Lead Times – How fast can I get my order?

How fast can I get my order?

A common and important question associated with any material is: How fast can we get it? Here at Manhole Covers Direct, we do not stock pre-fabricated products. We fabricate each order individually to match the specifications and measurements requested by our customers and do everything we can to produce your order as quickly as possible. To keep our lead times down, we stock several raw materials, including multiple thicknesses of carbon steel diamond plate, sheet metals, and structural steel. We engineer our standard products to use the material we stock. However, we are able to source specialty materials. Specialty materials are subject to availability and may increase lead times.

Our production line includes two queues, orders placed directly off the website and custom-designed orders. Website orders typically ship from our shop within 1-2 weeks, while custom orders can take up to 4 weeks for fabrication. Once an order is ready to ship, shipping lead time will vary based on the final destination. We ship nationwide from our South Carolina factory.

If you are in a rush and want your order bumped to the head of the line, we are happy to accommodate your request as best we can on a case-by-case basis. The fee for expedited fabrication will depend on how quickly you need to receive your order and whether the material required is in stock or readily available from the mill. We can also add expedited shipping upon request to shorten the total door-to-door time.

We offer a standard painted black finish on all carbon steel manholes and also have in-house powder coating capabilities, neither of which adds to the standard lead time. We also offer a hot-dipped galvanized finish. However, this will generally increase production lead times to 6-8 weeks. Generally, we can turn around large quantity orders within standard lead times. Give us a call to discuss how we can meet your needs.

Competing lead times in our industry tend to be longer due to third-party fabrication or overseas production. For example, lead times of 12-18 weeks is not unheard of amongst our competition. Here at Manhole Covers Direct, we fabricate our products 100% in-house at our South Carolina, USA factory. We are proud to maintain excellent production capabilities without sacrificing quality. Manhole Covers Direct is committed to providing quick, efficient service.