Steel prices

Ron Wenrich · March 16, 2004, 04:38:20 PM

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but steel prices are really starting to go up. Our banding prices have gone up and a shaker that we were going to get for $2700 has gone up to $3200, just from the steel. Scrap steel has gone up and junk cars are now worth 3 times more then a few months ago.

That should mean an increase in the price of teeth, blades, equipment and DanG near anything else that uses steel.

I thought that bringing down the tariffs would make it cheaper?

C_Miller · March 16, 2004, 04:46:13 PM

It did until the competition went away. Now make room for the Chinese steel.

C

neslrite · March 16, 2004, 05:20:43 PM

I was ordering some steel this morning and was shocked that I had to pay 40% more than I paid six weeks ago for the same product. I knew that metal prices have been on the rise but 40% is alot and he expects it to go higher.
The reason, my supplier said was the Chinese. Apparently the pacific rim economy is booming and they are buying up all the raw materials they can plus they stopped shipping steel to the US. One interesting figure he threw out was that they are building 2 or 3 new plants that will be online next year and even with this added capacity the demand from China will exceed the entire world supply in 2005.
Just some food for thought on the China thing.
neslrite

Frickman · March 16, 2004, 06:17:53 PM

A hay customer of mine is the office manager at a steel supply and fabrication company. She was telling me last week that she can't even find certain items at any cost. Her boss is not guaranteeing any bids for longer than 24 hours, as prices are rising so fast. As I drive around I wonder something though. At the current prices for scrap, why do some folks still hold onto junk cars and other stuff when they can turn it into cash? I even know of auto wreckers, who would be more familiar with the markets, stockpile rusted up hulks for years. You don't even need a crusher, as there is at least one local feller who will bring in his crusher, highlift, and crew, and haul the scrap away. He even sorts out the copper and aluminum. All you have to do is get out of his way and collect the checks. Now I'm not talking about collector's items here, just worthless scrap. Anyone have any ideas?

J_T · March 16, 2004, 07:05:28 PM

Yep sold 120ton scrap last year qit put in a sawmill. Could told you scrap would go up every time I quit a buisness it booms. Most of the bigger yards will sell their million tons plus before the little guy gets much of a raise. A lot of people think their old junk car is worth 300 bucks and will hold on. By the time ever one gets their cut and makes expences scrap buisness will still be a tuff one I think.It reminds me of the walnut tree.Every one thinks theirs is worth a mint .Rather have my sawmill.

DanG · March 16, 2004, 07:39:26 PM

Well, I don't feel so bad, now, about leaving the "row of shame" sitting in the edge of my pasture for so long. :D I'll be sure to mention this thread, when I haul them off to the junkyard. ;D

J_T · March 16, 2004, 07:56:01 PM

Row of shame :D I lined all my autos up and cleaned up the place called up a inshurance co about house inshurance they came out alooked . Called them later an they turned me down said I had to many junk autos sitting around. Guess what they were the ones we were driving. Beat that for a row of shame .

Haytrader · March 16, 2004, 08:01:40 PM

I have been teeter tottering on the fence whether to build a big stock trailer and when I heard iron was goin up, I decided it was time to sing or put up the song book.
;D
My place to buy has a scrap pile where what ever is in it costs 17 cents a pound. Ya never know what will be there but sometimes ya luck out and some of the stuff ya need is there. Granted, it is reject, but most times that will work. They are paying $110/ton for prepared iron.
I dropped a couple bucks on a new Miller wire welder while I was at it. A guy needs a new toy, er I mean tool every once in a while.

;)

pasbuild · March 16, 2004, 08:31:31 PM

Saw a commentary on the news last night saying that two local companies have had to lay off employees because they can't get enough steel to keep them going.

