No two foundries are alike. Through the years, Clarksville Foundry has proven they are as durable as their castings. With more than 150 years of experience, Clarksville Foundry is versatile and service oriented.

Whether you are looking for a ductile iron foundry, an alloyed cast iron foundry or a gray iron foundry, Clarksville Foundry has the experience and knowledge to meet your specifications as well as your production requirements.

Our experience and service level exceeds what you’d expect from a foundry and gives you extra value. Besides having insight into the latest material advances, Clarksville Foundry also has:

Metallurgical Expertise — Expertise to help you make the best selection of material can translate into saving you money.

Design Insight — Using years of experience can help you optimize the use of your design and minimize use of materials that positively impact cost.

Electronically Savvy — We’re equipped to communicate electronically and can receive and open practically any document format.

Custom Quoting — Whether you need short-to-medium run production or an iron casting from blueprint or existing patterns, we can quote your job in a timely manner.

Special Orders / Reorders — The history of any job is just a click away and turn around time is faster than most of our competitors.

Below tells the history of Clarksville Foundry as well as the cast iron process.

1847 Origin of Clarksville Foundry: H.P. Doris opens the first foundry in Montgomery County , Tennessee .

1863:Metallography is developed by Henry C. Sorby, Sheffield, England, enabling foundrymen to polish, etch and microscopically examine metal surfaces for physical analysis.*

1890s Era of Modernization: The foundry modernized under the new ownership of Wesley Drane, and incorporated both steam and gasoline engines into the facility. The company was called Drane Foundry and Supply Co.

1900:Brinell hardness test machines are introduced.*

1910:Matchplates are developed, fostering the viability of jolt-squeeze machines.*

1911:First electric arc furnace for metal casting is installed at Treadwell Engineering, Co., Easton , Pennsylvania *

1912 T.B. Foust Purchases Foundry: Thomas Foust purchased the Red River Foundry, and renamed it Clarksville Foundry and Machine Works.

1915:Experimentation begins with bentonite, a colloidal clay of unusually high green and dry strength. The first low-frequency induction furnace for nonferrous melting is installed in Philadelphia. *

1921 Foundry's Holdings Expanded: Thomas Foust, acquired the Drane Foundry's material and stock. In 1922, he also purchased the company's buildings and land.

1930:First high-frequency coreless electric induction furnace is installed at in Pennsylvania . Spectrography is pioneered by University of Michigan professors for metal analysis.*

1940s New Product Lines Introduced by T.B. Foust: T.B. Foust developed and introduced a product line of mass produced municipal castings that were sold nationally and are still visible in cities across the U.S. This product line was a hallmark for Clarksville Foundry for the next 40 years. W.W.II caused foundry business to soar. Employee numbers climbed to more than 100.

1943: Invention of Ductile Iron : Ductile iron is invented and opens the door to many new applications. It provided flexibility and strength that was previously unavailable in an iron casting.*

1949 Ductile Iron Patent Issued: A U.S. patent on ductile iron production through magnesium treatment is issued.*

1970s Furnace Upgraded to Federal Guidelines: New air pollution laws closed Clarksville Foundry for five months in 1974. But instead of permanently closing its doors (as many competitors were forced to do), Clarksville Foundry made bold moves, bringing the operation within new EPA guidelines.

1978 Charles Foust, Jr. Joins Business: Charles Foust, Jr. graduates at the top of his class in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee , and returns to Clarksville to work in the family business.

1981 Young President Changes Company's Focus: Charles Foust, Jr. becomes company president, and begins to initiate technology upgrades and shifts in product emphasis.

1988 Building Expansion Begins: To continue to improve efficiencies of operations, Clarksville Foundry consolidates operations to a single site. Construction of a new main office and technology upgrades take place. The historic Commerce Street properties were sold to the City of Clarksville and become a site for new city office buildings.

1994 SBA Businessman of the Year Award: In recognition of his business savvy during adverse situations — resulting in astounding, turnaround growth and prosperity for Clarksville Foundry — Charles Foust, Jr. was named Tennessee Small Business Person of the Year.