Joel OF Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Is there a rule of thumb I can use to calculate steel prices so I know I'm not being ripped off? I rang two local suppliers - one big, one small - and asked for a quote for 1 piece of 3mm sheet. The big supplier said theirs was 2m x 1m and was £95, the small supplier said it was 2.5m x 1m and was £65, more for less! The big supplier also said that to cut the sheet in half would be an extra £10, whilst the smalll supplier said it's free. I find all the numbers and codes to do with steel a bit baffling but I've asked both suppliers if what they're selling is mild steel and they both said yes. Can anyone shed any light on these wild price variations? Could it be that they're selling different quality grades of steel? Or does it just sound like a case of better prices and service from the underdog small supplier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Budd Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 you just have to ring around for prices I'm afraid. The bigger company you called probably saw your requesy of a single piece as too small to bother with, they are used to people wanting a tonne at a time. I called around the local 4 or 5 places a few years back with a list of sizes that I was after (for example, how much for 6 lengths each of 5 different sizes of stock). The big one in the area was more than double the price of the one that I went for in the end, but had I not phoned around I would have no idea there was such a variety! If I'm only after the odd piece of something (such as a section of 3mm plate) then I just pop around to a local fabrication company or call another smith and see if they have anything I can buy from them. They would be buying that stuff along with their normal order and so would be getting a better price for it, at least I woul'd need to pay for the delivery on a single bit of steel ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel OF Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 Righty o, was curious because a local pro blacksmith uses the bigger supplier. Maybe he is buying enough to bring the price down, or the small supplier might not deliver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 As what Dave has said above, you just have to do a little bit of research. In a nutshell, shop around. Whatever you do, don't buy it online, silly prices! A friend of mine introduced me to Director of a very large Engineering and Fabrication company, they buy in steel in massive quantities. I now get my steel through him as he just charges me cost price, he gets one of his staff members to cut it up for me to put in my car and doesn't charge me for cutting, and I can pick through his scrap bin and take what I want for free. I was very lucky to have been introduced to him, I have never paid so little for steel! The down side is that he is usually very busy, often hard to get hold of, and sometimes when I've put an order in, the company has used some of it for their own needs, so he needs to reorder, but that is a small tradeoff for the great prices. I generally keep a small stock of steel sizes that I use all the time though, so that I'm not left in the lurch. I also have another smaller fabrication and engineering firm that is also my BOC dealer, they do odd bits and cut for free. I used them when I first moved here as they do small orders, but they charge much more than the bigger company, I can go through their offcuts and scrap bin but I have to pay for what I find. Just recently I've needed to find a supplier for the school where I also work, in the next town. It just took a little bit of phoning around to find a sympathetic and amicable fabrication firm and we got some fair prices with delivery for £10. I had been quoted as much as £40 for delivery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 also with steel there are cold rolled and hot rolled generally hot rolled is cheaper . and with sheet you have a shiny finish option which costs more...i also travel to other states and prices are all over the place... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 I tend to go to a steel suppies at Newark as it is only a half hour drive for me and the extra £10 charged for cropping the bars in half is a lot less than delivery charges. For sheet I would have to buy it full size from them and have it delivered as trying to get it in to the van is too much hassle. So I tend to go to a local agricultural supplies in the next village as I can pop in drop off a sheet of what I want and collect later, it probably works out a bit more exspensive but avoiding the hassle is worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basher Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I always phone for quotes every time . I have two major local steel suppliers and sometimes one is chaeper and somtimer the other . They vary buy huge amounts (50%). I am currently getting carbon steel cheaper than mild! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Budd Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 crikey Owen, I should buy my steel from your supplier then! :) I supoose you have to get it in 3" round or something sily? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel OF Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 I'm suprised to hear that even established smiths still ring around for prices, I would have thought that over the years you might have become friendly with a particular supplier and might have even worked your way into the "mates rates" zone. On a mig welding site I found a list of suppliers that sell off cuts, (I'm just a novice so I don't need much stock), I rang up the nearest supplier and I've been there enough times now to start getting half a smile with the service...which says a lot in the south east of England. They have a skip out back too which they let me take stuff free from and it's always full of useful bits, I always come away feeling guilty I've got such useful bits for free considering it's a small company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Kurgan, Your question is a god one and it's something that is relevant worldwide and applies to all industries, it's firstly based on suply and demand and then on economies of scale. The bit that very few tell you it's who and what you know that makes the difference. Any buisness person that wishes to remain in buisness for an extended pereiod will do price comparisons. Presume for the sake of arguement that tomorrow you decide to go into the used t-shirt market, your start up stock is your current t-shirt shelf/drawer they are esenlially all used t-shirts yet some you bought off Asda on sale and one of others you bought at a premium At the gift shop in Ibetha from the salesperson with the dreamy blue eyes. Then you get 2 calls, the first from Mandy who is thinking about possibly using a t-shirt in a multimedia artwork that she is contemplating and would it be possible for her to come round and search through your stock to see if you have something suitable, alternatively could she describe the mood that she would like to create and would you be able to package and deliver. the second is from John of Rags Galore who buys up old t-shirts to rip/cut up into rags, he would like to send a driver to get one typical shirt and if it's up to scratch he would probably take the lot. In truth each customer is only going to buy 1 shirt from you however your offer will probably vary considerably - Your mental mindset is possibly something like: Mandy, what a mission and she only wants one lousy t-shirt, if any. And she's probably going to pick the best one. John, cool I'm going to sell the lot good,bad and the ugly all in one shot from just this call. When cold calling supliers for prices try to come across as though you are the suposed John and from the same suplier you will get a keener price. Then when getting freebies , bear in mind that all goods and services have a value time,wear and tear, scrap etc.in the USA its common to return next time with doughnuts etc. not nessisarily $ for $ its not a barter its a show of apreciation, thanks as it were. I used to let all and sundby come to use my lathes, ironworker,plasma cutter etc. Then comes a day when you say WTF. as some rip the .... out of it. As some lout takes you for granted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel OF Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 Last time I visited and got a bunch of bits out the skip, (6 car springs, 8 foot of thin flat stock, and a few feet of 1/2" round bar), they said I could have it for free but I gave them a fiver anyway. They said it's "no good to man nor beast", but it's easy enough for me to straighten out a slightly bent bit of bar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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