Where To Buy Steel and Metal From?

im workin on a new project and need some steel or any type of metal that i ca cut weld and that will hold about 150 lbs at most. i need about 3/4 - 1 inch square tubing but dont know where to go, i live in the New York metro are and dont know where to go, also i looked on yahoo and not to much info there unless im searchig for it using the wrong words,but anyway, you guys have any idea where to go/ and how much it should cost per foot i guess, thats how its sold? please let me know any info you have thanks

I am not sure about New York City, but if you look in the phone book yellow pages under Steel Distributors and Warehouses or Steel Retail, you might find some place close to you. I purchase steel locally and can get it in small quantities. Good luck, Tom

how much does it uausally cost and they sell privately to people without a company?? thanks

The places that I go to do sell to individuals and the price is pretty reasonable. For a 1" x 1" square 16 gauge steel the price is under $10.00 for 20 feet. For a 1" x 2" 16 gauge steel the price is under $15.00 for 20 feet. For a 2" x 2" 16 gauge steel the price is under $20.00 for 20 feet. these are for tubes, for flat plate the price is just as reasonable, depending on the thickness and size. Tom

what size do u think i need either 3/4" or 1" and what gauge its going to be used for a motorized amp rack and the sub box is going to be built on top made from MDF with 2 10" subs that weigh about 15-20lbs a piece and also the weight of the wood thank

also what do i go with as far as the type i seen cold roll and hot roll, whats the difference i found this web site tell me what you thinkand http://www.machinetools.com/MT/index.tmpl thanks i dont know if they deliver

The difference between Hot rolled steel and Cold rolled steel is how the manufacture of the steel lets the steel cool. Cold rolled steel is first hot rolled for flatness, cooled some and then ran through the rolling process again while it is still cooling. Hot rolled is ran through the rolling process, for flatness, hot and then left to cool down without rolling it again. Cold roll steel is the choice of steel to use, because of the finish it has after the cool rolling process. I looked at the web site that you provided and found their prices to be pretty high compared to buying locally, even buying from Home Depot or Lowe's would be cheaper. As to your first question about what size tube to use. This would depend on the size overall of the structure that you are planning to make, the total weight that it will need to hold, and how much bracing or inter-structure you plan to put into it. Good luck, Tom

the size of the steel structure isnt going to be big but the weight of the box and size on top of it will be about the size of a dual sub 10" enclosure 2 cuft, weight about 100-120 pounds the most on the top of this structure so u think if i get the 3/4 square steel that it will be strong enough thanks

ok i went to HomeDepot and they had some stuff but not enough for the whole project i think, i still have to draw out exactly what im doin and call some local stell distibutorsstill but my question now is i dont have a plasma cutter so what ist he best ,fastest and cleanest way to cut the tubing circular saw with metal blade, reciprocating saw , or a angle grinder.. i have all these whats the best and what dou u recomend and use thanks

I would suggest the circular saw with a metal blade it will give you a good fast clean cut.