Setting Records and Making History: Strong Hold Sets Guinness World Record™ at ProMat 2025
At Strong Hold, we don’t just build cabinets—we build legacies. What started as a bold idea during a marketing and product team brainstorming session quickly turned into something much larger—literally. We set out to do what no one else had ever done before: build and certify the Largest Steel Storage Cabinet in the World.
And we did it.
In just 54 days from concept to completion, our team—spanning marketing, engineering, sourcing, sales, and production—pulled together to bring this record-breaking vision to life. The cabinet made its debut at the ProMat 2025 Trade Show in Chicago, towering above the show floor and cementing Strong Hold’s place in the Guinness World Records™.
It’s Not as Easy as It Looks
Setting a Guinness World Record™ might sound simple. Build something big, measure it, get a certificate—right? Not quite.
Guinness World Records™ has strict guidelines and certification requirements. Our attempt had to be verified in every way possible, including a material certification proving the cabinet was indeed made from 12-Gauge Steel. To get this, we brought in a third-party metal allergist who ran extensive tests, including core sampling—yes, that meant drilling directly into our masterpiece to confirm its composition.
Then came the official measurements. This wasn’t a job for a standard tape measure. Guinness World Records™ required third-party survey-grade scanning, and we partnered with Exact Metrology to perform a full 3D scan of the cabinet at the show. More on that in a minute.
The Cabinet That Could
Let’s talk size. The cabinet measured an astonishing:
- 22.9 feet tall
- 10.6 feet wide
- 7 feet deep
- Weighing in at nearly 8,000 lbs
The cabinet was so large it couldn’t even be stood upright in our Louisville, KY facility. We had to build it on its back, fabricating custom carts that could support and move the massive structure throughout the production floor. Due to its size, we also had to manufacture it in three separate sections, since even our oversized powder coating ovens couldn’t handle the fully assembled frame.
Once assembled, we designed a custom crate to safely transport the cabinet to McCormick Place in Chicago for ProMat 2025.
Showtime in Chicago
Upon arrival, it took multiple forklifts and a crane to stand the cabinet upright on the trade show floor.
Once vertical, it became an instant landmark—the beacon of the ProMat show, easily visible from across the entire exhibit hall. And because we couldn’t resist taking it a step further, we placed another red Strong Hold cabinet on top for a signature touch.
Then came the big moment.
Guinness World Records™ sent two adjudicators to oversee the final steps of our record attempt. Exact Metrology performed the final 3D scan to verify the cabinet’s dimensions. With the measurements certified, the adjudicators made it official:
Strong Hold is now the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ holder for the Largest Steel Storage Cabinet.
Celebrating the Moment
In front of a cheering crowd, our President Tony Diebold accepted the official Guinness World Record™ certificate. Throughout the show, attendees lined up to take photos in front of—and even inside—the cabinet.
It became the ultimate showstopper and a symbol of what American manufacturing can achieve when driven by creativity, precision, and relentless teamwork.
