Where do you guys get your Metals?

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I'm looking for a source to buy Metal.   We have a couple of scrap yards that buy and sell metal.  But i'm not sure if i can get what i need when i need it. I'm mostly looking for round and square hot rolled steel rod from .325- 1" And I'll also need some Sheet Metal and Flat stock. I have about 8 designs of wall decor i want to start producing and will need a good source.   I havent seen much at Lowes or Home depot, Tractor Supply has some but are kinda high. Wondering if you guys know where i could get this stuff.  I work for a company that make steel tubing. But we don't make Rods.  You think it would be best to find a company that makes rod and become one of their customers? or try and pick through a scrap yard?
Reply:I have a decent local scrap yard I use, or sometimes I have ordered off the internet..HTP Invertig 201Lincoln Idealarc SP250Miller 180 AC StickBy farmall:They should have held the seagull closer to the work, squeezing evenly for best deposition.
Reply:Yea i was thinking Scrap yard also.  I just found this online site called Metal Supermarket , and it has a local location 23 miles from me and they let you buy online and pick up in store M-F. I just added  48 Feet of (0.375" STEEL-HOT ROLLED A36 ROUND) to my cart and the total is $46.73 with free local pickup.   but does this sound like a decent price? I'm not sure what a good price is for this steel .
Reply:Originally Posted by Titan UpYea i was thinking Scrap yard also.  I just found this online site called Metal Supermarket , and it has a local location 23 miles from me and they let you buy online and pick up in store M-F. I just added  48 Feet of (0.375" STEEL-HOT ROLLED A36 ROUND) to my cart and the total is $46.73 with free local pickup.   but does this sound like a decent price? I'm not sure what a good price is for this steel .
Reply:Don't know where you are from, but if your close to the Philadelphia/South Jersey area there is a place called Fazzios Steel in Glassboro, NJ.  Its like the walmart of metal suppliers.  They are enormous, have any type/size/shape of metal you would need.  They have very large I-beams to scrap aluminum by the pound and everything in between.  The stuff at home depot or lowes is waaay over priced.
Reply:You gotta list your location so anyone local can let you know "the place".
Reply:I use our local metal supplier, first I hit the rem pile to see what they have, sometimes I get lucky. Then if not lucky I just get what I need. They have a reasonable selection in town, if they don't have it local its next day from Spokane which is just about anything I can dream up, except tool steel ( they stock some very basic ).For tool steel a good source is speedy metals ( http://www.speedymetals.com/ ), they have structural stuff to but I never buy it as its too heavy to ship.
Reply:Bayshore metals in S.F. CA ,hope that helps.AEAD 200LE, Lincoln precision tig 185, Millermatic 251, Spectrum 625 extreme, Victor torch , Smithy 1220LTD. and  Do all C-4 band saw ,  Always adding.
Reply:My local scrap yard is a wonderland of material... You just have to have a friend there or visit often...I bought this stuff at an auction... Everyone thought I was nuts for buying the track system from a dry cleaners.... ALL the down rods are 1/2" steel rods almost 4' long and I still have a trailer load of the cast aluminum bracketry with 5/8" pins holding them together and 100's of nuts & bolts. No one else even bid and I stole it (a 16' trailer load ) The picture is only 1/2 of it. Attached Images
Reply:We have a Metal Supermarket here in Chicagoland haven't been there yet but it won't be to long before I check it out.  I sure miss working at a manufacturing plant where they would let us take home scrap free.Last edited by skulldrinker; 12-25-2011 at 11:26 PM.
Reply:1.  My local Alro Metals.2.  Old weight benches and treadmills have a variety of parts that are easily salvaged and have a number of uses.
