Price / Lb for steel?

[napabavarian]

I'm debating the $6k purchace of an engine driven welder and big-ish plasma cuter for a few projects, I'd like to know what you have paid per pound for steel recently, I'm thinking of building a dump trailer and a heavy duty flatbed along with some implements...

 

[swines]

Depends upon the type of steel (cold rolled, hot rolled, alloy type) and shape (angle, round tubing, square tubing, flat sheet, rolled strip, H-section, etc.). To see the difference material type can make - price some schedule 80 black iron seamless pipe - and then compare that to the same outside diameter 8 or 9 gage seamed tubing.

 

[DieselPower]

I don't buy new steel by the foot, it's sold in my parts by the foot for running stock and by the square foot for sheet stock and everything has a different price.

 

[thingy]

Very expensive,for new stuff,,just bought a 3ft by 4ft piece of 1/2 inch steel plate for instance,[with some other stuff],,think the plate alone was about 170-180 dollars,,thingy

 

[MadReferee]

Price per pound of steel will vary from region to region, week to week, distributor to distributor and from steel type (tube, angle, round) to steel type. A lot depends on which mill or mills the distributor is sourcing from. Most of the stuff I get comes from mills in Canada. I buy 1000-2000 lbs every couple of months and I get a quantity discount and free delivery. A normal customer can expect to pay in the neighborhood of 45-65 +/- cents per lb for new steel. Most distributors will give you 1 cut for free since most steel comes in 20' or 24' lengths.

You can get a chart of weights by steel type from most any distributor or on-line from Triple S Steel under their Reference section.

Since you have not yet filled in your profile we don't know where you are located. So, let your fingers do the walking thru the Yellow Pages and find your local distributors and get a quote.

 

[schmism]

my local scrap yard has a huge pile of scrap plate/sheet...


they want .25/lb

 

[napabavarian]

North of San Francisco.

There is a place 45min away that sells used scrap, but it can be hard to find just the right stuff

I'll try to find my profine, I know I filled in city/state, possibly not in the right place!

 

[3RRL]

I'm from So Cal and most steel yards have "scrap" bins where you can get HRS or CRS (hot rolled steel or cold rolled steel) for .45¢ a pound. New around here it is about .80¢ to $1.20 depending. Tool steels vary greatly in price and are way more expensive ... even remnants, and chances are you would not need them for your projects. In order to obtain their full benefit, they should be heat treated. However, you might consider a holder block type steel, #2 steel or 4130 or 4140 type pre-hardened for some projects that require more strength. That is usually around $1.00 to a $1.20 too. At least around here. Prices will vary depending where you live and whom you buy from.

 

[California]

North of San Francisco. There is a place 45min away that sells used scrap, but it can be hard to find just the right stuff

Where??!!

 

[napabavarian]

Masellies (sp?) in Petaluma. My 26k connection won't bring Mapquest up, but it is west of 101 on one of the main east/west roads, across from the concrete facility and I believe east of said facility.