Our History

A leader in bimetals innovation

Copperweld has a distinguished history and a vision for helping optimize the use of critical metals like copper with safe, innovative bimetallic solutions.

Established near Pittsburgh over 100 years ago, Copperweld was instrumental in the electrification of the rural United States under the New Deal, the metals-conservation effort of World War II, and the cable television revolution that helped spawn the information age. By the 1970s, the Copperweld operated five warehouses, had a corporate headquarters in New York City and was listed in the Fortune 500.

1915

Early beginning

Engineers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania invented a molten-weld process for permanently bonding copper to steel. They formed the Copper-Clad Steel Company and begin selling wire for primary use in applications that required corrosion resistance. The market quickly discovered many more uses for this technological breakthrough.

1918

Rapid success

Page Steel and Wire Company, an early supplier of drawn Copperweld wire, releases the first catalog, offering a wide variety of products ranging from railroad bonding wire, telegraph and telephone wire and overhead grounding wires.

1920s

The Boston Exposition

Copperweld is featured at Boston Exposition for radio enthusiasts, where its use as antenna wire is touted. It soon becomes the standard in the radio industry.

1930s

The Great Depression

Copperweld power conductors, ground wires, pole guy wires and messenger wires play a key role in the Rural Electrification Program, adding electric-pump irrigation capabilities for farms across America.

1930s

Modernizing weld engineering

Copperweld becomes the first American company to convert from open-hearth furnaces to electric arc furnaces, a process resulting in higher strength and consistency.

1940s

WW2

Copperweld becomes the leading supplier to the US Army Signal Corps for power conductors, ground rods and clamps, overhead ground wires and guy wires. Throughout the war, Copperweld's signature reliability earned four prestigious Army-Navy "E" Awards for “high achievement in the production of war materials."

1950s

Post War

After the war ends, Copperweld returns to supplying domestic utilities with bimetallic conductors and growing into new markets, such as automotive brake drums.

1955

Fortune 500

The first year of the Fortune 500, Copperweld is listed as #500.

1960s

The Space Age

The molten-weld process is replaced with technological advancements like vacuum pressing and continuous casting in Copperweld’s facilities. Today, continuous casting is still used to manufacture Copperweld wire and cable.

1967

Alumoweld

Alumoweld, aluminum-clad steel, is created to add affordable strength to aluminum stranded conductors for the transmission of power for electric utilities.

1970s

Copper-Clad Aluminum

Copperweld offers a revolutionary new bimetal, Copper-Clad Aluminum (CCA), to support the rapidly growing coaxial cable TV (CATV) market.

1975

Fayetteville factory opens

Rapid growth drives Copperweld to open a CCA wire manufacturing plant in Fayetteville, TN, marking the first step toward moving operations from Pittsburg to Tennessee.

1997

Global reach

Copperweld acquired a manufacturing facility in Telford, England, continuing the company’s global shift toward direct distribution to suppliers and customers in Europe.

2013

Bimetallics leader

Copperweld acquired CommScope's bimetallic assets, galvanizing its position as the only U.S. owned and operated producer of bimetallic wire.

2018

A new wave of innovation

Copperweld launches Copperweld CCA NM-B Building Wire, under the leadership of a dynamic new team, fueled by strategic capital investments.

2020

Growing family

Copperweld acquires Copperhead Industries and Seminole Wire & Cable, adding extrusion and jacketing capabilities for finished cable products.

2021

Optimizing CCS

Following the findings of Copperweld's landmark high-power test program, the Power Grid team launched ArcAngel, a revolutionary new family of flexible CCS grounding conductors for substations and solar power generation.

2022

Product expansion

Building Wire extended is product line with two new launches: Metal-Clad (MC) Cable for commercial and municipal construction and Thermostat Cable for HVAC applications. Power Grid launched two new families of high-voltage products: Stingray for pole-top transformers and Sunray for PV power generation.

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