Carter Iron and Steel Company

What Carter Iron and Steel Company does

Carter Iron and Steel Company is a Hampton, Virginia-based steel fabrication and erection company founded in 1981 by W. Bond Carter and incorporated in 1982. The firm operates a single production facility at 408 Industry Drive and serves the Southeastern Virginia region, including Virginia Beach, Newport News, Norfolk, Hampton, and the Southside, Peninsula, and Williamsburg corridors. It is a privately held, family-owned business currently led by second-generation President and Owner Greg Carter, with 11–50 employees and no external parent or institutional investor backing.

The company's offering spans four core service lines: Structural Steel (columns, beams, bar joist, and deck), Miscellaneous Steel (stairs, handrails, wall rails, ladders, bollards, dumpster gates, and grates), customized Steel Loading Dock Ramps, and Specialty Fabrication (lifting pads, spreader bars, and structural supports). Customer segments include commercial construction contractors (primary), government facilities such as Langley Air Force Base, NASA, and Newport News Shipyard, and broader industrial/commercial clients. The company markets itself as "the benchmark for Quality and On-Time Delivery" and holds active memberships in AGC, AWS, ABC, and Builders Contractor Exchange.

The business model is project-based and quote-driven: revenue is generated through direct engagement with contractors and project managers, with pricing negotiated per project rather than disclosed through standard rate cards. GTM is predominantly direct field sales supported by a basic company website and a free-quote request form. No software product, AI capabilities, mobile application, API, or external funding has been disclosed.

Name

Carter Iron and Steel Company

Legal name

Carter Iron and Steel Company

Website

https://carteriron.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carter Iron and Steel Company is a family-owned steel fabrication and erection company in Hampton, Virginia, founded in 1981, serving commercial contractors, government facilities, and industrial clients across Southeastern Virginia with structural steel, miscellaneous steel, dock ramps, and specialty fabrication.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel Fabrication and Erection Services

NAICS

Ornamental and Architectural Metal Products Manufacturing (33232), Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing (332312)

SIC

Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Structural steel fabrication
• Miscellaneous steel fabrication
• Steel erection services
• Custom steel fabrication
• Loading dock ramps

Headquarters

HQ city

Hampton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Carter Iron and Steel Company is a steel fabrication and erection company that manufactures and installs structural steel (columns, beams, bar joist, and deck), miscellaneous steel (stairs, handrails, wall rails, caged ladders, access ladders, bollards, dumpster gates, sump grates, pit ladders), custom steel loading dock ramps, and specialty fabricated items such as lifting pads, spreader bars, and structural supports. The company serves commercial contractors, government facilities, and industrial clients across Southeastern Virginia from its Hampton, VA headquarters.

Product overview

Carter Iron and Steel Company offers a unified suite of steel fabrication and erection services. The company operates four core service offerings: Structural Steel (fabrication and erection of columns, beams, bar joist and deck), Miscellaneous Steel (stairs, handrails, rails, ladders, bollards, and gates), Steel Loading Dock Ramps (customized for dock/truck requirements), and Specialty Fabrication (lifting pads, spreader bars, structural supports). All services are provided to commercial and government clients in Southeastern Virginia with a focus on quality and on-time delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Structural Steel Fabrication and Erection Fabrication and erection of structural steel components including columns, beams, bar joist, and deck for commercial and industrial building projects, sold to area contractors.
• Miscellaneous Steel Fabrication and Erection Fabrication and erection of miscellaneous steel items including stairs, handrails, wall rails, caged ladders, access ladders, bollards, dumpster gates, sump grates, and pit ladders for commercial contractors and facility owners.
• Custom Steel Loading Dock Ramps Customized steel loading dock ramps designed and fabricated to meet specific dock and truck requirements for commercial and industrial customers.
• Specialty Steel Fabrication Custom specialty steel fabrication including lifting pads, spreader bars, and structural supports for specialized industrial applications and customer-specific requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Benchmark for Quality and On-Time Delivery in metal fabrication and erection industry

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AGC (Associated General Contractors)coreOthersActive member of AGC, a major trade association for the construction industry providing networking, advocacy, and professional development resources
• AWS (American Welding Society)coreOthersActive member maintaining welding certification standards and professional credentials through AWS affiliation
• ABC (Associated Builders and Contractors)coreOthersActive member of ABC, a national trade association representing merit shop construction contractors
• Builders Contractor ExchangeminorOthersMember of Builders Contractor Exchange, a contractor networking and resource organization

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Nucor Corporation: Largest steel producer in the United States, with Nucor Vulcraft producing steel joists and deck that overlap with Carter Iron's structural steel offering. Nucor is a broad incumbent whose downstream products compete with Carter Iron at the materials level across all served markets.
• Commercial Metals Company (CMC): Vertically integrated steel manufacturer and rebar/structural steel fabricator serving commercial, industrial, and infrastructure construction across the U.S. CMC overlaps with Carter Iron through its structural steel fabrication services while also operating mills and recycling facilities at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• SteelFab: Structural steel fabricator headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina with multiple fabrication facilities across the Southeast. SteelFab directly competes for the same commercial and industrial structural steel work that Carter Iron pursues in the Carolinas and Virginia.
• Ben Hur Construction Company: Steel fabrication and erection contractor serving commercial and industrial construction markets. Ben Hur competes with Carter Iron for structural and miscellaneous steel packages on commercial projects in overlapping geographies.
• TrueNorth Steel: Structural and miscellaneous steel fabricator serving commercial and industrial construction across multiple U.S. regions. TrueNorth is a comparable mid-size fabricator offering the same core mix of structural and architectural metals work that Carter Iron provides to its regional contractor base.
• Banker Steel Company: Structural steel fabricator and erector based in Lynchburg, Virginia serving commercial and industrial construction projects. Banker Steel is the closest in-state, in-region comparable to Carter Iron given overlapping structural and miscellaneous steel offerings for commercial contractors in the Mid-Atlantic.

Regional players

• Atlas Steel Products: Regional structural and miscellaneous steel fabricator serving commercial construction contractors in a defined U.S. geography. Atlas competes with Carter Iron in the same product category for similar end customers, though it primarily operates in a different regional territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carter-iron-and-steel-company-inc

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 Carter Iron and Steel Company