All types of steel are typically sold as surplus, including standard steel products like angle iron, steel channel, steel tubing, I-beams, bars, plates, sheet metal and pipes. Some products may be better to buy new, like pipes for plumbing applications, but in most cases, surplus steel is almost as good as equivalent products made with brand new steel. Because of the changing nature of surplus, be sure that if you are planning a large project with surplus steel that you buy all your materials up front, as they may never be in stock again, or they may have different specifications than the original materials.