Metal suppliers for small quantities?

[Chicken]

I am always working on projects, the vast majority of my stuff is small scale. Material that most consider scrap/trash is often more than enough for me to make some parts.

There are plenty of online suppliers that can sell these small pieces, but shipping cost is always a killer. I pay more to ship the stuff than it even costs! There are some local suppliers BUT they are open only during the hours I work and too far to be able to sneak out during lunch before/after work so it is not a good option.

I am open to ideas, do I need to just eat the shipping cost? Thanks

 

[wretched73]

Eat the shipping costs.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

You need to befriend a scrapper in your area. Give him two or three times current scrap value for bits and pieces you can use. Even many scrap yards will sell steel at their yards but at a price too near new. Amazing all the usable material that gets scrapped. Not the way to go for spec machined parts but for simple fab projects scrap works fine.

 

[snyder]

Have you tried "metal supermarket" ? I have been meaning to try one that newly opened in my area but have not made it yet. They advertise no minimum orders.

 

[Chicken]

Have you tried "metal supermarket" ? I have been meaning to try one that newly opened in my area but have not made it yet. They advertise no minimum orders.

I have not. there are a bunch of these places catering to small orders, but the shipping kinda *****. $5 in material and $13 to ship it.

Speedy metals
Online metals
Hobby Metal Kits
Metals Depot

EDIT: With Metal Supermarket, at least it is easy to find the cost of it shipped without punching in all your address details.

 

[readhead]

Check local welding shops. I always sold to individuals and if it was small stuff I would give it to them. I would order in material if they needed it since we would get three steel trucks a week.

 

[dogdog]

Local steel supplier is where I go... scrap yard have limited choices and it's hit and miss. dependent on you project. I asked how much they deliver, it's $800 order + delivery fee. But they would sell me any whole piece quantity I needed... for example 2x2x1/16 wall x 24' at any # of piece I want.... I saw it in half and put it in my Jetta, lol that is a fun trip home through local streets.

Not much local shops want to sell me scraps.. but fabrication shop would do a small piece for me if I asked....sometimes. All dependents on whats stuck up the bosses' rear. It's ridiculous to order online unless I run out of options , when shipping cost would just kills.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Alro Steel. They have a good stock of pre-cuts on hand and can cut about anything else, with a cut charge. Not as cheap as the online places, but no shipping.

There are a couple in the metro Detroit area.

 

[Bruce Amacker]

Locate local welding/fab shops, around here they cut small orders within a few hours at a reasonable price and have a wide variety of steel/alum to choose from. I've also had them do small fab jobs at a reasonable price. Being that they have shears, punches, rollers, etc they can help with your fab jobs.

 

[dwall174]

Material that most consider scrap/trash is often more than enough for me to make some parts.

Not knowing where in the motor city your at? But if your not too far from Plymouth! Check out Haggerty Metal It's the only scrap yard I know of in the Detroit area that still lets you pick through the scrap pile, And they sell the scrap steel by the pound.

Doug

 

[BD1]

Maybe call local supplier tell them what you want and see if they could deliver WHEN in the area. Ask them IF you can pay now with check or credit card, set outside, and pickup after work. I've done that before.

 

[Stooge]

I've used Onlinemetals.com a bunch of times over the years. Not a lot of metal yards around here and the ones that are, while they will sell to noncommercial customers, getting there while they're open after I get out of work can be an issue. I get promo codes from Online Metals monthly, (usually 10-15%) along with emails for other discounts they're running. the estimated shipping cost they give when your first adding stuff to your cart is always a lot more than what the actual ends up being when you check out, and I've never thought they were too crazy. Instances like this, I just think of the shipping cost as the price of convenience. I can order however much of whatever I want, and it will be waiting at my door in 2 days, (order on a Monday, I have it by Wednesday), and I don't have to rush around or take off work early to get somewhere. they will also cut it to whatever dimension you need aside from their standard sizes. they do a good job with shipping, and I have never had any issues with material being damaged.
I'll probably be ordering from them again sometime in the next week.

 

[56Safari]

I would just go to your local supplier, buy exactly what you need in a 20' stick and have them cut it in half for you. After you do this with a handful of projects you've got your own bone yard to pull from. Even if you're buying 2"-2.5" 3/16" square tube you're only out 50-60 bucks at a time.

 

[EdT]

I recently ordered a couple of small pieces of 12" x 12" HRS from Online because they had it and it's hard to find elsewhere in user friendly sizes. The metal was about $10, the weight of the package was 7# and the distance shipped was about 30 miles. Shipping was $18 which I felt was a bit high so I went to the UPS website and got a quote to ship the package back to where it came from; $8. For the same project, I needed some 20Ga CRS sheet in somewhat larger sizes so I ran it thru the Online system and got the shipping charge and ran it through Stockcarsteel.com. Not only was the material about 15% cheaper, the shipping was about half as much and they are 10 times farther away. So, I wonder if Online's business model is really built around shipping and not really metal at all.
I'll continue to do business with Online when I must because I certainly couldn't go and pick the stuff up for $18, but I could return it for $8. Go figure.

