When food safety is on the line, your fabrication partner matters. Choosing the right food-grade stainless steel fabricator is essential to ensuring compliance with FDA and FSMA standards, avoiding contamination, and keeping your operation inspection-ready. From welded duct to sanitary carts and enclosures, every component must be built with cleanability, durability, and traceability in mind.
At Madon Sheet Metal, we specialize in welded stainless steel duct, Type 2 hoods, carts, enclosures, and more, all built to meet the strict demands of food processing, cleanrooms, and pharmaceutical environments.
Here’s what you need to know to choose the right fabricator—and why industry guidelines like SMACNA’s Food Grade Standards and the FDA’s FSMA should guide your decision.
1. ✅ Ensure Compliance With Sanitary Fabrication Standards
SMACNA Guidelines
The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) published the Food Grade Ductwork and Sheet Metal Guidelines to standardize the design and fabrication of ductwork, hoods, and exhaust systems in sanitary environments. These guidelines address:
- Proper material selection (typically 304 or 316 stainless steel)
- Weld quality and surface finish
- Design for cleanability and corrosion resistance
- Avoidance of crevices, ledges, or unsealed joints
“The design of food-grade sheet metal systems must allow for ease of access and thorough cleaning to prevent contamination.”
— SMACNA, 2023
FSMA Requirements
Under the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), manufacturers must proactively prevent contamination rather than react to it. FSMA places responsibility on facility operators to ensure that all equipment and infrastructure—including fabricated stainless parts—supports sanitary operation.
“Facilities must maintain cleanable surfaces, corrosion-resistant materials, and a design that allows for adequate cleaning and sanitization.”
— FDA, FSMA §117.40 (c)
When selecting a shop to fabricate stainless duct or components, ensure they understand the sanitary design principles required under these federal and industry standards.
2. 🔍 Look for Material Traceability and Certifications
Food-grade environments often require full traceability of all components. That includes mill certifications for stainless steel, weld rod types, and inspection records.
Best Practices:
- Ask if the shop can provide MTRs (Material Test Reports)
- Confirm that they use 304 or 316 stainless steel, preferably with a 2B finish or better
- Make sure there’s no cross-contamination in their shop (i.e., they don’t grind galvanized and stainless in the same area)
At Madon Sheet Metal, we provide material certs upon request, and our shop is set up to protect your stainless jobs from contamination—because sanitary ductwork doesn’t mean much if the metal itself isn’t clean.
3. 🧠 Prioritize Fabricators Trained in Sanitary Welding
Food-grade fabrication often requires TIG welding, which produces smooth, clean welds without spatter. Just as important, the welds should be ground smooth or cleaned for sanitary use.
Ask your fabricator:
- Do you have union-certified TIG welders?
- Are your welders familiar with sanitary welding standards?
- Can you deliver welds without pits, crevices, or slag?
“Smooth welds are essential in food equipment. Rough or pitted welds can harbor bacteria and violate food safety regulations.”
— American Welding Society (AWS D18.1)
4. 🧰 Expect Flexibility—Not Just Stock Parts
Every facility is different. You may be retrofitting an existing food plant, working with limited roof space, or creating a one-off solution. You need a fabricator who can think like a problem-solver—not just someone who cuts from stock templates.
Signs you’ve found a flexible partner:
- They can work from your submittals, sketches, or even photos
- They’re willing to customize dimensions, angles, and supports
- They suggest improvements based on experience—not just build exactly what you send
At Madon, we regularly work with OEMs, mechanical contractors, and facility engineers to build custom solutions that meet the needs of both inspectors and installers.
5. 🏗 Review Their Product Range and Case Studies
Food-grade jobs involve more than just ductwork. A versatile shop should be able to fabricate:
- Welded stainless steel duct systems
- Type 2 kitchen hoods
- Carts, worktables, and shelving
- Enclosures and guards
- Exhaust plenums and cleanroom duct
Look for photos of past work, testimonials, or examples of repeat projects for the food, beverage, or pharmaceutical industry.
Tip: A good sign is if they’ve done repeat work for large facility managers or engineering firms—especially in industries where cleanliness is critical.
6. 📋 Understand Turnaround Times and Reliability
Time is money—especially when you’re coordinating around crane lifts, shutdowns, or inspections. Ask:
- What’s your standard lead time for food-grade projects?
- Do you handle everything in-house or rely on subs?
- Can you deliver fast when it matters?
Madon Sheet Metal has a dedicated team of union tradespeople who can turn around urgent work quickly. We don’t overbook and we don’t overpromise. If we say it will be ready, it will be.
7. 🤝 Communication, Transparency, and Responsiveness
You want a fabricator who:
- Answers the phone
- Communicates clearly about timelines and changes
- Respects your project’s urgency and specifications
Too often, we hear from new clients who were burned by poor communication or missed deadlines. That’s why we’ve built our business on responsiveness and relationships.
Why Madon Sheet Metal?
We’re a union-owned, family-run shop in Chicagoland with deep expertise in stainless steel fabrication for regulated industries. We’ve fabricated everything from rooftop exhaust systems for packaging plants to stainless carts and guards for cleanrooms.
We follow:
- SMACNA food-grade guidelines
- FDA FSMA sanitary design principles
- AWS D18.1 sanitary welding practices
We believe in quality work, built by real people, right here in the U.S.
📞 Ready to Get a Quote?
Choosing a fabricator for food-grade stainless work isn’t just about getting a price—it’s about finding a partner you can trust.
When you reach out to Madon Sheet Metal, you’ll speak directly with an expert who understands your industry, your specs, and your deadlines. Whether you’re at the design stage, retrofitting an existing system, or responding to an urgent need, we’ll walk you through the process step by step.
We’re not just fabricators—we’re problem solvers. We’ll help you size it, spec it, and get it built right the first time.
📞 Prefer to talk it through? Give us a call at (847) 485-2220 and ask for John.
📧 Ready to get started? Email us (sales@madonsheetmetal.com) with your drawings, specs, or a quick note—we’ll take it from there.
