Buying Metals Online

What to Look for in Your Supplier

Buying metals online isn’t as common for machine shops, welders, fabricators, and other professional metalworking shops as you might expect. Completing a professional metal working job means meeting engineering specifications, and a lot of metal workers want to see that the materials they’re purchasing are fit for purpose before they give away their hard-earned money. These shops also need to meet deadlines, and they may not have the time to wait for a delivery of metal to arrive. They certainly can’t afford to wait longer if the fulfillment of their order is delayed, or if the order that is shipped to them is incomplete or wrong.

This has meant that buying metal online has been reserved for two separate types of orders at opposite ends of the spectrum of needs. The first is for inexpensive common materials that are ordered routinely. These don’t cause too much of a problem for production or a budget if there is a problem with the order. Local suppliers can step in if the order is delayed, falls short, or is incorrect in order to keep production going. Since the materials are common and inexpensive there is generally still enough money in the budget to pay for alternatively sourced metals if an order has gone awry. The other type of buying metal online is completely different because it usually takes place at the last minute, the materials are unavailable from any other source, and the online purchase is a last ditch effort to avoid production delays or budget overruns.

This second type of metal ordering happens because of:

Scarcity: The metal is rare or demand has made it scarce, and it can’t be found from the usual suppliers. When a contract needs to be filled and the metal isn’t available, metal workers turn to buying metals online so they can fulfill the contract, complete the job, and pay their employees.
Errors: Deadlines can be merciless, and if a usual supplier has a problem and can’t fulfill the usual order, or if the order is incomplete this can send a metalworking shop looking to online outlets to find the material they need to meet the work order on time.
Miswork: Mistakes can happen either in the shop itself, or on the part of the engineering team doing the ordering. Leaving a machine or fabrication shop with a bunch of components that aren’t quite fit for purpose, a lucrative contract that needs fulfilling, and an unexpected shortfall in materials.

When machinists, fabricators, and other metal workers take on a project there is typically very little leeway for making a reasonable return on the project. Delays due to mistakes on the part of a metal supplier can be the difference between making a reasonable return, an unjustifiably slim return, or taking a loss. That’s why so many companies can be reluctant when it comes to buying metals online. It’s important to buy from a metal supplier that can be counted on to deliver the right materials in a reasonable time frame.

Buying From a Metal Supplier You Can Trust

It is this second type of buying metals online that led Industrial Metal Service to offer metal sales alongside our  metal recycling and pickup services. Often our ability to provide quality remnant metals, or find quality new metals for a fair price on short notice made the difference for metal working companies being able to complete their project on time, and to specifications instead of taking costly losses due to missed deadlines and overruns for new materials. Moving online allows us to offer the same great service nationwide without the limits of geography, with the convenience of a click, without the need to even make a call. At Industrial Metal Service we know you’ve got a job to do, and we know how important it is that you get it done on time whether you’re getting metal in person from our warehouse or buying metal online from our ecommerce site.

Industrial Metal Service has long been a local supplier of aluminum and other metals to machine shops and fabricators that found themselves needing materials yesterday at a fair price in San Jose and the rest of Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. We understand that our customers have a job to do, and they depend on us to deliver what we promise on time, every time.

We’ve built a reputation for having the metals our customers need in stock, and delivering them quickly and for a fair price. It is what has enabled us to start selling new and verified remnant metals nationwide and we are bringing that same service paired with accountability to buying metals online.

A composition report on metal scanned using and XRF scanner

Industrial Metal Service is a full service supplier of a wide range of both new and verified remnant aluminum. In addition to buying metals online like aluminum we also provide cast aluminum tooling plates, steel angle iron and other extrusions, and stainless steel that are also available to purchase online.

Large Inventory of Metals Available Online

In addition to our aluminum, cast aluminum tooling plate, steel, and stainless steel available in common sizes Industrial Metal Service can also provide a wide range of specialty metals like copper, oxygen free copper, and nickel alloys and superalloys. These metals along with an extensive variety of verified remnants are available upon request. Simply contact Industrial Metal Services to receive a quote and find out what is in stock.

New metal, verified remnant or specialty metals you order online from Industrial Metal Service can also be made process ready directly upon delivery thanks to our precision sawing services. Both relatively soft aluminum and harder materials like stainless steel can be cut to the size you need, and arrive at your metal working shop ready for machining or fabrication directly after delivery without additional time needed for prep work before a production cycle begins.

Aluminum in the process of being sawn with a high level of precision.

Buying metals online that have been cut by Industrial Metal Service has many advantages including:

  • A reduced need to maintain onsite inventories
  • Reduced scrap from preprocessing
  • Reduced time and labor costs on preprocessing materials

Whether your order consists of a few pieces of metal or hundreds of pieces of metal, our precision cutting service provides options.

Industrial Metal Service has been the metal supplier companies in the Bay Area turned to for speedy turnaround and accurate order fulfillment on metals that help them to meet their production deadlines. We’re now bringing that same level of service to metalworking shops nationwide. When buying metals online, turn to a supplier that understands that you’ve got a job to do, and it won’t wait for delays or errors in delivery. Industrial Metal Service is the metal supplier that makes meeting your specific needs its job.

Quickly, Reliably, and Conveniently Meeting Your Metal Stock Needs

Whether you need a regularly scheduled supply for long-term production needs, a custom order for a special project, or last-minute orders, our inventory and delivery capabilities can quickly meet your needs. We can often offer same-day or next-day delivery within the Bay Area.

We are open Monday-Friday 7a-4p, and Saturdays 8a-12p.

Give us a call and we’ll get it done.

Address
260 Phelan Avenue
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone Number
(408) 294-2334

Message or Call Us Today to Learn More about What We Can Do for You