# Best places to buy raw materials



## kuksul08 (Nov 14, 2011)

I'm starting my new project and have been looking around for the best price on materials - namely aluminum round tube, aluminum rod, copper rod, and delrin rod.

Places I have been looking:
Online Metals
McMaster-Carr
eBay
Aircraft Spruce
Home Depot

Here's what I'm looking for exactly:
1ft 1" OD aluminum rod
4ft 0.75" OD x 0.083" wall aluminum tube
1ft 1" OD acetal rod
1ft 0.5" OD copper rod

I know it's hard to buy small quantities of anything. Shipping costs as much as the material a lot of times. Suggestions welcome!!


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## precisionworks (Nov 14, 2011)

McMaster is my go to source for most things. Lowest shipping costs, next day delivery, no back-orders, great customer service, etc.

EBay is hit or miss but can save you money if you can find what you need. 

Metals depot, online metals, etc., are usually higher than McM on short pieces & delivery is 7-10 days.

Don't forget to check with your local metals recycler ...







Sizes are what they have on the ground that day but the price is cheap ... $1.50 per pound on my last trip for aluminum.


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## kuksul08 (Nov 14, 2011)

Is that... heaven?  Thanks for the info.


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## will (Nov 14, 2011)

Other issues to consider when buying stock:

Figure that at some point in time you will create your own piece of scrap from an almost finished piece. (OOPS factor)

Some projects require that part of the stock remain in the lathe chuck and can not be used 

Generally - it will not cost that much more to get enough material for extras, or material for other projects.


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## wquiles (Nov 14, 2011)

Now-a-days, I "always" check Ebay first. More often than not, I find what I need (usually Aluminum and/or Delrin) 

When that does not work, I most often use Online Metals.

Will


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## will (Nov 14, 2011)

wquiles said:


> Now-a-days, I "always" check Ebay first. More often than not, I find what I need (usually Aluminum and/or Delrin)
> 
> Will



+1


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## moderator007 (Nov 14, 2011)

I have used speedy metals, online metals and enco. Ebay for some short pieces that i didn't need alot of. I found that one place might sell 1.5" aluminum round cheaper than the rest but then they would be considerable more for some aluminum pipe or tube. So if your looking for alot of one thing then its best to shop around. You almost always have to look at the shipping charge to compare prices. Some offer good deals on shipping if you purchase a certain amount. If your looking for acetal then enco usually is the cheaper place.


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## FlashKat (Nov 14, 2011)

Industrial Metal Supply has the best selection & prices depending on where you live. If you live nearby, and go there you will be in metal heaven.


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## gadget_lover (Nov 15, 2011)

Depending on where you live, there is likely to be a metal supply business within an easy drive.

There are 4 or 5 places in the SF bay area. Sims Metal is a huge chain, and its San Jose location has everything imaginable. I'm sure there are other companies just like it.

Daniel


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## BVH (Nov 15, 2011)

FlashKat said:


> Industrial Metal Supply has the best selection & prices depending on where you live. If you live nearby, and go there you will be in metal heaven.



Definitely! When I lived in Burbank, the North Hollywood store was the candy store of metal.


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## Chicago X (Nov 15, 2011)

For short cuts and bargain pieces, the FleaBay seller "_themetalmerchant_" has VERY good pricing. They also will cram as many orders as they can in a flat-rate box for further savings. Their website is http://www.industrialmetalsales.com






wquiles said:


> Now-a-days, I "always" check Ebay first. More often than not, I find what I need (usually Aluminum and/or Delrin)
> When that does not work, I most often use Online Metals.
> Will


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## darkzero (Nov 17, 2011)

FlashKat said:


> Industrial Metal Supply has the best selection & prices depending on where you live. If you live nearby, and go there you will be in metal heaven.





BVH said:


> Definitely! When I lived in Burbank, the North Hollywood store was the candy store of metal.



IMS is my primary supplier since they have a very large inventory, can do custom cuts if needed, & is only 15 mins minutes away. I always head straight to the warehouse to search the scrap bins. A few times I took some scrap pieces to the express counter & the lady just told me to take them as samples. But they don't carry the wide range of alloys, just the more commonly used stuff. For instance they don't carry 7075 which I get from a hole in the wall place called Tuch Metals.

I agree, it's best to find a local supplier rather than ordering online if you can

All my Ti I get from ebay I always buy deals when I find them regardless if I need it or not. George from American Metal Exchange is a common vendor for me that has great deals on ebay.

