Tips for Getting a Great Price on Your Steel

Steel plays a big role in many different industries, and in several different parts of our daily lives. If you are planning to build something, chances are you could use steel to build it. Steel provides a great option for every building project because it offers lightweight durability, and is often one of the most affordable options you can find with such a high strength-to-weight ratio. There are several different options for purchasing steel, with options from brand new to used. Here are some tips to help you shop for the right steel and get a great price.

Brand New Steel
New steel is produced in steel mills, but buying direct from the mill is often not an option for most consumers. In order to get it from the mill, you usually have to commit to large purchase quantities (sometimes several thousand tons a year), which may not be feasible for smaller companies, or someone who just needs some steel for a project around the house. There are times when new steel is required, especially in cases where the look or sterility of the metal is important, such as food production or medicine. A place like Wasatch Steel often has surplus inventory from the steel mills, including mill overruns and obsolete inventory that is available at a lower price, so you can still get brand new steel but without the huge purchase commitment.

Excess Prime Steel
Another option, when the look of the steel is not as important, is to purchase excess prime steel. Wasatch Steel can often find shipments of excess prime that may have some signs of oxidation after being exposed to the elements, so it may not look as good as brand new steel. The benefit of this kind of steel is that you can often get like-new steel in terms of the quality at a much lower price.

Secondary Steel
If you are looking for a great deal at the steel supermarket, you can also find recycled steel or secondary steel. This kind of steel is often available with very low pricing, and Wasatch Steel offers a very wide selection so you can find just about any kind that you might need. With so much secondary steel available at the steel yard, you can get the items you need immediately and take it with you so you don’t have to wait for a shipment. Plus Wasatch Steel has several decades of industry experience purchasing steel from several different suppliers nationwide, so they know how to choose only the highest quality secondary steel to offer to customers.

Buying in Bulk
You can also buy in bulk to get better prices, and have the experts at Wasatch Steel cut it to your exact specifications so your steel arrives ready to use and you can cut down waste.

No-Hassle Shopping
Another way to save money when you’re buying steel is to go somewhere that you can buy everything you need in one stop. If you have to go all around town to find several different pieces for your project, you can spend a lot of extra time, and more money on gas. By finding everything in one place at the steel supermarket, you can save a lot of both. You can even find all the tools and accessories you need at Wasatch Steel, so you get everything with one stop.

Building a Modern Economy with Steel

Steel has become one of the most ubiquitous materials in the world today, as an integral part of transportation systems, infrastructure, housing, manufacturing, healthcare, food service, agriculture, energy, and water industries. There are many uses for steel in all these applications, and it is often chosen because it is an extremely strong and versatile material, available in many different forms and grades from steel suppliers to meet different needs. It is also an environmentally friendly material, so as we work toward a greener economy and a more sustainable future, recycled materials from places like Wasatch Steel will likely continue to play a big role.

The Building Blocks of Steel
Steel comes primarily from two ingredients today: iron and recycled steel. Iron is one of the most abundant natural resources available, and has long been used for its strength and durability for construction, weapons, and more. New steel today is also primarily made from recycled steel—it is one of the only materials that can be recycled indefinitely without losing any of its quality or strength. For that reason, it is a popular choice because of its almost endless life cycle.

Fueling Economic Growth
A report by World Steel Association shows that the total global production of steel has nearly doubled from 851 million tons in 2001 to 1,581 million tons just 10 years later in 2011. Most of the growth has come from increased production and use in China and other fast-growing global economies. Of those 1,581 million tons produced, the top four uses were construction (51%), mechanical machinery (14.5%), metal products (12.5%), and automotive (12%). The other 10% was divided among other transportation, electrical equipment, and domestic appliances.

In addition to its availability, steel is also helping to fuel growth because it is so affordable and versatile. There are several thousand different types of steel that can be made depending on what it will be used for. By adding other elements to the iron, steel can be designed with specific properties such as ductility, stiffness, and strength. With so many variations available in the chemical composition and the micro-structures (for both nano and sub-nano scales), a very wide range of steel can be made for several different purposes. In addition, manufacturers today continue to come up with new and innovative variations that continue to make steel even lighter and stronger.

A Greener Economy Building with Steel
There are two main things that contribute to steel being so planet-friendly. First, it is one of the longest-lasting materials in use today. By using a durable and long-lasting material for infrastructure, construction, and more, you will have to replace the materials less often. What that means is less energy used to produce and transport new materials around the world. The second reason steel is so green is that it is universally recyclable. There have been over 22 billion tons of steel recycled since 1900 according the World Steel Association, and 98% of raw materials used to make steel are reused to create new products and byproducts, with a goal of zero waste. Wasatch Steel provides a variety of used steel options, as well as “excess prime” steel. Excess prime is new steel that has been exposed to the elements and may not look brand new anymore, but is in great condition other than the aesthetics.

When you need the best building material, steel suppliers like Wasatch Steel can help you find the strength, durability, and versatility you need from a wide variety of products.

Steel Solutions for a Green Economy

Steel plays a role in just about every aspect of our lives, and it continues to be one of the most widely used metals in the world. In the mid-1800s when the current form of steel production was refined, an industry was born that has spurred economic growth, and contributed to many of the things we enjoy about our modern lives, including our housing, transportation, infrastructure, energy production, healthcare, restaurants, and more.

Steel Fueling the Green Revolution
Many people, companies, and organizations today are looking for ways that they can cut costs, reduce expenses related to energy consumption, and help make the world a little more earth friendly. Steel is also having an impact on this new “green revolution”, offering options for helping develop nations, enhancing resources, and improving efficiency in many industries.

Reduce, Recycle, Reuse
While recycling is not a new idea, there are many people today who are just starting to realize how beneficial recycled steel is because you can continue to reuse it almost endlessly. What that means is when you get steel from Wasatch Steel, you can use it today for your project, then recycle it later if needed. In addition, since it is so recyclable, most of the steel you find (even the new stuff) has been recycled so it’s a more environmentally friendly steel. Not only is steel strong, it can be recycled almost endlessly without any effect on its strength-to-weight ratio or its other properties.

In fact, about 22 billion tons of steel has been recycled since we first discovered that we could reuse it in the early 1900s, and all but 2 percent of the raw materials used to make steel are also reused to create products and by-products, which helps keep costs down.

More Efficiency, Lower Costs
There are many challenges that society faces when it comes to our natural resources, which is why it’s important to evolve to use more environmentally friendly steel and similar products. There are many ways that steel can contribute to a more efficient and profitable economy, including:

• Building lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles
• Building wind turbines and steel dams with steel to capture renewable energy resources
• Providing safe healthy housing for new home buyers
• Creating energy-efficient and strong buildings

In addition, steel is much lighter than other metal options, which means that when you use it for your next project, it will require less fuel to transport to your project site.

Steel is Growing
The use of steel in just about everything we create has not always been the case. However, there is a significant shift toward global steel use, and it has increased sevenfold since 1950. You can find a wide selection of different types of steel at Wasatch Steel, all labeled and packaged to make it easy to find, just like shopping at your local supermarket.

The strength, durability, and low cost of steel, along with the popularity of recycled steel, have made it a popular option for builders from all different industries, and individuals who need a strong material for home or office applications. By using steel, you are taking a small step toward greater efficiency, lower costs, and reduced energy consumption.