Metal Guides
Straight answers about buying, cutting, and shipping metal in Canada, written by the sales team that cuts it.
What is O1 tool steel? A guide for knife makers and die makers
O1 is an oil-hardening tool steel: buy it soft, shape it, quench it in warm oil, and temper to 58-63 HRC. It forgives first-timers, which is why most first knives start with it. We stock O1 drill rod from 1/8″...
360 vs 260 brass: which should you buy?
Machining it on a lathe, mill, or drill press? Buy C360: the lead makes chips break clean and threads cut true. Bending, spinning, or deep-drawing thin stock? That's C260 cartridge brass. Our rack is C360 in flat, round, hex, and...
Aluminum buying guide: alloys, tempers, and shapes
Buy 6061-T6 unless your project says otherwise; it covers brackets, frames, and machined parts. Sheet you'll bend wants 5052-H32, anodized trim wants 6063-T5, and 3003 covers budget patch panels. We stock no 2024 or 7075. Here's the full decision, with...
1018 vs A36 vs 1045: which steel should you buy?
Welding a frame, a gate, or a trailer? Buy 44W, the Canadian structural grade and the honest stand-in for A36 here. Machining brackets, pins, or keyed shafts? Buy 1018 cold finished. Shafts and axles that take real load, or parts...
304 vs 316 stainless steel: is 316 worth the upcharge?
Out of reach of salt, buy 304 and save the difference. Near salt water, road salt, or pool chemistry, buy 316: its 2-3% molybdenum is what stops chloride pitting. At our counter the upcharge runs about 10-50% depending on shape,...
6061 vs 6063 aluminum: which should you buy?
6061-T6 is the stronger, do-everything aluminum: brackets, frames, machined parts. 6063-T5 is the architectural one: smoother surface, cleaner anodizing, easier bends, about half the yield strength. If the part carries load, buy 6061. If it's trim or railing people see,...
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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.