Surplus Steel Myth vs Fact

Sir Francis Bacon coined the phrase, “knowledge is power”, in the late 16^th century. Our third president, Thomas Jefferson, is only one example of another great man who found these words to be worth repeating. Today, “knowledge is power” is a phrase we have all heard and used with frequency. With this in mind, we are dedicating our first blog of 2024 to educating you on a topic that is important to us and should be important to you… Surplus Steel.

Surplus Steel is steel that was purchased by a fabricator, manufacturer, or distributor for a specific project, and for one reason or another went unused. You may have heard it called other terms, including excess steel or secondary steel. There is a lot of misinformation in the industry and beyond surrounding surplus material. Consider this your cheat sheet for understanding the truth about Surplus.

Myth: Surplus Steel is Used

Fact: There are a ton of surplus items available in new, prime condition.

Myth: Surplus Steel is Unpedigreed

Fact: While there is surplus material that lack MTRs, there is a lot of surplus available with traceable MTRs.

Myth: Surplus Steel is Old, Damaged, & Rusty

Fact: Some surplus steel is indistinguishable from prime steel.

Myth: Surplus Steel is Lower Quality Than Prime Steel

Fact: While there are surplus material that contain imperfections including minor pitting and rusting, many surplus items are of the same quality as their prime counterparts.

Many of the misconceptions surrounding surplus steel are due to broad, overarching, statements that, while accurate for some surplus items, are untrue for many others. At Texas Iron & Metal we place a high value on maximizing your budget. Enter Less-Than-Prime© (LTP©) Steel. Less-Than-Prime is Texas Iron & Metal’s personal brand for surplus steel and pipe. While the term “surplus” is accurate in describing how the material came to be LTP, we branded our surplus steel as LTP to highlight the material’s value. LTP provides consistent and substantial cost savings, and meets escalating environmental standards with its recyclability.

Now that you have been empowered with the knowledge of the truth surrounding surplus steel, give us a call (713-672-7595), or send us an email sales@texasironandmetal.com, to experience the value of LTP firsthand.