El Caballo

What El Caballo does

El Caballo (legal name: Grapas y Puntillas El Caballo S.A.) is a Colombian manufacturer of steel wire and fastening products founded in 1962 in Bucaramanga and currently headquartered in Sogamoso, Boyacá. The company operates a single manufacturing facility with an installed capacity of 24,000 tonnes per year and employs more than 200 people. Its product portfolio spans two main lines: (1) wire products including traditional and high-resistance barbed wire, electric fence wire (standard and a specialized GANADERO livestock grade), galvanized wire, bright wire, annealed (black) wire for construction, and industrial wire for recycling baling; and (2) fastening products including nails with head, headless nails, helical nails, wood iron nails (vareta), zinc iron nails, and galvanized staples. Products are manufactured to Colombian technical standards (NTC 1813, NTC 195, NTC 5677) with guaranteed specifications including breaking load (e.g., 300-450 kgf depending on gauge), zinc coating thickness (55-115 g/m²), and tensile strength. Core technology centers on steel wire drawing, galvanizing, and mechanical fastening production, with proprietary features such as reverse-twist barbed wire construction providing higher yield per kilogram and customizable steel grades ranging from SAE 1006 (low-carbon) to SAE 1070 (high-carbon).

The company serves three primary verticals: livestock and farming (barbed wire and electric fence wire for paddock management and ranch boundary delimitation), construction (annealed wire for rod tying, nails, staples, zinc nails for roofing, helical nails for pallets and crates), and industrial manufacturing (galvanized wire for mesh, gabions, cages, and handles; bright wire for displays, condensers, mattress frames, and supermarket carts; industrial wire for recycling bales). Customers range from individual farmers and small contractors to industrial manufacturers across Colombia, with limited exports to select Latin American markets.

El Caballo operates a hybrid B2B/B2C distribution model. Revenue is generated from physical hardware sales priced by weight or unit (kg, roll, box), with quote-based pricing and no public price list. Sales channels include a national network of authorized distributors as the primary channel, a Bogotá sales office for direct enterprise engagement, and an online quote request form on the website. The company maintains separate Spanish and English language websites, runs a content marketing blog with practical installation guides, and operates as a privately held Colombian corporation (Sociedad Anónima) with no external investors, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

El Caballo

Legal name

Grapas y Puntillas El Caballo S.A.

Website

https://caballo.com.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

El Caballo is a Colombian steel wire and fastener manufacturer founded in 1962 with 24,000 tonnes/year installed capacity. It produces barbed wire, electric fence wire, galvanized and annealed wire, nails, and staples, distributed nationally across Colombia to livestock, construction, and industrial sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel Wire and Fastening Products Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Fabricated Wire Product Manufacturing (332618), Spring and Wire Product Manufacturing (33261)

SIC

Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMADAMAA

Building Wire & Cable (Residential/Commercial)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Building Materials & Products/Electrical Wiring, Conduit & Cable Products

Keywords

• Steel wire manufacturing
• Barbed wire products
• Fastening elements
• Electric fence wire
• Galvanized wire products

Headquarters

HQ city

Sogamoso

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 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. Hardware/Fastening Products Sales: El Caballo generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of steel wire products, nails, staples, and related hardware. Products are sold through a distributor network and direct sales, with pricing based on weight (kilograms), roll quantities, and box quantities. Revenue is derived from the sale of physical products to construction, agricultural, and industrial customers across Colombia.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

El Caballo manufactures and sells steel wire products (barbed wire, electric fence wire, galvanized wire, bright wire, annealed wire, industrial wire) and fastening elements (nails, helicoidal nails, zinc nails, wood iron nails, and galvanized staples). The company's products are designed for livestock fencing, construction fastening, and industrial applications, with manufacturing backed by Colombian technical standards (NTC 1813, NTC 195, NTC 5677) and an installed capacity of 24,000 tonnes per year.

Product overview

El Caballo (Grapas y Puntillas El Caballo S.A.) is a Colombian manufacturer of steel wire and fastening products founded in 1962, operating from Sogamoso, Boyacá with an installed capacity of 24,000 tons per year. The company produces two main product lines: (1) Wire products including barbed wire (traditional and high-resistance), electric fence wire (standard and livestock grades), galvanized wire, bright/semi-hard wire, annealed/black wire for construction, and industrial wire for recycling; and (2) Fastening products including nails with head, headless nails, helical nails, wood iron nails (vareta), zinc iron nails, and galvanized staples for fencing. All products are manufactured to Colombian technical standards (NTC 1813, NTC 195, NTC 5677) with guaranteed lengths and weights, serving the livestock/agricultural, construction, and industrial sectors across Colombia and select Latin American markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GANADERO: Electric fence wire brand for livestock enclosures and boundary delimitation.

