Pricing on metal (raw material)

[muibubbles]

So im just getting into welding and looking to pick up some material to stock in my garage for various little projects i maybe doing.. And since ive never bought any metal supplies i was wondering if there is a GENERAL price guide? I dont want to get ripped off and i have no clue what things are worth besides home depots pricing...

im mostly looking into making brackets and various tiny bits... BUT i want to make a chair out of sheet metal so i would probably need a large sheet.

This is a chair i designed in school and fabricated it out of Fiberglass. i would like to make a metal version of this.

mods please move if this is the wrong section

 

[Rigmaster]

Don't know of a price guide, or any pricing guidelines, but what I do know is that Home Depot and Lowe's metal prices are VERY expensive. You're paying for convenience of buying smaller pieces pre-cut into whatever size they have.


I'd try to find an industrial supply place, they probably don't cater to walk in customers, but most WILL sell to individuals as long as you're not a PITA. Most of these places will sell only full sticks of tube, angle, square, etc, which is normally ~20ft per stick. Some will cut it for you so you can fit it in your vehicle.

You'll also probably want to buy full sheets of sheet steel, usually 4x8 or similar.

Some scrap places will let you pick through their piles of scrap, and you can sometimes find clean cut off pieces that are very useful, but it's hit and miss and many places have stopped allowing people to pick through the piles due to liability concerns.


If you just need a few small pieces, Lowe's or HD will be fine, they have more convenient hours than most other places, and there are more locations. You might also want to check with a local steel fabrication shop to see if you can find some scraps that they will sell you cheaply. I found a place locally that makes decorative wrought iron railings, etc and bought a couple of sticks of small square tubing to make a tire rack for my car trailer- MUCH cheaper than any other place I checked with- even the steel supplier.

 

[metal1313]

where are you in jersey? there is a place near me called metal super markets that caters to small orders and individuals. their prices are pretty good(ex. a 12ft stick of 1''x1/8'' al. flat bar cost me $11.22 last week) they will cut stuff for you, and you do not have to buy the whole stick, or sheet of many items. they are actually a small chain but good to deal with.

 

[Zebu Fellenz]

We buy our steel semi-locally at at a surplus dealer for Klein Steel. Last time we got steel I believe we paid around .50c/#

But they give price breaks for larger amounts and we rarely buy less than 5-600#

The few times I've needed to buy new stock it's been between $2-3/#

 

[Bolster]

Approximate Metal spot prices (you can't get spot from a retailer but you may for scrap): Steel .25/lb. Aluminum $1+/lb. Brass $3/lb. Copper $4/lb.

If your thigh rolls to the side on the above chair, do you get a stabbing from the sharp corners?

In my experience, chicks do not dig on blood.

 

[Kirbot]

There's no price guide, and it's not much of a website, but check out Fazio's.
http://www.ordermetal.com/

Fantastic prices on metal, and all kinds of other cool stuff as well.

 

[scott37300]

Well if your used to HD prices than you won't have to worry about getting screwed going to a metal supply house.

Supply houses all have different policies, some make you buy a full stick, some charge a cut fee if you buy less than a full stick, etc. The one I get my metal from will cut charges a cut fee for anything less than a stick, if you buy the full stick they will make one cut for free. They charge by the foot, but they have a formula that knows the weight of each material per foot, and times it by the current price of steel per pound to get the final price per foot. They also have a machine shop so they have a "cut off" room that they keep anything less than full sticks in and I can go in there and grab stuff and they charge me by the pound, lot less than if I were to order it. I also have a scrap yard a couple miles away that I can go walk around and pick threw things and pay by the pound, they have some pretty neat stuff in there. Big I beams you can use for stands, pipe, grates, sheets, all sorts of stuff you can put projects together with.

 

[toolman1967]

Check the yellow pages for a small machine shop or welding shop. Make friends with the owner and buy your stuff from him. They will normally sell at retail and will cut bigger stuff for you.

I buy all my metal locally and he will generally help me out with figuring out the right gauge or quality for the project.

 

[z28snksknr]

There's no price guide, and it's not much of a website, but check out Fazio's.
http://www.ordermetal.com/

Fantastic prices on metal, and all kinds of other cool stuff as well.

This place is 2 miles form my house and is AMAZING. There was a thread on it a while back. Prices for steel were about 1/2 of MetalsDepot.com before shipping, so there's a gauge for you.