Acetal I get from Enco when they have their sales which is pretty cheap, other wise I get it from Mcmaster to have the next day.


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## EaracheMS (Nov 17, 2011)

I've purchased a lot of delrin from these guys: http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INSRHM 
They often ship from Nevada, so the shipping times and costs might be a bit lower than McMaster for you.


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## precisionworks (Nov 17, 2011)

> shipping times and costs might be a bit lower than McMaster for you.



I order from Enco when something is on sale & there's absolutely no rush to get it. Here's an order from last week & is typical of their none too fast service ...

Order placed at 0830 on 11-10-2011 (on their website).

Order shipped from Elkhart Indiana at 1954 on 11-11-2011 (a little over 36 hours after order was placed). Not a big deal, Elkhart is only 377 miles from my location.

Order finally delivered at 1706 on 11-15-2011. By that time I'd forgotten all about the order :shakehead



> They often ship from Nevada


Even though McMaster is headquartered in Chicago they also have warehouses in in New Jersey, Southern California, Atlanta & Cleveland. My bet is that McM would beat ENCO 100 times out of 100 for faster delivery.

The biggest diff between McM and ENCO is that ENCO is a division of MSC & MSC is a publicly traded company. McM is a private, family owned company. ENCO reminds me of WalMart, McM is more like the local hardware store.


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## EaracheMS (Nov 17, 2011)

precisionworks said:


> IThe biggest diff between McM and ENCO is that ENCO is a division of MSC & MSC is a publicly traded company. McM is a private, family owned company. ENCO reminds me of WalMart, McM is more like the local hardware store.



Gotcha.
I often order from McMaster and am amazed at hiow fast I get the order. And they've never messed an order up. Hard to argue with that kind of service.


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## precisionworks (Nov 17, 2011)

By the way, welcome to the forum EaracheMS :thumbsup:

I used to order quite a bit from MSC until realizing that their book price (or web price) is often the highest found anywhere. They frequently have 25% off sales and that brings the price down to what McM charges every day. A couple of months ago a cobalt twist drill was needed with a Morse Taper shank. MSC had the Precision Twist item for $107.71, McM had the Michigan Drill brand for $63.75, a savings of 40%. 

To be fair, MSC will usually give up 10%-15% on their regular price if they are asked to.


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## FlashKat (Nov 17, 2011)

McMaster Carr before the recession had a policy to deliver within a 3 hour window locally which was awesome. It takes anywhere from 3 hours to 1 day which is still great.


precisionworks said:


> I order from Enco when something is on sale & there's absolutely no rush to get it. Here's an order from last week & is typical of their none too fast service ...
> 
> Order placed at 0830 on 11-10-2011 (on their website).
> 
> ...


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## EaracheMS (Nov 17, 2011)

precisionworks said:


> By the way, welcome to the forum EaracheMS :thumbsup:
> 
> .



Thanks! I registered awhile back but never had much to say. I'll try to be a bit more active


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## kuksul08 (Nov 24, 2011)

After researching, I've found specific cheap materials at different sources, but the shipping usually kills it. So I've decided to get it all from Online Metals. The shipping and prices are pretty reasonable and average out compared to all the separate sources.


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## unterhausen (Nov 25, 2011)

precisionworks said:


> To be fair, MSC will usually give up 10%-15% on their regular price if they are asked to.


MSC prices reflect the fact that they give their regular customers 10% off and free shipping. It's just that those of us that aren't regular customers get to pay for that. I am not impressed by their materials selection, I was trying to put together an order recently and it just wasn't worth going with them.


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## precisionworks (Nov 25, 2011)

unterhausen said:


> MSC prices reflect the fact that they give their regular customers 10% off and free shipping. It's just that those of us that aren't regular customers get to pay for that. I am not impressed by their materials selection, I was trying to put together an order recently and it just wasn't worth going with them.


+1

Their shipping costs are always twice as much as McMaster & selection on many items is limited.


