Answers to the questions we most often hear from furniture designers, manufacturers, interior designers, and architects.
Don’t see yours? Call 616-453-0556 or request a quote.
Custom metal furniture components and fabricated metal parts: table bases and legs, seating and casegood frames, brackets, mounting plates, modesty panels, and decorative details. We’ve fabricated metal in Grand Rapids, Michigan, since 1978.
Most of our customers are furniture designers, furniture manufacturers, interior designers, and architects. Contract furniture brands such as Steelcase, Herman Miller, and Haworth rely on us for component programs. We also take one-time orders for individual projects.
Yes. Every product in our catalog can be customized, including X bases, T bases, cantilever bases, tri-leg bases, and suspended legs. Adjusting the height, footprint, or finish of an existing design usually costs less and moves faster than starting from scratch.
Yes. Send DWG, DXF, PDF, JPG, or PNG files, a shop drawing, or a hand sketch, and we’ll provide a quote. If you have an idea but no drawing, our team will help you develop a design we can fabricate, with no extra fee for sketches and conversations.
Yes. Forming, machining, welding, and finishing all happen in our Grand Rapids shop, so your parts never bounce between vendors.
Call 616-453-0556 or request a quote online. Include a drawing or sketch, quantity, material, finish, how the piece will be used, and your timeline. We accept DWG, DXF, PDF, JPG, and PNG files.
We return a detailed, line-item quote within 48 hours. Missing details, such as quantity, full dimensions, or whether the height includes levelers, are the most common cause of delay.
Design complexity, material, size, finish, and quantity. Bends, welds, and tight tolerances often cost more than the metal itself, and custom plating costs more than powder coat. Our guide to custom metal fabrication cost breaks it down.
No. We make everything from a single prototype to production orders in the thousands. Per-piece pricing starts to drop at around ten pieces, and finishing often carries a minimum charge per batch, so very small orders cost more per part.
Yes, rush orders carry additional charges. Share your install or launch date when you request a quote, and we’ll tell you what’s possible.
Our standard tolerance on a fully welded or assembled base is ±¼”. Machined features hold tighter tolerances, and we can tighten others on request at added cost. Mark the dimensions that must be exact, such as overall height and mounting holes, and leave the rest at standard.
For table bases and frames, we most often use 1″ to 4″ round, square, and rectangular tubing with walls from 16GA to ¼”. We also work in solid bar, flat bar, plate, and sheet.
Yes. We machine in-house, so tapped holes and threaded inserts for standard leveler threads (3/8″-16 and 1/4″-20) are added in the same shop as the rest of the part.
It depends on size, shipping distance, and site access. Welded frames are more rigid; knock-down frames ship flat and fit through tight doorways. We make both, plus frames with welded sections that bolt together, and we’ll help you choose.
Usually, yes. Send photos and dimensions, or the part itself, and we’ll tell you what it takes to reproduce it.
Yes, on request. A prototype lets you check proportion, stability, and finish in person before you commit to a full order.
Steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and brass. Steel is the most common choice for furniture frames and bases. Stainless steel resists corrosion and looks good bare; aluminum is light and won’t rust; and brass is mostly used for decorative details.
Tell us what you’re after, and we’ll provide a quote. Finishes outside our standard list are priced per project.
Polished and plated finishes show every weld and surface mark, so parts need more grinding and blending first. Powder coat hides minor texture but adds thickness, so threaded holes and tight-fitting parts get masked. Choose the finish early so it’s planned and priced into the part.
Lead times generally range from two to ten weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the project. Your order acknowledgment confirms the expected ship date before production starts.
Yes. Many customers start with a prototype, make adjustments, then move into production orders, and pricing per piece drops as quantity increases.
Send your order in writing. All orders are subject to acceptance by Northwest Metal. We’ll send an order acknowledgment listing pricing, any special charges, minimum order terms, and the expected ship date. Accepting the acknowledgment confirms the order under those terms.
Net 30 days, subject to credit approval. Custom orders carry a 50% pre-production deposit, which is not subject to cancellation. Accounts not yet approved for credit may need a 50% deposit to process an order, with the balance due before shipment.
Only with Northwest Metal’s approval. Approved cancellations may carry charges for work already performed and project expenses.
Returns need prior written approval. Unauthorized returns are refused and sent back freight collect.
Yes. We ship nationwide and have shipped internationally. All pricing is F.O.B. Grand Rapids, Michigan.
All freight charges are the responsibility of the purchaser. All shipments will be sent freight collect unless other prior arrangements have been made. Northwest Metal will ship by the most economical means, at our discretion, or by the customer’s selected carrier. Kindly notify Northwest Metal on the purchase order if a specific carrier is to be used. Legal title to the merchandise passes to the buyer upon acceptance by the carrier.
We aim to ship every order complete, but we may send partial shipments as parts are finished. Northwest Metal isn’t liable for penalties or extra freight caused by delivery delays.
All items manufactured by Northwest Metal are guaranteed against defects for a period of one year from the purchase date. During this period, Northwest Metal will replace or repair the product at its discretion. This warranty does not include damage in transit or damage caused by abuse, misuse, or faulty installation. Northwest Metal makes no other warranty, expressed or implied.
Northwest Metal reserves the right to photograph, upon completion, any project that has utilized our product offerings, and retains the right to use said photographs in advertising, our website, public relations, catalogs, and all marketing materials.
