Metal Guides
Straight answers about buying, cutting, and shipping metal in Canada, written by the sales team that cuts it.
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 flats, rounds, sheet, squares, and hex, cut to length, with prices updated daily.
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 lengths, sheet, pipe, angle, and tube, cut free to ±1/8″, with 2B...
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 flats, rounds, 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 25-55% 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.