Alchymist
Well-known member
Wanted a 6 foot length of 3/4" BIP for a Pony clamp. $17.45 each. Next to it 3/4" X 10 foot length - $12.91. No brainer, saved $4 something and got a free 4' length.
Stumped on Lowes black iron pipe pricing.
- Thread starter Alchymist
- Start date
MP&C
Well-known member
6 footers are more expensive because they have to pay someone to cut the twelves in half and rethread the ends.. 
I've noticed those price issues there as well, with a manual NPT threader in the shop, I do exactly as you did...
I've noticed those price issues there as well, with a manual NPT threader in the shop, I do exactly as you did...
Rated ///M
Well-known member
Easy... Industry standard is 10 foot... Lowes had to pay extra to have a 10 footer cut into a 6 foot length.. if you measure them you will find that a 72" and 48" piece are slightly shorter due to blade kerfs...
K'ledgeBldr
Well-known member
12's and 10's?
Standard length of BIP is 21'
Every cut costs money.
Standard length of BIP is 21'
Every cut costs money.
rlitman
Well-known member
There is a price for a 10' pipe.
Then there is a price per foot for cut pipe.
Same idea as there is a price for a spool of wire, and a price per foot for cut wire.
Then there is a price per foot for cut pipe.
Same idea as there is a price for a spool of wire, and a price per foot for cut wire.
Rated ///M
Well-known member
Sorry I should have clarified.. industry big box/retail size is 10ft because its the largest UPS/FEDEX will carry.
rwhite692
Well-known member
LOL, completely ridiculous!
You think the companies supplying Lowes, HD, your local plumbing supply house, etc, use UPS or FedEx to ship their black iron pipe?
So it costs over $4.00 to make 1 cut and rethread? If I had to guess I'd say that Lowes doesn't cut 10' into smaller ones, I'll guess they just order them the sizes they need to restock. If my local builder's supply store had been open (closed for 3 days for deer season) I'd have just snagged a 21 footer. And that would have come with a coupler to boot.
I think he means when lowes uses the aforementioned to ship the pipe to the customer
.camarotoolman
Banned
I grab used water pipe just for clamps, but its geting harder to find because of the plastic pipe. I'd check out some plumbing shops and scrap yards for used before I would pay that much. ( I'm cheap)
rmc115
Well-known member
My Lowes cuts and threads for free. I bought 3 10's and had them cut to what i needed, then I only had 2 threads to do at home.
That "coupler" that comes on one end of a 21' length of pipe is not really a coupler, it's a thread protector, if you look at it close you will see that the threads are not tapered like any normal NPT threads. Using a thread protector as a coupler can cause a leak down the road, I've had to fix way to many leaks over the years from this.
There may be a company somewhere that puts real couplers on the ends but I've yet to see it.
FWIW almost every supply house I deal with stocks black pipe in 10' and 21' lengths, a few only stock 10' lengths.
koditten
Well-known member
To add confusion to the topic. Go ever to the electrical conduit ilse and check out the price of galvanized 3/4" pipe. I got my 10' lengths for 11 bucks each. Thats what I used to plumb my air line system as well as my pipe clamps.
KO
KO
LutzTD
Well-known member
maybe so, the cutter blades, cutting oil, equipment and time are costing me a lot more than I ever thought doing my iron pipe project. I have cut and threaded about 6 pipes and the cutters are already dull. I bought new cutters for $64, I dont know the age of the ones I got with the die head but at that rate $4 is a bargain.......
I would think unless they were very poor quality dies, you should get a hell of a lot more cuts out of a set of teeth. Are you using any thread cutting oil when you cut the threads?
