Name

Big Top Manufacturing

Legal name

Big Top Manufacturing, Inc.

Website

https://bigtopusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Perry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fabric Structure Sales: Custom-built tension fabric structures sold as permanent or temporary buildings. Structures range from 20 to 174 feet wide and nearly any length. No internal columns or guy wires maximize interior space.
2. Installation Services: Turnkey installation services managed by Big Top experts, or onsite technical training for customers who prefer self-installation
3. Consulting Services: Expert consulting services for fabric structure design, engineering, and deployment
4. Accessories and Options: Doors, electrical systems, HVAC, insulation, lighting, flooring, lightning protection, and solar power packages sold as add-ons to core structures
5. Replacement Covers: Replacement fabric covers for existing Big Top structures
6. Financing Services: Flexible financing options offered to customers for purchasing fabric structures

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Big Top Manufacturing designs, engineers, and manufactures custom tension fabric structures ranging from 20 to 174 feet wide and nearly any length, built on industrial-grade galvanized steel frames with proprietary UV-blocking, flame-retardant fabric covers. The company sells these structures as permanent or temporary buildings across aviation, military, oil and gas, mining, marine, construction, environmental, and government verticals, complemented by accessories (doors, HVAC, insulation, lighting, lightning protection, solar) and turnkey installation, anchoring, engineering, and consulting services.

Product overview

Big Top Manufacturing offers a comprehensive portfolio of engineered tension fabric structures, not a software platform. The core product line consists of 15 distinct fabric building types including Aircraft Hangars and Sunshades, Coverall Buildings, Custom Fabric Buildings, Ecology Block Fabric Structures, Fabric Storage Buildings, Maintenance Bays, Medical Tents, Paint and Sandblasting Tents, Permanent Tent Structures, Portable Fabric Buildings, Safety Meeting and Lunch Tents, Shipping Container Hoop Buildings, Temporary Structures, Warehouse Tents, and Waste Management Buildings. These structures are complemented by 9 accessory product categories (Doors, Electrical, Flooring, Heating, HVAC, Insulation, Lighting, Lightning Protection, and Solar) and 8 service offerings (Installation, Anchoring and Foundations, Engineering, Financing, GSA Contract Services, Onsite Surveying, Replacement Covers, and Warranty). The products share a common technology platform featuring galvanized steel frames, NFPA701 flame-retardant fabric covers that block 99.95% UV radiation, thermal regulation properties (maintaining interiors 15°F cooler in summer and warmer in winter), and modular/mobile design capabilities. The portfolio serves 10 industries: Aviation, Construction, Environmental, Government, Marine, Military, Mining and Mineral, Oil and Gas, Schools, and Sports and Events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aircraft Hangars and Sunshades Weatherproof aircraft hangar and sunshade solutions for storage, maintenance, and flight line protection serving military and civilian aviation operations.
• Coverall Buildings Durable, adaptable, energy-efficient coverall buildings providing full enclosure coverage for industrial and commercial applications.
• Custom Fabric Buildings Engineered-to-order custom fabric buildings tailored to industry-specific challenges, available 20 to 174 feet wide and nearly any length.
• Ecology Block Fabric Structures Fabric structures anchored to ecology blocks for secure storage and containment, providing a cost-efficient alternative to permanent buildings.
• Fabric Storage Buildings Secure, scalable fabric storage buildings engineered for durability, energy efficiency, and rapid deployment across industries.
• Maintenance Bays Rapid-deployment, cost-effective maintenance shelters designed to protect equipment and streamline servicing operations.
• Medical Tents Fast-response medical tents for emergency response, triage, and healthcare operations deployable in remote or challenging locations.
• Paint and Sandblasting Tents EPA-compliant, weatherproof enclosures for safe and controlled sandblasting and painting operations.
• Permanent Tent Structures Long-term, energy-efficient permanent tent structures designed for durability, adaptability, and lower cost than conventional construction.
• Portable Fabric Buildings Structures with integrated mobility options including crane lifting, crane rails for movement, and telescoping design for expansion, retraction, or relocation.
• Safety Meeting and Lunch Tents Protective fabric tents for workforce lunch and safety meetings with UV-blocking covers.
• Shipping Container Hoop Buildings Fabric structures mounted on shipping containers to maximize space, mobility, and anchoring flexibility.
• Temporary Structures Rapid-deployment, portable structures for temporary operations with installation rate of 2,500 square feet per day.
• Warehouse Tents Durable, scalable warehousing tents providing secure, weather-resistant storage for any industry.
• Waste Management Buildings Fabric structures for recycling and waste management containment operations.
• Doors for Fabric Buildings Customizable door options for fabric buildings including personnel doors, roll-up and overhead doors, hydraulic-powered doors, winch-mobilized doors, and insulated doors.
• Electrical Systems for Fabric Buildings Engineered electrical systems with custom-designed layouts, power distribution, and lighting integration for fabric buildings.
• Flooring for Fabric Structures Durable, load-bearing modular flooring solutions for fabric structures, suitable for dirt, gravel, asphalt, and sand surfaces.
• Heating for Fabric Buildings Integrated heating solutions designed for temperature control, worker comfort, and equipment protection inside fabric structures.
• HVAC for Fabric Buildings Professionally engineered HVAC and ventilation systems providing precision temperature control, air quality, and year-round comfort.
• Fabric Building Insulation High-performance insulation options to enhance temperature control and energy efficiency for climate-sensitive fabric structure applications.
• Lighting for Fabric Buildings Custom interior and exterior LED and task lighting solutions for fabric buildings to improve visibility, efficiency, and safety.
• Lightning Protection for Fabric Buildings Engineered lightning protection systems with enhanced grounding and surge protection for fabric buildings in storm-prone areas.
• Solar for Fabric Buildings Eco-friendly solar power packages to reduce energy dependence and maximize sustainability for fabric buildings.
• Fabric Building Installation Services Professional installation services for fabric buildings, including onsite technical support for self-installers and turnkey installation by Big Top experts.
• Anchoring and Foundations Services Anchoring solutions for fabric structures across concrete, ecology blocks, gravel, dirt, asphalt, and shipping container foundations.
• Engineering Services Precision engineering for fabric structures, including custom designs engineered for heavy wind and snow loads.
• Consulting Services Expert consulting for fabric structure selection, design, and deployment.
• Onsite Surveying Services Onsite surveying to optimize fabric structure placement and specifications.
• GSA Contract Holder Services Simplified procurement of fabric structures for federal, state, and local government agencies via GSA Contract (GS-07F-073GA).

