Forderer Cornice Works

What Forderer Cornice Works does

Forderer Cornice Works is a 6th-generation, family-owned commercial door, frame, and hardware supplier founded in 1875 in San Francisco and currently headquartered in Hayward, California. The company supplies and installs integrated door assemblies — including hollow metal, wood, fiberglass, aluminum, fire-rated, lead-lined, and detention/security doors — paired with corresponding frames and mechanical, electric, automatic, and specialty hardware. Its core products serve four primary verticals: government and correctional facilities (federal and state prisons, county jails, courthouses), healthcare (hospitals and medical offices including Stanford, UCSF, Kaiser, and Sutter Health), education (UC Berkeley, Stanford, K-12 schools), and commercial construction (hotels, theaters, retail, and tech campuses such as Meta, Genentech, and Groupon).

The company's business model is project-based B2B sales: it works directly with general contractors, architects, and end-users on a furnish-and-install (or furnish-only) basis, with custom specifications and quotes per project. Specialty capabilities — particularly detention-grade door systems for correctional facilities, fire-rated assemblies, lead-lined doors for radiation protection, and acoustic/sound-control doors — represent high-margin differentiators earned through 149 years of institutional relationships and skilled union labor access via the Northern California Carpenters Union. The firm maintains multi-supplier partnerships with national manufacturers including ASSA ABLOY, Allegion, Steelcraft, Dormakaba, and SAFTI to deliver product breadth.

Forderer operates as a small, privately-held business (11-50 employees) with no external institutional investment or parent company. It is led by President Matt Fisher, with VP-level leads for sales, engineering, and operations, and includes family oversight via Special Advisor Curt Forderer. The firm's primary geographic focus is California, with historical projects in Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Marketing is conducted primarily through a portfolio-style website (fordererdoors.com) and direct contractor/architect relationships, with no disclosed digital channels or AI/technology capabilities.

Name

Forderer Cornice Works

Legal name

Forderer Cornice Works Inc.

Website

https://fordererdoors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1875

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forderer Cornice Works is a 6th-generation, family-owned Hayward, California supplier and installer of commercial doors, frames, and hardware for construction projects, serving government/correctional, healthcare, education, and commercial clients throughout California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Doors and Hardware

NAICS

Metal Window and Door Manufacturing (332321), Wood Window and Door Manufacturing (321911), Glass and Glazing Contractors (23815), Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing (32721)

SIC

Metal Doors, Sash, Frames, Moldings & Trim (3442), Glass Products, Made Of Purchased Glass (3231)

akta.pro primary industry

Interior Doors (IMADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frames, Sashes, Mullions & Subframes (IMADAIAH), Glass Fabrication & Processing Services (Cutting/Edging/Drilling/Polishing) (IMADAHAI)

Keywords

• Commercial door supply
• Door frames hardware
• Detention door systems
• Fire-rated doors
• Construction door installation

Headquarters

HQ city

Hayward

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, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Supply of commercial doors (hollow metal, wood, fiberglass, aluminum), frames (hollow metal, aluminum, wood), and hardware (mechanical, electric, automatic, specialty) for construction projects.
2. Installation Services: Furnish and install services including installation of integrated door assemblies, hardware, and specialty glass. Some projects listed as 'furnish only' while others include installation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Forderer Cornice Works supplies and installs commercial doors, frames, hardware, and specialty glass for construction projects throughout California. Its offerings include hollow metal, wood, fiberglass, and aluminum doors; matching frames; mechanical, electric, automatic, and specialty hardware; and integrated door assemblies for correctional, healthcare, educational, and commercial buildings. The company also provides turnkey furnish-and-install services executed by union-trained carpenters.

