What Standards People Should Look for Before Buying Steel from Companies

When you need to purchase steel for a construction project big or small, or some other reason, there are certain things you need to know before you set about doing your buying even if it is from a reputable company like Metro Steel.  Here are some suggestions to help you get through:

What a Steel Manufacturer Should Provide

Your typical steel manufacturer will stock a huge variety of items from aluminum, alloy, brass, bronze, copper, cold roll, hot roll, Stainless and Tool Steels.  They should custom cut the steel to whatever length you need free of charge, and there should be no minimums.

Your chosen steel manufacturer like Metro Steel should be able to give excellent shipping service to all of its customers.  This generally means that your order should ship in 1 to 3 business days.  It should arrive promptly and undamaged.  If there should be a back-order problem, the manufacturer should contact you by phone, email or at least indicate the problem on your packing slip.

Cutting Tolerances and Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Gauges

The steel manufacturer you select should have the latest, most modern, sawing, shearing and cutting equipment available.  Their typical cutting tolerance should be:  (Plus 1/8″ Minus 000).

Ferrous and non-ferrous gauges or steel and brass gauges are not all the same thickness.  If you don’t know what thickness to order than there should be a “Sheet Gage” link located on each applicable sheet product pages on their website that you can refer to.

Pricing

The steel manufacturer you end up working with should be able to match your current vendor’s pricing or even do better.

Galvanized Sheet Steel

You should be familiar with some of the terms concerning steel before you attempt to hire a steel manufacturer even one as well-known as the Metro Steel suppliers.  Galvanized sheet steel is one term you should know the meaning of.  Galvanized sheets have many different uses and applications, such as automobile parts including both interior and exterior parts, roofing, appliance parts, heating and ventilating ducts, culverts, microwaves, vending machines, the list is endless.

 Stainless Steel

This is the universal name for many different steels used mainly because of the anti-corrosive element they possess.  Stainless steel was developed to be able to withstand a number of corrosive environments.  Its use assures us that our workplaces are safe, that buildings last longer and that our food preparation surfaces are hygienic.  Another good thing about stainless steel is that it is an earth friendly material which can be melted down, recycled and made into something else.

Mild Steel

This is the steel used the most often and it is also the least expensive steel.  You can find it in practically every product you can think of that is made from steel.  It is available at all manufacturers including Metro Steel suppliers.  It is wieldable, very hard, and even thought it will rust easily, it is also very durable.  This type of steel can be used in nearly every project that needs a large amount of metal.

Now buying steel for a building project can be difficult and stressful because you want to be absolutely certain that you buy exactly the type of steel you need.  These are just a few tips on what you should know before you venture out to make your purchase.  If you are truly a novice, however, you could benefit from consulting someone in the business to make sure you know what you are doing, or even hiring someone in the business to ensure that you end up with the correct supplies.

Biography: 

Jake Hyet is considered an expert concerning steel.  He has worked for ten years for Metro Steel Brisbane, and learned much from Metro Steel suppliers.  He has written extensively about the steel industry.