Metal Notes
Short technical and purchasing notes for buyers comparing aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel and copper alloy stock.
Canadian buyers often buy aluminum by price and get the wrong alloy. This guide shows how to choose the right alloy, vet lead times, and control total cost.
Only iron, nickel, cobalt, and most steels stick to a magnet. Aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, and austenitic stainless don't. Here's the 30-second shop test.
Free-cutting C36000 brass is the dependable choice for most pipe tees; bronze earns the upgrade only when corrosion, wear, or vibration demands it.
Bronze is a copper-based alloy family whose main addition is usually tin. Knowing that difference from brass guides bearing, bushing, and marine choices.
Bronze is copper and tin; brass is copper and zinc. See how that second metal sets machining speed against wear and corrosion, and apply a material rule.
Which metals stick to a magnet? Iron, cobalt, nickel, and their alloys. Stainless is mixed—microstructure decides. Learn the shop-floor test before you spec.
Local aluminium dealers aren't always faster. Compare published lead times and alloy range before buying in Canada. Use the 3-step filter.
In Canada's aluminium market, the lowest quote is rarely the cheapest. Lead time, alloy availability, and processing fit drive cost. Compare suppliers by application.
Which metals stick to a magnet? Learn iron, nickel, cobalt, and stainless steel's structure-based magnetism, plus magnet test limits for engineering selection.
Bronze is made from copper and tin; brass is copper and zinc. Use this decision rule to choose between them for wear, corrosion, cost, and machinability.