Tube, Pipe & Bar Products
For structural support, pipe systems, or high strength manufacturing – our tube, pipe and bar products provide solutions for a variety of applications.
HISTORY
Olympic steel established its pipe and tube business segment in 2011, with the acquisition of Chicago Tube & Iron (CTI). CTI was founded in Chicago in 1914 and now operates nine branches in the Midwest and Monterrey, Mexico. Aside from distribution services, CTI provides value-added fabrication that includes cutting, bending, welding, machining and other processes, transforming the raw material into components.
Central Tube & Bar (CTB) joined the pipe and tube segment of Olympic Steel in 2023. CTB began in 1996, in Conway, Arkansas, where it continues to operate from two facilities, and added a third production space in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2006. CTB provides precision laser cutting, tube bending and sawing, along with other fabrication services including precision cut parts up to fully assembled product lines for consumers.
Two additional Olympic Steel brands also offer pipe and tube products as part of our Specialty Metals Business Segment. Both are full-line distributors that stock various tubes, pipes and bars and offer a wide range of processing services. Action Stainless stocks flat and long products including stainless flat bars, tubing, pipe, angles, rounds, plates and sheet and aluminum materials. Shaw Stainless & Alloys specializes in stainless steel pipe and tube with a vast inventory of angle, bar, fittings and accessories.
TUBE, PIPE & BAR
In the simplest definition, tubes and pipes are anything with a hollow hole going down the full length of the part. Tubes are measured by their outer diameter (OD) and wall thickness, while pipes are measured by their inner diameter (ID). Pipes are always round, are tested for pressure limits, and are primarily used to transport fluids or gases. Tubes can be round, square or rectangular and are generally used in structural applications requiring smaller diameters, such as scaffolding and refrigerator tubing. Bars are solid rods that come in flat, square and round shapes, and are used for structural purposes from roofs and bridges to grates and railings.
PRODUCTS
Our pipe and tube selling locations provide product or raw material to all of the major industries across the country. While they have some crossover within industries, each also has their own unique core competencies. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) covering truck and trailer, recreation vehicles, furniture and fixtures, medical products and dairy/agricultural equipment are just a portion of our diverse customer base.
The products we produce make a difference in people’s lives. They silently play a small part in helping protect all of us – from harvesting food in the field, to police officers and fireman looking after the community, to the handrail you rely on for stability. Their products can be found in these items to name just a few examples:
- Roll cages in police vehicles
- Safety gates on the front of combines
- Extension ladders for firetrucks
- Tractors
- Basketball hoops
- Armored utility vehicles
- Handrails in commercial buses
- Cafeteria tables
- Automotive lift systems
- Motorcycles
OUTLOOK
CTI and CTB function as independent subsidiaries of Olympic Steel. Together they are integrated into the Tube, Pipe and Bar Business Segment, which is led by Bill Zielinski, President – Chicago Tube & Iron. CTB is steered by Eric Stuart, President – Central Tube & Bar. Along with their respective leadership teams, their focus in the next five to seven years is to grow available value-added processes and fabrication of pipe and tube products toward 50% of sales across the segment. This aligns with Olympic Steel’s 5-Year Strategy of growth and provides opportunities for continued synergy across the Company.
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