One Contract.
One Team.
Complete Steel
From Design to Installation.
For general contractors and developers in the Pacific Northwest and country-wide who are done managing three separate steel vendors.
D1.8 Seismic Welding Certified
In-House Detailing — No Delays
AWS Certified Welding Inspector
About Category 5 Steel
Category 5 Steel provides full-service structural steel packages that cover detailing, fabrication, and installation under a single subcontract. General contractors and developers working on commercial projects across Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California, and beyond use our design-build model to eliminate the coordination gaps, schedule failures, and accountability problems that come from splitting steel work across multiple vendors. With an AWS Certified Welding Inspector on staff, D1.8 seismic certification, and a crew experienced working safely in all weather conditions to maintain schedules, Category 5 Steel delivers complete structural steel packages from first drawing to final connection.
WHAT A FULL SERVICE STEEL PACKAGE ACTUALLY MEANS
When Category 5 Steel takes on a full-service structural steel package, we own the scope from the first coordination meeting to the final connection on site.
One contract. One team. One point of accountability. That single-source accountability is what our GC and developer clients come back for — it’s not a pitch, it’s the reason the job runs on schedule with fewer backcharges.
01 — In-House Structural Detailing
We produce fabrication and erection drawings coordinated against your structural engineer’s documents. Shop drawings are submitted on a schedule that protects the fabrication start date. One point of contact — not three vendors sending separate submittals.
02 — Precision Fabrication with CWI Oversight
Our AWS Certified Welding Inspector is on the shop floor throughout fabrication, not brought in at the end. Material certifications, weld procedure specifications, and inspection records are maintained from the first cut to the final piece shipped.
03 — Structural Steel Installation
Our installation crews are experienced working safely in all weather conditions to maintain schedules. Rain, snow, and heat don’t shut us down — we build realistic schedules and we hold to them.
04 — Schedule Coordination Throughout
We don’t disappear between bid and delivery. Our team coordinates fabrication milestones against the schedule, communicates delivery timing, and flags issues early so you’re never the last to know.
PROJECTS WE DELIVER AS
FULL SERVICE PACKAGES.
Our expertise building everything from bar joist and deck warehouses to seismic remodels with architectural steel brings real-world constructability experience to every project.
Retail, Mixed-Use & Tenant Improvement
We deliver fast TI work in live environments without blowing schedules.
Healthcare & Medical Facilities
We meet strict seismic and compliance requirements with fully documented, audit-ready work.
Industrial & Manufacturing Facilities
We build clear-span facilities on fixed timelines, nationwide.
Owner-Developer & Design-Build Projects
We deliver predictable cost, consistent crews, and full-project accountability.
founded in Spokane Valley. Built On Reputation.
Why Pacific Northwest GCs Choose Us
Category 5 Steel was founded in Spokane Valley in 2013 by Darryl Matlen and Claire Cerling-Matlen. Darryl began welding in high school, trained as an ironworker, and built his field experience as a structural steel superintendent before starting his own company. Claire is an AWS Certified Welding Inspector who runs quality control at the shop.
For GCs and developers in Spokane, the Inland Northwest, and across the Pacific Northwest, working with Category 5 Steel means working with a team that’s invested in your project’s outcome.
- ✓AWS Certified Welding Inspector On Staff
- ✓D1.8 Seismic Welding Certification
- ✓OSHA Authorized Construction Trainers
- ✓Pre-qualification packages available immediately
- ✓Licensed in 16+ States | Projects in 29 States
full service steel package
vs. split vendor
See the difference clearly. One model closes coordination gaps. The other creates them.
| Split-Vendor Model | Category 5 Steel Full-Service |
|---|---|
| Three contracts, three schedules, three accountability gaps | ✓One contract, one team, one schedule |
| Detailer RFIs wait on fabricator input | ✓In-house detailing and fabrication communicate directly |
| Shop drawings and fabrication out of sync | ✓In-house detailers coordinate with the shop crew |
| Field problems generate finger-pointing | ✓Field problems solved by the crew that built the steel |
| Delivery timing is the fabricator’s problem | ✓Delivery sequenced to your erection and pour schedule |
| Requalify subs for every new state | ✓Single partner licensed in 16+ states |
| QC is a final inspection | ✓AWS CWI on the floor throughout fabrication |
The Problem
The Real Cost of Splitting Your Steel Package
Most commercial structural steel projects involve three separate vendors — a detailer, a fabricator, and an erector. Each has their own schedule, their own priorities, and their own version of who’s responsible when something goes wrong.
The split-vendor model works fine when everything goes perfectly. Commercial structural steel projects rarely go perfectly.
- ✗Three contracts, three schedules, three accountability gaps — each pointing at the others when something slips.
- ✗Detailer RFIs sit for days waiting on fabricator input, costing you submittal time and pushing your fab start.
- ✗Shop drawings and fabrication get out of sync when different companies own each scope.
- ✗Field problems generate finger-pointing. Nobody owns the full scope, so nobody owns the solution.
- ✗Delivery timing becomes the fabricator’s problem — until it becomes your problem on pour day.
- ✗Every new state project means requalifying three vendors from scratch.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Ready to Talk
About Your Project?
If your project is in the design phase, the bidding phase, or you’re qualifying subs for upcoming work — send us your drawings and scope and we’ll come back with a preliminary bid.