The price of steel

[Snoranger]

I'm really disappointed in you, Bimpkin. You had an excellent opportunity for a pun, and you didn't take it. For shame! Guess I'll just have to steel it.

You seem to be implying that online prices aren't exactly a steel.

 

[Dirtman]

Puns cause urinary tract infections.

 

[Blmpkn]

I'm really disappointed in you, Bimpkin. You had an excellent opportunity for a pun, and you didn't take it. For shame! Guess I'll just have to steel it.

You seem to be implying that online prices aren't exactly a steel.

Aw dammit lol

 

[Shran]

Metalsdepot prices get you in the ballpark for local prices and I've found that local has ALWAYS been cheaper, excluding hardware store prices - those are 1000% more expensive than elsewhere.

Steel is stupid expensive right now, scrap is lower than I've ever seen it. I took in 1500lbs last week and got $7.60 for it, and I needed a piece of 2" square 1/8" wall, about 8' long, that cost me $18. It's crazy. I'm not complaining at all though, it just means nobody is crushing trucks right now and junkers come cheap cheap cheap!

 

[Uncle Gump]

Steel is stupid expensive right now, scrap is lower than I've ever seen it. I took in 1500lbs last week and got $7.60 for it, and I needed a piece of 2" square 1/8" wall, about 8' long, that cost me $18. It's crazy. I'm not complaining at all though, it just means nobody is crushing trucks right now and junkers come cheap cheap cheap!

$18 for a piece of 2" square tube 8ft long is a steal. Cost me $50 for a 12ft length of the same stuff.

 

[Shran]

Ouch! I was expecting to pay about $10. New steel used to be pretty cheap, I know I've never paid that much for 2" square. I'm not sure who our local place is supplied by, none of it is labeled. Maybe it's Chinese and the tariffs are affecting things.

I'm not sure exactly how their prices are calculated, it has to do with weight per foot or something like that. Last time I bought 6" channel, it was $67 for a 10' piece... a 24' stick of 1" angle was $14, think I paid about $65 for the 20' piece of 4x3/16" flat stock when I built my bumper two years ago.

It is what it is, I'm not complaining, I'm either paying more for junker trucks and my profit margin parting them out is very slim, or I'm paying more for new steel when I'm building something. It's all a wash in the end.

 

[Will]

Metals Depot is expensive. I use them for small stuff that doesn't matter. We are so, so, so lucky as hell here in Columbus, Indiana to have the Kroot Corporation. It's been here longer than Cummins. J. Irwin Miller and a young Kroot boy use to play together in the Irwin mansion, exploring all the nooks and corners.

Kroot sells wholesale to individuals, just as they do to companies up to the size of Cummins. They sell by weight. They do basic cutting for free. It would be worth your while to drive here from pretty far away if you were doing a big project. I have even had a time where they gave me a small piece and just asked me to remember them. I needed a bit of mechanical tubing.

If you can find a place like this, you will do well. Otherwise, steel can be quite expensive.