I beam prices

mx842 · Oct 30, 2013

Anybody have any idea what a 20' 316L I beam would be worth? It's size is 240 X 120 X 6.2 X 9.8 MM -Laser.

Also a 316L Rectangular tube 9.5" X 43/4" by 1/2" thick, both are 20' long.

bcp · Oct 30, 2013

Linked is a local dealer's price sheet.

Rectangular tubing is $0.55 per pound.

Beams without paperwork are $0.25 per pound

http://www.thesteelyard.com//assets/spring_flyer.pdf

Bruce

ChristianHF · Oct 30, 2013

Grade 316 is the standard molybdenum-bearing grade, second in importance to 304 amongst the austenitic stainless steels. The molybdenum gives 316 better overall corrosion resistant properties than Grade 304, particularly higher resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride environments.

Grade 316L, the low carbon version of 316 and is immune from sensitisation (grain boundary carbide precipitation). Thus it is extensively used in heavy gauge welded components (over about 6mm). There is commonly no appreciable price difference between 316 and 316L stainless steel.

The austenitic structure also gives these grades excellent toughness, even down to cryogenic temperatures.

Compared to chromium-nickel austenitic stainless steels, 316L stainless steel offers higher creep, stress to rupture and tensile strength at elevated temperatures.

Recycled it should pay a premium $/lb. If you were to sell it direct, I would call a local supplier and ask for a price per pound and ask for around 1/2 of what they tell you, unless you can provide the certifications showing exactly what it is and where it came from. If you have the certs, ask for close to the supplier price/lb.

Chris

bcp · Oct 30, 2013

Ha! I didn't pay attention to the material. I had just checked steel prices when I saw the post, so replied with what I found.

Bruce

mx842 · Oct 31, 2013

The material came from a plant a friend works for and it was marked for scrap. I never will understand how big corporations can justify some of the stuff they do. Everything they buy is in bulk and sometimes when they buy fasteners they buy hundreds of each item they have in the parts bins regardless of how many may already be in there. Everything is automatically done on a computer and when a job calls for 30 of this washer, nut and bolt along with X number of fittings the computer orders 100 and the customer pays for 100 rather than the 30 it took for the job. They say it's cheaper but it still looks like a lot of waste because at some point the bins get so full they can't hold any more then someone hits the restock button on the computer and when the new stock hits the load dock they dump all the old stock into the scrap dumpster and start out all over again. I have seen 20' containers full to the top of nothing but SS nuts, bolts, washers and every kind of fastener known to man sitting in the yard waiting for the scrap man to pick up.

They only needed three I beams and two sections of tube for a job but they bought 12 pieces altogether at a little over $13000.00 and that was supposed to be cheaper? They have a contract with a scrap dealer that is supposed to pay them a fair price for what ends up in the dumpster but it's all based on scrap iron prices and not the other higher priced materials that they always use. There are 2 or 3 guys in the shop that have a deal worked out with the high command when large pieces like this come up and they can buy it for scrap price if they want it and if no one wants it the yard boy throws it into the dumpster. I have a standing deal with one of the guys when anything on their end is headed for the dumpster no matter what it is I'll take it. Some times it's just plain junk like medal bins that may be a little banged up but sometimes I score partial and in some cases whole sheets of plate steel. Sometimes it's regular steel, sometimes it might be SS or Aluminum. One time I got a piece of Alum plate that was 10' long and 5 feet wide and 1 1/4" thick.

Anyway, everybody wanted these beams and I didn't think I was going to get a shot at any of them but two guys decided they didn't have a way to haul and store them so I got the call and I was there in a flash. It was no way I wanted to see this stuff in a scrap bin now I just need to figure out what to do with it.