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## moderator007 (Nov 25, 2011)

Deal Expired


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## KC2IXE (Nov 26, 2011)

I've been looking for a good, inexpensive supplier - Enco isn't BAD, but somewhat limited - the few metals supply houses here on Long Island (except for one Steel place) generally don't even want to see you for small orders, and require a tax number, and most (all) will NOT deliver to a residential address even if you make the minimum (typically $300+ shipping worth of material - and the stock comes in 20 ft bars). My huge issue is when I get a job to quote like I got the other week - guy needed some parts made, and because of the size he needed, I had would have had to cut down some WAY oversized stock (like mill off nearly 1/4" from 2 sides of a square bar) or get someone to cut some blanks out of 1.5" Al plate (hahaha) - ordering the bar wasn't TOO bad, ($20 or so for the ft I would have had to buy), but the shipping from most places was like $25, which put the whol project out of the guys reach (and no, I wasn't going to eat 3/4 of the cost because he only needed 2x 1.5" of that bar)

Yes, I know 2.5" (or was it 2.25") square Al bar isn't exactly common stuff, but still, the shipping charges were a killer - and if you need the material in a rush, forget it. I've gotten way too may packages from places like online Metals where the packing material way outweighs the materials...


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## will (Nov 26, 2011)

KC2IXE said:


> the few metals supply houses here on Long Island (except for one Steel place) generally don't even want to see you for small orders,
> 
> ..



Years back there were a few places in Farmingdale, Melville, and Amityville along Route 110 that sold to the local machine shops..

Getting a tax id is easy enough - no cost involved Only thing - they send you a quarterly form that you have to fill out and mail back. This is to show how much tax you collected. If there is none, just put none and mail it back..Don't forget to fill out out as there can be fines if you don't.


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## gadget_lover (Nov 26, 2011)

Here in Calif you can get a tax id to buy wholesale from distributors. Somewhere along the line you are supposed to pay any sales taxes due on materials that were used for personal purposes. If you use the materials to make something you sell then you are supposed to collect the sales tax at that time.

It's not a big thing, but violating the rules can have penalties that far exceed the cost of shipping from MSC. 

Daniel


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## KC2IXE (Nov 26, 2011)

Oh, I know, my wife actually HAS a Tax ID, from paying the Nanny - YES, when my kids had a Nanny, we did it legit, and got tax numbers, got the insurance, etc, and NOT through an agency!! The BIG issue is the $300-$700 MINIMUM order - $700 of aluminum is a HUGE amount, and most won't deliver residential, and unloading could be fun with no crane


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## precisionworks (Nov 26, 2011)

> but violating the rules can have penalties that far exceed the cost of shipping


+1

My CPA advised me many years ago NOT to collect taxes on any sale & I don't. That way there's no need to remit those taxes every quarter.

Most of my suppliers require only that a Business Credit Application is filled out. All the normal info is required including three business credit references. I have a number of Net 30 accounts & that makes it easy to pay once a month to each supplier. MSC, McMaster, Enco, etc. will be happy to set up a Net 30 account if you inquire.

In this area a $500 steel order qualifies for free delivery ... at roughly $1/pound it doesn't take long to hit $500.


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## will (Nov 26, 2011)

If I remember correctly - Sales tax is collected when the item reaches the final consumer. For example, an auto mechanic purchases parts for a repair from an auto parts store. He has a tax ID, he in turn sells the part and labor to the owner of the car, this is where the sales tax is collected. There is no sales tax collected at the time the mechanic purchased the parts from the supply store. End consumers pay sales tax at the auto supply store.
And as stated above, the fines relative to sales tax can be pretty hefty....


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## raybow1 (Nov 26, 2011)

I have always used online metals out of seattle washington and they have always been very cometetive on their price and very very good on selection. Shipping is a little stiff if you just order a single peice but is quite reasonable for more.


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## cummings66 (Nov 28, 2011)

Something not said, check your metal salvage yard. I have found lots of good cheap usable metals there and for far less than anywhere online. There I usually go to mcmaster-carr for my stuff because they're fast and not that far away. I get my stuff the next day from them because I'm in the same state, about 150 miles away.


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## KC2IXE (Nov 28, 2011)

Metal salvage is great for Hobby use, and I do use it for that - but when the client says "I need 100 of these next week" (or even 1), you can't rely on the scrap yard having what you need, you need to be able to order up the materials - and quote the order based upon a price too


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## precisionworks (Nov 28, 2011)

> you need to be able to order up the materials - and quote the order based upon a price


+1

I use McMaster's online pricing as a base for most quotes. Cost of material + tax + shipping + 33% markup = total materials cost. If the customer can do better on material pricing they are welcome to furnish all materials as long as the material is either ID stamped or accompanied by a cert - I will not machine any metal unless I'm certain about the material & the as delivered condition (hardened, annealed, etc.)


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## L.E.D. FOOT (Dec 2, 2011)

I always order from Speedy Metals I live in Pa. The order is always here within 2 days. They have great customer service. You get exactly what you need fast, instead of going to ebay or a metal recycler to only save possibly a few bucks, its not worth the hassle to me.


