Your Checklist to Find the Right Surplus Steel Supplier

At Texas Iron & Metal, we understand that you have several different choices available when you need surplus steel. Rather than making your job easier, those various choices could make decisions even harder. That’s why we put together this checklist to help you determine the right surplus steel supplier for your specific project.

Here is what you should look for:

Huge Inventory Selection

Because traveling all over the state, or even the country, to track down the steel you need wastes a lot of time and money—not to mention causes a lot of aggravation—finding a surplus steel supplier with a large inventory is a must. Regardless of your planned projects, you want to make sure the supplier you choose always has a wide variety of steel on hand, from plate and sheet, to channel and angle, to pipe and tubing.

Ability to Find What You Need

Many surplus steel suppliers simply gather the materials they buy to resell and separate them into semi-organized piles. The material may be easy to pick through in the yard, but the supplier has no real grasp on what’s available, how much is left, or where it is on the premises. Buyers could waste a lot of time wandering up and down various aisles, only to find the material they need isn’t available.

When you find a supplier that systematically categorizes inventory in a clean and well-organized yard and/or warehouse, you know you’ve found a solid source for surplus steel. Instead of hoping to happen upon what you need, your supplier will know right away what is in stock because of their meticulous inventory tracking.

As a bonus, a the right supplier will be able to track down materials you need, even when they don’t have it in stock. This means you’ll have a one-stop shop for every project, no matter what you need.

Prime and Less-Than-Prime® Options

Surplus steel (also referred to as Less-Than-Prime®) material may have some cosmetic damage, rust, pits, or other small imperfections. This steel is just as durable as Prime steel, which makes it an excellent money saver for projects where aesthetics aren’t an issue or MSR certs aren’t required, but when they are Prime Steel is needed. Some projects may be able to use a combination of both Prime and LTP®.

By choosing a surplus supplier that provides not only a wide inventory of LTP® steel but also can serve your needs for Prime steel, too, you can always get exactly what you need.

Outstanding Customer Service

It goes without saying that your surplus steel provider should appreciate you just as much as—if not more than—you appreciate them. Sure, once you’ve found the right surplus steel supplier, you’ll probably come back again and again as new projects arise, but that doesn’t mean your supplier should  allow customer service to slip.

Your perfect steel supplier will be available to you with a smile, will help you locate the materials you need, will help you get your materials loaded, and will do it all over again the next time you place an order.

Now, if you’re familiar at all with Texas Iron & Metal, you know that we check every single one of these boxes, and maybe a few others, such as free delivery for orders over $650, credit for businesses, sawing and shearing services on site, and more than eighty years of experience in the surplus steel trade. We’d be proud to be your forever surplus steel provider, so come see us soon!