hey guys,,, i buy steel and alumn every day for my waterjet cutting business. Go to a supplier and ask for a "drop" in the thickness you need.
When the supplier gets a sheet of .125 thk for instance,, it may come in over 200 inches wide and however long that supplier can handle and get shipped.
As the supplier gets orders, they cut the sheet up and sell pieces of it. There are always small pieces left over. Those are called "drops". Since they do not want to wait on someone who wants that exact size,,,they will sell the drop cheaper to get rid of it. They usually do this by not adding the cutting charge that the previous customers had to pay. You can get this type of material up to 50% cheaper if they have it. Usually a drop will be bigger since they use your dimensions as the minimum needed. The disadvantage is,,the drop may have scratches from being handled from cutting the previous customers parts or being stored on the shelf.
Example,,,you need a 24 x 40. They may have a 28 x 52 that they will sell you cheaper! Always ask for a drop!
When the supplier gets a sheet of .125 thk for instance,, it may come in over 200 inches wide and however long that supplier can handle and get shipped.
As the supplier gets orders, they cut the sheet up and sell pieces of it. There are always small pieces left over. Those are called "drops". Since they do not want to wait on someone who wants that exact size,,,they will sell the drop cheaper to get rid of it. They usually do this by not adding the cutting charge that the previous customers had to pay. You can get this type of material up to 50% cheaper if they have it. Usually a drop will be bigger since they use your dimensions as the minimum needed. The disadvantage is,,the drop may have scratches from being handled from cutting the previous customers parts or being stored on the shelf.
Example,,,you need a 24 x 40. They may have a 28 x 52 that they will sell you cheaper! Always ask for a drop!