Olson & Co. Steel
Structural steel fabricated in San Leandro and erected by the company's own field crews.
About
The steel skeleton of a mid-rise, the stairs inside it and the ornamental railings on its roof deck can all come from the same shop, and at Olson & Co. Steel they do. The company is a structural and miscellaneous steel fabricator and erector headquartered at 1941 Davis Street in San Leandro, in the industrial district west of the 880 toward the Oakland line. Sam Valencia is a manager. The firm employs more than a hundred people across its locations.
Fabrication, erection and engineering
Olson fabricates structural steel in its own shop and erects it in the field with its own crews, which is a narrower group of companies than it sounds; many fabricators subcontract the erection. Its services list runs from seismic retrofits of existing buildings through stairs, miscellaneous iron and ornamental metal work to the front-end tasks of engineering, detailing and BIM modelling. The firm also lists mass timber, green building and lean construction among the things it does.
The customers are general contractors, developers and owners on commercial and institutional projects. This is not a walk-in shop for a homeowner's gate or a single railing; residential jobs of that size are better placed with an ornamental ironworker.
Working with a fabricator
Bring structural drawings and specifications, the project schedule and the site logistics: crane access, laydown space and delivery windows shape a steel bid as much as tonnage does. Ask whether detailing is done in-house, which shop and field welding qualifications the crews carry, and how the company handles connection design when the engineer of record delegates it. Ask for a written scope that draws the line between structural and miscellaneous steel, since that boundary is where change orders come from. Lead times depend on mill schedules, so early involvement is worth more than a fast quote.
Shops and reach
San Leandro is the headquarters and main fabrication shop; the company also runs a shop in Fresno and a sales office in Southern California. Locally it serves Oakland, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Castro Valley, Alameda, Union City and Fremont, and it bids work across Northern California.
The main line is 510-567-2200, and the company's website lists direct contacts for each office.
Services
VerifiedBeams, columns and connections fabricated at the San Leandro shop and erected on site by the company's own field crews for commercial and institutional buildings.
Steel strengthening of existing buildings to current seismic standards, from moment frames and braces to connection upgrades, coordinated with the engineer of record.
Steel stairs, landings, railings, ladders, embeds and the other miscellaneous metal items a building needs, fabricated to the drawings and installed by the same company.
Architectural and decorative metal such as guardrails, screens, canopies and feature elements, where finish quality matters as much as structure.
In-house engineering support, shop drawings and three-dimensional building information modelling so that steel coordinates with the other trades before fabrication begins.
Steel connections and hybrid work for mass-timber structures, and lean-construction and green-building practices the company lists among its services.
Details
Location and service area
San Leandro, CA 94577-1262
Common questions
Typical for this type of businessWhat is the difference between structural and miscellaneous steel?
Structural steel carries the building: columns, beams, braces. Miscellaneous steel is everything else in metal, such as stairs, railings, ladders and embeds. Contracts often split the two, so ask the fabricator to define the boundary in its scope.
Does a fabricator also erect the steel?
Not always. Many shops fabricate and subcontract erection to an ironworker crew. A company that does both, as this one states it does, has a single point of responsibility for fit-up problems in the field. Ask who will be on site.
How early should a steel fabricator be involved?
As early as design development if possible. Mill lead times, connection design and coordination with other trades all benefit from early input, and detailing takes weeks before the first piece is cut.
Before you hire
- Ask for the contractor's state licence number and classification and check it on the Contractors State License Board site.
- Ask which welding qualifications and inspection programmes the shop and field crews carry.
- Get a written scope that separates structural from miscellaneous steel.
- Ask whether detailing and connection design are done in-house or subcontracted.
- Confirm crane, laydown and delivery logistics before the bid is finalised.
Resumen en español
Desde su planta en Davis Street, San Leandro, Olson & Co. Steel fabrica y monta acero estructural con sus propias cuadrillas de campo, algo que muchos fabricantes subcontratan. Su lista de servicios incluye refuerzos sísmicos, escaleras, herrería ornamental, hierro misceláneo, ingeniería, detallado y modelado BIM, además de madera masiva y construcción verde. Sus clientes son contratistas generales y desarrolladores de proyectos comerciales; no es un taller para una reja residencial. Tiene otra planta en Fresno y una oficina de ventas en el sur de California, y emplea a más de cien personas. La línea principal es 510-567-2200.
Details marked Verified were checked on September 29, 2026 against olsonsteel.com and linkedin.com. Other details come from public business records or describe what is typical for this type of business, as marked. Not yet confirmed by the business.
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