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[Provincial]

My local steel supplier is competitive on pricing if you are getting full sheets/bars. The cut charge is reasonable, so if you can't carry a 20' bar with your rig, it costs little to cut it in half.

I bought a 4x8 sheet of 14 gauge plain sheet from them for a little over $100.00. It would have been a 140 mile round trip to Metals Depot in Portland, and their price was almost $200.00.

 

[pontiac428]

Online Metals' main HQ is a little over 10 miles from my house. That does me little good, because I can't swim there and back, especially carrying metal stock. And since their prices are high with or without shipping and WA state tax, I have never bothered to try and make the 1-1/2 hour drive to will call. Things are funny like that. I have a local supplier who will deliver if asked and a few supply options in Tacoma (45 minutes) if I'm driving for it.

 

[GeneT45]

My local steel supplier is competitive on pricing if you are getting full sheets/bars. The cut charge is reasonable, so if you can't carry a 20' bar with your rig, it costs little to cut it in half.

I bought a 4x8 sheet of 14 gauge plain sheet from them for a little over $100.00. It would have been a 140 mile round trip to Metals Depot in Portland, and their price was almost $200.00.

An interesting thing happens when you buy a full 'unit' (whatever that is for the material in question). I have many times bought a 'length' and then had it sawn in half (or even into two unequal pieces, at my direction) and not been charged a cut fee. I have always had a tape and hacksaw at hand in case my request was denied, but thus far it never has been. I think the 'cut charge' is really a 'sticking us with some random length material left over charge...'

It's worth noting that a 'length' (20' for steel, 10' or 12' for aluminum (not sure on the rules there)) is often cheaper than a short stick bought at your local hardware store. Strange that no one has mentioned the rip-off that is "metals by the piece" in most HW and big box stores.

GsT

 

[Ischgl99]

Strange that no one has mentioned the rip-off that is "metals by the piece" in most HW and big box stores.

I have definitely noticed that. I can get drops shipped to me from my local supplier for a fraction of what the local HD or Tractor Supply charge. I consider those places the emergency supply option only, I try to keep what I may need on hand so that I never need to use them.

 

[Jake M]

I think the 'cut charge' is really a 'sticking us with some random length material left over charge...'

You are absolutely correct in that belief. Cut charges cover inefficiencies of all kinds. Small, custom cut orders take as much time to fill as a five figure truckload. There is a plethora of cascading inefficiencies (which means cost) that they have to eat to do small orders. Part of that goes to cover the "interruptions to production", and an EVEN BIGGER part of that is simply the question "Do you really want to go to a big steel yard for this little piece?" Around here it's not that they mind helping out a little guy "within reason", but it weeds out the tire kickers, bargain shoppers, "negotiators", and generally people who would be better of to go to the hardware store and put their hands on a piece that they can't order, because they don't even know what they want, let alone how to specify it to be right the first time around.

That's what hardware stores are for. They've got metal racks for people with questions, who don't know what they want or how to measure or spec it, what tool they need to cut it, and all that stuff. The steel yard has a business model based on volume and efficiency. Hardware stores have a model model is built on service.

 

[Provincial]

I have definitely noticed that. I can get drops shipped to me from my local supplier for a fraction of what the local HD or Tractor Supply charge. I consider those places the emergency supply option only, I try to keep what I may need on hand so that I never need to use them.

Since it has been a long time since I have bought any material from the hardware store, this information may be out of date. The round stock that I bought out of the racks at True Value (sourced by a vendor, not TV) machined like leaded stock, so they were free-machining. I don't think I ever used that stock in a welded structure, so I can't verify the lead content.

 

[GeneT45]

Since it has been a long time since I have bought any material from the hardware store, this information may be out of date. The round stock that I bought out of the racks at True Value (sourced by a vendor, not TV) machined like leaded stock, so they were free-machining. I don't think I ever used that stock in a welded structure, so I can't verify the lead content.

I've had some that machined like rebar - and that's what you get when the spec is "welding steel" as opposed to an alloy number. The bar stock at the local HD is smaller than nominal as well.

GsT

 

[Ischgl99]

Since it has been a long time since I have bought any material from the hardware store, this information may be out of date. The round stock that I bought out of the racks at True Value (sourced by a vendor, not TV) machined like leaded stock, so they were free-machining. I don't think I ever used that stock in a welded structure, so I can't verify the lead content.

I haven’t bought any from the local stores in a while either, but from what I recall, it machined like A36.

 

[pontiac428]

I'm pretty sure that stuff is A36. The funny thing about A36 is, as a performance spec and not a composition spec, you can get a batch every now and then that does machine nicely. A36 can have anything in it in any proportion, as long as it meets the strength test requirements.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

You are absolutely correct in that belief. Cut charges cover inefficiencies of all kinds. Small, custom cut orders take as much time to fill as a five figure truckload. There is a plethora of cascading inefficiencies (which means cost) that they have to eat to do small orders. Part of that goes to cover the "interruptions to production", and an EVEN BIGGER part of that is simply the question "Do you really want to go to a big steel yard for this little piece?" Around here it's not that they mind helping out a little guy "within reason", but it weeds out the tire kickers, bargain shoppers, "negotiators", and generally people who would be better of to go to the hardware store and put their hands on a piece that they can't order, because they don't even know what they want, let alone how to specify it to be right the first time around.

That's what hardware stores are for. They've got metal racks for people with questions, who don't know what they want or how to measure or spec it, what tool they need to cut it, and all that stuff. The steel yard has a business model based on volume and efficiency. Hardware stores have a model model is built on service.

And the Hardware/Tractor Supply really isn't catering to folks who are machining, they are catering to the guy with a welder and a grinder looking to fix a gate, BBQ pit or tractor implement.