How much does steel plate and bar cost in Canada? (real prices)
Carbon steel is the cheapest metal we sell. As of July 16, 2026, 1018 cold-finished flat (1/8″ x 3/4″) and 1018 round (1/8″) both run $5.30 for a 12″ cut, and 44W flat and round start at $5.30. Cross-section moves the price more than the grade does.
How much does carbon steel cost in Canada?
Carbon steel is the cheapest metal we sell, and a 12″ piece of the plain grades starts at $5.30 CAD. As of July 16, 2026, 1018 cold-finished flat in 1/8″ x 3/4″ and 1018 round in 1/8″ both run $5.30 for a 12″ cut, and 44W flat and round both start at $5.30. Step up in size and the number climbs with the metal: a 44W round goes from $5.30 at 1/2″ to $12.47 at 1-1/4″. Three things set the price: the grade, the cross-section, and whether it's a length or plate.
What do 12″ steel lengths and sheet cost? (Jul 16, 2026)
Here's the rack in two tables, real prices pulled July 16, 2026, in CAD. Lengths are priced per 12″ cut, sheet and plate per 12″ x 12″ square. Prices update daily with the metal market, so treat this as that day's honest snapshot and check the product page for today's number before you build a cart. That's why every price here carries a date. An undated metal price is a guess.
Carbon lengths, 12″ pieces (Jul 16, 2026)
| Grade and shape | Size | 12″ piece |
|---|---|---|
| 1018 flat, cold-finished | 1/8″ x 3/4″ | $5.30 |
| 44W flat, hot-rolled | 1/8″ x 1/2″ | $5.30 |
| 1018 round, cold-finished | 1/8″ | $5.30 |
| 44W round, hot-rolled | 1/2″ | $5.30 |
| 1144 stress-proof round | 3/8″ | $8.71 |
| 4140 round, annealed | 3/4″ | $9.44 |
| 1045 round, precision-ground | 3/4″ | $13.51 |
| 44W round, hot-rolled | 1-1/4″ | $12.47 |
Steel sheet and plate, 12″ x 12″ (Jul 16, 2026)
| Type | Thickness | 12″ x 12″ |
|---|---|---|
| Galvanized sheet (A653) | 20GA (.040″) | $9.50 |
| 44W hot-rolled sheet | 1/8″ | $16.49 |
| Cold-rolled sheet (A1008) | 1/8″ | $18.25 |
| 44W hot-rolled sheet | 3/16″ | $22.26 |
| 44W hot-rolled sheet | 1/4″ | $31.89 |
| Hard plate (T400, abrasion-resistant) | 1/4″ | $68.21 |
| Hard plate (T400) | 1/2″ | $124.82 |
| Hard plate (T400) | 1″ | $197.69 |
How to read it: on plain lengths, the grade barely moves the number. 44W (structural, hot-rolled) and 1018 (cold-finished) sit within cents of each other at the same size, so the cheapest cuts on the rack are the small ones. Cross-section is the real multiplier. That same 44W round runs $5.30 at 1/2″ and $12.47 at 1-1/4″, and the price follows the steel, not the grade stamped on it.
The sheet-and-plate table tells a second story. Galvanized sheet at 20GA is $9.50, 44W hot-rolled sheet is $16.49 at 1/8″ and $31.89 at 1/4″, and cold-rolled A1008 sits a little above hot-rolled at the same thickness, $18.25 versus $16.49 at 1/8″. Then hard plate jumps into its own bracket: $68.21 at 1/4″, $124.82 at 1/2″, and $197.69 at 1″, per 12″ x 12″. If you want the full grade breakdown, our 1018 vs A36 vs 1045 guide walks through which one you actually need.
What drives the price on each carbon grade?
On the plain grades, you're paying for the steel and almost nothing else. The alloy grades cost more for what they do, not for more metal in the piece. 1144 stress-proof holds its tolerance when you machine it, so a 3/8″ round is $8.71 as of July 16, 2026. 4140 chromoly is heat-treatable and tough, $9.44 for a 3/4″ round. 1045 precision-ground is ready-to-run shafting, $13.51 for a 3/4″ round, and it shows up dressed to size so you skip a step at the lathe.
Hard plate is the outlier, and it earns it. T400 is abrasion-resistant plate for wear parts, the metal you reach for on a bucket edge, a chute liner, or a skid plate that eats dirt. That's the row that runs $68.21 at 1/4″ up to $197.69 at 1″. Carbon steel does rust if you leave it bare, so if the piece lives outdoors or gets wet, read how to keep carbon steel from rusting before you paint or coat it.
Why price steel by the inch instead of by the full length?
Because your project doesn't need a 20 ft mill length, it needs a 34″ piece. Every length and light-sheet product page here is priced to the inch of that exact grade and cross-section. Type your length, and the price shows on the screen before anything goes in the cart. No quote step, no call-for-pricing, no login. Cuts are free, to ±1/8″, on every order, and there's no per-piece minimum.
The $40 order minimum is the only floor, and at these prices a small cart clears it fast. Volume pricing happens by itself: order more of the same product and tiered discounts of about 5-15% apply automatically as the quantity climbs, with no code to hunt for. Shipping never hides in the metal price either. It quotes live at checkout for your postal code as its own line, and pickup at the shop costs nothing. You can enter any length up to 96″ per piece, and pieces under 48″ get the best parcel rates.
Honest caveat: a full length from a local yard can beat us per foot if you'll use the whole thing. If you genuinely need all 20 feet, buy the mill length. Most jobs don't, and the leftover in the corner is the real cost. Browse the whole rack on the carbon steel rack and price your cut list against a full length you'd mostly throw away.
When does a steel order go to a quote?
Past a certain size, the cart stops being the right tool. Lengths and light sheet, meaning 44W, galvanized, and cold-rolled up to 1/2″, you buy online and cut to the inch. Hard plate and any plate over 1/2″ we price by quote, not the cart, because the saw and the handling change at that weight. The plate prices in the table above are where those quotes start, so you know the neighborhood before you ask.
Three other cases go to a quote too: volume orders where you want better-than-tier pricing, lengths over 96″ (we sell up to 21 feet by special request), and plasma or CNC work from a drawing. Metal we don't stock is quote territory as well, with sourcing runs of 2-21 days depending on what it is. Send a quote request with your cut list and we'll price the metal and the freight together, from the same counter that's been cutting steel in Dartmouth since 1997. Pickup at the shop is free if you're local.