Architectural & Structural Metals Mfrs
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 12,700 metal manufacturers in the US produce structural, ornamental, and architectural metal products, primarily for use in the construction industry. Major product categories include sheet metal work; fabricated structural metal products; ornamental and architectural products; plate work; windows and doors; and prefabricated building and component products. Sheet metal work includes air conditioning ducts and stove pipe; electronic enclosures; roofing and roof drainage equipment; flooring and siding; and culverts, flumes, and irrigation pipe. Fabricated structural metal products include bar joists, concrete reinforcements, and structural metal for bridges.
Seasonal Sales
Sales are seasonal and driven by construction activity, which typically peaks during warmer weather.
Capital-Intensive Operations
Historically, architectural and structural metals manufacturing has been a capital-intensive industry and is becoming more so as the pace of technological change accelerates.
Industry size & Structure
The average architectural and structural metals manufacturer operates out of a single location, employs about 32 workers, and generates $9 million annually.
- The architectural and structural metals manufacturing industry consists of about 12,700 companies, employs 412,000 workers, and generates about $113.6 billion annually.
- The industry is highly fragmented; the top 50 firms account for nearly 28% of industry sales.
- Some large companies are vertically integrated and own and operate raw steel manufacturing facilities, such as mini-mills.
- Large companies include Valmont Industries, Cornerstone Building Brands, OmniMax International (formerly Euramax International), Quanex Building Products, and Gibraltar Industries.
- Commercial construction accounts for the majority of industry sales.
- Structural steel is the most commonly used framing material in the US, and accounts for over half of framing used in non-residential and multi-story (more than four stories) residential construction, according to the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).
Industry Forecast
Architectural & Structural Metals Mfrs Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Mar 18, 2025 - Exempting Building Materials From Tariffs
- The Metal Construction Association (MCA), along with eight other industry associations, is urging the Trump administration to exempt building materials from tariffs, stating in a letter to the president that tariffs would undermine his administration’s goal of increasing affordable housing. The letter states that 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods would impact efforts to build affordable housing because about one-quarter of building materials used in the US come from Mexico and Canada. Moreover, the MCA is concerned about how the tariffs will affect pricing and impact the metal construction industry’s ability to compete against alternative materials. On March 6, Trump deferred tariffs on goods covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), for now. However, on March 12th, 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the US took effect.
- More companies are considering sourcing from US-based mills to avoid stiff tariffs on imported steel and benefit from the reliability and timeliness offered by shorter supply chains, according to metals service center Mead Metals. Makers of steel products who reshore their supply chains can benefit from relationships with local mills and service centers that offer just-in-time shipping and proximity advantages that reduce inventory, logistics costs, and lead times. But with demand for local suppliers rising, purchasing managers could see tight availability for certain metals, underscoring the need for proactive sourcing and flexible inventory strategies, according to Mead Metals. A 2019 Federal Reserve Board study found that while tariffs imposed by the first Trump administration increased US steel production, the resulting higher input costs reduced manufacturing jobs, relative to what it would have been without tariffs, and raised production costs for metal-based goods.
- December’s construction hiring numbers – an indicator of future demand for architectural and structural metals – reached their lowest levels since April 2020, according to the recently released US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. “Construction industry hiring slowed to an unprecedented pace in December,” said Associated Building and Contractors (ABC) chief economist Anirban Basu, adding “The hiring rate fell to 3.6% for the month, the lowest level on record aside from the pandemic-affected month of April 2020.” The industry’s diminished demand for labor may have been due to cold weather and the transition between presidential administrations, Basu said, adding he didn’t expect the trend to continue. According to the ABC Confidence Index, construction companies are planning to add staff this year, “suggesting that hiring could pick up during the first half of 2025,” Basu said.
- Producer prices for architectural and structural metals manufacturers were relatively flat in December compared to a year ago after rising 2.8% in the previous December-versus-December annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Following a steep runup that began in 2021 and peaked in August 2022, producer prices haven’t budged much in over two years. Employment was also relatively unchanged year over year in December, while average wages at architectural and structural metals manufacturers rose 3.8% over the same period to $26.27 per hour, BLS data show. Industry margins are being squeezed with after-tax profits for fabricated metal products companies down 15.9% in the third quarter compared to a year ago and down 4.7% versus the previous quarter, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau.
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