Insteel Industries Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets steel wire reinforcing products for concrete construction applications. The company offers prestressed concrete strand (PC strand) and welded wire reinforcement (WWR) products. Its PC strand, a seven-wire strand that is used to impart compression forces into precast concrete elements and structures providing reinforcement for bridges, parking decks, buildings, and other …
Full IIIN analysis →
Competitive advantage assessment
Key strengths
Strong Interest Coverage & Conservative LeverageDebt serviceability is strong (score 0.83), with robust interest coverage.
ROIC Sustainably Above PeersROIC at 72.2th percentile exceeds peers and WACC, demonstrating superior capital allocation.
Key risks
Commodity Pressure / Weak DifferentiationGross margin at 21.1th percentile with high volatility suggests weak pricing power or commoditized products.
Revenue Volatility Signals Weak StickinessRevenue volatility is high (stability score 0.37), suggesting weak customer stickiness.
The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks
against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.
Upgrade to unlock the signals and evidence behind each defense.
Premium access
Unlock full defense analysis
Get key signals, strengths, and risks for every moat dimension.
Insteel Industries, Inc. ranks #10 of 20
scored companies in Metal Fabrication by moat score — the top 50%.
The widest moat in the group is Mueller Industries, Inc. (MLI)
at 83/100.
Moat scores for companies ranked near IIIN in Metal Fabrication
Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.
Cost Advantage
Score 81
· 15% of the moat score
A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.
Customer Stickiness
Score 41
· 15% of the moat score
Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.
Capital Efficiency
Score 60
· 18% of the moat score
Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.
Resilience
Score 77
· 17% of the moat score
Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.
Scale & Market Position
Score 35
· 15% of the moat score
Scale matters only when it converts into economics.
Insteel Industries, Inc. (IIIN) scores 54 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #10 of 20 scored companies in Metal Fabrication, the top 50%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 19 companies in Metal Fabrication. Its strongest defense is Cost Advantage (81/100) and its weakest is Scale & Market Position (35/100).
How does Insteel Industries, Inc. compare with other Metal Fabrication companies?
Insteel Industries, Inc. ranks #10 of 20 scored companies in Metal Fabrication by moat score. The widest moat in Metal Fabrication is Mueller Industries, Inc. (MLI) at 82/100. The companies ranked closest are Worthington Enterprises, Inc. (WOR) at 56 just above it and Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc. (GIFI) at 51 just below it.
How is the moat score calculated?
Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 19 companies in Metal Fabrication. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.
Why is Insteel Industries, Inc. scored with the Corporate Default template?
Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.
Which competitive defenses are measured for Insteel Industries, Inc.?
The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and IIIN scores: Pricing Power (41), Cost Advantage (81), Customer Stickiness (41), Capital Efficiency (60), Resilience (77), Scale & Market Position (35). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.
We value your privacy
We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze site traffic, and personalize content. By clicking 'Accept All', you consent to our use of cookies.
Read our cookie policy
Cookie Preferences
Manage your cookie preferences. Essential cookies are always enabled.