The 40-Year History of Central Steel Service, Inc.

Founded in 1981 as a high-strength, corrosion-resistant steel distributor to its sister company Process Equipment, Central Steel Service, Inc. is proud to celebrate 40 years of business in January 2021. Learn about the history of Central Steel Service and how the use of weathering steels has evolved over time.

The History of Central Steel Service, Inc. 

In its beginnings, Central Steel Service supplied Process Equipment with corrosion-resistant materials, primarily referred to as Cor-ten. Process Equipment utilized the corrosion-resistant material for a variety of their industrial pollution control products as an enhancement to their product life cycles over the standard A36 grade used by most of their competitors. 

During our 40 years of business, we have remained committed to our “niche” of supplying High Strength and High Strength Weathering steel products. In 2003, Keith Woods, the current owner and CEO of Central Steel Service, bought out the previous owners and implemented a growth strategy by focusing on increasing the geographic area of service nationally, as well as adding additional products in the Cor-Ten family, such as square and rectangular tubing and pipe. 

Central Steel also invested in two additional plasma burning tables, which equipped our team to improve service and supply value-added products to our customers by serving as the initial stage of their fabrication operations. We have continued to increase our storage capacity with the addition of 90,000 square feet of indoor storage space, which brings us to more than 125,000 square feet of indoor storage space today. This warehouse space allows us to maintain an extensive product inventory, which results in fast shipment turnarounds for our customers. 

After a fire destroyed our original office building in 2017, we rebuilt the building using weathering steels. Our goal was to utilize self-weathering steel in as many facets of the construction as possible, and today our office building serves as a model for the various applications of weathering steels. 

The Evolution of Weathering Steel Applications 

The United States Steel Corporation (USS) patented Cor-Ten® in 1933. Cor-Ten® became the trade name for atmospheric corrosion-resistant steel to be used where higher strength and longer life cycle material were desired. The name is a combination of its two main features: “Cor-rosion resistance” and “Ten-sile strength.”

As Cor-Ten® became more popular, producing mills began to develop their own atmospheric corrosion resistant steel. ASTM stepped in and created what are considered equivalent specifications to Cor-Ten® in most applications. 

The corrosion-resistant and aesthetic benefits of weathering steel appealed to many, and weathering steels have increased in popularity since our company began in 1981. Weathering steels are now used around the world to construct bridges, building facades, railcars, and transmission towers. They are also used in a variety of architectural applications, such as personal residences, sculptures, skywalks, fencing, roofing and siding. 

Central Steel Service Today

Today, we stock corten-equivalent, high strength, high strength weathering and abrasion resistant steel across several categories to meet the needs of our customers. We understand that the unique applications requiring these specialty products require the utmost attention to quality and material traceability. By focusing our entire resources to supplying only these specialty products, we will give you complete confidence in your decision to allow us to service your steel requirements. 

The strength and growth of Central Steel Service can be attributed directly to our employees’ long-term commitments to Central Steel Service and the loyalty of our customers. We are committed to providing customers with an exceptional level of service that makes their buying experience easy. 

Contact an experienced sales representative at Central Steel Service to learn more about our company and products.