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A Tinners Porch - Material Prices / corporate greed / one mans opinion

Joemetal - Mar 08, 2008 - 05:55 AM
Post subject: Material Prices / corporate greed / one mans opinion

I was wondering how are material prices on steel ? I am in Florida and prices are increasing rapidly , Im also told more increases for March and April !!!
I think the steel mills are trying to be like the oil companys . Florida is having a tough year for residential new construction caused by a investor driven housing melt down. FT. Myers , FL. for years had a monthly new construction residential permit level of " 750 TO 950 " permits per month that has now plunged to about " 75 " .
The average hard working construction worker is struggling to take care of thier familys and meet monthly house hold bills ! Most guy are not even getting 40 hrs. and paying $3.25 a gallon to get there. In the last two months work has been getting a little better, I Just hope " CORPORATE GREED " is not going to doom our economy ...
I could care less about politics , its just not my thing . I could care even Less that some investor / house flipper lost out.
What I do care about is that guy thats been working 6 days a week ,saving his money for like three years to give his wife and kids a home. Then have to lose it to some "economic down turn ". I guess he should have invested in "exxon" , "not a home for his family."
" SORRY " I didnt mean go off the subject , but as a business owner I am sick of watching friends lose so much after working so hard...
Just something to think of at the pump!!

JOEMETAL

MattM - Mar 08, 2008 - 02:06 PM
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Locally bought 16 gauge went from $56 sheet two weeks ago to $62 a sheet last Thursday. We don't handle enough in our shop to ship it in.

dcorry1 - Mar 10, 2008 - 01:27 AM
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24 ga galvanized G90 averages going up at least a $1.00 to a $1.25 a sheet per week since the first of the year here in Mobile,Ala.To bad my scrap sheet metal is only still only a penny a pound at the scrap yard.I hate throwing it away but not worth hauling it to be recycled.

MattM - Mar 10, 2008 - 01:56 PM
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Scrap sheet metal is $100 a ton. You are getting screwed. Shop around when you scrap sheet. The recyclers prefer it.

Jeremy - Mar 10, 2008 - 04:32 PM
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I was paying about $12 a sheet for 3' x 8' 26 ga and today it's $15.51 here in Waterford Michigan and I am being told we're to expect a 50% increase from prices in 2007. As if things aren't bad enough here as it is. A lot of my customers have gone out of business or left the state. I did my taxes last weekend and my sale were off 59%. I don't know how much longer we can hang on.

bordontn2 - Mar 12, 2008 - 05:23 PM
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Just recieved a fax today from a supplier 9%-12% increase 4/14/08
Another added a $12 fuel sur-charge for delivery.
bordontn2

Jeremy - Mar 13, 2008 - 02:23 PM
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I just got word yesterday that the end of this month we will have anout another 25% increase in our metal prices.

steve2 - Mar 14, 2008 - 03:55 AM
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Just today, 20 oz copper 3x10 sheet from 199 to 223

coppermanandson - Mar 15, 2008 - 11:21 AM
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I just bought a 1000 pound roll of copper and paid $5.65 a square ft/pound for it. I was told to expect an increase again soon.

BARNHART-STUDIOS - Mar 28, 2008 - 03:40 PM
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We die cast aluminum and zinc, these metals have gone up consistantly for the last few years. Our Goverment's love with China's trade and China's economic war with us is causing a lot of the problem. We quote parts to be made for US companies, the chineese can cast, deliver and will pay for extras, for the cost what we quote just for the "METAL" the metal is Globally priced, that means that the Chineese Goverment is supplimenting the market with cheap materials to put us out of business. Right now China has over 50% of the WORLD'S capacity for die casting production. The French or Germans are having the same problem as you have. The problem we are facing will be with us for a long time. Taxes are going sky high even now-before the election.

Keep excellent records on scrap and materials in the shop.
Make sure your quotes include a clause for increase in materials and fuel charges for trucking etc.
The Very rich and the poor will continue to grow...those of us in the middle will slowly move into either of the two catagories.

Attitude: One thing that nobody can take from ya is your attitude. But you can throw it away...

rothalion - Apr 04, 2008 - 11:52 PM
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I am not involved with buying very much but today I priced 063 Mil finish aluminum from two suppliers. The first wanted $58.00 for a 4'X8" sheet and the local guy who didn't even have the stuff in stock wanted $114.00. This price Gouging is going on at every level of our supply line. Maybe these mark ups explain why it was so difficult to get 3'X10' 16 oz. copper locally yesterday. The stuff used to readily available. All this fouls me up because most of my customers have hurry hurry orders. If I can't get the material locally at a reasonable cost in a reasonable amount of time I can't help them. I don't know what we can do....

MattM - Apr 06, 2008 - 04:57 AM
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You want gouging... roofers buy at a price half as much as your average sheet metal shop. They figure roofers are just using it for patching roofs while tinners are going to mark it up after they handle it and the supplier wants part of the cut. Now that is gouging!