L. Wakefield · March 17, 2004, 03:02:26 AM

well, to me that's moderstely good news inasmuch as just a bit ago I was having to PAY to have junked cars taken away. I got 1 or 2 to go. lw

Haytrader · March 17, 2004, 04:21:28 AM

LW,

Don't crush a rebuilder...... :

I looked on E Bay for a 1963 Chevy like I used to have.....
Man, I shouda kept it instead of trading it off.

;)

ElectricAl · March 17, 2004, 04:54:22 AM

Last summer 1/2" x 20' rebar was $2 per stick.

Two weeks ago our concrete guy called and said the price was up to $3.25, and asked how many we were going to need this summer. Three days later we ordered 900 rods @ $3.50 each. Now they are $4.50 and expected to go to $5

Sam · March 17, 2004, 01:21:17 PM

Steel prices are really bad-some of ours have already doubled and we have been warned that it might get to the point that we won't be able to get certain items at all.

Even down to the smallest steel parts we use, they have went up. When you build machines made almost entirely out of steel and steel components, it doesn't take long to eat away your profit. I've heard that they are expecting this to last a good 3 years and even then the prices will never go back to what they were.

I highly recommend that anyone planning to purchase equipment soon (from any company), get it on order and your price locked in real soon!

etat · March 17, 2004, 03:46:37 PM

Thanks to this thread, I have been VERY careful about my pricing on metal roofs! I know a few contractors that practically lost their butt a few years ago when lumber prices jumped so dramatically and they stuck to their word on work they had sold. I almost always have priced jobs complete price including furnishing materials and labor, in the past week I have given estimates on 4 reroofs, replacing shingleswith commercial painted metal. These jobs I have priced cost of labor plus. I called my supplier and indeed he did tell me to expect to be paying WAY more. Thanks for bringing this up. This has very well saved me a substantial amount of monies. Again, Thanks.......

Jeff · March 17, 2004, 04:13:59 PM

If yer real thankful you could always haul a compressor up and some guns and help me with my new roof this summer. ;)I aint looking forward to roofin. Oh my knees. Oh my back.

Fla._Deadheader · March 17, 2004, 04:22:33 PM

I may need to replace the roof on our house, before we sell it. Which is a better deal, shingles or steel. For discussion's sake, let's ignore the rise in steel prices for now. Just talk about one versus the other.

etat · March 17, 2004, 05:07:20 PM

Shingles are much cheaper. They are also my preference for this area. Most shingles I install, but not all are thirty year dimensional. Since you asked about reroofing that's what I'll stick too. I ALWAYS, tear off the existing roof to the wood. With shingles I use #15 tarpaper, all new pipe flanges, and usually install full length ridge vent. This allows the house to breath better, helps keep moisture and mold down inside the attic, helps get excess heat out of the attic in the hot summer time, and will add appx. 4 to 6 years to the life of the shingles. Snow and ice shield on the lower parts of the house are pretty much unneeded in this area as we don't usually have problems with ice dams.

Metal roofs I install commercial grade painted metal, either high groove of low groove. Most work on houses is low groove as this looks better on houses. Fastened down with screws with neoprene washers. Not very many around here are interested in seamless metal roofs.

Installing metal on houses my price has been running appx. 85 to 95 percent more including materials.. In installing metal on houses I include using #30 tarpaper over the existing deck, then install 1 by 4 or 2 by 4 laths to get some air space between the metal, which is prone to sweat, and the decking. This air space allows moisture between the metal and the deck to dissipate. Again, before installing the metal I cut the top of the ridge to allow venting at the ridge. And install edge metal around the house to hide the laths, and make everything blend in.

