Hello, just wondering if anyone knew of any steel suppliers in North Texas around the Dallas area?

High Carbon? Tool Steels? A36?

If you use the Yellow Pages website and specify you are looking for "steel supplier" in the Dallas, TX area, you will have 74 business's to consider....

Mr. Powers, I was thinking all around. Maybe somewhere I could find 1018, 4140, A36; the whole gamut, including tool steels. Everywhere I've been has either only carried angle or pipe, doesn't sell their steel (welding/machine shops), or are closed down.

Mr. Hammer,
I've tried to use the Yellow Pages website before, but haven't had any luck. Making a couple of calls from there today, however, landed me a pretty good A36 supplier. Thanks for the reminder, and sorry for not doing the footwork myself before asking the question.

This is an on-going task too as there can be surprising differences in prices for even the same item; so it often pays to call around *every* *time*.

Don't forget to mention if you can use off sized, short or rusty stock too! Usually get a substantial discount for that and since we will bung it in the forge most times we don't care!


Hmm this looks interesting! (I searched under pipe and metal sales Dallas)

"If your needs call for used steel, please give our metal processing yard a try.
It is a "self-serve" type operation, so bring a hard hat (or borrow one when you're there) and have a look for exactly what you need. Being a metal processing facility, the material is not inventoried, so it is a look and see type transaction. You will find them in Dallas on Irving Blvd, in between Mockingbird and Regal Row.

Ace Iron & Metal
4603 Iriving Blvd.
Dallas, Texas 75247
Phone # 214-631-2256 "

Wow, good find! And thanks for the info about the off-size and rusty stock, that'll come in handy.

Folks don't call me cheap for nothing! (and they are still waiting to get paid for doing so!)

Note however that sometimes badly rusted steel is used for ornamental effect; if so get a gracious plenty of it because trying to substitute a "clean" piece where everything else is well rusted and pitted sticks out like a bull in a parlor!

Actually I trend to buy an extra stick of steel anytime I'm buying steel just to have it on the stock rack for other smaller projects if I don't need it to re-do a goofed up piece on the main project---saves trips.

Just got back from the steel yard I found. 20ft of new 3/4in A36 with three cuts for $24. Onlinemetals has 3/4in A36 for $24 for 8ft not including shipping. How does this price line up with what you get your steel for, Mr. Powers?

You will get to know the "going rate" in your area. On-line prices are usually not a good baseline. However I think that was a decent price for 3/4 sq stock as ISTR paying close to that for new stock in a smaller dimension---IFF you can use it or expect to use it in the next year or so. Also my local prices reflect that I am far away from any city with steel suppliers---why I go to the scrap yard.

My prices bounce all over the place: if the boss is at the scrap yard he tends to look at the odd stuff I accumulate (10" ductile iron headache ball, steel milk crate, 3 pieces of real wrought iron, 6 pieces of 3/8" round stock 10' long) and come up with some random price probably based on whatever the mind control satellites are telling him that day.

Then we generally haggle. If I think the price is way too high I will often ask him what the expensive piece was and toss it back on the pile with a smile. Some days it all goes back on the pile...a couple of times like that and he figures out that I'm not made of money and won't pay new price for scrapped metal and I get generally good prices.

When he's away, the help has been weighing the stuff and then charging me what they would get for it at the large city scrapyard they haul it to and prices get outrageously *low* and I smile a lot. They get what they would have gotten without compacting it and the hauling it 50 to 100 miles, I get a *DEAL*! (Like the PEXTO 982 Stake plate, selling for several hundred dollars *used* that I got for under US$10.)

It's an active yard so I wear my boots and my new and improved disreputable red hat and retreat to a safe area whenever they bring a big machine through. I always check in when I arrive so they know I am around and am "polite" if someone comes in while I am there with something I want I will wait till it's on the ground and then buy it from the scrapyard *not* the guy dumping it---yes it costs me more but staying on the good side of the owner is worth far more to me than saving a couple of bucks a year!

Reminds me with temps in the 100's I should bring a sixpack of cold coke with me next time I visit; having the yard workers actively keeping an eye out for things you would like is *solid* *gold*!

Oh, sorry for the misunderstanding. It was round stock. I think it might still be a good price though, right?

Well find a local Metal Sales place and call them and ask about their prices for: 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 5/8" and 3/4" hot rolled steel in Sq and Round, 20' stick. They are *used* to this as that's how it works in the market.

Now compare your price to the going rate and decide if it's a good price in your market area---and don't forget to factor in travel time and distance, my local place is a lot cheaper if you consider it's an hour each way and so about 1/2 a day too to get steel at the *cheap* big city places...

Also I budget my scrap yard time under "entertainment" as it's like a treasure hunt every time I visit the yard.

If Wylie is not too far for you I would check out Eagle National Steel, from what I have seen they have the best prices in Dfw.

thanks leadchunker, I'll be sure to take a look at them

So forged any of that yet?

yessir, I'm working on trying to get Mr. Brazeal's "one heat tong blank" forged out. I've got the first one done, but can't get any subsequent blanks done right.