Metal Frequently Asked Questions

When planning a commercial build, environmental exposure is one of the biggest threats to the lifespan of your materials. If you leave a standard steel beam exposed to coastal rain, it will rapidly degrade into flaking, orange dust. But if you leave an aluminum beam in that exact same environment, it will remain structurally sound…

Yes, you can weld different types of metal together, but it is universally considered one of the most difficult challenges in industrial fabrication. The process is known as Dissimilar Metal Welding (DMW). While joining two pieces of mild steel is a straightforward process for any experienced fabricator, trying to weld two fundamentally different materials—like aluminum…

When you order carbon steel, aluminum, or stainless alloys for an upcoming build, specifying the correct dimensions is only half the battle. You must also specify the correct terminology. In the metal supply industry, “sheet” and “plate” are not interchangeable words for flat metal. They represent two entirely different structural categories governed by completely different…

If you ask the general public to name the most expensive metal on earth, almost everyone will say gold or platinum. In the world of finance and jewelry, those are the undisputed champions. However, in the realm of high-end industrial manufacturing and chemical engineering, gold is relatively common. When engineers need a metal that can…

If you ask an engineer, a metallurgist, and a machinist “What is the strongest metal?”, you will likely get three completely different answers. That is because in the world of industrial manufacturing, “strength” is not a single, universal metric. A metal that excels at holding up a heavy bridge might shatter if struck with a…