Third Stone

What Third Stone does

Third Stone, Inc. is a specialty industrial fabric manufacturer founded in 1995 and headquartered in El Cajon, California, serving aerospace, aeronautical, defense, and industrial contractors. The company manufactures custom industrial fabric products — including protective covers, bags, bellows, seals, insulation blankets, cargo nets, and structural assemblies — under AS9100:D and ISO 9001:2015 quality systems and holds DoD Cage Code 038F7.

The company's core manufacturing capabilities are organized around four service lines: RF welding (radio frequency welding of vinyl materials), sonic welding (precision bonding of films), industrial sewing (complex sewn fabric assemblies), and manufacturing engineering (blueprint-to-finished-product project management). Across more than 40 product categories, Third Stone supplies prime contractors including Boeing (six-time Excellence Award winner relationship), Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance, BAE Systems, Raytheon, Goodrich, and Proponent.

Revenue is generated through custom, project-based B2B manufacturing orders under enterprise supply relationships, with pricing negotiated per project rather than through disclosed recurring contracts. In October 2025, Third Stone was acquired by Aero Products Company and now operates as a division of the acquirer. The company maintains a small operating footprint (1-10 employees, single El Cajon facility) and a domestic U.S. market focus, with its corporate website as the primary commercial channel.

Name

Third Stone

Legal name

Third Stone, Inc.

Website

https://thirdstoneinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Third Stone, Inc. is a California-based specialty manufacturer of custom industrial fabric products — protective covers, bags, bellows, and assemblies — serving aerospace, defense, and military prime contractors under AS9100 quality certification. Founded in 1995, it operates as a division of Aero Products Company following its October 2025 acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Industrial Fabric Manufacturing

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace & Defense Technical Textiles (Ballistic/Parachute/Radar-Absorbing/Composites Reinforcement) (IMAOADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Lace, Tulle & Netting Mills (IMAOABAE)

Keywords

• Industrial fabric manufacturing
• Aerospace manufacturing services
• RF welding services
• Protective aerospace covers
• Defense fabric products

Headquarters

HQ city

El Cajon

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Manufacturing - Industrial Fabric Products: Third Stone manufactures custom industrial fabric products (protective covers, bags, tarps, bellows, etc.) for aerospace and defense contractors. Products are manufactured to customer specifications, with revenue generated through one-time product sales rather than recurring contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Third Stone, Inc. manufactures and supplies custom industrial fabric products for aerospace, aeronautical, industrial, and military contractors. The company provides four core production capabilities: RF welding (radio frequency welded seams on vinyl materials), sonic welding (precision bonding of films), industrial sewing (sewn fabric goods), and manufacturing engineering (project development from blueprint to finished product). Its manufactured product catalog spans protective covers, bags and cases, structural fabric assemblies, military textile items, and specialized industrial components, all built to AS9100 quality standards for aerospace and defense prime contractors.

Product overview

Third Stone, Inc. is a quality manufacturing company specializing in industrial fabric products for the aerospace and defense industries. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in El Cajon, California, the company operates as a division of Aero Products Company following its October 2025 acquisition. The company provides four core manufacturing services: RF Welding (radio frequency welding for vinyl materials), Sonic Welding (for films requiring sonic welding), Industrial Sewing (for sewn fabric goods), and Manufacturing Engineering (for project development from blueprint to finished product). Third Stone's manufactured products span over 40 categories including protective covers (jet engine covers, inlet covers, pitot covers, dust covers), bags and cases (anti-static bags, barrier bags, carrying cases, electronic equipment bags), military products (gun muzzle covers, cargo nets, rocket/missile transport covers, target balloons), structural products (air supported structures, antenna trailer structures, shade canopies, room dividers), and general industrial products (insulation blankets, tank liners, bellows, seal assemblies). The company serves major aerospace and defense contractors including Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance, BAE Systems, and Raytheon.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RF Welding Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Six-time Boeing Excellence Award winner

Named customers8 records

Segments3 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

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Trelleborg (Engineered Products): Global engineered polymer and textile solutions provider serving aerospace and defense with sealing, fabric, and engineered component products. Comparable to Third Stone as a much larger diversified supplier of fabric-based components to aerospace primes.

Direct peers

• Serge Ferrari: European manufacturer of technical flexible composite fabrics for industrial, architectural, and specialty applications. Comparable to Third Stone as a technical textile manufacturer serving demanding industrial and specialty end-markets with coated/welded fabric assemblies.
• Bally Ribbon Mills: Specialty woven narrow and broad fabrics for aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial markets. Comparable to Third Stone in providing engineered textile solutions to aerospace and defense primes with a focus on custom, specification-driven manufacturing.
• Cooley Group: Engineered polymer membranes and coated fabrics used in aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. Comparable to Third Stone as a specialty technical textile manufacturer supplying aerospace and defense customers with custom fabric products.
• Herculite Products: Manufacturer of coated and laminated technical fabrics for industrial, military, and aerospace applications. Comparable to Third Stone as a custom technical textile manufacturer with similar capabilities in coated and sewn fabric assemblies.
• Apex Mills: Manufacturer of industrial and technical knit fabrics used in aerospace, military, filtration, and industrial markets. Comparable to Third Stone in producing engineered fabric products to demanding aerospace and defense specifications.
• MMI Textiles: US-based supplier of technical and military-spec textiles, webbing, and fabrics serving defense and aerospace customers. Comparable to Third Stone in producing custom fabric products to defense/aerospace specifications with quality system certifications.
• Web Industries: Precision converting and formatting of advanced composites, technical textiles, and films for aerospace and defense. Comparable to Third Stone as a custom manufacturer serving aerospace primes with engineered fabric and film-based assemblies.

Broad incumbents

• ContiTech (Continental): Large industrial rubber and fabric products manufacturer with aerospace and defense exposure including coated fabrics, bellows, and expansion joints. Comparable to Third Stone in the fabric bellows and expansion joint category for aerospace and industrial customers.
• Glen Raven: Large diversified textile manufacturer with industrial, military, and protective fabric product lines. Comparable to Third Stone as a broader textile incumbent serving overlapping aerospace/defense/protective fabric end markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

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 Third Stone