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133 articles
Buying guides, market analysis and steel education — written for buyers who consult smartly, then buy.
In flanges and fittings, fraud usually involves passing off a lower pressure class, using a cheaper material, or reducing wall thickness in elbows and tees. Let’s learn how to identify it.
In pipe, fraud usually comes from insufficient wall thickness, not the outside diameter visible to the eye. Read about checking thickness with a caliper and comparing weight.
The weight of each meter of coil and wire rod is obtained using the same rebar formula: diameter squared divided by ۱۶۲. We will become familiar with the formula, the weight table for commonly used sizes, and the method for checking coil weight.
The roll mark between the rebar ribs shows the factory code and production process code and is the fastest way to verify the authenticity of a shipment. You will learn how to read these codes.
In industrial valves, fraud usually involves passing off a cheaper body material or a forged pressure certificate. Learn about the signs of a low-quality valve and how to verify its authenticity.
In sheets, fraud usually comes from undersizing by a few tenths of a millimeter, not anything else. Learn how to detect undersized sheets, check them with a micrometer, and compare actual weight with theoretical weight.
The weight of angles and channels can be read from the Stahlschlüssel table or calculated using an approximate formula. We will review the formula and the weight table for commonly used sizes.
The most common fraud in the stainless steel market is selling the cheaper ۲۰۱ grade instead of ۳۰۴. We examine the differences in composition, the magnet test, and the points that expose this substitution.
In non-ferrous metals, the most common fraud is a thin copper coating over a cheaper metal. With a magnet test and a density test, you can distinguish genuine products from counterfeits.
Unlike rebar, the greatest risk with I-beams is not reducing the diameter; it is returning used I-beams to the market as new products. Here are the signs to look for.
In wire rod and coil, the most important signs of quality are diameter uniformity throughout the coil and tensile strength, not appearance alone. Read how to identify a low-quality coil.
A higher grade is not always the right choice for earthquake-prone projects. We examine the differences between A2, A3, and A4 and the A4 limitation in special moment frames from a sales perspective.
