What Queen City Forging does

Queen City Forging (Queen City Forging Company, Inc.) is a privately held, Cincinnati, Ohio-based metal forging manufacturer founded in the late 19th century (firmographic records indicate 1881; corporate-history references cite 1889), with operations reportedly spanning more than 135 years. The company produces small to medium forged components via impression die forging, open die forging, upset forging, hot/warm/cold forging, and ring rolling, working from steel, aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, stainless steel, and specialty alloys including silicon iron and high-temperature superalloys. Its product set includes turbocharger impeller blanks, custom steel forgings, aluminum, copper, and electrical-steel forgings, supported by in-house tool-and-die and secondary operations (heat treating, machining, plating, finishing). The firm's most differentiated technology is a patented Rapid Infrared Hot Aluminum Forging process co-developed with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, complemented by ongoing research into thermomagnetic processing and high-entropy alloy tooling coatings.

The company sells exclusively through direct enterprise sales to OEM customers in aerospace, automotive, agricultural equipment, medical devices, railroad, and construction. Customers engage via website-driven Request a Quote workflows, with pricing quote-based and project-specific. Documented long-tenured relationships include a U.S. agricultural equipment manufacturer served for 15+ years on PTO drive axles and TURBOCAM International supplied with aluminum turbocharger impeller blanks since 2012, the latter earning Queen City Forging a 2018 Distinguished Supplier Award. The company holds ISO 9001 quality certification (via Perry Johnson Registrars with ANAB/UKAS accreditation), an R&D 100 Award (2009, for thermomagnetic processing research), DOE recognition, and a Thomas Edison Award from OhioSci.

Queen City Forging supports customers globally in footprint claims but operates only from two Cincinnati facilities (235-B Tennyson Street for manufacturing and 1019 Seabrook Way for support operations, the latter added in 2023). It is a privately held, family/management-owned enterprise with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees. Revenue, financial performance, ownership details, and pricing are not publicly disclosed. The firm maintains a content-driven digital presence (blog, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, newsletter) and is active in industry associations including the Forging Industry Association (FIA) and FIERF.

Name

Queen City Forging

Legal name

Queen City Forging Company, Inc.

Website

https://qcforge.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Queen City Forging is a Cincinnati-based, privately held metal forging manufacturer producing custom small to medium forged components from steel, aluminum, copper, and specialty alloys for OEM customers across aerospace, automotive, agricultural, medical, railroad, and construction industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Metal Forging Services: Manufactures custom metal forgings for OEMs including impression die forging, open die forging, upset forging, and secondary operations. Revenue generated through direct project-based contracts with manufacturers requiring critical metal components.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Queen City Forging manufactures custom small-to-medium metal forgings for OEM customers in aerospace, automotive, agricultural, medical, railroad, and construction industries. The company produces forged components from steel, aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, stainless steel, and specialty alloys, offering full-service capabilities from forging through secondary operations such as machining, heat treating, and finishing. Its patented Rapid Infrared Hot Aluminum Forging process, developed with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, delivers superior metallurgy and faster throughput for aluminum components used in severe service applications.

Product overview

Queen City Forging is a metal forging company offering impression die forging, upset forging, and other forging processes for medium to small metal components. The company operates a platform of core forging capabilities (Turbocharger Impellers, Custom Steel Forging, Aluminum Forging, Copper Forging Solutions, Forged Alloy Steel, Silicon Iron Forgings, Electrical Steels) supported by value-added modules (Secondary Operations, Rapid Infrared Heating Technology, Tool and Die, Value Added Services, Specialty Forging Applications). The company has over 135 years of experience dating back to the 1800s and is recognized for innovation including patented Rapid Infrared Hot Aluminum Forging developed with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Rapid infrared heating completes heating cycle in 15-20 minutes compared to convection ovens taking half a day for startup and first heat-up
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQueen City Forging has collaborated with ORNL on several innovative research projects. Key outcomes include the patented Rapid Infrared Hot Aluminum Forging process and participation in thermomagnetic processing research using 8 Tesla superconducting magnets. The partnership has yielded award-winning manufacturing solutions and continues to advance forging technology.
• Eaton CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with ORNL team on thermomagnetic processing research. Contributed to developing heat-free heat-treating methods using superconducting magnet systems.
• Forging Industry Education and Research Foundation (FIERF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIERF has funded research projects including those seeking to improve computational modeling/simulation (CMS) programs for forging design and application of artificial intelligence. QCF has participated in these efforts to advance forging technology and bring strength of forging process to lower volumes of critical components.
• Forging Defense Manufacturing Consortium (FDMC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFDMC has funded research projects aimed at making forging simulation programs more expert through artificial intelligence applications.
• Forging Industry Association (FIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQCF collaborates with FIA members on High-Entropy Alloy (HEA) tooling research. FIA's Education and Research Foundation (FIERF) supported HEA research for improving forging die performance through both LENS additive manufacturing and specialty welding coating methods.
• Center for Advanced Non-Ferrous Structural Alloys (CANFSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center exploring High-Entropy Alloy potential for aerospace, defense, and automotive applications.
• Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center (ASPPRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch center exploring High-Entropy Alloy properties and applications for structural materials.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Anchor Harvey Components: Specialty aluminum forging supplier focused on aerospace and defense components using hot, warm, and cold forging. Directly comparable to QCF's aluminum forging capabilities, particularly the IR aluminum forging platform serving turbocharger and structural applications.
• Scot Forge: One of the largest custom open-die and impression-die forging manufacturers in North America, serving aerospace, defense, power generation, and industrial OEMs. Directly comparable to Queen City Forging on process capabilities, multi-industry OEM focus, and custom-engineered small/medium critical components.
• SIFCO Industries: Provider of forged and heat-treated components for aerospace, defense, and industrial customers, with proprietary forging and machining capabilities. Comparable to QCF in custom-engineered small forged parts and integrated secondary operations for severe-service applications.
• Ellwood Group: Family-owned producer of engineered forgings and castings serving aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial OEMs. Comparable to QCF in family ownership, multi-vertical severe-service customer base, and custom small-to-medium forged components.
• Weber Metals (Howmet Aerospace): Subsidiary of Howmet Aerospace producing large aluminum and titanium forgings for aerospace and defense. Comparable to QCF on aluminum forging technology development and aerospace OEM customer base, though at much larger scale.
• Consolidated Industries: Forging and machining provider producing closed-die forgings for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. Comparable to QCF in vertical integration (forging plus secondary machining) and severe-service critical-component focus.
• Continental Forge Company: Custom impression-die and upset forging manufacturer serving aerospace, military, and commercial customers. Comparable to QCF on die-forging process specialization and OEM-driven project-based custom work.
• NET Forge: Custom impression-die forging shop serving commercial and industrial OEM customers with small to medium forged components. Comparable to QCF on size, custom-engineered small-batch focus, and direct-OEM sales model.
• Aluminum Forge Co. Custom aluminum forging manufacturer producing forged components for severe-service and structural applications. Comparable to QCF's aluminum forging process capability and small-to-medium component focus.

Broad incumbents

• Wyman-Gordon (Precision Castparts): Large-scale aerospace forging incumbent under Precision Castparts Corp producing titanium, nickel, and steel forgings for engine and airframe OEMs. Comparable to QCF in aerospace forging capability and proprietary metallurgical processes, but operates at dramatically larger scale and broader customer footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYyPOf0MPCpz0UXTXm9cMlg
• Facebookfacebook.com/QueenCityForging
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queen-city-forging-company
• Xx.com/qcforge

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 Queen City Forging