You may already be aware that there is a difference between prime steel and secondary steel. Prime steel passes all manufacturing inspection tests and is available on the “primary” raw materials market. In short, anything that doesn’t meet the requirements is placed on the secondary market.

Secondary steel can be classified into two categories: used and excess. This post will examine the buying and selling of primary and secondary steel, including excess steel.

Primary Steel

Steel mills manufacture prime steel in the form of sheets, pile, pipe, beams, and more. Primary or prime, steel is made from iron ore and passes all manufacturing inspection tests. It is sold on the “primary” raw materials market and must meet rigorous manufacturing standards.

Excess Steel

Excess or surplus steel was purchased for a particular project but never actually used. The company that purchased it may have canceled the construction project,  purchased too much material or liquidated its inventory. Excess steel often finds a new home in the construction industry because it can be found in every grade and type.

Excess could also refer to steel directly from a mill never sold to a construction company. Sometimes, due to minor issues that occur during manufacturing, the steel’s cut could be a few inches too short, or the durability is slightly off. When this happens, steel is rejected in original manufacturing inspections. 

This means that excess steel can be nearly prime quality and straight from the manufacturer but can’t be sold on the primary market. Excess steel represents an excellent opportunity to save money on construction jobs because you can recut or recondition the steel to match the exact needs of your project.

Secondary Steel

Secondary steel does not meet “prime” standards and can typically be categorized in one of two ways: used or excess. Many states have strict standards on what can be considered prime steel, so secondary steel is rejected at the mill in many cases because it did not meet primary steel specifications. Some mills also produce secondary steel made from recycled or scrap steel.

Steel’s Sustainable Future —  Finding New Applications

Nearly every industry today is pursuing sustainability initiatives in an ongoing effort to preserve our environment, be responsible corporate citizens, and meet the public demand to do so. The steel industry is no different.

There aren’t many construction materials that can be recycled and reused. Concrete and plaster, for example, can’t be used again once it’s applied to a structure.

One of the key benefits of steel is that it is 100% recyclable and can be recycled repeatedly without losing its inherent strength. It retains its natural qualities no matter how many times it’s recycled, making recycled steel useful for everything from construction to cars without compromising the quality. Due to the high percentage of steel recycling, the American steel industry is the cleanest and most energy-efficient of the leading steel industries in the world.  

Buy and Sell Used and Excess Steel with Mainline Metals

Over our 30 year history, Mainline Metals has established itself as a true market leader in the steel industry across the U.S. 

Our customers are our partners. At Mainline Metal we partner with you to find the right selling solutions to fit your business needs. We manage the market so you don’t have to — our talent and technology provide market insights giving partners a competitive advantage. 

Our uncompromising commitment to our customers drives us to create long-standing and valuable relationships with domestic mills and in overseas markets to offer a reliable and extensive supply chain of prime, excess, and secondary steel for your needs.

By focusing a keen eye on the customer, we’ve created a successful approach to buying and selling steel that results in discounted pricing combined with top-level service. Bottom line, we will buy your surplus steel for fair prices. 

We’ve built our own inventory of quality steel. Our extensive, global and domestic supply chain enabled us to build and maintain inventories of:

• 25,000+ tons of master coil, slit coil, and sheet stock
• Pipe, tubing, wire rod, and structural products

We focus on quality, keeping an expansive inventory of prime, excess, and secondary steel products for a wide variety of project needs.

Interested in selling your steel stock? We purchase and sell material that is new surplus, excess from lost applications, canceled orders, or a variety of other reasons. We’re here to discuss purchasing your high-quality excess steel inventory. Reach out to us here or call us at 800.355.0888.

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