What The H***!!!!!- Steel from China

[elkriverfab]

OK everybody.

I just thought this was something to vent about.

Today I had to go to the steel yard to pick up some supplies.

I was getting some 3 inch X 3 inch square tubing, some 1-1/2 inch square tubing and some 14 gauge steel plate.

I got home and found made in China marked all over this stuff.

Do we not make anything here anymore?

Called the steel yard to yell at them...... They said that's were it is coming from now.

Has anyone else out there come across this?

What a sad, sad thing this country is coming to........

Now I sound like my grandfather.........

[trucks1948]

Sad but true and the reason some of it cuts like crap too.

[plain ol Bill]

Stop and think about it - due to corporate greed and numbnut bean counters most of this countries smoke stack industries (steel mills for one) are gone. Gone as in gone for good and never coming back. These industries are what made this country what it is and now it is gone and the american way of life is going with it. The middle class working people in america are in a tough place because the middle class is dwindling FAST. Many kids today will never enjoy the economic blessings that their parents enjoyed.

[Loyd]

Yep, we have a couple of very large steel mills here in Arkansas.....owned and run by the Japanese!!!!! They do buy a few of my reels tho...I get some of their money when I can!!
Shawn...I put that program on a cd will send it with the part. I will try to get it off tomorrow.
Loyd

[bignoles]

Yep, lots of Made in India and Made in Mexico too...not much Made in USA unless you spec it, then it's going to cost you $$

[bigd420]

here in good ole GA our steel is made here in the the greatest country ever. but yeah it does stink that we are depending more and more on others. the revolution is comin... R U READY

[Complete_Loser]

I have a (MASSIVE) steel mill closer to me than my nearest supplier. And my supplier doesnt even get it from that mill.
Infact, I have a hunch that mill sells to China.

[johnl]

Here in North Mississippi we have a steel mill that is owned by the Russians, a helocopter plant owned by the French(Eurocopter) and now we are building a Toyota plant near Tupelo. America is the greatest tax haven in the world, if you are NOT an American....

[akpilot]

I picked up steel yesterday to build my water table here in Wasilla, AK it was stamped Korea!! I don't think it's all corprate greed, it's Unions, regulations and taxes. We have priced our selfs right out of the market! IMHO

[elkriverfab]

I picked up steel yesterday to build my water table here in Wasilla, AK it was stamped Korea!! I don't think it's all corprate greed, it's Unions, regulations and taxes. We have priced our selfs right out of the market! IMHO

akpilot.

It is sad...

I bought some steel a few days ago and it was from china.
My problem is, It is hard to cut and comes out sloppy.

I can cut a sheet of steel from a local mill and it cuts good, than throw a piece of the import steel on the table and it cuts like all my machine settings are off!

I had two signs to cut out for a customer that were identical but one had so much slag.
I put a different piece of steel on (same thickness) and back to cutting clean.

I had to scrap the sign with the bad steel.

For me that was a loss of $35.00

It is just frustrating sometimes.

[plasmajoe]

You know you are right Elkriverfab, the quality of the steel that comes across any ocean, let it be Spain, Brazil, China, Russian who cares, it seems that they come here and the scale is terrible on the plate and the rust!!! Good greif lets not go there!!! I really try not to purchase steel from any oversea supply, I really don't think they ship it properly over, it seem to me they let it sit on the deck absorbing all the salt water it can. I for one am very fortunate, we have around 3 or 4 steel mills nearby ( in between 2 to 4 hours in distance), it is nothing to order plate from one supplier and if he don't have it the others will. It is very rare that I have to by any foreing steel. If they don't have any Canadian steel I request American steel before any overseas crap. Unfortunately I really don't know why the American Steel happens to be hard to get now. I will say one thing in all my years in this trade, I have seen the steel to me deterating at an alarming rate, especially these past 5 to 10 years. Poeple!, let's educate our children to value quality not the allmighty dollar, then and only then will things get better. In my generation to me it seems that a lot of crftmans have lost the idea of quality and just want to make the most money for the cheapest way.

Sorry for rambling, I get worked up when it comes to this stuff, LOL, lunch time now.

Plasma Joe

[Eagle Mtn Metal Works]

Hi Joe I totally agree with you. But that's not just in steel. I have been in the construction industry for the past 30+ years and MOST of the contractors want quantity rather then quality and they want it for next to nothing. It seems like this generation does not care about quality and pride in their work . Their attitude is, I am here so where is my paycheck or some of them think that we owe them a lifestyle that they did not WORK for. Sorry for my soap box speech.