LutzTD
Well-known member
it was an ebay purchase of a ridgid set, I have no idea about the history of them. I was using light machine oil but I have ordered some Ridgid cutting oil and ridgid replacement cutters so I will know better once I make a few cuts with the new stuff. I certainly hope they last a lot longer...... what I do know its a lot of work doing it manually, sure wish I couldve found a cheap power threader, all I was saying is $4 doesnt seem that out of line for a business with such a large nut, I dont know what their margin is on pipe.
agoins
Well-known member
If you find a source for cheap power threaders let me know
Hopefully the next set you get will last better. The dies in the set here are my dads, and I know he got them all second hand. (Mind you they only see use a few times a year but still, you get my point). Ridgid is good stuff.
We used to get a year or more out of a set when used almost daily, maybe 500-1000 cuts before they needed to be replaced. Lots of threading oil is the key, I would always keep a constant stream running on it.
The dark oil is better then the light but either is fine for hand threading, for power use the dark.
FWIW there is an order that the teeth go into the die head, make sure they are in right or they will not last long.
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TennesseeZ
Well-known member
Not to **** heads, you've probably been in the trade as long as I have, but I've ordered miles of pipe "T&C", threaded and coupled, and always got a real coupling on it. Light duty to be sure, but standard National Pipe Taper. Only had trouble when it was over or under tightened.
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Northstar
Well-known member
It's also about volume. I bet they sell a ton more 10' lengths than the rest, so they buy those in higher volume. You see it in every industry who has a retail market. The professionals buy wholesale/direct so those places aren't as concerned with cut pieces since they know the pros will just make thier own from the bulk anyway.
Just another odd thought - was in Columbia, MD for a week, and went to the local Lowes for 3/4 galvanized - same situation. 6' was several dollars more than 10'. Needed 3 pcs 5'7" for closet poles, so bought 3 of the 10', cut them to length, and saved the offcuts for pipe clamps. Cheaper & more pipe clamp stock!
Noticed when I was cutting it - COO was ----- wait for it ----- South Africa!
Noticed when I was cutting it - COO was ----- wait for it ----- South Africa!
sberry
Banned
Also Lowes is a big enough customer to order pipe any way they want, cut a 21 in half and you give away 6 inches every time, it doesnt matter to most users in this class, no big advantage of having 21, hard to handle and stock, much of it re-cut anyway.
goneflyin2002
Well-known member
Just bought 8 lengths (21') of 3/4" at 19 bux a piece.
For ONCE, I got a decent deal on something...
For ONCE, I got a decent deal on something...
Falcon67
Well-known member
Notice that everything cut down at the big box will be more $ per sq/inch, foot, etc because it adds cost to the item somewhere. I just bought a 2'x2' patch panel of 1/2" drywall - cost 60% of what a full sheet cost. I didn't need a whole sheet and a 4x8 piece wouldn't fit in the Fiesta anyway.
I imagine Lowes stocks 10' and less lengths of black, etc pipe because that's about as long a piece as you can cart home in the back of a pickup. Or wedge out the window of a car. Selling 20' lenghts makes little sense if 90%+ of your customer base has no way to handle it. The people that can handle a full joint will be sourcing that elsewhere anyway.
I imagine Lowes stocks 10' and less lengths of black, etc pipe because that's about as long a piece as you can cart home in the back of a pickup. Or wedge out the window of a car. Selling 20' lenghts makes little sense if 90%+ of your customer base has no way to handle it. The people that can handle a full joint will be sourcing that elsewhere anyway.
Voodoo Chili
Member
We used to own a True Value Hardware store up until late 90's.. We charged $2 to cut and thread a black pipe... In hindsight, that was probably too cheap... Took 5-15 minutes on our powered unit. I had to measure, cut, and thread, so not by any means an automatic process, just powered tool to make it easier...
So someone P&M'ing about $4 to do that is probably missing out.. haha
If you don't want to do it, see if you can take the stuff to a plumber and he can do it in his downtime for cheap.
So someone P&M'ing about $4 to do that is probably missing out.. haha
If you don't want to do it, see if you can take the stuff to a plumber and he can do it in his downtime for cheap.