 

[gungatim]

Have you tried "metal supermarket" ? I have been meaning to try one that newly opened in my area but have not made it yet. They advertise no minimum orders.

I second that...we had one open about 5 yrs. ago, very good pricing on small cuts and will also cut to size the big stuff. if not, find whoever in your area deals with used scrap steel sales, they usually have new but rusty (NOS, factory inventory close outs, etc.) in common sizes for less than regular retail.

 

[BigMike782]

Alro Steel. They have a good stock of pre-cuts on hand and can cut about anything else, with a cut charge. Not as cheap as the online places, but no shipping.

There are a couple in the metro Detroit area.

Alro made it brutally clear to me they wanted nothing to do with cash paying small customers. I ordered full lengths of tube, uncut to pick up when ever it was ready......they charged my over 2.50 lb. I stopped at a local fab shop, he sold me anything I wanted for .50 lb.
I am lucky now that I work in a town that has a couple of steel suppliers that are grateful for all sales large, small, charge, cash.
One has odd sizes and lots the other has drops. Once you pay in the office you go to the shop for pick up......then is the chance to look around and ask about other small odds and ends.

 

[ttpete]

Alro Steel. They have a good stock of pre-cuts on hand and can cut about anything else, with a cut charge. Not as cheap as the online places, but no shipping.

There are a couple in the metro Detroit area.

Factory Steel - in Detroit on Oakland Ave. behind the Ford Highland Park plant.

http://www.factorysteel.com/

They have an area by the office where you can pick through the offcuts and they sell by weight. Closed Sat-Sun.

 

[matt_i]

Best is to put some $ in inventory. Its cheaper in bar lengths, you now have some for later, and the price of metals is going to go up forever, I'm convinced. You can start building on a Sunday without having to wait for days or buy into the overpriced materials at the box stores.

The exception is W1 drill rod which I buy for its finished OD plus nice turning properties, can still weld it without high carbon worries, it typically comes in 3ft lengths.

 

[dr_clyde]

I deal with the big steel supply houses on a regular basis. I buy from Alro, Chicago Tube and Iron, and Harbor Steel.

They all have a random rack. Usually just a $40 minimum, delivery is $10 whether it's 1 length or 100.

My advice is to befriend a shop that gets metal delivered regularly and piggyback on their orders. Pay up front, cost plus 10% is reasonable. If possible, have them leave it in a place where you can get it after hours.

My buddy has a machine shop. He buys common tube and angle by the ton and sells it to all the locals. Lots of places are willing to help the little guy if you ask.

 

[mikegt4]

There has been a Metal Supermarket franchise near me for about 20 years. I never left there thinking that I got a good deal and now their pricing per # is at or above the Internet small order places.
Fortunately there is a very old scrap metal yard nearby but it's hit or miss there and no way of knowing what grade metal you are buying so mostly I use it for structural steel only. A few years ago the elderly owner was kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to withdraw money at some ATMs then shot and killed. Now with his son in charge things have changed but it still is my go-to metal place.

 

[Farrier]

I have not. there are a bunch of these places catering to small orders, but the shipping kinda *****. $5 in material and $13 to ship it.

Speedy metals
Online metals
Hobby Metal Kits
Metals Depot

EDIT: With Metal Supermarket, at least it is easy to find the cost of it shipped without punching in all your address details.

I buy local in full lengths typically, but when I need materials I don't commonly use, Speedy or Online metals are great places to purchase from.

 

[rustyjames]

I've bought metal off eBay, mainly aluminum.

 

[Lelandwelds]

The exception is W1 drill rod which I buy for its finished OD plus nice turning properties, can still weld it without high carbon worries, it typically comes in 3ft lengths.

So, do you have a good source for W2? I want a bit of something in the 1045 or 1070 neighborhood with a tiny bit of alloy that can still show a hamon line?

It is a back burner project but I would like to try furnace cement hamon line differential tempering. My only attempt so far was too subtle even with acid etch and polish. I think with a water quenchant it might pop more.

 

[nes999]

I tend to eat the online fee for non ferrous. The price plus shipping is close enough to not make it worth the hassle of placing an order at my local supplier. Steel is cheap enough that when I do get a chance to hit my supplier (who opens after I get to work and closes before I am off) I buy extra. Steel is cheap enough where having extra of the stuff you tend to use is no big deal. I tend to use a lot of 1/2" by 1/8" and 1" by 1/8" sqaure tubing. I few extra sticks never hurt to have laying around.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I am always working on projects, the vast majority of my stuff is small scale. Material that most consider scrap/trash is often more than enough for me to make some parts.

There are plenty of online suppliers that can sell these small pieces, but shipping cost is always a killer. I pay more to ship the stuff than it even costs! There are some local suppliers BUT they are open only during the hours I work and too far to be able to sneak out during lunch before/after work so it is not a good option.

