Why is steel so stoopid expensive?

I've been watching CL for a piece of 4" square steel tubing to bolt on my van as a rear bumper. I found several, and they must be stuffed with cocaine, cuz they're asking nutso money for them.

One was a leftover piece of 1/4" wall that was 6'10" that they guy was asking $125 for. Seriously dude?

/rant

Is there a metal recycling/supply place in town? I used to get steel at a place like that for $x/lb. Same with aluminum. I forget the rates, but it was worthwhile. You only got the off-cuts though. A 6' chunk is more than scrap steel.

because nothing is cheap these days.

Quantitative easing.

The steel hasn't gotten more expensive - our dollars keep losing value.

I'd second the recycler. We use a lot of 4x4 tube steel at work - not sure what happens to the left overs.

So far I haven't found a recycler who sells.

I remember in College at IUP, there was Kovalchick scrap yard. They had acres of stuff all in piles by alloy. I remember there was a pile of stainless about the size of a football field and probably 15' high. It had everything, and I used to buy it for 31 cents a pound.

I bought some mild steel 4" square tube to make some trailing arms for a project and paid $6 for the whole amount, even cut to length.

... and that wasn't that long ago... I graduated in 2000 and kept buying from them for several years.

T.J. wrote: The steel hasn't gotten more expensive - our dollars keep losing value.

I agree with that, but $125 for 7' of steel? That's a bit disproportionate. At the very most, that's 50 lbs of iron. I could see 25 cents a pound, but $2.50?

If I had a leftover piece like that I'd either put it up for $10 or just give it away.

right now steel is scrapping at 230-270/ton depending on where you go and what you take in.

the place i go to lets you take anything off the pile while you're unloading. pretty much trading scrap for scrap. one day the guy next to me dumped off a brand new 3x3x3/16" angle, about 12 feet long. right into my bed it went, and i drove back over the scale. very rarely is there anything good.

i buy tubes from a local welding supply. they have a warehouse with all kinds of stuff and you can pick through the cutoffs by weight or buy full pieces and pay per cut. or have a long truck or trailer and buy 21 or 24 foot lengths. a couple years ago i bought 2x4x3/16 tube for framerails. paid about $68 for the 24 foot piece and they loaded it on the rack of my truck with their crane.

steel town usa, getcha some, All your steel export, scrap.

Anyone know of good steel scrap in Pittsburgh PA?

... I mean, this is a town founded on the steel industry. You'd think googles or yellow pages would have found something.

Have you tried an actual metal supply store? Or look into using pipe instead of 4x4 tube.

Keith wrote: Have you tried an actual metal supply store? Or look into using pipe instead of 4x4 tube.

Yes to both. Pipe would require welding and I don't currently have a welder. I had been looking for some square anyway, but I kinda backed myself into a corner: I need a rear bumper to pass inspection since I moved to PA and I have a limited amount of time.

With square, I could just drill four holes and be done. I've been looking for a bumper as well and the only one I can find is either new ($325) or a used rusty one on CL that the guy wants $150 for.

I was hoping to buy a piece of 4x4 square for $40, drill holes, and bolt it on.

(and if you saw my checkbook right now you'd understand why even $40 is a painful thing)

Will a wood bumper pass in PA? Wood covered in anything?

Used bumper from junkyard?

neon4891 wrote: Will a wood bumper pass in PA? Wood covered in anything?

It sure didn't use to work for PA, at least not years ago. In fact, the steel square stock wouldn't either, because it wasn't an engineered car part. We had to put the rear bumper from an IH Scout across the back of a Meyers Manx, because it had to be a piece engineered as an automotive bumper that was as wide as the wheels.

That may have changed these days, but I'd look into it before spending any money or doing any fabrications.

Rear bumper needed to pass in PA? BS. Find a different inspection dude. My Datsun 620 never had one from the day it was made in 1978 to the day it went to the JY in 2005. It did have a rear valence though, because thats where the factory tail lights were mounted.

Seriously though, I see more than a few wood eear bumpers in all parts of the state from deepest darkest north Philly to Pennsyltucky.

Round tube can be mounted with U bolts. But I wonder if you could just score a bumper from a junk yard; that might be cheaper and easier and more likely to pass inspection.

B430 wrote: Used bumper from junkyard?

Metal Express has very pricey stuff in that size - have you considered moving? Not sure what van you have, but buying a real replacement i probably cheaper and easier.

curtis73 wrote: I was hoping to buy a piece of 4x4 square for $40, drill holes, and bolt it on.

McMaster-Carr doesn't often have the cheapest prices on metal, but for a reference, they want about $75 for a 4" x 4" piece of tubing, 6' long, with 1/8" wall thickness.

I'm thinking bodging a steel bumper from a random junkyard car may be a better option.

Shame you're not closer, I've got a piece in my shop that might do ya. If you'd seen my checkbook you'd understand why $40 sounds pretty good right now.

In reply to curtis73:

cpl new steel suppliers in 'Burgh area if that'll help ya

http://www.alro.com/Locations/Locations_PT.aspx

http://www.glossersteel.com/

maybe you can get a cut off for the right price

rotard wrote:

B430 wrote: Used bumper from junkyard?

I found one that is 87 miles from me that the description reads: "rusty assy. dents. could work. $120" I found another one 186 miles away that says "has issues, no brackets, $200"

I'm still in search of one of those good old fashioned PA junkyards like I used to know growing up, but I think the EPA has done a pretty good job of turning them into landfills.

curtis73 wrote:

rotard wrote:

B430 wrote: Used bumper from junkyard?

I found one that is 87 miles from me that the description reads: "rusty assy. dents. could work. $120" I found another one 186 miles away that says "has issues, no brackets, $200" I'm still in search of one of those good old fashioned PA junkyards like I used to know growing up, but I think the EPA has done a pretty good job of turning them into landfills.

What van is this? That's nuts. The rear bumper for my '72 GMC was like $40 new aftermarket.

Where's all the cheap steel the Chinese and Koreans have been dumping on us for years?