Product overview

Forderer Cornice Works is a 6th-generation commercial door, frame, and hardware supplier established in 1875, serving construction projects throughout California. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of door products (Hollow Metal Doors, Flush Wood Doors, Fire-Rated Doors, Fiberglass Doors, Stile & Rail Wood Doors, Lead-Lined Doors, Detention Doors, Security Doors, Barn Doors, Pocket Doors, Double Acting Doors), paired with frame solutions (Hollow Metal Frames, Wood Frames, Aluminum Frames, Fiberglass Frames, Security Frames) and hardware components (Automatic Hardware, Electric Hardware, Mechanical Hardware, Specialty Hardware). The company also provides glass products (Fire-Rated Glass, Security Glass, X-Ray Lead Glass) and Integrated Door Assemblies that combine doors, frames, and hardware for streamlined installation. Services include both furnishing and installation, with specialized capabilities for government/correctional, healthcare, education, and commercial construction sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hollow Metal Doors Steel hollow metal doors manufactured and supplied for commercial, institutional, and correctional construction projects in California.
• Flush Wood Doors Commercial flush wood doors supplied for commercial, healthcare, educational, and office construction projects.
• Stile & Rail Wood Doors Architectural stile and rail wood doors supplied for commercial and hospitality projects requiring premium wood door appearance.
• Fiberglass Doors Fiberglass commercial doors supplied for high-moisture, healthcare, and institutional applications.
• Fire-Rated Doors Fire-rated door assemblies supplied for commercial, healthcare, and educational projects requiring code-compliant fire-rated openings.
• Lead-Lined Doors Lead-lined doors supplied for healthcare, radiology, and X-ray room openings requiring radiation shielding.
• Detention Doors High-security detention doors supplied for correctional, jail, and prison construction projects, including slam- and attack-resistant assemblies.
• Security Doors Security-grade doors supplied for institutional and high-security commercial applications.
• Hollow Metal Frames Hollow metal frames fabricated in-house across multiple gauges, sizes, and configurations to match commercial hollow metal door installations.
• Wood Frames Wood door frames supplied for commercial and architectural projects using wood doors.
• Aluminum Frames Aluminum door frames supplied for commercial and architectural projects requiring aluminum storefront-style openings.
• Fiberglass Frames Fiberglass door frames supplied for commercial and high-moisture applications.
• Security Frames Security-grade door frames supplied for detention, correctional, and high-security facility openings.
• Integrated Door Assemblies Fully integrated door, frame, hardware, and glass assemblies engineered, fabricated, and supplied as a single unit for complex commercial, healthcare, and correctional openings.
• Commercial Door Hardware Mechanical, electric, automatic, and specialty door hardware supplied for commercial, institutional, and correctional openings.
• Fire-Rated Glass Fire-rated architectural glass supplied for fire-rated door and window openings in commercial and institutional projects.
• Security Glass Security-grade architectural glass supplied for high-security, detention, and institutional openings.
• X-Ray Lead Glass Lead-lined X-ray glass supplied for radiology, imaging, and other healthcare facilities requiring radiation shielding.
• Furnish and Install Services Turnkey furnish-and-installation services for commercial doors, frames, hardware, and specialty glass on California construction projects, performed by union-trained carpenters.

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Northern California Carpenters UnioncoreOthersProud signatory of the Northern California Carpenters Union, demonstrating commitment to skilled union labor workforce and industry labor standards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ASSA ABLOY: Global leader in door opening solutions, access control, and hardware including Ceco Door. Broader incumbent operating across the same doors, frames, and hardware categories that Forderer serves in California; also a Forderer partner.
• Allegion: Global provider of security products and door hardware solutions including Schlage, Von Duprin, LCN, and Ives. Broader incumbent in the door hardware and access-control space where Forderer operates; one of Forderer's listed partners.
• Dormakaba: Global provider of door hardware, access solutions, and automatic door systems. Broader incumbent overlapping with Forderer's automatic hardware, electrified hardware, and access-control integration offerings; listed as a Forderer partner.

Direct peers

• Steelcraft (Allegion): Allegion-owned manufacturer of commercial steel doors and frames. Directly comparable to Forderer as both supply hollow metal doors and frames for commercial construction; Steelcraft is even listed as a Forderer partner, highlighting the overlap in product offering.
• Republic Doors & Frames: Manufacturer of hollow metal doors and frames serving commercial, institutional, and detention applications. Directly comparable to Forderer's core hollow metal and detention door product lines.
• Mesker Door: Manufacturer of hollow metal doors and frames for commercial and architectural openings. Directly comparable to Forderer's hollow metal door and frame supply business.
• Ceco Door Products: ASSA ABLOY-owned manufacturer of steel and specialty commercial doors. Comparable to Forderer's hollow metal and integrated door assembly offerings for healthcare, education, and correctional construction.
• DCI Hollow Metal: Manufacturer of hollow metal doors and frames for commercial and institutional buildings. Comparable to Forderer's hollow metal door and frame product line, and listed as a Forderer partner, indicating the two operate in the same product category.
• Krieger Specialty Products: Manufacturer of specialty and detention-grade doors, frames, and security hardware. Comparable to Forderer's detention and security door product line for correctional and high-security applications.
• Ambico Specialty Doors: Manufacturer of specialty and architectural doors including acoustic, lead-lined, fire-rated, and detention doors. Closely comparable to Forderer's specialty product range for healthcare, government, and commercial construction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forderer-cornice-works

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Forderer Cornice Works