//Horex trade

What //Horex trade does

Horex trade d.o.o. is a Croatian B2B steel products and processing company founded in 1996 in Zagreb and wholly owned by the Austrian Exterstahl Group (parent headquartered in Linz). The company distributes flat and long steel products — including hot-rolled, cold-rolled, galvanized, and shipbuilding sheets; structural beams (HEA, HEB, HEM, INP, IPE, UNP); merchant bars; and tubes and pipes — sourced directly from leading European mills via the parent group. It holds ISO 9001:2015 and EN 764-5 certifications and supplies mill-certified grades with full traceability (ABS, BV, DNV-GL, LR, RINA, CRS), including DB-standard plates for railway and proprietary Exterstahl RELAX laser-quality sheets.

Horex trade operates two production-and-wholesale sites in Croatia (Zagreb headquarters and Varaždin processing center) plus a Rijeka representation office, while leveraging group-level infrastructure in Linz and Krems, Austria. Its Varaždin facility, acquired from the Russian Mechel Group in 2013 and progressively expanded, houses High Definition plasma cutting with True Hole technology, CNC flame cutting on tables up to 4,000x28,000mm, CNC drilling up to 32mm diameter, shot blasting per ISO 8501-02, primer painting, custom packaging, and ultrasonic testing per EN 10160 — capabilities that convert the business from pure trading into a value-added processing partner.

The company serves primarily shipbuilding and construction, with secondary exposure to manufacturing/industrial and railway verticals. Pricing is quote-based and delivered through framework contracts that can lock fixed prices for up to three years with full currency and price risk transferred to the supplier, alongside same-day and 24-hour delivery from on-site stock exceeding 10,000 tons of hot-rolled sheets and approximately 7,000 tons of cutting stock. As of November 2025, Horex trade has divested its retail division (Horex Maloprodaja) and concentrates exclusively on wholesale distribution and production.

Name

//Horex trade

Legal name

HOREX TRADE D.O.O.

Website

https://horex.hr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Horex trade d.o.o. is a Croatian B2B steel distributor and processor, wholly owned by the Austrian Exterstahl Group, serving shipbuilding, construction, manufacturing, and railway customers across Croatia and Central Europe with mill-certified steel products, CNC cutting, and surface treatment services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zagreb

HQ country

Croatia

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Steel Products Sales: Wholesale and distribution of flat and long steel products including hot rolled sheets, plates, cold rolled sheets, galvanized sheets, shipbuilding sheets, structural sections, pipes and tubes, merchant bars, and beams. Products sourced directly from manufacturers as part of Exterstahl Group.
2. Steel Processing Services: CNC plasma and flame cutting, marking, welding preparation, CNC drilling, shot blasting, cleaning, primer painting, and custom packaging services. Both one-off orders and annual contract arrangements available.
3. Commercial Services: Logistics, storage, technical consulting, financing support, and framework sales contracts with price risk transfer for up to 3 years.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Horex trade is a B2B wholesale distributor and processor of flat and long steel products, sourcing directly from leading European steel mills through its parent Exterstahl Group. The company sells hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, and organic coated sheets and coils, shipbuilding plates, structural beams, merchant bars, tubes, and pipes, complemented by in-house CNC plasma/flame cutting, drilling, shot blasting, ultrasonic testing, and commercial services such as logistics, storage, technical consulting, and framework contracts with fixed prices for up to 3 years.

Product overview

Horex trade is a steel products company offering a comprehensive portfolio of flat and long steel products as part of the Exterstahl Group. The core product lines include Steel Sheets (various hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, and organic coated variants), Tubes and Pipes, Beams, and Merchant Bars. These are complemented by value-added Processing Services (plasma/flame cutting, CNC punching, sandblasting, welding, custom packaging) and Production Services (ultrasonic testing, design/technology development, external body testing). Commercial Services provide logistics, storage, financing support, and long-term framework contracts. The company also operates a retail channel called SteelShop and offers the Exterstahl RELAX laser-optimized sheet brand. Products are sourced directly from European manufacturers with full traceability and include DB-standard plates for railway applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Steel Sheets (Limovi)

Quantifiable outcome

• 54.64% energy savings through photovoltaic installation and LED lighting upgrade
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• Exterstahl Group (parent company)coreOthers · 1 January 1996Horex trade d.o.o. is part of the EXTERSTAHL Group headquartered in Linz, Austria (steel metropolis of Upper Austria). The parent company's financial strength and direct contacts with leading European manufacturers ensure supply continuity regardless of global steel market fluctuations while protecting customer interests. Exterstahl Group includes operations in Austria, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, and Hungary.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Klöckner & Co SE: Klöckner is one of Europe's largest independent steel and metals distributors, combining mill-sourced supply with processing services across the continent. Comparable to Horex trade as a wholesale-plus-processing model serving industrial and construction customers, but at significantly larger scale.
• Voestalpine AG: Voestalpine is an Austrian steel and technology group headquartered in Linz, the same city as Horex trade's parent Exterstahl Group. Comparable as a major steel producer and processor operating in the same Austrian/Central European market and serving overlapping end-markets including railway and industrial customers.
• ArcelorMittal Europe: ArcelorMittal is the world's largest steel producer, with major European flat-steel operations and downstream service centers across Croatia, Romania, and neighbouring countries. Comparable to Horex trade in producing and distributing the full range of flat and long products and serving shipbuilding and construction customers across Central and Southeastern Europe.
• Salzgitter AG: Salzgitter is a major German steel producer and service-center operator under the Peiner Träger / Salzgitter Mannesmann Stahlservice brands. Comparable to Horex trade in steel product distribution and processing, with shared shipbuilding, construction, and industrial customer bases, but at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe: Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe is one of the largest flat-steel producers in Europe, headquartered in Duisburg with deep processing and distribution capabilities. Comparable to Horex trade in serving automotive, construction, and shipbuilding markets with steel supply and processing, but at vastly larger scale and vertical integration.

Direct peers

• Kovintrade (SIJ Group): Kovintrade is a Slovenian metals trading and distribution company within SIJ Group, the largest Slovenian steelmaker. Comparable to Horex trade as a regional Central/Southeastern European steel and metals wholesaler with a similar product profile (sheets, beams, merchant bars, pipes) serving overlapping industrial customers.
• Marcegaglia: Marcegaglia is an Italian family-owned steel processor and distributor operating extensive service centers across Europe and internationally. Comparable to Horex trade in the combination of long and flat steel product distribution with in-house cutting, drilling, and surface treatment services.
• Wuppermann Group: Wuppermann is an Austrian-headquartered steel processing group operating service centers in Central and Western Europe, offering flat-steel processing and distribution. Comparable to Horex trade's Central European processing-and-distribution model and similar customer verticals in construction and industrial buyers.

Emerging players

• Dunaferr Steelworks: Dunaferr is the Hungarian steel mill based in Dunaújváros that co-founded Horex trade in 1996 as a joint venture. Comparable relationship as the original upstream steel partner for Horex trade and a regional Central European steel supplier serving similar industrial customers, though now in a reduced operational state.

Regional players

• Štore Steel (SIJ Group): Štore Steel is a Slovenian producer of special and tool steels within SIJ Group, serving European machinery and tool-making customers. Comparable to Horex trade as a Central/Southeastern European steel supplier addressing industrial customers, though focused upstream on steelmaking rather than distribution and processing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/horex-exterstahl

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

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 //Horex trade