Why Is Steel So Expensive?

[JackKnife]

Steel prices continue to climb.

A foot of 2" diameter 1144 stressproof is now $31.46 USD.

Then I think about where it comes from.
Twenty years ago 80% of all the steel in the USA came from either Bethlehem Steel
(now gone), or USS (still in business, but struggling).

The US Navy tells us that the deck of an aircraft carrier is the most dangerous place on
the planet. I can believe that but these everyday workers may be in the second most
dangerous place. They call it just another day at work...

[ame]

OK, so maybe $31.46 ISN'T all that much.

Rick

Don’t start making knives ! Some of the steels we use are over $1000 per Kg now !

 

[wrljet]

FWIW, I'm in the market for a hunk of 303 stainless and decided to look at Speedy Metals.
McMaster-Carr was cheaper.

Bill

The world stage of metal prices is confusing and probably rigged against the consumer in a lot of cases. I won't buy from McMasters Carr and some others in the US due to their excessive prices, most of the time their prices are 3-5x other suppliers. I continually find the best deals from Speedy Metals and local sources to take care of most of my modeling material needs. If you have a local metal monger that deals in scrap bar stock count your blessings. Steel mills in this country that are being constructed or currently in use have a very small discharge footprint compared to mills before 1950.

 

[mortimer]

Does any one have conversions from the USA material specs to EN or din standards?

 

[wrljet]

This chart show some of them:

https://dfwmachine.com/2010/07/steel-grade-equivalent/

Does any one have conversions from the USA material specs to EN or din standards?

 

[cuhlik]

Retail steel prices in Portland have increased dramatically due in part to Trump's tariffs. I just bought a couple of 14ga cold rolled sheets (105 lbs each). Cost last time I bought this on May 28, 2014 (4 years ago) was $78.13 each ($0.75/lb which matched up reasonably well with the ~$0.30/lb wholesale price at the time).
http://steelbenchmarker.com/files/history.pdf wholesale prices were $470--750 per metric ton ($0.21--0.34/lb)

Yesterday I paid $185 each. The Standard Steel sales rep told me they are selling at their cost and business is way down. These tariffs are killing them.
Recent high wholesale price was $969/tonne ($0.44/lb) or $46/sheet which accounts for only 25% of the price I paid.

These numbers don't add up... what else it going on to push the prices up so much?

The tariffs on Chinese steel are 25% of the wholesale import price. At $968/tonne, the tariff should be roughly $11.50/sheet
So how come the retail price increased $107/sheet or 237% to $185?

Chris

2" 0.065 20ft sq tube $61.80 each, was $23.72 --> price increase 260%
48x96 sheet of 14ga CR $185 each, was $78.13 --> price increase 237%

 

[ThomasSK]

Don’t start making knives ! Some of the steels we use are over $1000 per Kg now !

I'd rather have one made from O2 or any reasonable steel that can be ground to a sharp edge that holds.
The knifes made from old HSS hacksaw blades were the best, but a lot of grinding to get a decent knife from the blade.

 

[BaronJ]

Hi Chris,

The suppliers get away with pricing because Americans can't do sums

 

[goldstar31]

Hi Chris,

The suppliers get away with pricing because Americans can't do sums

Oh, John----- Naughty, Naughty!

It's the would be purchasers who can't do sums. The others who can, build hotels and golf courses ( giggle, giggle!)

N

 

[mcostello]

When You pinch pennies the sums take care of themselves.