I am open to ideas, do I need to just eat the shipping cost? Thanks

What are you using the majority of ? flat bar, round stock, sq tubing, angle or round tubing ?


If you find yourself using something more than the other, maybe it's time to build a small metal rack in your garage. Something up along the ceiling or higher up on the wall just 8-12" wide and 10-12' long could hold alot of stock.

Make a trip to a metal supplier and buy a few sticks of different things and you might be surprised how often you'll use them if you have them. What you are wasting in shipping charges, you can buy your steel stock with.

 

[Chicken]

I appreciate everyone input. This is some good information.

What makes it tricky is that I hardly ever am using the same material it seems. And I very rarely build big projects so I can't justify buying a whole length of most stuff.

Maybe I need some aluminum square stock to machine up a jig or some angle iron/flat to make brackets for the car project. I have accumulated some drops from previous projects so my pile is growing. And often, based on my small scale project size, that is enough to keep me moving along. I do have a stick of 1/2 rod and some 1" angle just in case.

For example I need a few inches of 3/8 x 2" CRS bar. seems like my best bet is to just get a foot of it. Even then I have the majority left over for next project.

thanks again

 

[600SL]

McMaster is pretty good if they have what you need. Unlike most of the other places they charge actual shipping, instead of shipping and profit.

Metal supermarkets is also good if they have what you need in stock otherwise they can be pricey.

One thing I found is that there is no single source that has the lowest prices. Depending on what you need each supplier seems to specialize.

Also I have started working a bit more with Aluminum. Shipping isn't to bad and if you can use it, its worth considering. 6061 T6 has about the same strength as A36 or 1018 steel. 2024 T3 is stronger. But none of the Al has the fatigue life of steel.

 

[matt_i]

So, do you have a good source for W2? I want a bit of something in the 1045 or 1070 neighborhood with a tiny bit of alloy that can still show a hamon line?

It is a back burner project but I would like to try furnace cement hamon line differential tempering. My only attempt so far was too subtle even with acid etch and polish. I think with a water quenchant it might pop more.

I usually order W1 from McMaster Carr...try to gather a group of items for projects and order all at once to maximize the shipping efficiency. Small sizes are not bad, it gets more expensive as you get into the 1" dia range. They also have 1045 and some sheet 1095. I think 1095 was the old moldboard plow steel that's sort of obsolete these days. Probably replaced by something better like AR- plate.

Heat treating art is not my forte Most everything that comes out of here is in the soft-annealed state, occasional hardening for chuck wrench tips and bandsaw-blade V-guides from O-1 and A-2.

 

[ishiboo]

I have an issue with buying more stuff than I need. Given that a 1' long piece of 1/4"x4" A36 hot roll is like $9 from the hardware store, I usually figure on buying a full stick and then using it in the future.

Recently I discovered Speedy Metals opened a location nearby. I can go in and get exactly what I need in a few minutes, and the prices are pretty reasonable. Versus placing an order and then hauling the trailer to the steel yard, donning a hard hat, etc. The rest of a stick doesn't sit rusting waiting for a project that may never happen. They ship a ton... there's always a lot sitting waiting to go out when I've been there.

 

[ZSK]

Thanks for the tips in this thread. I'm trying to hunt down some DOM 4.125" OD x 2.875" ID. I only need about 4-5" of it. It doesn't need to be DOM but that's the only way I've found the size I need short of buying a solid round an machining it.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

I am always working on projects, the vast majority of my stuff is small scale. Material that most consider scrap/trash is often more than enough for me to make some parts.

There are plenty of online suppliers that can sell these small pieces, but shipping cost is always a killer. I pay more to ship the stuff than it even costs! There are some local suppliers BUT they are open only during the hours I work and too far to be able to sneak out during lunch before/after work so it is not a good option.

I am open to ideas, do I need to just eat the shipping cost? Thanks

I had the same problem...then I started taking a chance, paying for it with a CC and have them leave it outside somewhere I could get to and pick it up after work. Or you can also do like I also did and find one that delivers for $12 within a day or two with their own truck... Dillon Supply bring steel to me, sometimes the day after I order it if I get the order in early.

 

[RM209]

Several good suggestions listed, Metal Supermarkets among them. But if you need small quantities, have you tried Lowes and Home Depot? They have small inventories of mild steel and aluminum, as short as a foot. May be very convenient if you need small quantities.

RM209

 

[Bondo]

I am always working on projects, the vast majority of my stuff is small scale. Material that most consider scrap/trash is often more than enough for me to make some parts.

There are plenty of online suppliers that can sell these small pieces, but shipping cost is always a killer. I pay more to ship the stuff than it even costs! There are some local suppliers BUT they are open only during the hours I work and too far to be able to sneak out during lunch before/after work so it is not a good option.

I am open to ideas, do I need to just eat the shipping cost? Thanks

Ayuh,..... Scrap yards, 'n the drop bin at real steel suppliers,....