CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationLincoln Electric is the manufacturer of the PythonX Structural Steel Fabrication System — the advanced robotic plasma cutting technology installed at Frederick Steel in late 2015. The PythonX is described as the industry's first 'all-in-one' structural steel fabrication machine combining multi-axis robotics with high-definition plasma cutting.
• Benjamin SteelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrederick Steel is part of the Benjamin Steel network — Ohio's largest full-service supplier of structural steel shapes, plate, tube, pipe, and bar products serving a five-state region. Combined resources include 27M+ lbs of steel, 36 delivery trucks, and 40 processing machines. Frederick Steel operates as the Cincinnati service center within the Benjamin Steel network, sharing technology (tube lasers, Ficep angle line), processing capabilities, and purchasing power.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/frederick-steel

Compliance1 record

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 Frederick Steel