Building - How to buy scrap?

[lilranch2001]

We have a metal dealer here that sells seconds and bent lengths.
Been a long time since I have bought from them but it was like 60% of a major steel distributors price 20 years ago

 

[Baby Grand]

This is exciting to hear as it turns out there is a Metals Supermarket location not too far away. I tried to compare to Lowe's.

Metal Supermarket: Shop Steelworks Weldable Flat 3/8" X 2" - 4 FT at Lowes.com

Metal Supermarket: https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/Material.aspx?ProductId=MF4140CD/382

Is this the correct equivalent? The Lowe's listing is just "plain steel" so I did not choose hot/cold rolled on the M.S. website. However, M.S. only let me submit it for a quote?

Thanks.

No, 4140 is alloy $teel - compare to hot rolled instead.
In my zip code, their price is $1 more than Lowes for that 3/8x2x48 strip = 10.3 pounds of steel.
Lowes price is $24.19, or $2.35/lb.
Of course, this is Connecticut, and everything costs more here, even the air.

 

[DJ54]

Some metal retailers have their "cut off's" section too. A buddy of mine took over an existing metal retail business, and kept that part. Great for those projects where you need just a small piece of a certain thickness, and can cut it out of a piece they may have laying around. They usually sell it a little cheaper, as someone has already paid the price, for cutting a larger sheet/piece.

Then right next door to him, is a recycler that gets his cut off's, and used to get various metals from other factories in town. Being they have closed 3-4 of those factories in town, it ain't what it used to be..

On the other hand, 4 miles away is a major oil tank builder. They build the 400 bbl. tanks you see at collection points in the oil patch. Plate steel is right at 3/16" and some 1/4", plus other odds and ends. Lots of corner piece's out of 4' X 8' sheets, where they cut half the ends of the tanks out can be bought for scrap price. With the new oil boom going on here in SE Ohio, Penn., and WV, they have stacks of these pieces.

Between these three, I bought enough steel to build my handy-dandy fence unroller shown in picture, and had right at $25 in all the material, and some left over.

 

[AmericanTractorDriver]

No, 4140 is alloy $teel - compare to hot rolled instead.
In my zip code, their price is $1 more than Lowes for that 3/8x2x48 strip = 10.3 pounds of steel.
Lowes price is $24.19, or $2.35/lb.
Of course, this is Connecticut, and everything costs more here, even the air.

I had the same luck, about $1 more than Lowe's. I guess the advantage to MetalsSupermarket then is that they have more variety in stock than Lowe's.

DJ54, nice fence unroller!!

 

[greasemonkeyok]

The USA is a big country. You might get better answers by telling us what state, or even region of the state, you are in. I can help if you are in Eastern Oklahoma, but not if you are in New York or California.

 

[AmericanTractorDriver]

The USA is a big country. You might get better answers by telling us what state, or even region of the state, you are in. I can help if you are in Eastern Oklahoma, but not if you are in New York or California.

Hi GreaseMonkeyOK - I am in Mid TN.

Thanks

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Good. Lots of TN folks here. Hope someone has good info for you.

Periodically I troll the metals places all over Eastern Oklahoma. Some places are more accommodating than others. Also, if you can find a place that buys seconds from a steel mill, you can get good deals on structural pipe. A big commercial oilfield pipe supply place in OKC (i.e., way too big to be interested in selling to a small guy) told me about a place 60 miles away that sells seconds from an Arkansas mill. Turned out to be a great resource.

 

[woodsmith]

I'm no help to you, being in the UK, but I get almost all my metals from a small local yard. They are happy for me to pick through the pile so long as I can keep my feet on the ground, ie: no climbing the pile. In return all my scrap goes to them.

My electric tractor was mostly made of their scrap, as was both my trailers and now my electric reverse trike.

Keeping a good relationship is important as is being fair with prices both ways.
It is also worth checking the yard you support is legit. Not sure if you have the problem over there but here quite a few yards are being caught trading stolen metals, roof lead, street furniture, drain grids, copper cables from railways, etc. It is becoming endemic and spoiling the industry as well as society and pushing up insurance to the point of refusal of cover.

 

[Aging TOO Fast]

Between these three, I bought enough steel to build my handy-dandy fence
unroller shown in picture, and had right at $25 in all the material, and some left over.

View attachment 273034

NEAT fence un- roller, lt sure beats flopping the roll over on the ground unrolling it and fighting
to put the wire up on the posts.

hummmm, I don't have a tractor- maybe I'll have to try a receiver hitch version for the s10 blazer........

Now if I can find the steel for $25.00 or less

 

[jonyyuma]

Well, you might have a problem in the UK with some hot medals.. here is growing to epidemic states as to the theft of copper piping , wiring and Air condition coils.. vacant houses, Commercial buildings, gas stations, and others are Butchered...Yes they try to sell the manhole covers and storm drain grids too...Who can we Blame today?