Fabrication Built for
Commercial Projects That
Can’t Afford Mistakes
For general contractors and developers who need fabricated structural steel delivered on time, to spec, and backed by certified quality control — not excuses.
Licensed Multi-State
Integrity. Safety. Quality.
AWS Certified Welding Inspector
About Our Fabrication Services
Category 5 Steel provides structural steel fabrication for commercial and industrial projects across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. With an AWS Certified Welding Inspector on staff and in-house detailing capability, we produce fabricated steel packages to the exact standards your project specifications require. Our experience spans bar joist buildings, seismic moment frames and BRB systems, cold storage facilities, aircraft hangars, and complex tenant improvement structural work.
WHAT CHANGES WHEN YOU WORK WITH CATEGORY 5 STEEL?
When we take on a fabrication scope, our AWS Certified Welding Inspector is involved from the start — not brought in at the end to sign off on work that’s already done. Quality is built into the process, not simply inspected after the fact.
We detail the steel in-house, which means the team that reviews your structural drawings is the same team cutting and welding the steel. Problems get caught in the shop, not on your job site.
And when the steel is ready, it ships complete, sequenced, and labeled — so your erection crew isn’t sorting through a pile of unmarked material on a schedule that’s already tight.
STRUCTURAL STEEL
WE CUSTOM FABRICATE
Category 5 Steel delivers complete steel fabrication services.
Structural Steel Frames — Red Iron
Wide-flange columns, beams, moment connections, braced frames, and custom structural assemblies fabricated to your engineer’s specifications. We read complex structural drawings and coordinate RFIs quickly.
Seismic Steel — Moment Frames, BRBs, CJP
Our D1.8 certification and AWS CWI credential are documented qualifications with a paper trail your AHJ will actually accept. We understand the performance intent behind seismic connection details, not just the geometry.
Bar Joist & Deck Building Packages
Bar joist and deck construction is core to what we do. Distribution centers, box buildings, manufacturing facilities, cold storage, and retail structures. We know this system at a level that shows in the finished product.
Cold Storage Facilities
Cold storage structural packages demand tight tolerances and sequencing that accounts for the insulated panel systems going in right behind the steel. Our fabrication team understands the interface.
Tenant Improvement & Structural Remodel
TI fabrication work is where most contractors get into trouble. We provide field measurement coordinated with modeling software, often catching issues before submittals, fabrication, and inevitable rework.
Aircraft Hangars & Clear-Span Structures
Large clear-span hangar structures require precise fabrication tolerances and experienced detailing. We’ve built hangar packages including door header systems, large bay framing, and critical dimensional assemblies.
The Problem
The Problem With Most
Structural Steel Fabricators
You submit an RFQ and wait two weeks for a number that’s vague, incomplete, or missing half the scope. The fabricator you selected based on price sends a delivery that doesn’t match the drawings. The pieces show up out of sequence. Connections are wrong. And now you’re two weeks behind your structural milestone with every other trade stacking up behind it.
Most fabrication shops are chasing volume. Your project gets handed to whoever is available, the detailing gets rushed, and quality control is an afterthought until something fails inspection.
The downstream cost of a fabrication problem isn’t just the rework. It’s every trade that was waiting on that steel. It’s the conversation with your owner. It’s your reputation on the line.
category 5 steel vs.
the typical shop
See the real difference in how a fabrication scope runs.
| Typical Fabrication Shop | Category 5 Steel |
|---|---|
| Third-party detailer, slow RFI response | ✓In-house detailing, same-day RFI coordination |
| QC is an end-of-scope inspection | ✓AWS CWI involved throughout fabrication |
| Generic weld procedures, minimal documentation | ✓D1.1 & D1.8 certified, WPSs and inspection records in order |
| Bid takes two weeks, still vague | ✓Fast preliminary bid, complete scope |
| Steel ships when it’s ready | ✓Delivery sequenced and timed to your erection schedule |
| No seismic certification | ✓D1.8 certified for moment frames, BRBs, CJP welds |
our fabrication standards
Slow fabricators, uncoordinated installers, and “weather delays” cost you time, profit, and credibility.
Category 5 Steel was built to remove those bottlenecks.
AWS Certified Welding Inspector On Staff
In-House Detailing
D1.8 Seismic Welding Certification
Works in All Weather
Our Process
Our Fabrication Process
Request a Preliminary Bid
Send us your structural drawings, project specs, and schedule milestones. We’ll review the full scope and return a preliminary bid that reflects real numbers — not a placeholder to hold your project while we figure out the actual cost.
Detailing & Shop Drawings
Our in-house detailers produce fabrication drawings coordinated against your structural engineer’s documents. We issue RFIs proactively. Shop drawings are submitted for approval on a schedule that protects your fabrication start date.
Fabrication with CWI Oversight
Steel is cut, fit, and welded to specification with our AWS CWI involved at each critical stage. WPSs, inspection records, and material certifications are maintained throughout.
Delivery
Fabricated steel ships complete, sequenced for erection, and marked to match the erection drawings. We coordinate delivery timing so material arrives when your crew is ready.
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.