The house we are starting tomorrow will have between 80 and one hundred squares. It has a attached two story 3 car garage with dormers, is spread out every which way, and the main part of the house is appx. 36 feet to even get on the roof! I roof a few big houses each year, but this is the biggest one we have tackled in over 4 years. I'm a dreading it. We will be installing 40 year shingles, with all copper flashing. Charging enough to set up ALL safety equipment and let them know I've been there!!!!! ;D ;D

Jeff, if you'll furnish transportation and lodging we might just come on down and slide you a roof on!!!!! Seriously if you do it yourself and have a compressor I've got a few extra roofing guns that shoot between 1 inch to 1 3/4 inch roofing nails. I'd be glad to send and loan you one. (Don't use staples, they will not hold the shingles as well)

Fla._Deadheader · March 17, 2004, 05:18:22 PM

Thanks for the info, CK ;D ;D

J_T · March 17, 2004, 06:20:41 PM

CK I need to borrow about 15sq of shingles same lot no please ;D ;D

etat · March 17, 2004, 06:43:05 PM

:D :D :D

Ron Wenrich · March 18, 2004, 03:00:34 AM

I have a steel roof on my house and garage. It was put on post WWII and is still in good shape. It doesn't look as good as the new ones they have come out with. They are even coming out with steel that looks pretty much like shingles or terra cotta.

If I were to replace, I'd look to steel. But, you may want to check your resale value. Some improvements can't be repaid through an increase in home value.

I always like when Sears calls and wants to know when my roof was last put on. I tell them about 1945. I then say its a tin roof, and they say good-bye.

pappy · March 18, 2004, 07:16:59 AM

cktate,

You just the feller I need to talk to.

I'm in the process of building a log camp down on the ole back forty and I'm at odds of what kind of ruff I should be using.

I would prefer to use steel cause the snow will slide right off as the pitch will be 12 X 12.( we average 120 inches per winter)

Some guys in these parts don't like steel cause they say it condensates. We get temp swings from minus 40 up to plus 95 summer /winter.

My cathedral ceiling/roof will be round log purlins with 3/4" pine T & G.

Now I'm not sure;

Was thinking of tar paper then 2" blue Styrofoam, 3/4" strapping then the steel.

OR

tar paper, 2 X 4's on edge, then R 11 Owens and Corning (less vapor seal) then strapping and then steel.

Both ways will have soffit and ridge vents.

I've heard one guy say he had condensation problems and rectified it buy removing the steel roofing and placing more fiberglass so it would be touching the steel and it stopped the dripping inside. It was an insulated steel framed and sided building with sheet rock on the ceiling and walls. This seems counter productive to me as there is no more venting.

Just one more question-- when screwing down the steel roofing where is the best place for the screws on top of the ridge or in the valley.

Thanks for any help,
termite

etat · March 18, 2004, 07:43:01 AM

termite, I like your first answer a lot. You don't want yer insulation soakin up moisture. With the tarpaper, the foam, and then laths to keep it up off of the foam a bit, and a ridge vent the moisture will dissapate with no problem. 12/12 pitch is good, shouldn't ever have a problem with leaks. I use a screw with a double steel washer and a neophrene washer. The double steel washer allows the screw to tighten better without twistin the neophrene, don't overtighten. The screws go down on the flats of the metal, not the ridges. This holds the metal tight. They make a seperate screw for lapjoints on high ridge commercial metal, you shouldn't be needing to screw through the joints. This is right the opposite of the old v-groove metal when you always fastened through the highs on the tin. I'll try to get a picture later of proper screw placement.

rebocardo · March 21, 2004, 10:33:16 AM

I needed steel to build some new truck bumpers and a bed. The steel prices were quite the shocker in the Atlanta area. I found a guy selling used steel from pallet systems. Not the exact size I need, but, the price was right.

mhasel · March 21, 2004, 07:12:29 PM

Well if it helps I'm glad to know things in my area just hadn't gone up, I purchased some steel about a months ago, noting fancy just channel and angle and was surprised when I got the bill from my supplier, had been intending to call and ask why. The 40% was just about true, yet another reason we can thank the overseas markets.

Steel mills in the country are struggling or shutting down putting Americans out of work and they are building new mills overseas while we continue to import their goods. What is wrong with this picture??????

Mike