Metal Guides
Straight answers about buying, cutting, and shipping metal in Canada, written by the sales team that cuts it.
Metal hardness scales explained: HRC, HRB, Brinell, and Vickers
Every hardness scale measures one thing: how well metal resists a dent. HRC covers hardened steel (a finished knife blade runs 60-62 HRC), HRB and Brinell cover soft steel and non-ferrous metals (1018 bar sits near HRB 71), and Vickers...
How much does metal weigh? Weight per foot for bar, tube, and sheet
Steel weighs 0.284 lb per cubic inch: a 1″ round bar runs 2.67 lb per foot, and a 48″ x 96″ sheet of 1/4″ plate about 327 lb. Aluminum is about a third of that. Multiply cross-section area by 12,...
Fractions, decimals, and millimetres: the metal buyer's conversion chart
Multiply inches by 25.4 to get millimetres, exactly: 1/4″ is 6.35 mm, 1/2″ is 12.7 mm, 1″ is 25.4 mm. The full chart covers every 16th and 32nd to 1″ plus key 64ths, with tape-reading basics and what to buy...
Sheet metal gauge chart: steel, stainless, and aluminum in inches and millimetres
Gauge thickness depends on the metal: 16 ga is 0.0598″ (1.52 mm) in carbon steel, 0.0625″ (1.59 mm) in stainless, 0.0508″ (1.29 mm) in aluminum, and 0.0635″ (1.61 mm) in galvanized. A higher gauge number means thinner metal. Full 7-26...
Steel grades across countries: 44W vs A36, CSA vs ASTM vs EN
Close enough to buy, not identical on paper. 44W is Canada's structural steel at 44 ksi minimum yield, A36 is the US name at 36 ksi, and EN S275 sits between at 275 MPa. Most North American merchant bar is...
Pipe sizes explained: NPS, schedule, and why 1/2 inch pipe isn't half an inch
Because pipe sizes are names, not measurements. A 1/2 NPS pipe measures 0.840″ outside, and the schedule 40 bore is 0.622″. For any size the OD never changes; the schedule sets the wall, so one fitting fits every wall thickness....
Chrome-plated steel rod guide: when chrome, and when stainless
Chrome-plated rod is induction-hardened 1045 steel under a hard chrome skin, about 65-70 HRC at the surface: the standard material for hydraulic cylinder rods. It resists rust only until the plate is breached, so for food, washdown, or salt water,...
Brass vs bronze: what's actually the difference?
Brass is copper alloyed with zinc; bronze is copper alloyed with tin, now a family that includes aluminum bronze. Brass is the bright, easy-machining one; bronze carries shafts and survives salt water. We stock C360 brass, C932 bearing bronze, and...
What is C110 copper? Electrical, art, and food uses
C110 is electrolytic tough pitch copper, 99.90% pure minimum, and the standard commercial copper in Canada. It's the busbar metal (100-101% IACS annealed). We stock C110 flat bar, round bar, sheet, square bar, and hex bar, cut to length, with...
Sheet vs plate: what's the difference, and how does custom sheet cutting work?
Sheet becomes plate at a line that moves by metal: about 3/16″ for steel and stainless, 0.250″ for aluminum. Same metal, different filing; the decimal thickness is the real spec. Online, enter width and length in inches, up to 48″...
Angle vs channel vs tube: which profile for your frame or bracket?
Square or rectangle tube for frames that can twist: benches, gates, carts. Angle for edges, lips, and bolt-on brackets. Channel where you want a flat back for mounting. Tube resists twist about 100 times better than same-size angle; open profiles...
Stainless steel buying guide: grades, finishes, and shapes
Buy 304 unless the part lives near salt or pool chemicals, then it's 316. 304 is the 18-8 workhorse; 316 adds molybdenum for coastal duty. Both come as bar, sheet, pipe, angle, and tube, cut free to ±1/8″, with 2B...
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Each guide covers the grades we stock, what they're good for, and what they cost. Or skip the reading and go straight to the shelf.