To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Steel prices

To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

BukitCase

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 11, 2017
Messages
1,075
Location
Oregon
Best I can offer is Oregon price on .120 wall 2" square tube, just checked here a few days ago - comes in at just under a buck a pound from Ram Steelco, Salem. Price basically hasn't moved since my last order about 8 months ago... Steve
 

lis2323

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 25, 2016
Messages
3,234
$1.12 -$1.17 CAD ($0.80 - 0.85 USD.) per lb. were the prices quoted to me the other day for mild steel flat bar and square tube.


7dc532c3e4be12ba5c59990b357fd68f.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 7dc532c3e4be12ba5c59990b357fd68f.jpg
    7dc532c3e4be12ba5c59990b357fd68f.jpg
    725.1 KB · Views: 4
OP
S

sberry

Banned
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Messages
35,747
Location
Brethren, Michigan
I just got under 60 cents on a floor plate. One off walk in. Just for giggles I am going to price it elsewhere, not all of them even want to quote something like that.
 
OP
S

sberry

Banned
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Messages
35,747
Location
Brethren, Michigan
My math is right here I think, 11.25 or so a foot and 48x96 was 200$. I see its about a pound heavier than flat. I was considering a 5x10, its quite a bit bigger, I could use some of it. 130 difference in the sheet. But,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
 
OP
S

sberry

Banned
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Messages
35,747
Location
Brethren, Michigan
Whoops, glad I didn't order it. Even better and easier, 3/16.
So, this is the job, my rusted old truck bed. I am going to have them shear 7 strips, I will cut a couple inches off each end and lay it right over the bad spot and draw around it, then follow the line with the plasma and basically put in a plug, weld the seams up.
The old bed is welded 100% around the outside. I wont have to remove any of it. After I cut the plug can dress up the beams
 

Attachments

  • 20200430_142451.jpg
    20200430_142451.jpg
    82.2 KB · Views: 191
Last edited:

f150skidoo

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2012
Messages
1,206
Location
Ontario, Canada
I ordered around 1500 pound of sheet steel last week and the order worked out to $0.65 a lb for the in stock items and the special order plate was $0.73 a lb.
 

Macrosloth

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 27, 2012
Messages
86
Location
Van
$1.12 -$1.17 CAD ($0.80 - 0.85 USD.) per lb. were the prices quoted to me the other day for mild steel flat bar and square tube.


7dc532c3e4be12ba5c59990b357fd68f.jpg

What supplier?

Cheers,
 

Attachments

  • 7dc532c3e4be12ba5c59990b357fd68f.jpg
    7dc532c3e4be12ba5c59990b357fd68f.jpg
    725.1 KB · Views: 2

davo727

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
1,660
Prices have come back down. Last week in Houston at SSS I got a 1/2 in by 4 inch steel bar at 43 cents a pound. New stock.
 

4 FN 27

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Oct 19, 2015
Messages
4,635
Location
Minnesnowta
sberry we are paying about $0.425/lb for Hot Rolled Pickled and Oiled (plate) landed on our dock.

Cold Roll $0.4745/lb landed.

12-18 ga 304-2B Stainless +/-1.65/lb landed.

>20 ga 304-2B Stainless +/-1.80/lb landed.

5052-H32 Aluminum +/-$1.85/lb landed.

6061-T6 Aluminum +/-$3.60 (just picked up a 5/8 x 17 x 18 drop for $2.7561/lb) for a fellow GJ fabrication project.

Our material Price Guide we operate to monthly expired yesterday and the new one will be released Monday (I hope). Indicators are saying HRP&O, CRS, Galvanneal, and Pre-Plate material in general are stable.

Aluminum is trending down slightly. And Stainless is a wild card...any Stainless thicker than 12 ga we are calling to get a quote unless there is no time for an accurate quote we are winging it at $2.00/lb landed.

However with the Covid Issue so fresh in the economy Mondays new Price Guide may yield a few surprises. If I get the update Monday I'll update this too.

On a side note I just ordered 1989 lb of AR500 plate, 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick for $1348.41 or $0.6779/lb landed. The Water Jet is going to get busy.
 
OP
S

sberry

Banned
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Messages
35,747
Location
Brethren, Michigan
I figured you would be sub 50 for a regular buyer. My price was good for 1 off from a supplier I have never used. But,,, I do speak the language and can call the pieces by the right name.
 

redm18

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 21, 2011
Messages
166
Location
Center Point IA
About 3 weeks ago I bought 30 feet of 11 gauge inch and a half square tubing in Cedar Rapids Iowa at Storm Steel. They let hobby guys walk in and order cash and carry. Cost was about 60 bucks with tax.
 

matt_i

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
10,725
Location
SE Michigan
About 3 weeks ago I bought 30 feet of 11 gauge inch and a half square tubing in Cedar Rapids Iowa at Storm Steel. They let hobby guys walk in and order cash and carry. Cost was about 60 bucks with tax.

Just got 48ft (2 sticks) of 1-1/2 ERW box tube w 11 ga wall for $78. (It did incluide about 400 lbs of other steel too so take my pricing with that in mind)

Was trying to do a Will Call pickup at the Alro Steel Yard in Jackson, MI but they ixnayed that and delivered for free. So that was cool.

