Established 1988 • 7 Specialized Factories • 100+ Countries Served • BSCI Certified
In 2022, Colombia’s only fully integrated steel producer changed hands from a Brazilian conglomerate back to Colombian ownership — a deal explicitly framed by the buyers as putting “the Colombian flag” back on the country’s steel flagship. It’s a good entry point into this market: Colombia genuinely makes steel domestically, yet by the industry’s own account the country still isn’t self-sufficient, and wire products are where that gap shows up most. The market splits between Colombia’s one integrated domestic steel group, a regional multinational producer, a cluster of established regional wire and mesh manufacturers, and OEM/ODM partners supplying private-label buyers. Here’s how Colombia’s leading wire manufacturers compare.
At a Glance
| Manufacturer | Founded | Base | Type | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acerías Paz del Río | 1948 | Belencito, Boyacá | Integrated steel & wire-rod producer | Buyers needing wire rod as raw material at national scale |
| Ternium Colombia | Regional group; Colombia operations established | Manizales, Cali & Barranquilla | Regional steel & wire-drawing producer | Buyers needing wire-drawn (trefilado) product backed by a multinational group |
| Mallas Medellín | 1938 | Medellín, Antioquia | Regional manufacturer | Buyers wanting Colombia’s earliest established wire mesh manufacturer |
| Mallas Torres | 30+ years | Colombia | Regional manufacturer | Buyers needing a full range: galvanized, PVC-coated, barbed, and gabion wire |
| Mallas Julio Torres | Long-established | Colombia | Specialist manufacturer (barbed wire) | Agricultural buyers needing ISO-certified barbed wire |
| Invermallas | Established | Bogotá | Regional manufacturer | Buyers needing galvanized and PVC-coated wire from a Bogotá-based maker |
| Mallas y Cerramientos Metálicos | Established | Bogotá | Regional manufacturer | Buyers needing wire mesh, gabions, and security concertina together |
| Emcocables | Established | Colombia | Specialist manufacturer (wire rope & strand) | Buyers needing certified steel cable and wire strand for infrastructure use |
| Grupo Surticampo | Established | Colombia | Specialist manufacturer (barbed wire) | Ranching and agricultural buyers needing reverse-twist barbed wire |
| Yongwei | 1988 | China-based, 100+ country reach | OEM/ODM manufacturer | Private-label brands and distributors needing custom spec and flexible MOQ |
Colombian Wire Manufacturers
1. Acerías Paz del Río
Founded: 1948 | Base: Belencito, Boyacá
Acerías Paz del Río is Colombia’s only fully integrated steel producer with its own blast furnace, drawing on nearby limestone, iron ore, and coal deposits. It accounts for roughly a third of the country’s domestic steel output and supplies wire rod, the upstream raw material used across Colombia’s wire manufacturing sector. In 2022, Colombian investment group Trinity Capital acquired the company from Brazil’s Votorantim, returning majority ownership to Colombian hands after 15 years of foreign control.
2. Ternium Colombia
Base: Manizales, Cali, and Barranquilla
Ternium is a major Latin American steel group with industrial operations across Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States. In Colombia, it produces high-performance long steel products and offers wire-drawing (trefilación) among its processing services, distributing through a network covering Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Montería, Barranquilla, and Bucaramanga. The company recently opened one of the region’s most modern plants in Palmar de Varela, Atlántico, with an investment of roughly COP 270 billion.
3. Mallas Medellín
Founded: 1938 | Base: Medellín, Antioquia
Mallas Medellín describes itself as a pioneer in Colombian wire mesh manufacturing, producing galvanized wire, barbed wire, chain-link and hexagonal mesh, and perimeter fencing systems since 1938.
4. Mallas Torres
Base: Colombia, over 30 years of experience
Mallas Torres manufactures galvanized steel wire, PVC-coated wire, aluminized wire, barbed wire, security concertina, chain-link mesh, and gabion mesh, alongside fabrication of galvanized posts, gates, and metal carpentry.
5. Mallas Julio Torres
Base: Colombia
Mallas Julio Torres manufactures galvanized barbed wire and a broad catalog of mesh products, operating under ISO 9001-certified quality management, with the company describing production experience going back generations.
