New to buying steel -what to ask for at supplier

[dstig1]

A great thing to look/ask for is the "drops" piles. When they cut something to length for a customer they are left with the remainder of the standard part which is of much less value to them as it is harder to sell. They call those short pieces drops, and will often sell them for far less (often half) of the regular prices. If you know what you need and can spend time searching, you may get lucky, especially at a larger place.

I've been to Discount Steel a few times (the web site posted), as they are local and they have huge stacks of drops to root through, but they are a big place. Their web site is very helpful, but the prices on it are awful - they are much lower priced in person. And very helpful.

Your example of 3/8" x 4" is perfect for bar stock. You would be amazed at how many sizes of bar stock there are. If you are not well-equipped for handling large pieces of steel, it is very wise to make your design with an eye to fewest cuts. Like - Do you really need that piece to be 4.5" wide, or can you use standard 4" or 5" bar? Far easier to design with those sorts of things in mind so you only have to cut to length, for example.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

This is the place I use. Metals Depot? - Buy Small Quantity Metal Online! Steel, Aluminum, Stainless, Brass. I have ordered a lot from them and have had great service and I their prices are competitive. My closest steel suppliier is 30 miles and are not open on Sat. so I usually order online.
Bill

 

[RoyJackson]

This is the place I use. Metals Depot? - Buy Small Quantity Metal Online! Steel, Aluminum, Stainless, Brass. I have ordered a lot from them and have had great service and I their prices are competitive. My closest steel suppliier is 30 miles and are not open on Sat. so I usually order online.
Bill

How about shipping costs?
Metals are (usually) pretty heavy...I would think (but don't know for sure) the cost of shipping would be pretty steep.

 

[HCJtractor]

I am also lucky to have a scrap metal yard nearby. I love to go there just to wander around seeing what they have. Steel is (I think) $.30 per pound. I have numerous projects floating around in my mind, so I look out for pieces that would work, and they are cheap. It is amazing what they buy for scrap that would cost 10 times more new. And for my primitive fabrication skills, scrap is often good enough.

 

[charlz]

I have used the online places for special items such as cutting edge. I don't know if there is one in your area but Metal Supermarkets specializes in cutting to order. They don't charge a cut fee but I think their prices are slightly higher than the places where they prefer you buy it by the 20' stick. I have had a shearing fee when what you want needs to be sheared out of a 4x8 sheet.

 

[deereman75]

I have used the online places for special items such as cutting edge. I don't know if there is one in your area but Metal Supermarkets specializes in cutting to order. They don't charge a cut fee but I think their prices are slightly higher than the places where they prefer you buy it by the 20' stick. I have had a shearing fee when what you want needs to be sheared out of a 4x8 sheet.

Metal supermarket is where I get most of my metal (the rest is from a building salvage yard). I like how they have no cut fee, I can get all the parts for my project precut, for no extra charge. They also let me take a bucket full of cutoffs from their shear for welding practice, every time I go there. (have actually built a few things from that scrap)

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

How about shipping costs?
Metals are (usually) pretty heavy...I would think (but don't know for sure) the cost of shipping would be pretty steep.

A couple of weeks ago I ordered 4 8' pieces of 1 1/2x1 1/2x3/16 angle and the shipping charges were 23.50. I figure that is reasonable. It saves me an hour of my time and 60 miles on my truck.
Bill

 

[mjncad]

Here you go. http://www.rssteel.com/public/pdf/SSS_Steel_Reference_Book.pdf

If you can somehow get a hold of a Ryerson catalog, you'll be in hog heaven; however Ryerson won't sell to us little folks, the catalog information is pure gold.

 

[Corm]

My steel supplier here in Northern Vt has a wall chart that lists all of the various sizes of steel they sell. It is divided up by tubing, pipe, bar stock, plate, beams, etc. They give out free copies, and I have one hanging on my shop wall. Now when I'm building something, I can ref that chart. I find it to be very helpful. Maybe your steel supplier has something similar they can provide. Can't hurt to ask...

Corm

 

[Iplayfarmer]

My steel supplier here in Northern Vt has a wall chart that lists all of the various sizes of steel they sell. It is divided up by tubing, pipe, bar stock, plate, beams, etc. They give out free copies, and I have one hanging on my shop wall. Now when I'm building something, I can ref that chart. I find it to be very helpful. Maybe your steel supplier has something similar they can provide. Can't hurt to ask...

Corm

I have two steel suppliers that I'll go to. One has a little handbook that I keep around. The information is on the web, too... Vernon Steel

The other place has a 2" or 3" sample of everything hanging on a peg board in their office. That's pretty helpful, too. I like the printed info because it includes stuff like pounds/ft.

I just looked up Pacific Steel, my other supplier, to make sure they didn't also have some kind of online resource. They don't have the list of available stuff like Vernon does, but they do have a e-mail link that invites inquiries and questions.