Current cross tie prices in your area?

Buzz-sawyer · September 25, 2003, 12:35:26 PM

Hey all...a survey of sorts,

wondering how cross tie prices are

doing in different parts of the country, here (in central Illinois)

I am able to get $18.00 to $21.00 for mixed hardwoods......

Also how strong is the market were you live?

Don

smwwoody · September 25, 2003, 01:16:19 PM

Here are the prices from one of the places that I sell ties to in centrial PA
7x9 oak 22.47 mhw 19.97
7x8 oak 19.97 mhw 17.47
6x8 oak 10.97 mhw 10.97

the other one is a few cents more per piece

Ron Wenrich · September 25, 2003, 02:48:51 PM

We're getting $20.50/tie at the mill for oak. They then give us $1/tie for trucking. Mixed hardwoods are $1 less. They don't pay enough for 6x8s to bother with them.

Those prices are for Koppers in SE PA. Koppers adjusts the prices in their trucking, so a price per tie will vary from location to location.

They estimate the demand to remain strong. 3200 ties per mile and avg life expectancy is 10 years (I think), depending on traffic.

We've also noticed an increase in the demand for switch ties to 16'. Prices aren't as good as the cross tie, and you make money cutting 10' pieces back to 8'6".

Long switch (20-24') haven't been ordered for the past 6 months.

Ohio_Bill · September 25, 2003, 06:20:39 PM

Oak 7x9's 19.50
MHW 7x9,s 17.50
6x8,s Oak 11.00
6x8 ,s MHW 10.00
Burke-Parsons-Bowlby in Wva

Bill

Paul_H · September 25, 2003, 10:28:15 PM

Last year we were getting $24.50 for a 7x9 Doug Fir ($18.18 US)
They haven't been buying #1's around here since February.

Fla._Deadheader · September 26, 2003, 06:17:31 AM

Last #1 7 X 9 we sold, we got $5.65. Price was the same if they was mixed or not. Course, that wuz in '77 :

;D

Buzz-sawyer · September 26, 2003, 02:52:58 PM

Hey!!!!!
Harold sounds Good whos yur buyer!!!! 8) 8) 8)

woodmills1 · September 26, 2003, 06:18:51 PM

I have searched around the internet to find someone who would buy ties from me here in NH but didn't find anything. Any hints on how to find out who will buy them close to me?

Bro. Noble · September 26, 2003, 07:08:14 PM

We sell to Koppers and I believe Ron W. does also. They are one of the largest tie companies (if not the largest) They have a website and I believe it lists their locations. They have been really good to deal with. We get right at 19 dollars for a 7X9 X8' 8". but only about 10 for 6X8. They give us 50 cents per tie to deliver them 35 miles or they will pick them up.

woodmills1 · September 27, 2003, 07:38:48 AM

Koppers was one of the sites I found, but it looks like the nearest is in Penn. which would be 4 or 5 hours. Can't seem to find anything closer to me than conn.

Bro. Noble · September 27, 2003, 07:49:28 AM

Before we had a scragg mill and resaw, we didn't have a market nearby for pallet cants and no place to go with bottom end wood. A big mill close by told me to bring them up to his mill and he would haul them when he took his off. He charged me a very reasonable rate. You might ask around if there are some larger operations in your area.

Some of these larger mills don't want to mess with little band mills and some will send you work or ask you to do jobs for them. I've had two different large mills ask me to cut siding, and cedar and high grade walnut for them.

Just had another thought on Koppers--------what it shows on their website may just be a regional office. I think it showed the nearest one to us as being in Little Rock Ark. They have a concentration yard about 35 miles from us and a buyer that comes around once a week. If he's there he will pay you on the spot, otherwise they unload you and mail the money. The buyers go from mill to mill buying ties when they aren't at the concentration yard. I think if they buy in your general area, they will have a yard fairly close. Won't cost much to ask them.

woodmills1 · September 28, 2003, 07:44:07 AM

Good tip I will try the phone to koppers and shop around for a mill nearby.

Kevin_H. · September 28, 2003, 01:53:22 PM

Hey Buzz,

Whose your buyer in central Illinois?

We have tried to saw some ties in the past but our closest buyer was about 4 hrs away, now we take stuff that would go into a tie and split it then saw it down to deck to make pallet material.
Our pallet guy is 90 min away and he will take as little or as much as I bring him.

Buzz-sawyer · September 28, 2003, 05:30:22 PM

In central Illinois, there are four buyers sweating me to sell them ties and I have had offers from as far away as Wisconsin......trucking is no problem. They will pay for freight and usally send a tie buyer to the mill.......... he will give you a check on the spot!
Here we only get 26 cents for pallet stock...... but about 46 or 47 for cross ties. MUCH MORE PROFITABLE!
Try Koppers, they have plant near you.

Kevin_H. · September 28, 2003, 07:22:30 PM

The koppers in alorton does not buy ties, it's actually right on the edge of E. St. Louis.

we are getting .37 cents for pallet, cut to length, the stringers are ok, but cutting the 1/2" deck boards kinda slow ya down!

Would take me awhile to get a tractor trailer load of ties, but I can deliver the pallet stuff myself.

Buzz-sawyer · September 28, 2003, 08:26:09 PM

Kevin
Like ya said ties go a whole lot faster...and more doe too...you need 200 ties to make a load Koppers will buy in your area( your closer than me) to Kentucky .....so will summerville tie, webber and kerr mcgee among others...
one thought is what species you will cut the most of...they all take different stuff...and have different specs on lenght.etc. so before ya cut too much get thier specs...
but if you want to haul small loads at a time Im not sure I can help to much....
good luck!
Don

Kevin_H. · September 28, 2003, 09:15:54 PM

Thanks for the info Don,

Food for thought, if we decide to go that way I will be sure to call around before we get too far into it.

Ron Wenrich · September 29, 2003, 03:58:31 PM

I know of a few mills that cut as few as 2 bundles and delivered to tie plants.

In our area, Koppers tie buyer will stop by the mill. He does this every Tuesday for us. We don't always have ties, but he stops by several other mills.

As starving as they are for ties, I wouldn't see why they wouldn't buy just 40.

Koppers also buys on delivery to the tie plant. We have to send any bridge timbers up to them since they won't let their tie buyer buy those.

Make sure you understand what defect is allowed. They're pretty easy on me, but I don't send too much junk. They must be of size (no undersizing), with limited defect and a boxed heart.