Reply:That's a good point... Thrift shops...Goodwill...behind stores at shopping centers... Don't know where you're located,but it's amazing the things that get trashed.When thrift shops get big metal contraptions that don't work...they love folks to remove them from their way... If you contact them and just tell them to call you if anything metal pops up they need removed they will call... Just dismantle what you can use and trash or scrap the rest.I bought a weight bench (actually 3 benches) $5 each.. One was made entirely of receiver hitch material (about $12 per ft.--- 45 feet of it) another had Four 50#  6" x 22" plates of 1-1/4" plate for counterweights and the twenty 1" thick 4x12 plate weights on the other one were cool too.... It was constructed of 2" .250 sq tube.Picked up a truck load of this stuff behind a carpet store plus lots of other long pieces of metal,but these racks made of solid rod would be good for artwork... Attached Images
Reply:I have a metal supermarket local to me, but they don't have pvc coated aluminum..  I get small sheets of that from onlinemetals.comwww.thefusionsolution.com
Reply:Another vote for Fazzio's or online metals. Keep an eye out for stores doing remodels as well. We tossed literally tons of shelf framing in the dumpsters when we were doing store resets. Many times displays and such are bare steel tube or angle iron covered with sheeting. Pull off the sheeting, cut the welds or saw thru the material and take it home. A good battery powered drill for removing screws and an adjustable wrench, plus a cordless sawzal or grinder will make short work of most light weight store displays.  Years ago I picked up several hundred feet of 1" 16ga like new, square tube when they remodeled the local fabric store. The guys were happy for me to cut it up and take it, since it cut down the dumpsters they needed to haul off the "trash". They could only get 6 or 8 of the "racks" in the dumpster before they'd need another one. When I was done they had an almost empty dumpster to work with.As mentioned, trash day can be a gold mine. Around here there are several guys who drive around on trash night and scoop up metal to sell for scrap, so you need to shop early.  The neighbor of  one of my customers collects scrap. I frequently wander over to his place and sort thru the pipe on his trailer before he drags it off to the scrap guy. I've picked up some nice heavy angle at times as well as some almost new stuff on occasion. I just give him what he asks for what I want, usually $5 or 10 tops.It's also useful to let friends and such know you are on the prowl for good metal. A friend of mine brought over some 4' long chunks of 4x6 1/4" angle the other day. They are finishing off a basement and these were stacked in the corner. They were leftovers from when the did the windows in the block wall of the basement years ago, and the customer just wanted them gone. He knew I weld, so he brought them over and dropped them off..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by  jmtebbens  You gotta list your location ...
Reply:My dad hauls scrap for a small local scrap yard when he(my dad) is in town for more than a couple of  days. The scrap yard owner is an older guy, but a real joker,  he will bust your balls the whole time your there( especially cause I'm a yankee) but he also will not sell me anything unless I give it right back. Usually makes out for an interesting couple of hours. But anyway, I usually end up getting steel for about .50-.60 cents a pound. I also go to another place called Fisher steel and either pick through the drops for .65 cents a pound, or I just buy new steel if I need straight, clean metal but those prices are constantly changing.Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:Originally Posted by Fabn4Funx2.  Seems online sales would suffer from excess shipping costs - metal is HEAVY!IMS is about a half mile away with an insane amount of all types of metals racked up to a very tall ceiling.   Multi Million$!Small tube stock AZ Iron is cheaper, Smith Pipe & Steel for I-beams, structural hot rolled and plates.Can't find a cheap salvage yard around here.
Reply:anyone know a good place in mesa arizona? I know its a shot in the dark but..I found a scrap yard that chargers 25cents a lb for scrap steel but they didnt have the best stuff. Ill be going back to check again in a few weeks
Reply:Originally Posted by bigbIf you ever get to Tucson ...
Reply:Metalsupermarket isn't bad.  I have used them once or twice.  Call the local shop.  They gave me better prices than the internet site did.  They laughed about that when I talked with them.  There is extra overhead in the site, of course....  Plus if you call them you will find out what they have on hand and/or when they will get it.  We have a couple here in the Twin Cities.There are other steel suppliers int he area I use more often.  Web search will find them for you in your area.And if you don't post a location you won't get much useful help.-DaveXMT304 with: 22A Feeder, or HF251 Hi Freq DC TIG air cooled
Reply:I found a local scrap yard today, they just started selling to the public. the have new steel like round,square,flat,sheet that you can buy much cheaper than any place i found online. i got some 1/4 round and 3/8 round a total of 60 feet for $14.79  and they let me cut it myself for free. They also have a huge yard full of scrap like rebar,bikes, metal plates,retail shelving ,sewer pipes ,fencing etc......they charger 25 cents per pound.   I'm going back soon with $50 and load up on some stuff.
Reply:If you're planning to go into production as you said, I'd buy new steel.  If you're in it for a profit, you don't have time to be hunting through a scrapyard, then cleaning and prepping rusty material before you can use it.  This is a great way to lose your shirt.  Especially if your designs are going to be repetitive - you can't guarantee what the scrapyard will have from week to week.I don't know where you are, but here in VA I have 3 suppliers who will deliver to my shop for at most an $8 fuel surcharge in addition to the cost of materials.  Dillon Supply, BMG, and Steel Services.  I would think most other places in the country would have similar availability of new materials.  I have never bought steel from Home Depot / Lowe's / TSC, because I can figure their markup in my head, and it's extremely high - multiple hundreds of percent compared to what I pay per pound buying in full-lengths of 20', 21', or 24'.Again, for a business, time is money.  For hobbyists, it's different.  But you're talking about business.
Reply:Originally Posted by tbone550If you're planning to go into production as you said, I'd buy new steel.  If you're in it for a profit, you don't have time to be hunting through a scrapyard, then cleaning and prepping rusty material before you can use it.  This is a great way to lose your shirt.  Especially if your designs are going to be repetitive - you can't guarantee what the scrapyard will have from week to week.I don't know where you are, but here in VA I have 3 suppliers who will deliver to my shop for at most an $8 fuel surcharge in addition to the cost of materials.  Dillon Supply, BMG, and Steel Services.  I would think most other places in the country would have similar availability of new materials.  I have never bought steel from Home Depot / Lowe's / TSC, because I can figure their markup in my head, and it's extremely high - multiple hundreds of percent compared to what I pay per pound buying in full-lengths of 20', 21', or 24'.Again, for a business, time is money.  For hobbyists, it's different.  But you're talking about business.
