Website with current metal prices?

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 9:59 pm

Does anyone have a link to a decent website with current prices for various sizes of steel and aluminum comparable to what I'd find in the Bay Area? I'm doing some early planning and want to avoid calling up local shops a dozen times for various prices when I have no intention of buying anything until Summer. I don't need exact prices, just a basic idea of what things might cost.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 3:50 am

I've seen sites, and will look for them...Meanwhile, calling a scrapyard should give you a ballpark.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 10:43 am

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:05 am

If you're talking about buying new, you might consider buying used, not so much at a scrap yard but at a salvage yard. I was looking at metal conduit last year for a shade structure and found that you can get used metal conduit that's just as good at construction salvage yards for half the price of new. Just a thought.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 2:10 pm

Especially with everything from gold to steel being on the rise. Conduit prices seem steady for now, but are still inflated from over a year ago.

regionalchaos · Post by **regionalchaos** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 10:40 pm

I picked up my conduit at an electrician supply warehouse. They beat prices at home depot by around $0.75 per 10' stick.

I looked around in our local recycling & reuse center, but didn't find any. They had a lot of PVC however..

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 6:37 am

They're gearing up for a major construction project in downtown Kazoo...I'm keeping my dumpsterdiving regulator and fins in the car at all times.

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 6:29 pm

Regarding Steel prices:

For new steel... If you look in the phone book under Steel and /or Welding, you'll most likely find a place that lists "New Steel Sales" in their add.

Expect to pay retail +/- $1.00/lb for steel these days. I'd guess around $3.50/lb for aluminum but it's been a while since I've priced it.

Now... With the following specs, you can figure the weight (and thus the estimated price) of metals. Write this down in your notebooks:

Steel= 0.283 lbs/in3
Aluminum=0.098 lbs/in3

Aha!!!
Just found this via a websearch:

http://www.tesarta.com/www/resources/li ... ights.html

StevenGoodman · Post by **StevenGoodman** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 12:51 am

In the bay area there is a place in San Leandro that does salvage/recycled stuff. For Burning Man stuff it is perfect and way cheaper than Home Despot or any of those places.

I can dig up the number and address if people are interested. (I have never been there, but projects I have been on have gotten stuff there, so I can ask.)

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 9:41 am

Lay it on us, brother!!! >grins< "Urban Ore" (urbane) in Berkeley is hugely overpriced - they sell most of their stuff for more than it costs to buy the stuff brand new! Example - the wetbar sink I got there for our kamp's kitchen last year cost me $35 + tax- I found the exact same one at Home Despot (made in USA) for $29. Started looking around and found that unless you're looking for something unusual or bizarre, they're a ripoff, er, really steep on price - and even then, their stuff is usually beat to shit.

I miss the junk shops when I was a kid. Really. If it weren't for them, I might have grown up a boring housewife! >giggles<

bb