Hello everyone, I'm a new member. I've got several questions regarding steel for the chassis. Could I use round tubing(lighter, stronger, cheaper) instead of square tubing? What prices should I be expecting for both? So far I've found that if I order it online, round tubing is about 550 US$ for the whole chassis, while square is just over $1000. Are these prices reasonable? Where is everyone getting their steel? Thanks.

Adrian

[Edited on 9/1/04 by Adrian Smith]

not sure on USA steel prices, or the size of your chassis, but i paid around £20 for 20 metres or 25mm square ERW, around $30 excluding the current conversion rate oddness.

so $1000 seems very steep!

dunno what everyone else is paying, but I just checked at www.parkersteel.co.uk and they are taking £9.30 ish for 7.5m of 25 x 25 cold formed square hollow section,
Barclay and Mathison(Aberdeen) do a sheet of 2500 x 1225 x 1 for £15.....
what do you lot pay...

Where did you order the steel from?

i got mine from a local steel stockholder, in the UK. Was that price quoted from a metal 'supermarket'? they are often more expensive...

The estimate I had figured a couple months ago was about $250 at most for square welded seam tube. If you wanted drawn tube, there's really no need. The welded tube is just as strong.

DO NOT order online!

Check with local industrial steel suppliers.

If you are in an area served by Siskin Steel you can just get a pickup and go get what you need. I'm not sure what they charge to deliver, but they will cut the lengths down for a small fee.

What area of the states are you in? I'm in the Southeast (Chattanooga, TN).

3 years ago in UK my inch section steel for the whole chassis cost equiv of approx 100 dollars.

steel can be really cheap if bought from right place.


atb

steve

I will buy my steel at my local supplier. The normal price for me as a privat will be 24SEK/meter, about 30$ for 10 meter. I don't think that is cheap, but it is cheap when I see your local prices.

Adrian,
I'm buying ERW square tube regularly (from A1 metals in Ft Pierce, FL) and I pay about $8 for a 24 feet length of 1" square 16g...typical book material...

$1000 would buy me enough tube for 10 to 15 cars.......

Another point, I'm not even sure you can buy drawn square tube, either welded or seamless....if you can it's very rare and totally OTT..

Seem's like you have been close to being severely ripped off...

BTW, I don't buy huge qty's or get a special deal either.

Okay thanks, I'll check around. I'm in the southeast also. North Carolina.

Are you sure that's steel they've quoted you for? £64 for enough to build a chassis in U.K. money. No wonder Bush imposes trade sanctions against steel importers, look at the tax he's raising. You'll vote next election.

yours, Pete.

P.S. I don't know the exchange rate but it must be less than $100.

I got mine from a local outlet of Metal Supermarkets for about $0.50 per foot. I think I have a total of ~#200 in steel tubing invested.

I have been quoted £60.04 for all of the square tube needed. Add a few quid for the wood (jig) and round tube and the vast quantity of the chassis is build for well under a ton.

by the way the steel came from J.H Grant in Oxford visit us www.jhgrant.co.uk they have a web quoting facility

[Edited on 10/1/04 by chris.russell]

So as not to confuse fellow US readers, when Chris says "ton" he means 100 GBP as opposed a ton in weight....


Unless I'm wrong......

would be a seriously strong locost to weight a tonne,

maybe mcsorley +77+44??

forgot this was an international forum, sorry.

um, a 1 ton locost, maybe if I used 1" solid square bar....

No need for apologies Chris after all it is a UK based forum.....

Just trying to enlighten those not in the know..

in that case apology withdrawn, stuff the foreigners. time to go investigate the rub a dub dub for night of wild drinking!

take that back Alan, I love florida - great SCUBA diving