Reply:I used to get steel from princess auto, until one day on a whim I went over to a local steel processing shop and found that I could get the exact same stuff for the same price...and if I needed something cut, they would do it for me on their burning table!  It's generally better to go around to the local shops to find stuff they don't need or are willing to sell as bare stock as you'll get a better price if they have it on hand, especially if you tell them it's for side work or for a hobby or just some random thing (kudos if you're a farmer!).  A case of beer goes a long way!  You'd be surprised what the larger shops throw into the scrap bins, especially the high production ones.  It's baffling.
Reply:Any body willing to share a decent place to check out in the rust belt area of Detroit/Toledo?How do you know the blacksmith's dog? When you hollar at him he makes a bolt for the door!I use Unline Metals for small quantites of material.  The beauty of using them is you will know the exact composition of your material and be able to replicate your results.  If you have issues you can also use that info to rule out your materials too.  If you need larger quantites a scrap yard or the local welding shop may be a better approach.  I use a local welding shop and since I buy a good bit he has no problem adding what I need to his order and passing it on to me for a small fee.  The key is to have or make good relations with the locals, even if they are a competitor.  Just my .02, but it works for me.BobI'm spending my Kids inheritance, I dont like him that much anyway!!!!!!Enuff tools to do the job, enough sense to use em.Anybody got a spare set of kidneys?  Trade?
Reply:I am looking for metal suppliers in the ROUND ROCK, TX (just north of Austin) area. My Google search gave a few results which I intend to check out next week, anyone ??I need square & rectangular tubing, and some steel plate for my next welding table. Scrap is fine, if it is not too far gone.....
Reply:Originally Posted by skulldrinkerWe have a Metal Supermarket here in Chicagoland haven't been there yet but it won't be to long before I check it out.  I sure miss working at a manufacturing plant where they would let us take home scrap free.
Reply:Ga Steel ships to Tennessee, there is also Triple S steel in Texas for the person asking.www.somethingdifferentftw.blogspot.com
Reply:Originally Posted by GambleDon't waste your time at the one in villa park. They charge full price for scrap. I been there twice and won't go back.
Reply:I wish. Let me know if you find any!Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Originally Posted by mb_welderI used to get steel from princess auto, until one day on a whim I went over to a local steel processing shop and found that I could get the exact same stuff for the same price...and if I needed something cut, they would do it for me on their burning table!  It's generally better to go around to the local shops to find stuff they don't need or are willing to sell as bare stock as you'll get a better price if they have it on hand, especially if you tell them it's for side work or for a hobby or just some random thing (kudos if you're a farmer!).  A case of beer goes a long way!  You'd be surprised what the larger shops throw into the scrap bins, especially the high production ones.  It's baffling.
Reply:Originally Posted by lilredexA recent early morning find. Couldn't find a buyer as it was missing the cables. So,  lots of pieces for projects.
Reply:I jsut bought 10 sticks of 2x2x .125 today for $454.00. Bought it locally here in Rome, GA at Coosa Steel. They have always been pretty easy to deal with. I checked Metal Supermarket in Marrietta, GA and they wanted $890 delivered. Lot of difference. We also have a scrap yard here that sells by the pound. It hit or miss there.
Reply:Originally Posted by bhardy501I jsut bought 10 sticks of 2x2x .125 today for $454.00.
Reply:I use Dillon Supply here in the Columbia, SC area. Depending on what part of Tenn. you're in there is a Dillon Supply in the Antioch, Nashville that may deliver to you. They are somewhat reasonable and don't require a minimun order for me to pick up. I've found it's best to buy new for consistency and cleanliness of the material. I'll hit the scrapyards for small projects.Hobart Airforce 625 plasma cutter.Snapon MM140sl Mig/Tig welder
Reply:I prefer the local steel distributor - very cheap and consistent (Morris Industries in Midlothian, Va).One good source is data centers.  They keep large servers in racks that are about 7' tall, usually about 3' deep and nearly a few feet wide (varies by mfg and use).  These racks are big steel boxes, usually powder or epoxy coated.  Often plenty of 14-16ga or similar sheet, lots of angle with deep legs.  These guys usually pay to have it removed.Hobart LX235Victor 250 Oxy-Acetylene Rig (welding and cutting)Bobcat 773F-350, 1999, 4x4, 16' 10K# trailerOutdoor Wood Burner - 10 cords/year
Reply:Alro and Eastern Metal Supply
Reply:Originally Posted by WakonTonkaAre those 20 footers  (or 0.125"  )?