Published 2026-10-14 · Cyclone Bolt

Data center construction is pushing up prices and stretching lead times for electrical materials, and manufacturers can need 18 to 24 months to bring new equipment into operation, according to a report that Border States released on October 12, 2026, Distribution Strategy Group reported the same day. Border States, an electrical distributor based in Fargo, North Dakota, published the findings as its 2026 State of Commodities report, tED magazine reported on October 12, 2026.

What the 2026 State of Commodities report covers

tED magazine described the report as a digital, interactive publication that brings together the top factors that affected commodity markets in 2026 and a forward look at what to watch for in 2027. The topics it listed were data center demand and its impact on key commodities, trade and tariff policy uncertainty, copper supply constraints, and what to watch for in 2027.

Distribution Strategy Group's account of the report added the detail that matters to anyone buying construction materials for a data center project:

  • According to the report, suppliers point to data center projects as a major contributor to higher prices, heavier purchasing and longer deliveries.
  • Demand pressure now reaches aluminum wire, steel conduit and PVC conduit, not just copper wire.
  • Manufacturing constraints are most pronounced for larger conduit: 4-inch to 6-inch PVC pipe and steel conduit take longer to make than smaller sizes, so output drops as orders rise.
  • Several suppliers, Border States said, were already running at maximum capacity for the year.
  • Ordering, installing and starting up new equipment can take 18 to 24 months, according to the report.

Data center projects also consume aluminum for electrical distribution and cooling systems and steel for structures, the report noted, according to Distribution Strategy Group.

Copper, tariffs and what to watch in 2027

Dave Buddle, Border States' strategic contractor and business development director, said copper is particularly exposed because data centers compete with electrification and other infrastructure investment for supply. Border States characterizes the copper constraint as increasingly structural, not a temporary condition. Buddle said continued construction of large data centers would increase the importance of early procurement and coordination among project owners, contractors, distributors and manufacturers in 2027.

Trade policy is the second theme. Zach Kincaid, Border States' vice president of procurement, said, "Without a doubt, tariffs have applied pressure on our cost to serve." Border States said changing tariff rates, exemptions and country-of-origin rules have complicated cost validation and documentation, and Kincaid said the company expects trade policy to remain fluid in 2027. The report identifies potential changes to U.S. Section 232 tariffs as another factor affecting copper, aluminum and steel markets. Border States also points to regional metal premiums, freight charges and fuel surcharges as costs that bear on delivery.

Border States stops short of a firm price forecast, pointing to continued uncertainty about demand, production capacity and trade policy. Instead the report names indicators to watch in 2027: diesel prices, copper and aluminum futures, hot-rolled steel coil prices and supplier lead times. Capacity additions and supplier acquisitions are the developments Border States flags for next year.

What it means for bolting and fastener supply

The report is about electrical materials and the commodities behind them, not fasteners. The conditions it describes, though, are the same ones a data center bolting buyer works in. The equipment and raceways those materials go into are installed with threaded hardware: anchor bolts and anchor rods under switchgear, transformers and generator sets; structural bolting for the building frame and equipment platforms; threaded rod, strut hardware and clamps for cable tray and conduit supports; and stud bolts and heavy hex nuts on flanged piping in the cooling plant. When the electrical gear arrives on a long lead time, the hardware to set it still has to be on site first.

Three of the report's themes carry straight over to industrial construction fasteners:

  • Steel pricing. Hot-rolled steel coil is one of the indicators Border States says to watch. Steel threaded products start as bar and wire, so fastener buyers typically track the same steel market signals when they plan a project's hardware budget.
  • Documentation. Border States said country-of-origin rules have complicated cost validation and documentation. On data center and other industrial projects, buyers commonly ask fastener suppliers for material test reports, lot traceability and country-of-origin statements with each shipment, and the specification usually says which of those the project requires.
  • Early procurement. Buddle's point about early procurement and coordination applies to bolting as well. Anchor bolts are typically among the first materials a job needs, because they are set before foundation concrete is placed, while the end of a project brings small quantities of missing sizes that can hold up turnover.

The grades, coatings, dimensions and paperwork for any of these items come from the project specifications and the customer's engineer of record, not from the supplier. Buyers on large builds commonly compare the take-off against the specification early, so that long-lead sizes and certification requirements are identified before the order is released.

Where Cyclone Bolt fits

Cyclone Bolt is a Houston, Texas manufacturer of fasteners, threaded products and custom machined components, established in 2016. Cyclone is supplying several large data center builds in Texas and welcomes more, from full-build take-offs to the shorts at the end of a project. Product families include stud bolts, heavy hex nuts, hex bolts and cap screws, double-end and tap-end studs, washers and gaskets, and custom machined components. Cyclone's published certifications include ISO 9001:2015, AS9100D and AS9120B.

This article reports on a published industry report and news coverage of it. It does not describe Cyclone's own work, and nothing here indicates any Cyclone relationship with the companies named. To discuss a data center bolting package, request a quote with your take-off, specifications and delivery dates.

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