Stainless Steel
Online Metals is the best place to buy stainless steel for any project, big or small. We offer the industry’s widest selection of corrosion-resistant alloys with no minimum order size and fast, direct shipping. Whether you need a single cut-to-size sheet for a custom backsplash or bulk 316 tubing for marine outfitting, we provide the precision, speed, and variety that machinists, engineers, and DIYers trust.
Looking for Polished Stainless?
304 & 316 stainless now feature shapes in a #4 brushed polished finish. This polished finish offers a sleek, durable, and low-maintenance option with a modern aesthetic. Its corrosion resistance, easy cleaning, and long-lasting performance offer great value for your next project.
High Quality Guarantee
Every project deserves traceable, top quality metals, and with MTRs and Certificates available, from start to finish you should expect certified quality, reliable service, and peace of mind from any materials vendor.
The Most Brass Shapes and Alloys
Onlinemetals carries the industry’s largest selection of brass shapes, alloys, and tempers. From standard options like sheet, round bar, and flat bar to specialty shapes like rectangle tube and half oval, you’ll find the brass material you need for nearly any project.
Brokerage & Volume Discounts
Buying big? We help businesses save with volume discounts, brokerage sourcing, and cost-efficient shipping. Flexible net terms keep your cash flow strong while you stock up on certified metal for sale online.
Fast, Accurate Shipping
As the #1 trusted online metal distributor, we deliver to homes and businesses nationwide. Your order arrives exactly as specified, and if it doesn’t we’ll make it right with our customer first guarantee.
Online Metals is the best place to buy stainless steel for any project, big or small. We offer the industry’s widest selection of corrosion-resistant alloys with no minimum order size and fast, direct shipping. Whether you need a single cut-to-size sheet for a custom backsplash or bulk 316 tubing for marine outfitting, we provide the precision, speed, and variety that machinists, engineers, and DIYers trust.
Learn More About Stainless Steel
Thinking about using carbon steel for your next project? It’s a smart, versatile choice—widely used in everything from construction to automotive to machine parts. To help you consider what you might need, here are five important factors when choosing carbon steel for your needs:
1. Carbon content affects strength and weldability
- Carbon steel gets its properties from the amount of carbon in the mix.
- Low-carbon steel 1018 is softer, easier to form, and much more weldable.
- Medium-carbon steel 1045 is stronger and more wear-resistant, but harder to weld and less forgiving during fabrication.
2. Know your grades: 1018 vs. 1045
Two of the most common carbon steel grades 1018 and 1045 offer you different benefits.
- 1018 is great for machining, forming, and welding. It’s a go-to for shafts, pins, and general structural parts.
- 1045 brings higher strength and durability for components under stress like gears, axles, or heavy machinery parts.
3. Heat treatment can take it to the next level
Carbon steel is highly responsive to heat treatment. Processes like quenching and tempering can enhance strength, improve wear resistance, or fine-tune mechanical performance depending on your end use.
4. Surface hardness
A feature of carbon steel is how it can be hardened on the outside while remaining tough and ductile inside. This makes it a go-to for parts like pins, bushings, and wear surfaces when long term durability is required.
5. It’s cost-effective, eco-friendly with protection
Carbon steel delivers outstanding value. It’s more affordable than many alloy steels while still offering the strength and versatility you need for a wide range of applications. It can be recycled too.
Carbon steel is prone to rust. You can prevent this to extend the life of carbon steel by applying oil coatings, painting, or preventing it from being exposed to moisture.
Some common uses for carbon steel:
- Structural frames and supports
- Shafts, axles, and rods
- Gears and mechanical components
- Bolts, pins, and fasteners
- Automotive parts and tooling
- Machine shop projects and DIY builds
- Construction bars, plates, and tubing
How Online Metals Can Help You
Online Metals makes it easy to find exactly what materials you need. With the widest selection of carbon steel shapes and alloys in the U.S., we deliver both to business and homes with no minimum orders, high tolerance custom cuts all supported by our first in class customer support, fast order processing, and economical on-time delivery.
Stainless Steel FAQs
Is Stainless Steel magnetic?
Some Stainless Steel alloys are magnetic while others are not. 300 series Stainless Steel is not magnetic or has very little magnetic properties, however, 400 series stainless steel along with 17-4 and 15-5 will be magnetic. (430 stainless sheet is the most commonly used magnetic stainless alloy)
Does Stainless Steel rust?
Stainless Steel is very corrosion resistant because it is alloyed with Chromium which reacts to oxygen and creates a rust resistant barrier. This is not to say that stainless will never rust, in certain conditions it may still corrode. For example, 304 stainless is the most common stainless alloy, but in marine environments it will eventually rust. 316 stainless alloy was created with more nickel to be more corrosion resistant in those Marine environments. Other stainless alloys are specialized to be more corrosion resistant in a number of different situations, i.e. 310 alloy is corrosion resistant in high heat environments.
Is your 304 and 316 stainless-steel Rectangle bar True-bar or is it cut from plate and Edge conditioned?
Chiefly, our stainless rectangle that is thinner than .5” will be Edge conditioned or Gauered bar, while anything .5” thick or greater will be true bar. This is not always true however, so if you require true-bar, please contact us via email or chat to determine if your specific size will be true bar.
Do you stock Precipitation Hardened Stainless Steel Alloys (17-4, 15-5) in different Heat-treated conditions?
All of our PH stainless stock will be Condition A. This means it is annealed and ready to be heat treated to the various heat treat conditions such as H900, H1025, H1100, H1150 etc. The Material test reports for many of these PH alloys will show mechanical properties “as shipped” but will also include the mechanical properties as heat treated to H900 which is the most common heat treatment.
Can you weld Alloy Steel to Carbon Steel?
Alloy steel and Carbon Steel can be welded together using the TIG or MIG welding methods. Using a mild steel wire or welding rod as the filler metal is preferred in this process.
What Stainless Sheet is best for a kitchen applications like backsplash or coverings in a commercial kitchen?
Stainless 304 #4 finish sheet is the best material to use in commercial kitchens because the brushed finish will limit the appearance of fingerprints on the sheets. The most used thickness for backsplash and kitchen coverings is .024” thick
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