Building - How to buy scrap?

[AmericanTractorDriver]

Hello,

Does anyone here that builds their own equipment know of a way to buy scrap? Our local scrap dealer gets all kinds of goodies... I've even seen big spools of brand-new braided cable in their bins. I asked about buying scrap bars, and I'd gladly pay them a markup over what they pay. Of course, I guess they don't want to risk having me get hurt looking through their metal, plus I'd get in the way of their real business. But I thought it'd be great to find a 4' scrap angle iron that has 2-3' of straight length, etc. Anyone have any suggestions for finding scrap like this?

Oh, I should have added - are online sources like McMaster-Carr usually the cheapest way to buy metal stock, or are there sometimes local suppliers that are better priced? I have several ideas I'd like to build sometime, need to start planning and pricing....

Thanks.

 

[Taylortractornut]

I buy at a local satellite yard for a larger company. I used to buy from the smaller operation that was there before. Also a smallerlocal place I was buying from too but they went to no resale. THe company Im doing business with I often help spot items they need on their equipment. Like last week they had an electric forklift in and One of their shears uses the same type actuators. I pulled them off the lift and gave them to the manager for his parts bin.

 

[swick1]

Online is the second worst place to buy metal. Lowes and tsc are the absolute worst. Establish a relationship with your local fab shop.

 

[Agent Blue]

Were lucky in my area. I have several yards to pick and choose new and used steel. 35 to 38 cents a pound is the going rate. Everything is sorted so it is easy to find the correct size / type of pieces your interested in. My favorite is the new tube stock that is weathered so it is sold as used price. Another is flat steel cut offs in various sizes. 1/4" x 2" makes excellent brace material.

 

[happyhigdons]

My favorite is Pacific steel. They have a portion of the yard you can browse through, and it is much cheaper than new. They also sell new.

 

[Baby Grand]

Online is the second worst place to buy metal. Lowes and tsc are the absolute worst. Establish a relationship with your local fab shop.

So true. There's a family fab business near me and they're always happy to see me, helpful and give me great prices compared to retail.

 

[charlz]

There is a chain called Metals Supermarket where they specialize in selling to small users. Prices are not that much more than buying at a steel yard but they cut to length etc. usually without any extra charge. Steel yards around here really aren't that interested in cutting to length for short pieces etc.

 

[Scotty Dive]

35 to 38 cents a pound. WOW. I pay a buck a pound here in CT

 

[AmericanTractorDriver]

There is a chain called Metals Supermarket where they specialize in selling to small users. Prices are not that much more than buying at a steel yard but they cut to length etc. usually without any extra charge. Steel yards around here really aren't that interested in cutting to length for short pieces etc.

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.

 

[Aging TOO Fast]

there is a small family own steel shop I have dealt with over the years. I would raid the leftover shorter/ small piece cutoffs, they would save and sell. I would buy quite a bit of angle, channel, flat whatever, to have on hand for projects and work around the sized pieces I had.
Then they started several years ago selling the scraps for 75 cents or so a pound....... don't know what they are charging now. Last I saw the shorts/ ends pile was pretty large.

Went back to bigger steel suppliers for full lengths or keep my eyes open for salvage.
If I'm going to pay premium price, I might as well get virgin steel.

 

[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?