Custom Metals

What Custom Metals does

Custom Metals, Inc. is a family-owned custom metal fabrication company founded in 1980 and headquartered at 4544 Don's Road in Madison, Wisconsin. The firm designs, fabricates, restores, and installs bespoke metalwork across three primary segments: residential ornamental commissions (handrails, fireplace surrounds, copper stove hoods, custom staircases), commercial architectural elements (stainless-steel railings, bar tops, signage, decorative facades), and historic restoration (Wisconsin State Capitol hardware, Roosevelt University's Ganz Hall electroliers, Indiana State University's Normal Hall staircases). The company works with eight metals — steel, stainless, aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, pewter, and zinc — and operates a full in-house production chain including cutting, forming, forging, welding, rolling, grain finishing, patina application, and top-coating, with CAD shop drawings used to present scale-accurate deliverables before fabrication begins.

The business operates on a sales-led, project-based model: each engagement is a one-time custom commission scoped to the client's design, with revenue generated per project based on materials, complexity, and labor. There are no published price tiers; quotes are bespoke. Distribution is exclusively direct — via phone, email, in-person consultation, and a portfolio-driven website (custommetals.com) plus a Houzz professional profile — with no resellers, distributors, or intermediaries. Projects are delivered primarily across the Madison/Milwaukee/Illinois region but have spanned coast-to-coast from New Hampshire to Hawaii. The company holds N.O.M.M.A. (National Ornamental Metal Manufacturers Association) membership and has accumulated at least 15 Top Job awards since 2003, including the Mitch Heitler Award for Excellence in 2023.

Commercial operations are small (11–50 employees, single facility, family-owned with no external investment, funding rounds, or institutional backing recorded), and marketing relies almost entirely on organic digital presence and trade-association referrals. The specialty product set includes a motorized hidden-television concealment system, demonstrating capability in engineered moving metalwork alongside traditional ornamental fabrication.

Name

Custom Metals

Legal name

Custom Metals Inc.

Website

https://custommetals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Custom Metals is a family-owned Madison, Wisconsin custom metal fabrication shop (founded 1980) that designs, fabricates, restores, and installs bespoke ornamental, commercial, and historic-preservation metalwork across eight metals for architects, homeowners, contractors, and institutions nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Metal Fabrication

NAICS

Ornamental and Architectural Metal Work Manufacturing (332323), Ornamental and Architectural Metal Products Manufacturing (33232), Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing (332322)

SIC

Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490), Sheet Metal Work (3444), Metal Doors, Sash, Frames, Moldings & Trim (3442), Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural & Miscellaneous Metals (Stairs, Railings, Ladders) (IMADACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Stair, Railing & Banister Repair (HSAGABAE)

Keywords

• Custom metal fabrication
• Ornamental metalwork
• Metal restoration services
• Architectural metal stairs
• Historic metal preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Fabrication Projects: One-time custom metal fabrication projects for residential, commercial, and restoration clients. Revenue is generated per project based on scope, materials, and complexity. Clients include architects, homeowners, contractors, and designers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Custom Metals designs, fabricates, restores, and installs custom ornamental and architectural metalwork across steel, stainless, aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, pewter, and zinc. Offerings span custom stairs, railings, gates and doors, art/sculpture, furniture, exterior railings/fences, and hidden television concealment systems, plus historic restoration services for institutional and government clients. Each project moves from CAD-based shop drawings through in-house fabrication to on-site installation.

Product overview

Custom Metals is a family-owned custom metal fabrication company (founded 1980, Madison, WI) offering a unified portfolio of bespoke metalwork products and services. The core offering centers on custom-designed, fabricated, and installed metal components — primarily stairs, railings, gates/doors, art sculptures, furniture, and exterior railings/fences — across three market segments: residential, commercial, and institutional restoration. The company works with a wide range of metals (steel, stainless, aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, pewter, zinc) and applies fabrication techniques including cutting, forming, forging, welding, rolling, graining, patina, and top-coating. Specialty offerings include historic restoration services (e.g., bronze doors, Capitol hardware) and motorized hidden television concealment systems. Services are sold as standalone custom fabrication projects rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Metal Stairs (Residential & Commercial)

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully restored historic doors at Wisconsin State Capitol, refinishing hundreds of doors, doorknobs, hinges, and heating grates without losing a single piece.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Stair Corporation: Custom commercial and residential metal stair and railing manufacturer serving architects, contractors, and developers primarily across the western US. Directly comparable as a custom fabricator specializing in stairs and railings for residential and commercial projects.
• Architectural Iron Designs: Fabricator and retailer of decorative architectural metal products including stairs, railings, gates, and ornamental ironwork serving residential and commercial customers. Comparable as a peer in the ornamental/architectural metal category with overlapping product offerings.
• The Wagner Companies: Wisconsin/Milwaukee-area manufacturer of architectural railings, fabricated metal products, and ornamental components serving commercial, residential, and institutional markets. Directly comparable as a regional architectural metalwork peer operating in overlapping geography and product categories.
• A. Zahner Company: Kansas City-based architectural metalwork firm specializing in custom fabrication using steel, zinc, aluminum, and other metals for high-profile commercial and cultural projects. Directly comparable as a custom architectural metal fabricator serving architects and institutional clients across the US.
• EverGreene Architectural Arts: New York-based decorative arts firm specializing in restoration, conservation, and recreation of historic interiors and architectural ornament including metalwork. Comparable as a peer in the institutional restoration segment with similar heritage-building credentials and client base.

Others

• MBCI (Metal Building Components, Inc.): Houston-based manufacturer of metal roofing, wall systems, and building components serving commercial and industrial construction. Adjacent industry participant in the fabricated metal building products supply chain; not a direct custom-ornamental competitor but a peer in the broader fabricated metals category.

Broad incumbents

• Hollaender Manufacturing: Cincinnati-based manufacturer of structural and architectural railing systems, aluminum slip-on fittings, and component-based metal products. Comparable as a broader architectural metalwork incumbent offering overlapping railing capabilities as part of a wider product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Custom Metals