 

[muibubbles]

where are you in jersey? there is a place near me called metal super markets that caters to small orders and individuals. their prices are pretty good(ex. a 12ft stick of 1''x1/8'' al. flat bar cost me $11.22 last week) they will cut stuff for you, and you do not have to buy the whole stick, or sheet of many items. they are actually a small chain but good to deal with.

im in south brunswick/jerseycity/newark lol.
your example is exactly what i was looking for! i dont need an exact number, im just trying to find a ball park so i dont go someone and they charge me 5x the price and im thinking thats normal pricing...

Approximate Metal spot prices (you can't get spot from a retailer but you may for scrap): Steel .25/lb. Aluminum $1+/lb. Brass $3/lb. Copper $4/lb.

If your thigh rolls to the side on the above chair, do you get a stabbing from the sharp corners?

In my experience, chicks do not dig on blood.

very helpful!

yes, the corners do touch your thighs a bit depending on your size. its a design flaw that i plan to address in the updated version

There's no price guide, and it's not much of a website, but check out Fazio's.
http://www.ordermetal.com/

Fantastic prices on metal, and all kinds of other cool stuff as well.

This place is 2 miles form my house and is AMAZING. There was a thread on it a while back. Prices for steel were about 1/2 of MetalsDepot.com before shipping, so there's a gauge for you.

yes! i saw this thread, i think its a bit of a hike from me but i do intent to check it out. i guess i can just go there and KNOW i not getting ripped off?

 

[BlueSOG]

Love Fazio's! If you have a list, it would be worth your while to drive down. They are cheap. They'll also cut and bend for you too. Call them or fax them for prices of what you want.

 

[Kirbot]

yes! i saw this thread, i think its a bit of a hike from me but i do intent to check it out. i guess i can just go there and KNOW i not getting ripped off?

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about that there.

Just ask about the metal at the counter in the hardware store, and they will have a book with the price list in it to check on whatever your looking for.

Btw, when you go, make sure you go to the right place.
On same road, about a mile apart is another Fazio's.
This one is mainly a machine shop. They also sell metal and it's an interesting place to check out, but it's not the place we are all talking about.

 

[z28snksknr]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about that there.

Just ask about the metal at the counter in the hardware store, and they will have a book with the price list in it to check on whatever your looking for.

Btw, when you go, make sure you go to the right place.
On same road, about a mile apart is another Fazio's.
This one is mainly a machine shop. They also sell metal and it's an interesting place to check out, but it's not the place we are all talking about.

I wandered in to the smaller place myself one day, thinking it was "THE" Fazios. There was an old timer there who told me to go look at their "drops" rack (which was outside the machine shop, maybe 30 yards away from the door) and put everyrthing I wanted on the table. I did so and then walked back in the shop. The old guy looked through the window in the door towards the table and said "$20 should do it". I ended up paying $20 for enough steel to make a welding cart from and a milk jug of welding coupons to practice on. I kinda got the feeling they don't want to sell steel there and are more fabrication oriented. Since I was just cleaning up their trash, he didn't mind. I probably just bought everyone lunch that day.

 

[5lima30]

Go to your local welding shop and ask if you can look through their "drop" pile of steel. These are the scraps left over from their welding jobs. It is usually much cheaper to purchase this way vs. having to buy 10' sticks of angle iron, flat stock, or plate steel. Try to develop a good rapport with the staff and they will hook you up with good deals. YMMV.

 

[gsport]

i've been paying $.50 a pound at the recycler.. here's a mail order that doesn't seem too bad either..
http://www.onlinemetals.com/index.cfm

 

[metal1313]

ok so you arent far, maybe 15miles from the place i was talking about. its in plainfield, and pretty easy to get to..me i drive past every day

 

[jtrace]

metal,I'm in Piscataway where abouts is this place in Plainfield?

Thanks,
John

 

[Weps]

a general guide is really tough. there are so many grades and types of metal that it is going to vary from project to project.

for stuff like you are talking about, i'd suggest just looking for metal items you could recycle yourself. file cabinets. shelving. autobody panels. etc. do you have a salvage yard nearby?

you could go to hd and tractor supply to get an idea of what their prices are like. there are a couple of online places. i don't know of any in your area though.

 

[swami2806]

i've been paying $.50 a pound at the recycler.. here's a mail order that doesn't seem too bad either..
http://www.onlinemetals.com/index.cfm

Bingo...scrap yard. If you're just starting out, don't spend money on new steel yet. You'd be surprised at the stock you can find at a scrapyard for change on the dollar. And even if it's not so good (the best stuff is kept to re-sell. The really bad stuff is scrapped), it can easily be cleaned up.