6. Invermallas
Base: Bogotá
Invermallas manufactures galvanized wire and PVC-coated wire in Bogotá, alongside wire mesh, gabions, and piping, serving both direct sales and installation projects.
7. Mallas y Cerramientos Metálicos
Base: Bogotá
Mallas y Cerramientos Metálicos designs, manufactures, and installs galvanized wire mesh, gabions, and security concertina for perimeter fencing across Bogotá and nationally.
8. Emcocables
Base: Colombia
Emcocables manufactures steel cables, wire ropes, strands, and wire, with ISO 9001:2015-certified production, distributing across Colombia, the United States, and Central and South America. Its wire strand for prestressed concrete has been used in bridge projects over the Magdalena River.
9. Grupo Surticampo
Base: Colombia
Grupo Surticampo manufactures galvanized barbed wire using reverse-twist technology designed to prevent spring-back and deformation during installation, aimed at ranching and agricultural fencing.
10. Yongwei
Founded: 1988 | Type: OEM/ODM manufacturer | Reach: 100+ countries | Certification: BSCI-certified, EU market access
Yongwei is a China-based OEM/ODM iron wire manufacturer operating seven specialized factories, supplying customers in more than 100 countries. Unlike the domestic manufacturers above, it does not sell under its own retail brand in Colombia — it produces to the buyer’s specification, covering galvanized wire, PVC-coated wire, wire mesh, and barbed wire, with BSCI-certified, audited production suited to bulk private-label and distributor orders.
Why “Made In Colombia” Steel Still Doesn’t Cover the Wire Gap
The Acerías Paz del Río ownership change is worth sitting with for a moment, because it cuts against the assumption that “domestic producer” automatically means “self-sufficient.” Colombia has run its own integrated steel mill since 1954, complete with blast furnace and access to its own iron ore, and the 2022 buyers were explicit that bringing the company back to Colombian ownership mattered to them. And yet the country’s own steel industry acknowledges Colombia isn’t self-sufficient in steel — which is exactly why a healthy cluster of regional wire and mesh manufacturers has grown up to convert available wire rod into finished product, and why OEM imports still fill real gaps in specification and volume. Owning the mill and covering full domestic demand turn out to be two different achievements.
Sourcing Custom Wire Through an OEM Partner
If your buyers need standard galvanized or barbed wire for fencing and agricultural use, Colombia’s regional manufacturers cover that ground well and have for decades. If you’re a distributor or brand owner who needs a specific coating, tensile strength, packaging, or private-label branding at bulk volume, an OEM/ODM partner works from your exact spec rather than a fixed catalog. This is a different question from “domestic vs. imported”: it’s about whether the standard product lines from Colombia’s regional manufacturers actually match what you’re trying to sell, or whether your spec needs a partner built for custom orders.
FAQ
What standard applies to barbed wire manufactured in Colombia?
Barbed wire sold in Colombia is generally manufactured to the NTC 195 standard set by ICONTEC (Instituto Colombiano de Normas Técnicas y Certificación), Colombia’s national standards body, which specifies requirements for two-strand galvanized steel barbed wire. Buyers sourcing from any manufacturer, domestic or OEM, should confirm the product is built to this specification if it’s intended for the Colombian market.
Is Colombia self-sufficient in steel and wire products?
Not fully. Acerías Paz del Río is Colombia’s only integrated steel producer and supplies roughly a third of domestic steel output, but the country’s steel industry has stated Colombia is not self-sufficient, which is part of why both regional wire manufacturers and OEM imports play an active role in the market.
Is it better to buy wire from a Colombian manufacturer or import from an OEM partner?
It depends on the product. For standard galvanized or barbed wire at retail or agricultural scale, Colombia’s established regional manufacturers are often the more direct route. For custom specifications, private-label branding, or large bulk orders at a lower per-unit cost, an OEM/ODM partner is typically better suited to that kind of order.
Conclusion
Colombia’s wire industry runs from the country’s only integrated steel mill — now back in Colombian hands after 15 years of foreign ownership — through a cluster of established regional manufacturers, to OEM/ODM partners built for custom and private-label orders. If you’re sourcing standard wire products, the regional manufacturers above are worth comparing directly. If you’re building a custom or private-label wire product line, an OEM/ODM partner is generally the more direct path to a product built to your own specification.
Talk To Our Team About Your Custom Wire Program