What should I consider when puchasing from a Houston steel company?

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  Published by Texas Metal & Iron Questions to ask Houston steel dealers about steel tubing Houston steel dealers offer a variety of steel tubing quality and services. Asking the right questions before you make a final purchase ensures that you buy the best steel tubing, for the best price, all with great service. Before you select a Houston steel dealer, consider these questions:

  • Will the dealer provide the cuts?  Cutting steel tubes is a time-consuming task even if you have the necessary equipment. To keep your costs down, choose a supplier that can make the cuts you need.
  • What coatings are available?  While steel is one of the most durable of materials available on the market, it can always be made better. Alloy coatings improve steel’s inherent durability and makes it possible for tubing to be exposed to extreme conditions. Depending upon the unique needs you have for your steel tubing, ask your dealers if they have coatings to prevent corrosion and withstand high-saline environments or corrosive chemicals.
  • What type of pricing options exist?  You want a Houston steel dealer that’ll work with you short and long-term. Ask whether they do price negotiations on big orders or are willing to work with you for your budget.
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  Published by Texas Metal & Iron We can process your order in as little as 30 minutes if it does not require cutting, though we prefer 1-2 hours advanced notice when possible. Once processed, your order can be picked up in-store or it can be delivered to you at a reasonable cost, or free of charge in Houston for orders of $400 or more. We can often ship as early as the same day, or the next day, depending on the complexity of the order, the time it was placed and the delivery location. Please ask your salesperson for specific pickup or delivery times. In some cases, we also offer after hours service, available on request.
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  Published by Texas Metal & Iron There are many things to consider when selecting the metal supplier you want to partner with for your current and future needs. As you sift through the challengers, hear us out on some of the outstanding qualities that separates Texas Iron & Metal from other metal supply companies in Houston:

  • Unparalleled experience:  Texas Iron & Metal has a history that extends back almost a century. Our long time in the industry means that we not only have the connections that can only be earned through hard work and long-term relationships, but that we also have the expertise to handle most any problem and project that’s sent our way.
  • Fast turnaround: One of the biggest benefits of that experience is that we are experts at fulfilling orders. You need steel components today? No problem. While other, less experienced metal suppliers often take in too many orders without the ability to fulfill any of them in a timely manner, the professionals at Texas Iron & Metal have the skills, tools, and supplies to have customers’ orders done in time. Always.
  • Reasonable prices: A great supplier doesn’t overcharge, nor do they nickel and dime their customers. Texas Iron & Metal has a reputation built upon offering the quality components and knowledgeable staff customers need, at a price they can afford.
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  Published by Texas Metal & Iron Steel is a wonderfully versatile, durable, and environmentally-friendly building material. It can be used to build everything from a personalized outdoor sculpture to a towering commercial space. However, who you get your steel from is just as important as the steel itself. Choosing the right Houston steel company is a very important decision in your construction process. Choose a poor supplier and it can cause a domino chain of cascading problems ranging from low quality buildings to costly construction delays. But pick the right supplier and you’ll find yourself with a valuable partner throughout your current design and building phases as well as future ones. So before you put an order in, consider the following things to look for in a Houston steel company:

  • Industry Experience: The first thing to consider is a steel company’s experience within the metal supplying and fabricating industry. A supplier with years of experience has already taken the time to smooth out any inefficiencies and issues. Their business has surpassed the test of time by meeting clients’ needs and delivering products on time.
  • Distribution and Delivery: A good Houston steel company will offer to deliver to your work site or storage facility. That’s because seasoned suppliers have distribution centers and employees ready to quickly and efficiently meet their clients needs.
  • Innovation and Technical Ability: A steel company shouldn’t be just a sales and delivery outlet. Rather, when choosing a steel company to purchase from, choose one that is both a merchant and a fabricator that’s dedicated to continually improving their product range to anticipate and meet industry advancements. This means they’ll always have the best products on-hand.
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  Published by Texas Metal & Iron As you plan for your next big steel purchase for your project, there are a few things you should consider to ensure you have a smooth and successful purchasing experience with your chosen Houston steel supplier. Building with steel offers a bounty of possibilities thanks to its durability and versatility, making it a premier choice for structural applications. But here’s what you need to know before purchasing:

  • Structural Requirements: Contact the local building authority to discuss any licensing requirements and ensure that your project also meets the structural requirements necessary given the projects location, size, and primary function.
  • Finalize Your Design: Once you’ve been given the green light with the building authority, it’s time to decide on your design and determine the size and type of steel and/or steel tubing you’ll be using for the project. Knowing your different design options will help you make the best, most cost-efficient purchasing decisions.
  • Choosing Complimentary Components: Your steel project will likely center on massive steel i-beams and other structural components, but don’t forget about other, smaller components that’ll be needed to complete the project. Choosing a reliable and robust supplier is key to secure access to the materials you’ll need. This will both speed up your completion date and get you better wholesale prices.
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  Published by Texas Metal & Iron Looking for steel products and not exactly sure what type you need? This guide will help you make the right decisions when purchasing Houston steel. All you need to know is what the material will be used for and the size requirements.There are two types of steel: hot-rolled and cold-finished versions. Hot-rolled steel (also called mild steel) is the bread-and-butter steel product for many industries since it is more pliable (ductile) than cold-finished drawn products. When choosing materials for a job, it’s important to know the different types of steel available, how they are used and the advantages of including them in construction or industrial projects. Cold-Finished versus Hot-Rolled The initial thing to remember is that the terms “hot-rolled” and “cold-finished” do not refer to any strengths or grades, but merely the procedure used to create the bar product at the mill.

  1. Hot-Rolled Steel: A process at temperatures over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit is used to create hot-rolled steel. Houston steel products that have been processed in this manner have blue-gray finishes that feel rough to touch.Hot-rolled steel is pliable and softer than cold-finished steel. Hot-rolled steel products have light grey, rough finishes and round edges (in square and flat bars), and hot-rolled products are typically over-sized. This makes hot-rolled steel an excellent choice for the manufacturing of steel components such as simple cross-sections or I-beams, such as rail tracks. They are also used to produce sheet metals.
  2. Cold-Finished Steel:A rolling process at temperatures close to normal room temperature is used to create cold-finished steel. This increases the strength of finished products through the use of strain-hardening as much as 20 percent. The cold process produces finished products that are more precise in dimension than their hot-rolled counterparts. This is because they are already closer to the finished dimensions since they have already gone through the cooling process.Unfortunately, due to the outlined properties, cold-finished steel is limited to few shapes such as flat, square, round and variations of those types of shapes. Other shapes can be rolled if cross-sections are uniform, and the traverse dimensions are small. A series of operations used in shaping (including finishing, roughing, semi-finishing, semi-roughing, breakdown and sizing) are required in creating cold-rolled shapes.Finished products created by the cold-rolled steel process include sheets, rods, strips and bars that are usually smaller than the same products produced through hot rolled processes. These small products are much more tolerant as compared to hot-rolled versions.Cold-rolled steel strips and sheets are available in a couple of different conditions including skin, quarter-hard, half-hard and full-hard rolled. Cold-rolled steel is as also more expensive than the hot-rolled variety.Cold-finished steel products typically have smooth, somewhat shiny finishes with square edges (in square and flat bars), and their sizes are more precise.
  3. Choosing Complimentary Components: Your steel project will likely center on massive steel i-beams and other structural components, but don’t forget about other, smaller components that’ll be needed to complete the project. Choosing a reliable and robust supplier is key to secure access to the materials you’ll need. This will both speed up your completion date and get you better wholesale prices.

  Guidelines: Hot-rolled steel bars are commonly used in the construction and welding trades where the projects under construction do not require tight tolerances and super-precise shapes. Cold-finished steel bars are preferred in the machining world where the quality of steel is a major factor affecting the quality of final products, and where the appearance of the finished steel product is also a crucial factor.