DOM tubing prices!?

So I just got a quote for 5 sticks of 1.75x .095 DOM. Holy carp, it comes in at about $10/ft. I know I'm showing my age but I remember paying $1.87, lol.

Does anybody have a company name in Florida that I don't need lube to buy from? I'm in St Pete but I'm willing to travel for a better price.

In reply to jgrewe :

I just priced it through Alro in Ann Arbor, Michigan and got a quote of $1205 for 5-22 foot sticks. Sheesh, glad I'm not building a race car these days.

I asked at the local steel shop here in AZ a couple weeks ago and 1.75x.095 is $7/foot.  Glad I built my cage a couple years ago... back then I thought over $4/ft was stupid.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

We have Alro down here too. Usually, they are the high price point but they deliver to me if needed.

Using an inflaton calculator from my $1.87 price in 1991 it should be around $5-6. I need to dig to see if there is some pressure on the supply that is pushing it to twice what it should be.

I used to have a buddy in the tubing business and typically paid $1 a foot. 

I just bought 20' of 6" dia 3/16" wall for a job I'm doing for my club. Ouch. 

Not just DOM.  A 3 foot section of flat 1/2 inch is $15.

Good news, everyone! I have found TW Metals, they have a branch in Orlando. The closest branch they stock the tube size I need is in Chicago. I was just quoted $5.72/ft for 5 sticks, DELIVERED out of Chicago! I could save $50 if I pick them up at the branch in Orlando.

So my question was, "What side of Orlando are you on...?" They are near the airport so not worth $50 to drive into that E36 M3 show.

This is great news. I'm less than 20 minutes away from them.

5 sticks of 20ft lengths in that size is $160 picked up at my local Metal Supermarkets branch. Looks like they are nationwide.

Alro, TW Metals or Hadco is who I usually use in Fl. 

landstuhltaylor said:

5 sticks of 20ft lengths in that size is $160 picked up at my local Metal Supermarkets branch. Looks like they are nationwide.

That was who I got the $1200 estimate for 5 sticks quote from. They said they had to bring it in from the Birmingham branch. Is that per stick, or maybe just ERW tubing?

Alro came in at just under $10 out of the Tampa location. I've never used Hadco, I'll have to keep that one for future searches.

jgrewe said:

landstuhltaylor said:

5 sticks of 20ft lengths in that size is $160 picked up at my local Metal Supermarkets branch. Looks like they are nationwide.

That was who I got the $1200 estimate for 5 sticks quote from. They said they had to bring it in from the Birmingham branch. Is that per stick, or maybe just ERW tubing?

Alro came in at just under $10 out of the Tampa location. I've never used Hadco, I'll have to keep that one for future searches.

 

That price is what my local branch (Columbus, OH) is quoting as the total for 5 pieces of 20ft long 1.75x0.095 1020 DOM tube.

Interesting... I wonder if there is a manufacturer near Columbus and they have cut out the 6 middlemen? I know there are all kinds of price games played with quantities and volume customers. It seems like inside sales people want to make ALL the money when you call the first time.

I'm going to be dragging my 24' trailer to Toledo in a few weeks, I might check in with them and grab some for the trip home.

In reply to jgrewe :  I can check where Mills gets his steel in Fostoria.  May be cheaper if you're already dragging the trailer up.

In reply to jgrewe :

Cleveland-Cliffs has a plant in Columbus, IN, and I think they own AK Steel in Middletown, OH, so there's a good chance some nearby distributor is able to get a good deal.

landstuhltaylor said:

That price is what my local branch (Columbus, OH) is quoting as the total for 5 pieces of 20ft long 1.75x0.095 1020 DOM tube.

That's $1.60/ft... there's gotta be a miscommunication there somewhere.

Rodan said:

landstuhltaylor said:

That price is what my local branch (Columbus, OH) is quoting as the total for 5 pieces of 20ft long 1.75x0.095 1020 DOM tube.

That's $1.60/ft... there's gotta be a miscommunication there somewhere.

Yea if the columbus branch is actually selling it for that I'm gonna go stock up tomorrow.

My usual spot doesn't carry DOM and it's not something I'm usually looking for, so I can't speak to that tubing, but steel prices went through the roof around ~2018 and definitely haven't gone down since.   They also fluctuate a lot now - I remember talking to the counter guy and he was saying their price was chainging weekly. 

OK ignore that. Their website formatting fields are strange so that number is...not correct at all.

Carry on.