Had to look up the weight. 2.252 lb/ft so 108# @ 0.72/lb. Seems good.

The "heavy metal" (1018 CF flat bar) has seemed high to me for awhile judging by other quotes I got from work. And also my own...Couple of sticks of 1/4 x 1 and 1/4 x 1-1/2" went for $2.30/lb and $3.14/lb respectively. Maybe the "free delivery" is buried in the flat bars....
 
Last edited:

hbabler

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 17, 2014
Messages
145
Location
North Texas
So how does one go about finding a place to buy steel that doesn’t screw you over? Obviously I’m a hobbiest, I need some plate to build a couple of forcible entry doors for my fire station. I have not had any luck finding a place that deals fairly with non commercial accounts in the Dallas area. Do you guys have any ideas?
 

sweetk30

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 2, 2011
Messages
2,306
Location
finger lakes area upstate ,ny
i cut up my old flatbed that was looking like that last year . the rust was so bad on the under side were it was popping threw the top . bye the time i knocked the rest loose and found all the bad spots it was a full floor redo job . then the rest of the frame was getting thin and rusty and would have needed blasting to get ready for weld up and paint . i said to my self its not worth saving the flatbed . it gave me almost 15 years of good service and i got it used .
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

jamscal

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2016
Messages
36
Location
Louisville, KY
.42 cents/lb here in Louisville, KY for hrpo (7ga and 1/4")

I have only 3 employees so we're a pretty small fab shop.
 

matt_i

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
10,725
Location
SE Michigan
So how does one go about finding a place to buy steel that doesn’t screw you over? Obviously I’m a hobbiest, I need some plate to build a couple of forcible entry doors for my fire station. I have not had any luck finding a place that deals fairly with non commercial accounts in the Dallas area. Do you guys have any ideas?

A possibility is to find a fabrication/welding shop that could potentially add your steel order to theirs for a small markup.

If they order regularly, and you get full bar/sheet quantities it could work out well. Some are willing to do this and some won't. Just have to make a few friends. Drive your cool car/truck over there and maybe you can spark up a conversation.
 

4 FN 27

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Oct 19, 2015
Messages
4,635
Location
Minnesnowta
A possibility is to find a fabrication/welding shop that could potentially add your steel order to theirs for a small markup.

If they order regularly, and you get full bar/sheet quantities it could work out well. Some are willing to do this and some won't. Just have to make a few friends. Drive your cool car/truck over there and maybe you can spark up a conversation.

The problem is the Sales Tax in an audit.

Pretty much why we won’t or can’t do it. We get audited about every 5 years.
 

Copymutt

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
3,388
Location
Colorado
Not commercial use.
Usually collect from big box stores that are discarding heavy shelving or angle from garage sale bed frames. Local recyclers have decent prices on scrap steel.
 
OP
S

sberry

Banned
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Messages
35,747
Location
Brethren, Michigan
I mention this in another thread, posted in the wrong one but as the price drops it's a lot easier to use new. Cost as much to clean and sandblast.
As for fab shops selling they may or not, not all want the walk in biz.
 
OP
S

sberry

Banned
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Messages
35,747
Location
Brethren, Michigan
I mention this in another thread, posted in the wrong one but as the price drops it's a lot easier to use new. Cost as much to clean and sandblast.
As for fab shops selling they may or not, not all want the walk in biz.
 
OP
S

sberry

Banned
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Messages
35,747
Location
Brethren, Michigan
A while back we found enough stuff to build 7 of these bunk trailers. Should have done it 40 years ago. They wored with 1 a long time, I built another, finally had it with the store in bunk/load/unload and build 7 more as bunks. Only thing bought was welding wire and a jack leg for each one. Once we somewhat built a proto they went fast. We could sort of gang cut, we knew the dimensions it was easy. Couple of them did 2 at a time.
Wheels needed to be 84 wide and I even change some bunk dimensions on my old ones.
 

Attachments

  • pipe trailers.JPG
    pipe trailers.JPG
    47 KB · Views: 82
  • Pipe tr bunk.jpg
    Pipe tr bunk.jpg
    150.1 KB · Views: 76
  • pipe trailer start.JPG
    pipe trailer start.JPG
    81.6 KB · Views: 69
  • pipe trailer.jpg
    pipe trailer.jpg
    117.6 KB · Views: 74
  • pipe trailer 2.JPG
    pipe trailer 2.JPG
    71.2 KB · Views: 77
Last edited:

lis2323

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 25, 2016
Messages
3,234
A while back we found enough stuff to build 7 of these bunk trailers. Should have done it 40 years ago. They wored with 1 a long time, I built another, finally had it with the store in bunk/load/unload and build 7 more as bunks. Only thing bought was welding wire and a jack leg for each one. Once we somewhat built a proto they went fast. We could sort of gang cut, we knew the dimensions it was easy. Couple of them did 2 at a time.
Wheels needed to be 84 wide and I even change some bunk dimensions on my old ones.


