Pre-engineered Metal Building Manufacturers We Work With
The Carport Co. works with the best steel and metal structure manufacturers across the country. The manufacturers are the ones creating the galvanized steel tubing and sheet metal used in every carport, garage, and commercial building.
Working with multiple tube frame manufacturers allows us to offer competitive pricing, a variety of products, and more customization options. It also helps maintain fast lead times and allows us to cover more ground. If you’re reading this, it’s likely if we didn’t work with multiple manufacturers, we wouldn’t be able to offer our services in your area.
If you are interested in purchasing material only (galvanized steel tubing, sheet metal, etc), all manufacturers we work with allow material only orders that you can pick up from the manufacturing shop. Please call (317) 300-4190 or email [email protected].
ACE Steel Carports - Our Local Champion
ACE Steel Carports is our go-to manufacturer. ACE has their headquarters in New Castle, Indiana (about 1-hour east of Indianapolis). If ACE covers your area, that’s who we urge you to choose. They have one of the fastest lead times, best warranty, and best customer service. Our commission per structure from ACE is the same as our other manufacturers, so our opinion is completely unaffected by financial motivation or greed. We genuinely love working with ACE, and wish their coverage area was larger. Hopefully, we can contribute to their future expansion(s) with your support.
At the time of writing this article, ACE Steel Carports has had one complaint on the BBB in the past 3 years. ACE has a Google review rating of 4.2 stars.
Now, with all that being said, ACE Steel Carports might be our favorite manufacturer to send customers to, but they are not the cheapest option. Their warranties and willingness to send engineering plans (needed for permits) to you before you pay a deposit on a structure make the cost worth it. Visit our Warranty Coverage page to learn more.
We would only ever advise not to choose ACE Steel Carports if your structure is temporary. In all other cases, go with ACE.
ACE Steel Carports manufacturers all structures in New Castle, Indiana.
ACE Steel Carports: Website | Google Reviews | BBB Page
American Steel Carports - Largest in the Country
American Steel Carports is the largest carport and metal building manufacturer in the United States. American has its headquarters in Joshua, Texas. American covers over 35 states across the country. They have good customer service, fast lead times, and a decent warranty. Their build quality is equivalent to that of ACE Steel Carports, which is excellent. Their warranty offering could be improved.
At the time of writing this article, American Steel Carports has had 57 complaints on the BBB in the last 3 years. American has a Google review rating of 4.5 stars.
Pricing leans toward the more expensive side when American Steel Carports is not running a sale, which is often. Most manufacturers run sales pretty much year round, but American’s go in and out. If you are unlucky enough to look into your project when American isn’t running a sale, it might be best to wait a month or two before deciding to purchase. However, this strategy can be risky, as the price of steel is volatile and could drastically increase.
You really can’t go wrong choosing American Steel Carports. They became the largest manufacturer in the country, and have held that title for over 25-years for a reason. We’ve never had a customer complaint about their customer service. You won’t regret choosing American for your structure.
American Steel Carports: Website | Google Reviews | BBB Page
Eagle Carports - Lowest Pricing
Eagle Carports has their headquarters in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, and they offer some truly incredible pricing. We’re not even sure how they do it. A 12x20x6 open carport through Eagle costs $1,195. The same carport through ACE Steel Carports or American Steel Carports would cost $1,595.
At the time of writing this article, Eagle Carports has had 59 complaints on the BBB in the past 3 years. This makes it the highest out of all manufacturers we partner with. Eagle has a Google review rating of 3.3 stars. Most the negative reviews are coming from customers whose buildings have caved in or collapsed, with some claiming the building was ripped out of the ground by 30-40 MPH winds (supposed to be rated to 135 MPH).
Eagle Carports is who we recommend to customers on a tight budget. If you’re looking to maximize savings, Eagle is your best bet. Though, this great pricing goes away as soon as you add sides and ends to an open carport, and the pricing becomes more in line with our other manufacturers. So if you’re looking for a garage or other enclosed structure, it’s going to be around the same cost, no matter which manufacturer you choose.
Unfortunately, we need to devote a separate section to Eagle Carports’ warranty offering. It’s essentially non-existent. With what they do cover, Eagle is very picky about what exactly customers need to do to both be eligible, and remain eligible for the warranty coverage. If Eagle’s pricing is in line with another manufacturer, we can’t in good faith recommend Eagle when you could spend the same amount of money and get some warranty coverage with your structure.
Eagle Carports: Website | Google Reviews | BBB Page
About the Pre-Fabricated Metal Building Industry
Before we delve into our sales pitch about why you should choose The Carport Co. to do your project, we wanted to discuss a few important things within the pre-fabricated metal building industry.
Going With the Lowest Price: Unless your building will be a temporary installation, or you live in an area with no high winds or snow, we do not recommend picking the manufacturer that offers the lowest price, with pricing being the only consideration in your decision. Do your research, vet the company on Google, vet the company on the BBB, ask in-depth questions, etc.
Warranty Offering: Ensure to ask questions about what options come with a warranty, if your options come with a warranty, and ask for a physical document outlining what is covered, what isn’t covered, and what will void your warranty. Also, remember that a warranty is only as good as the company. Your 20-year warranty doesn’t matter if the company doesn’t exist in 20-years.
Note About the BBB: Many people mistake the BBB as a government or government-adjacent company. The BBB is a review site and not affiliated with the government. Your state’s consumer protection division of the attorney general’s office does what many think the BBB does. Google gives a better insight into how a company treats their customers, and it’s what we would recommend to evaluate the manufacturer you choose.
The Industry in 2020: In 2020, COVID many manufactures had orders piled up and ready to go out for installation, and then a lockdown order went into place. The industry was really flipped upside down. No one knew what we could do. Safety precautions meant preparing worker and customer areas for safe interactions, people were getting sick, etc. If you look, you can probably find negative reviews from 2020 to 2021 of customers complaining of long lead times, manufacturers cancelling orders, etc. What happened was the price of steel doubled, and manufacturers didn’t have enough on hand to complete every new order, as they place supply orders every month to manufacture more. However, when you run out have steel, and have 200 orders left to manufacture, you’re forced to either take a huge loss on what you’ve sold, or offer refunds. The approach taken varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Lead times went from 2 to 4 weeks to 6 months for some manufacturers. If you see bad reviews for manufacturers relating to lead time around this timeframe, that is why.
Why Not Go Directly to Manufacturer?
After reading about the manufacturers we use, and perhaps you’ve learned that many companies you see advertising online aren’t manufacturers themselves, but dealers for manufacturers. You’re probably wondering why you shouldn’t just go directly to a manufacturer for your project.
We believe in transparency here, so we will say you are 100% free to do that. There is nothing stopping you from going directly to a manufacturer and having them do your project.
However, there are a few things you should know when ordering with The Carport Co. First, we charge absolutely no markup fees, all pricing is direct manufacturer pricing. Second, you get great customer service. If, for whatever reason, you’re getting nowhere with the manufacturer with an issue you’re having, we pledge to fight for you.
We would love to earn your business! Call (317) 300-4190 or email [email protected] to get started!
