How Fabrication Lead Time Adds Up
People expect lead time to be the welding. The welding is usually the shortest stretch, and the weeks go to steel delivery and the finish queue for a custom metal gate in Georgetown, TX, and metal gate contractor georgetown projectsbyjen lays that sequence out in order. Each step waits on the one before it, so a delay early on carries all the way to install day.
How long does the steel order take?
The steel order takes a few days when the tubing is stocked and longer when a wall thickness or size is not on the shelf. Heavier frame tubing for a wide dual swing gate is the usual culprit. Orders placed before the drawing is approved tend to be wrong, so the clock honestly starts at approval.
How long do welding and grinding run?
Welding and grinding take most of a week for a standard single swing gate and more for scrollwork or a wide cantilever gate. Every weld is ground flush before finishing, because a bump left under powder coat shows up as a ridge. The leaf is also laid on a flat table and checked for square before it leaves the bench.
Why does the finish queue run longest?
The finish queue runs longest because powder coat and galvanizing are done in batches, often at a separate shop. A gate waits for a slot, gets cleaned, coated and baked, then cools before handling. Hot dip galvanized work follows the dip schedule of the plant, and a gate that misses a run waits for the next one.
Why does lead time vary around Georgetown?
Lead time varies with the season and with who else is lined up at the same shops. Spring and early fall are busy across Williamson County, when fencing and new construction near Interstate 35 pull on the same steel and the same coating ovens. Storm repairs after a hard wind can push a new gate order back a week or two.
What can shorten the wait?
Quick approval of the drawing shortens the wait more than anything else. Footings can be dug and poured while the frame is in fabrication, so the posts are cured by the time the gate returns. Picking a stocked tube size and a standard finish color removes two common stalls, and the operator, if one is planned, can be ordered on day one. A written schedule with a date for each step makes any slip visible early, while the gate is still on the bench.