I love those bunk trailers.

For our hand move irrigation pipe I built bunks out of square tube with fork lift pockets. They were easily stored on the edge of the field and double stacked as required or placed on the single trailer frame I built to move them.

The aluminum pipes were only 3”x30 footers though and had sprinklers with NO standpipe risers.
 

redm18

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 21, 2011
Messages
166
Location
Center Point IA
So how does one go about finding a place to buy steel that doesn’t screw you over? Obviously I’m a hobbiest, I need some plate to build a couple of forcible entry doors for my fire station. I have not had any luck finding a place that deals fairly with non commercial accounts in the Dallas area. Do you guys have any ideas?
Im sure there is a place like that around Dallas. I googleed steel supply hobby Dallas and got the metal super market Dallas seemed like a decent place to start. Other ideas would be to call around or email the local makerspace and see where they get they metal.
 

lis2323

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 25, 2016
Messages
3,234
Speaking of Metal Supermart , I phoned for a price recently.

24’ 4x3” steel tube .120 wall. $285CAD

same thing from steel supplier $148.30CAD

I am a NON commercial customer.
 

Jason280

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Messages
3,160
I picked up a 4x8 sheet of 1/4" mild steel last week for $160, so roughly $0.50/lb.
 

Supercand

New member
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Messages
3
As a hobbyist I make a steel order only a few times a year and there is a local steel yard that will deliver if the order is over $250 whether commercial or non-commercial. As a walk-in customer 1/4" steel plate was $0.57/lb and 3" square tube with 1/4" wall was $0.69/lb. Last order was a total almost 800 lbs delivered for a total cost of around $0.82/lb but that is a mix of rectangle, sheet, angle, and tubing.

As for finding a supplier, just call or walk in. First few orders I went and picked up some stock and paid a nominal fee for them to torch cut some of the stock in half for transport. Then they informed me they would deliver. The yard I deal with is fairly decent sized but a family owned business. If they don't have it in stock they can get it in a day or two. They will call in the morning and give me a delivery window. Can't beat the ease of having steel just show up 24 hours after calling it in.

Honestly, after using these folks for the last few years I don't even shop around. Not worth it for my volume.
 

4 FN 27

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Oct 19, 2015
Messages
4,635
Location
Minnesnowta
Looks like prices are falling on average from the latest pricing we have.

Cold Roll is down about $0.05/lb in 36, 48 and 60 wide.

Hot Roll is holding it's own, no change.

5052 Aluminum no change.

6061 Aluminum down $0.25/lb.

Stainless 300 and 400 series no change.

Galvanneal depending on thickness is down $0.02-0.05/lb.

G30, G90 10ga to 20ga and 22ga & 24ga are also down $0.020/lb.

Wild Card Material to watch closely is the 1100 Aluminum, if time allows we will get a quoted price otherwise we are using $4.75/lb.

Might be a good time to stock up on 6061 Aluminum.
 

bradpac

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Messages
721
Location
Central TX
The 24/26ga Galvalume coils we order have dropped about $0.05/lb from where we bought in early February. Painted stuff is still holding. From this time last year we are down about $0.10/lb.
 

86turbodsl

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 1, 2005
Messages
6,556
Location
Michigan
Just got 48ft (2 sticks) of 1-1/2 ERW box tube w 11 ga wall for $78. (It did incluide about 400 lbs of other steel too so take my pricing with that in mind)

Was trying to do a Will Call pickup at the Alro Steel Yard in Jackson, MI but they ixnayed that and delivered for free. So that was cool.

Had to look up the weight. 2.252 lb/ft so 108# @ 0.72/lb. Seems good.

The "heavy metal" (1018 CF flat bar) has seemed high to me for awhile judging by other quotes I got from work. And also my own...Couple of sticks of 1/4 x 1 and 1/4 x 1-1/2" went for $2.30/lb and $3.14/lb respectively. Maybe the "free delivery" is buried in the flat bars....

Seems like Alro treated you well. Those guys always **** me. Why i avoid the retail store unless i'm out of options. Surplus steel in jackson is good, and Contractors steel in Livonia.
 

Farmall450

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2011
Messages
13,356
Location
Marengo, Illinois
As a hobbyist I make a steel order only a few times a year and there is a local steel yard that will deliver if the order is over $250 whether commercial or non-commercial. As a walk-in customer 1/4" steel plate was $0.57/lb and 3" square tube with 1/4" wall was $0.69/lb. Last order was a total almost 800 lbs delivered for a total cost of around $0.82/lb but that is a mix of rectangle, sheet, angle, and tubing.

As for finding a supplier, just call or walk in. First few orders I went and picked up some stock and paid a nominal fee for them to torch cut some of the stock in half for transport. Then they informed me they would deliver. The yard I deal with is fairly decent sized but a family owned business. If they don't have it in stock they can get it in a day or two. They will call in the morning and give me a delivery window. Can't beat the ease of having steel just show up 24 hours after calling it in.

Honestly, after using these folks for the last few years I don't even shop around. Not worth it for my volume.

It's nice to find someplace you can trust where you come to that conclusion.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom