Chicago Stainless & Metal Exchange

Name

Chicago Stainless & Metal Exchange

Legal name

Chicago Stainless, Inc.

Website

https://chicagostainless.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Distribution

NAICS

Forging and Stamping (3321), Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities (3328)

SIC

Sheet Metal Work (3444), Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Alloy Steel (Stainless, Tool Steel, Electrical Steel, High-Strength/HSLA) (IMAKABAJ)

Keywords

• Stainless steel distribution
• Aluminum flat-rolled products
• Metal processing services
• Steel coil sheet plate
• Stock buyout services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Stainless Steel and Aluminum Product Sales: The company generates revenue through the sale of stainless steel coil, sheet, strip, and plate products, as well as aluminum coil, sheet, strip, plate and tread plate. Pricing is influenced by commodity surcharges based on nickel and other metal content. They also purchase excess or obsolete inventory from customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chicago Stainless, Inc. is a full-line distributor of stainless steel (200, 300, and 400 series) and aluminum (1100, 3003, 3105, 5052, 4017 alloys) coil, sheet, strip, plate, and tread plate. The company offers value-added processing services including slitting-to-size, cut-to-length, polishing, PVC coating, blanking, and shearing at multiple US processing locations, and also provides stock buyout and inventory sourcing services for excess or obsolete materials.

Product overview

Chicago Stainless, Inc. operates as a full-line distributor offering a unified portfolio of stainless steel and aluminum flat-rolled products. The core product lines include 200, 300, and 400 series stainless steel (encompassing both ferritic and martensitic variants) along with aluminum coil, sheet, strip, plate, and tread plate in various alloys. All products can be enhanced through value-added processing services including slitting-to-size, cut-to-length, polishing, PVC application, blanking, and shearing. The company also provides stock buyout and inventory sourcing services for excess or obsolete materials. Products ship from processing locations in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Dallas, Baltimore, and Houston, servicing customers coast-to-coast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 200 Series Stainless Steel (Alloys: 201, 202, 203, 204 & 205) Chromium-nickel-manganese alloy stainless steel with high strength in the annealed state, non-magnetic, not heat treatable, with excellent formability. Typical uses include washing machine tubs and structural applications.
• 300 Series Stainless Steel (Alloys: 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 308, 309, 310, 314, 316, 317, 321, 330, 347, 384)
• 400 Series Stainless Steel Ferritic (Alloys: 405, 409, 429, 430, 434, 436, 442, 446)
• 400 Series Stainless Steel Martensitic (Alloys: 403, 410, 414, 416, 420, 422, 431, 440)
• Aluminum Coil, Sheet, Strip, Plate & Tread Plate (Alloys: 1100, 3003, 3105, 5052, and 4017)
• Processing Services (Slit-to-Size, Cut-to-Length, Polishing, PVC, Blanking, Shearing)
• Stock Buyout and Inventory Sourcing Services

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kloeckner Metals: Major North American metals distributor with stainless and aluminum flat-rolled plus slitting, cut-to-length, and finishing services. Direct overlap in product portfolio, processing, and industrial customer segments.
• Ryerson: Broad-line metals service center carrying stainless steel, aluminum, and carbon flat-rolled plus extensive value-added processing. Closest comparable in product breadth, processing capabilities, and customer base, though at materially larger scale.
• TW Metals: Specialty metals distributor focused on stainless, aluminum, and high-performance alloys with processing services. Most direct comparable in product mix (specialty stainless + aluminum flat-rolled) and target customer profile.
• Penn Stainless Products: Stainless steel service center and plate processor carrying 200/300/400 series plus value-added processing. Closest scale-comparable specialist and most direct head-to-head competitor in stainless flat-rolled distribution.
• Samuel, Son & Co. North American metals service center with stainless, aluminum, and carbon steel plus extensive processing (slitting, cutting, blanking, coating). Direct overlap in product breadth, processing services, and industrial customer base.
• OnlineMetals: Online metals retailer selling small-quantity stainless, aluminum, and other metals direct to consumer and small business. Overlaps in flat-rolled product categories but competes on digital/e-commerce convenience rather than processing.
• Metal Supermarkets: Franchise-based small-quantity metals distributor with stainless, aluminum, and other grades plus basic cutting services. Overlaps in product categories but competes on small-quantity, walk-in/service model.
• Earle M. Jorgensen Company (EMJ): Metals distributor (now part of Reliance) carrying stainless, aluminum, and carbon steel bar, sheet, and plate with processing. Comparable in product mix and industrial customer base, with backing of a much larger parent.
• Olympic Steel: Flat-rolled steel and aluminum processor/distributor with multiple service centers and value-added processing (slitting, blanking, cutting). Comparable business model and product mix, including stainless.

Broad incumbents

• Reliance Steel & Aluminum: Largest North American metals service center operator with ~300+ locations across carbon, stainless, aluminum, and specialty metals. Overlaps in stainless and aluminum flat-rolled but operates at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChicagoStainles
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChicagoStainless

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 Stainless & Metal Exchange