Up here in the Pacific Northwest I was quoted over $500 for a 26' hunk of I
beam (new). As I recall they told me I'd have to buy the entire 30' section
and pay the cut fee to arrive at my 26' piece. I'll need two of these for
overhead hoists (each supporting a one ton load) in my 26'W x 44'L x 16'H
boat storage building. I think it was either 5" or 6" I beam I was quoted
for that load. Pretty ridiculous (I thought).
So, after scrounging around, I located a demolition company (currently
ripping out a shopping mall) that will provide several I beams for under
$100. They'll even load them for me. I'll take the trolley from my hoist (to
see what fits) then verify the rated capacity in my little black book.
Larry
My turbine powered boat project;
You can buy beams in that size ranging from 20 pounds per foot to close to a
hundred. Beams are sized by height and weight per foot.
All you can go by is how much you are paying per pound. Nowadays if you
are a small purchaser fifty cents a pound Canadian is a fair price. Find a
place that does not charge for cutting. Large suppliers consolidate their
orders so that as they cut from a sixty they rarely have more than two or
three feet of waste. If you want exactly thirty feet you likely will get a
decent price.
You would have better luck purchasing from a scrap dealer or a steel
fabrication shop that has a crop length that fits your needs.
Randy
In Texas, what would be a 'realistic' price to pay for 30' of 10" or 12"
I-beam both used and new?
Thanks
First, figure out what size you want/need/can use, as Randy said, they
are measured in both the height and the pounds per foot. (And you will
pay by the pound!)
A classic 'I' shape is actually an 'S' designation
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More than likely you will find the M or W shapes:
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Prices are all over the map. You might pay $.25 a pound at a demolition
or pure scrap yard, $.60 /lb for a second, $.80 to $1 for prime, and
$1.50 to $2 for a fab company to cut, prime, and deliver. If you can
have some size options in mind, you are in a much better position to
wheel and deal
Keep in mind that the smaller sizes say (10" x 12 pound or 10" x 15
pound) will be pretty flexible in a 30' length. They must be braced as
you install them or they will flop over. Delivery is a must unless you
have a 20 foot trailer.
buffalo wrote:
Do you need a full 30' in one piece? In a 10" high form it has very
little strength to do a full span. 2 shorter pieces are much easier to
find in the used/seconds/scrap market as well as much easier to
transport and errect.
buffalo wrote:
For a competitive price for new steel, call Alamo Iron Works in San
Antonio (and elsewhere in Texas); 1-800-292-7817 - act like you are a
fabricator or just ask if whatever they quote is their best price -
they'll quote per foot, but most fab shops buy on a cwt basis - they
can also cut to length for you and you can either take the drop(s) or
leave them, but you'll probably pay for the full length (up to 20');
most I-beams come in 20', 40', or 60' lengths. They also deliver free
all over Texas with their own trucks so they'll bring it to you if you
can be there when they get there and are able to unload the material -
to many places they go at least once a week, some places twice. If I
remember correctly, current price is around $45.00/cwt or $.45/lb.
Salvage yards here in Austin are now charging around $.25/lb which is
pretty high considering you often have to compromise - the salvage
yards' margin is actually a lot better than Alamo or one of its
competitors. I have no financial interest in Alamo, I just use them a
lot and have found they are a great resource for the little guy - many
of the big vendors can be pretty snooty with minimum invoice amounts
and open account only policies - (Alamo is big and old, just not
snooty). Another benefit of Alamo, used by at least several fairly
large trailer builders, is that they will bandsaw material to length
(nearest 1/8" and quite square) for a very reasonable charge - a big
help for a hobbyist or small shop with limited crane capacity.
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