Quantifiable outcome

• Fabric structures cost up to 10x less than wood and cement construction
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• General Services Administration (GSA)coreOthersBig Top is a GSA Contract Holder (Contract #: GS-07F-073GA) enabling simplified procurement of fabric structures by government agencies through federal supply schedules.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Covermaster Inc. Covermaster focuses on tension fabric structures for sports, events, and warehousing with partial overlap on Big Top's sports & events and warehouse tent segments, though less focused on heavy industrial verticals.

Direct peers

• Sprung Instant Structures: Sprung is a long-established direct competitor specializing in rapid-deployment, tensioned fabric structures for military, oil & gas, and event use cases globally, competing head-to-head with Big Top on portable industrial and government projects.
• Legacy Building Solutions: Legacy Building Solutions designs and manufactures custom fabric structures on rigid steel frames for aviation, military, mining, and waste, closely mirroring Big Top's value proposition of rigid-frame engineered fabric buildings.
• ClearSpan Fabric Structures: ClearSpan is one of the largest direct competitors in tension fabric buildings, offering comparable custom-engineered fabric structures for industrial, agricultural, and commercial buyers with similar deployment speed and modularity claims.
• Calhoun Super Structure: Calhoun is a Canadian direct peer manufacturing custom-engineered fabric structures for industrial, commercial, and military applications, with comparable galvanized steel frames and tensioned membrane technology.
• Rubb Buildings Ltd: Rubb is an established direct competitor in tensioned fabric structures serving aviation hangars, military, and industrial storage with comparable modular, relocatable designs similar to Big Top's portable fabric buildings.
• WeatherPort Shelter Systems: WeatherPort is a direct competitor in engineered fabric buildings, offering portable and permanent structures for government, oil & gas, and events with overlapping product configurations and turnkey installation services.
• Alaska Structures: Alaska Structures is a direct peer manufacturing engineered fabric buildings with a heavy emphasis on military, government, and remote-site deployments — closely overlapping Big Top's GSA and military segment focus.

Broad incumbents

• Varco Pruden Buildings: Varco Pruden is an established broad incumbent in prefabricated steel buildings for commercial and industrial use, providing a more general-purpose alternative to Big Top's fabric-covered structures for warehousing and industrial applications.
• NCI Building Systems (Cornerstone Building Brands): Cornerstone Building Brands is a broad incumbent in metal building systems and prefabricated structures serving commercial and industrial construction, with overlapping but more general-purpose metal building offerings versus Big Top's fabric-specialized niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BigTopShelters
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ2cMOHAzU9Bblg2uUTZY3A/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/BigTopManufacturing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-top-shelters
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigtopmanufacturing

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&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Top Manufacturing