Products and services

• Puntilla con Cabeza (Nails with Head) Construction nails with flat grailed head and diamond point, with or without head, used in carpentry, joinery, pallet/crate manufacture, fruit boxes, tile fastening, shoemaking, and wood product fixings. Complies with NTC 1813 standard.
• Puntilla sin Cabeza (Headless Nails) Headless nails ideal for carpentry, joinery, shoemaking, and wood product fixings where an unobtrusive fastening is required.
• Puntilla Helicoidal (Helical Nails) Spiral-grooved nails providing superior grip in wood, used in construction industry, pallet and crate manufacture, and fruit box production. Complies with NTC 1813 standard.
• Clavos para Vareta (Wood Iron Nails) Square-shank nails with convex head and diamond tip, galvanized finish for wood use in cattle pen installation. Complies with NTC 1813 standard.
• Clavos para Zinc (Zinc Iron Nails) Galvanized nails with washer head for fastening zinc tiles to wooden structures and sheets in metal enclosures. Complies with NTC 1813 standard.
• Alambre de Púas Tradicional (Traditional Barbed Wire) Barbed wire made of SAE 1006 or 1008 steel for livestock paddock fences, lot/crop fences, and protection barriers. Features light zinc coating >75g/m2 and minimum breaking load of 380 kgf (12.5 caliber) or 250 kgf (14 caliber). Complies with NTC 195 standard.
• Alambre de Púas Alta Resistencia (High Resistance Barbed Wire) High-strength barbed wire made of SAE 1022 or 1023 steel for livestock fences, lot boundaries, and urban/industrial security enclosures. Features light zinc coating >65g/m2, minimum breaking load 300 kgf (16 caliber) or 200 kgf (15 caliber), with reverse-twist cord for higher yield per kilogram.
• Alambre para Cerca Eléctrica (Electric Fence Wire) Steel wire for electric fencing made of SAE 1040, 1045, 1060, or 1070 steel with simple zinc coating >100g/m2. Used for livestock paddock fencing and security fences. Complies with NTC 5677 standard.
• Cerca Eléctrica GANADERO (LIVESTOCK Electric Fence Wire) Specialized electric fence wire for livestock management, fencing, and paddock division, made of SAE 1022 steel with medium (>110 kgf/mm2) or high (>140 kgf/mm2) tensile strength.
• Alambres Galvanizados (Galvanized Wire) Galvanized steel wire made of SAE 1006 (or SAE 1012, 1015, 1022 on request) for industrial and agricultural applications including mesh, gabion, barbed wire, staple, cage, handle, costume jewelry, brush, and chain manufacture. Features light zinc coating 55-115 g/m2 with soft, medium, or hard tensile strength options.
• Alambres Brillantes (Bright Wires) Bright/semi-hard steel wire made of SAE 1006 (or SAE 1008, 1012, 1015, 1022 on request) for displays, condensers, grills, mattress frames, supermarket carts, clothing hooks, cardboard/paper packaging, crafts, waste bins, dish racks, and toys. Features certified tensile strength with bright finish free of rust and defects.
• Alambres Recocidos (Annealed Wires) Black annealed wire made of SAE 1006 steel for construction rod fastening, featuring heat treatment for malleability and traction resistance <49kgf/mm2.
• Alambre Industrial (Industrial Wire) Black industrial wire made of SAE 1006 steel for bale ties in the recycling industry. Features traction resistance <49kgf/mm2 with annealing heat treatment and intertwined barbs between wire cord strands.
• Grapas para Cerca (Galvanized Staples) U-shaped galvanized staples made of SAE 1006 or 1008 steel for attaching barbed wire to fence posts or wooden slats. Features light zinc coating >65g/m2 with high adhesion, beveled and opposite tips, and bright finish. Complies with NTC 1813 standard.

Quantifiable outcome

• Guaranteed minimum breaking load: 300 kgf (12.5 gauge), 200 kgf (14 gauge) for traditional barbed wire; 450 kgf (15 gauge), 350 kgf (16 gauge) for high-resistance barbed wire
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Authorized Distributor NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEl Caballo maintains a network of authorized distributors across Colombia who resell the company's wire, nail, staple, and related hardware products. The distributor locator on the website helps customers find the nearest authorized seller. This distributor network forms the primary sales channel for reaching end customers throughout Colombia.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aceromex: Mexican steel wire producer with a focus on galvanized wire, barbed wire, and industrial wire products for Latin American agricultural and construction customers. Closely aligned with El Caballo's product and customer profile.
• Deacero: Mexico's largest steel wire and nail manufacturer, producing barbed wire, galvanized wire, staples, and related fasteners for agricultural, construction, and industrial markets across Latin America. Directly comparable product portfolio, scale, and customer base to El Caballo.
• Tree Island Steel: Canadian manufacturer of steel wire and welded wire mesh products for construction, industrial, and agricultural applications. Comparable in wire product focus, customer verticals, and steel-processing business model.
• National Nail Corp. U.S. manufacturer of nails, staples, and fastening products under brands including CAMO and STINGER. Comparable to El Caballo's nails/staples portfolio and its distributor-led GTM into construction markets.
• Productos de Acero: Mexican manufacturer of wire products, nails, and fasteners serving agricultural and construction markets. Comparable in product mix (barbed wire, galvanized wire, nails) and in focus on Latin American regional markets.

Broad incumbents

• Southwire Company: One of North America's largest wire and cable manufacturers, with broad electrical and structural wire products. Overlaps with El Caballo in steel wire fundamentals but operates at vastly larger scale across multiple product verticals.
• Leggett & Platt: Diversified U.S. manufacturer of engineered components including bedding/mattress innersprings and wire-formed products. Overlaps with El Caballo's industrial bright-wire customer base (mattress frames, displays) but operates across a much broader portfolio.
• Gerdau: Brazil's largest steel producer with significant long steel and wire rod operations serving Latin American construction and industrial markets. Operates at much larger scale but competes for the same downstream steel-wire demand.
• ArcelorMittal: Global integrated steel producer with wire rod product lines serving construction and industrial customers worldwide. Sets the upstream steel cost benchmark that drives input economics for El Caballo.

Regional players

• Grupo IZA: Brazilian producer of wire and welded mesh products for agricultural fencing, construction, and industrial markets. Comparable product portfolio but primarily serves the Brazilian market rather than Colombia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/elcaballo.sa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grapas-y-puntillas-el-caballo-s-a

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 El Caballo