[elkriverfab]

I just bought some 1-1/2 16 gauge tubing, about 20 lengths of it.
I unloaded it from my truck and put it on saw horses to keep it off the ground.

I had to clear some room in my shop so I knew it was going to stay outside for the night.
It was a humid night and it was dewy in the morning.

Big mistake, my new Chinese steel was now so rusted I now have to sand it all with a disc!!!!!!!

This was from one night outside, and it looked brand new when I took it home.
I mean this stuff looked like it sat out in the grass for a month, not a little rust but a lot of rust.

I am mad #%*!

Also I am noticing a very foul odor of welding fumes coming from all this new metal.
It's pretty bad.

I also bought a length of 2 inch 1/4 wall tube and it did the same thing (rust) and smells really bad when welding.
I will say this, some of my older metal (supply pile) from the USA does not rust like this. Tested it, sat it in the rain for three days and no rust and no unusual smell.

I had to pay full price for this stuff, not cheap and on top of that it's hard to weld.

It mig welds like you have a huge magnet right by your puddle, wont stick.

Has anyone else run across this problem?

The supplier looks like they hear this a lot but wont admit it.

[azfabshop]

I've seen some of that at my supplier but its offered at a discount rate. it's alot cheaper but I've only seen it in small square tube not in any plate.

[MQUICK]

A few words about steel from China. If you need to have steel that that has a spec. like A36 for structural steel or any other US spec. steel. Try to stay away from steel from China. The steel they produce for local use is weaker than or steel. On average, their spec steel is 15% weaker than ours. They have a different spec for steel than we do.
The reason we get poor quality steel from China, is that it is what the importers are asking for. They are buying what even China calls cheep steel. They bring it here and sell it along side of good steel at a cheaper price and make more money. The best you can do is getting what you paid for and the worst part is, you may not be getting the good steel you did pay for.

I have been in this business for almost 40 years. What I hear most now, is that they want it faster not better. Wall Street works this way and see where it has gotten us.

[elkriverfab]

MQUICK,

The steel they sell to me here, I don't get to choose.

Today I had to pick up some materials and it was from Mexico.
I will say it was much better than the stuff from China.

I imagine the mill in Mexico it is regulated by a US company?
I don't know but it was much better.

I was told they get it from Russia, Bulgaria, China, Mexico and many other places.

I wish I could choose where it comes from. I would pay more for the better materials.
It just welds so much better.

I am in my 30's.......
I end up sounding like my grandfather when I say I wish the United States could get back to making supplies and products here.

I know it's not just an American issue.
It just seems like everything is getting so cheep these days.

We all work so hard for our money and I feel everybody deserves to have it reflect back in our products and things we purchase.
I feel the younger generation is so consumed with video games, Ipods, fake guitar hero games and spinning hub caps.

If it is shinny, they want it. Even if it is a chromed terd, they will buy it.

I just found the Chinese steel to be crappy and hard to weld at times.

I did get some plate last week that was from China, no choice....... It was like plasma cutting without a ground connected.

Sloppy and splattery, I had to throw it out. I put a new piece on my table I had laying around (not imported) and it cut fine.
It is just frustrating at times, had to make some custom signs on short notice and wasted materials and lost money on the bad steel.

I thought "this plate cost me $80.00 and I cant use it" They will not take it back, they have hundreds of people buying it all week and one person is just a trouble maker or complainer in their eyes.

The rust is bad also, wont hold up to any moisture at all.

Not wanting to start a debate again but I just want the value of my purchase to reflect in the materials I buy.

It's the same everywhere.....Walmart used to sell quality fishing gear (love to fish and hunt) but now it's all crap! Plastic fishing reels, low quality gear and I just don't want that kind of merchandise.

But...............Everybody else will put it in their cart and give money for it.

I just hope we all see where this is going and do something to change it........ it will only get worse as time goes on.



Have a great weekend

[MQUICK]

Elkriverfab

Try asking for cold rolled steel. I have found it to be better steel if that is the word for it. It seems the cold rolled has to be made from "better" steel. I am in Saint Louis and have some good suppliers that know what to supply me with for cutting. They are the ones that got me onto the cold rolled steel. I was also told the same thing by a large laser cutter that run 6 lasers 24/7. It only cost a bit more. For just a bit less than cold rolled you can get pickled steel with a oil bath. Looks almost the same as cold rolled and has a light oil film that keeps it from getting a flash rust. Both coled rolled and pickled have no scale. One good point, I can almost always get US steel when I have to ask for it here.