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## precisionworks (Dec 2, 2011)

> You get exactly what you need fast, instead of going to ebay or a metal recycler to only save possibly a few bucks



That all depends on what you need. I built a jig plate recently & needed a small piece of Al plate 12" square by 2" thick. Speedy Metals price including shipping was $225 versus the recycled price of $42.


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## moderator007 (Dec 2, 2011)

I came across a site while searching for some chromoly yesterday. Stockcarsteel.com, they carry way more than chromoly. They even have delrin. The prices on several different metals and aluminum where much cheaper than any where else I had been looking. They have a pretty decent selection on various types of metal and aluminum. There shipping was also slightly cheaper than most. They are based in Mooresville, NC. I am going to place a order some time next week if anyone's interested in how it goes. I live in NC so this maybe good supplier for me.
I also like the recycler. Picked up some 1/2 inch and 1 inch aluminum flat that would have cost me probably $200 with shipping for $20 bucks. They charged me a dollar a pound with a little bonus. I just wish I could come across some aluminum round bar. They never seem to have any.

Update: I have placed 2 orders with stockcarsteel. Both where shipped the next day after ordering late in the evening. Both arrived the next day after being shipped.:thumbsup: The last order had 15 different pieces of various lengths. Most where 1 to 2 ft long. Every single piece was a 1/4" to 1/2" longer than the ordered length. I thought that was very generous of them. Most every where else states there length's plus or minus a 1/4". This order was all plus 1/4 or better. Shipping was $14.47 for 16lbs.


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## CMAG (Dec 2, 2011)

KC2IXE said:


> Metal salvage is great for Hobby use, and I do use it for that - but when the client says "I need 100 of these next week" (or even 1), you can't rely on the scrap yard having what you need, you need to be able to order up the materials - and quote the order based upon a price too



Davidson Aluminum Deer Park NY.


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## KC2IXE (Dec 3, 2011)

If I remember right, they have like a $300 minimum


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## gt40 (Dec 5, 2011)

Industrial Metal Supply if your in CA: 
http://www.industrialmetalsupply.com/

You want to go there and pick through the monster piles of "rems". Rems are any piece previously cut. Since they stock 20 foot pieces in most flashlight relevant sizes, you could buy a 12 foot piece and it would be considered a "rem". These previously cut pieces are 1/4 to 1/2 the price of buying a "new" piece. I get 3 foot to 5 foot pieces of aluminum 1.5" thick as low as a dollar or so a pound. I have bought stuff from them for 15 years and never had to order a "new" piece because the rem section is so plentiful. Rems= 1/2 or less the cost of Mcmaster carr. They have over 200,000 sf warehouse at the sun valley location with everything up to 2 feet thick 4' x 8' slabs of aluminum + stainless carbon and copper in every size. 

Anyway, good luck and it is worth the drive as it is awesome to see so much metal in one place...


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## kuksul08 (Jan 28, 2012)

I just found a great source for plastics. 1/2-2/3 the price of Online metals.

http://www.iplasticsupply.com/shopping-cart/acetal-delrin-celcon-rod/


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## pgilbo (Feb 3, 2012)

Hi,

How about Amazon? 

I checked the price for a 12 inch piece of .5 inch copper rod (Alloy 145) - 22.00 @ McMaster and 12.00 on Amazon.

A couple of months ago I found 1 1/2 " x 12" 303 stainless rods for about $5.00 ea. on Amazon. I bought 20 of them and got free 2 day shipping thru Prime. The price is about 49.00 on McMaster. The price on Amazon is now about 20.00, so it is still a pretty good deal. 

I also found 1/4 inch 6x12 inch brass sheet for 15.00 each on Amazon vs. 150.00 for a 12x12 @ McMaster.

Amazon also offers free 2 day shipping on a lot of items through the "Prime" program (less than 7.00/month).

Also, check Amazon for chucking reamers and metric drill bits.

I am not affiliated with the vendors mentioned in this post, just a happy customer of both Amazon and McMaster.

I have a McMaster catalog from about 20 years ago, it's interesting to see how the prices have changed since then.

Thanks,
Paul


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## kuksul08 (Feb 4, 2012)

I'd like to reiterate moderator007's suggestion of StockCarSteel. They have aluminum, steel, and plastics for great prices. If you call and ask for Andrew, he will work with you on the shipping to try to reduce the cost - don't go by the website pricing.


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