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Alan Steel & Supply
Categories: Shopping Home & Garden Hardware Stores Home Services Building Supplies Hardware Stores, Building Supplies [Edit]
505 E Bayshore RdRedwood City, CA 94063
(650) 369-2526
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 8 am - 4:30 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
About This Business:
Our staff is totally dedicated to providing you with the most helpful and best advice possible on just about anything that you need. In addition to… read more »
21 reviews for Alan Steel & Supply
Review Highlights
21 reviews in English
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Review from David G.
Cambridge, MA
10/27/2009
Alan Steel is a veritable playground of stock and scrap metals. It's right by the SF Bay, so there's a pleasant "coastal" scent that tickles the olfactories as you peruse the vast selection of virgin material and strange refuse, like aircraft parts and huge ship propellers. I had to buy stainless steel and brass sheet yesterday, but I walked out with some inexpensive and wonderful impulse buys of scrap parts... and now I'm headed over there again to grab some scrap engine parts I regret not picking up.
McMaster-Carr is amazing, but it's wonderful to pick your materials by hand and you definitely pay a high premium through McMaster for the convenience. Alan Steel is worth the trip. -
Review from chris m.
Redwood City, CA
1/31/2012
What a cool discovery. I was looking to sell some scrap metal removed from my house during a remodel (copper pipe, cast iron pipe, etc.). These guys will buy the copper. They don't buy cast iron but you can leave it -- turns out the local place (sims) that will buy cast iron has a 500lb minimum before they will purchase although you can also unload it there. I got to wonder around Alan Steel a bit when I went in and they have a pretty astonishing array of metal stuff....
Anyway, I they were super nice and helpful on buying my copper and unloading all the metal. I hope I never remodel again (different story) but if I do end up with another pile of metal I'll end up here again. -
Review from matt b.
San Francisco, CA
11/10/2011
This place is great! In and out in 15 mins or so at a very reasonable price considering the area. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for new or drop steel in the bay area. And as a bonus, everyone here is personable and nice, not something you would typically find at a steel yard.
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Review from Scott H.
San Carlos, CA
5/5/2011
A great place to look for miscellaneous parts and fixtures, in addition to regular stock of steel, stainless, aluminum, etc.
They seem to pick up a lot of the various castoffs and salvage items from Silicon Valley's high tech companies. It's amazing what you can find just browsing the many aisles.
You can go in and ask for something specific (which they'll often have), or just take a while to look around.
Prices vary from great deals to reasonable, for the most part. They also accept some metals for recycling. -
Review from Sean C.
San Francisco, CA
7/21/2010
This place is an awesome find for me. The more I'm getting into building all my own stuff, the more I've started to realize that buying raws from home depot and McMaster is going to cost you sick bank, and shipping is going to tear you a new one. For a local solution, enter Alan Steel.
If you have any kind of DIYer blood in you at all, you should just come to this place to check out the junk. Remember all that stuff that blew up in Mad Max? I'm pretty sure all the remaining parts landed here. Not in the mood to brush off some excess rust and reverse engineer? Not to worry. You can buy spanking new sheet metal and bar stock here as well if that suits your fancy...I promise they should have pretty much *everything* you want - even billet if you need to mill stuff.
The only downers are the short hours, and the lack of coherent organization in the scrap which makes it a little tricky to guess what alloy you have in your hand. Small beefs though. I can't complain much about pricing...I feel I've done pretty well by finding a piece of 16 gauge CS about 5' x 1.5' that is keeping me welding for weeks for $10. Also, I got some rusty thinner gauge stuff (20?) for metal bending, and it was only $6 for a ~5' x 3.5' sheet. Not too shabby! -
Review from Robert H.
Belmont, CA
7/24/2007
Looking for an 1/16" aluminum panel to fabricate as backing plate for an electrical panel for the boat and was finally referred to Alan Steel after several stops. After arriving here, I remembered coming here a long time ago to get a piece of hard-to-find metal part also. It's certainly not the first place that you think of when you need raw materials, but you should.
Beats the heck out of Home Depots and other chain hardware. It's a fascinating place to browse the variety of salvaged parts available for purchase as well as all sorts of blank metal stock to make something you just cannot find stock. When you need that odd metal part that you can't find on-line, just come here. They will probably have it.
I was also impressed by the shear economical efficiency of the staff in general - no one bother to speak with you unless you look like you needed help. Then they just answer the question directly and with great economy of words. We walked up to the office, the office guy asked what we wanted, wrote it down on a scratch piece of paper told us where to take it to have it cut. The entire "shopping experiece" took 30 seconds. I had to marvel at the crisp adherence to Newton's law of inertia by the office staff - not overly friendly and chatty, but extremely efficient and a study in economy of motion. He got us what we wanted and went back to his own business in the shortest possible time. No mess, no fuss. Hey, it's a good thing in this case - we had a part to fix!Listed in: All Things Nautical ...
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Review from Brian K.
Los Altos, CA
7/15/2011
WOW!!! this place rocks!!! it really does have everything.. you can go there and get your standard stock metal.. they'll cut it for free if you take the whole sheet or rod... and then the surplus area has anyting you could think of for the DIY ideas... the only negative i could think of.. is their hours.. would be sooo cool if they had even saturday mornings till noon...
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Review from dee c.
Mountain View, CA
3/18/2011
This is a mecca for DIYers. It's been on the peninsula for decades when Alan's father ran the place. Plenty of parking a stone's throw from the Whipple exit on 101. Stainless, cold rolled, hot rolled, aluminum, tubing, plates, and then the scrap. They have about an acre less of scrap than in the old days but there are still tons of good finds.
For me this is often my favorite destination during a shopping day. I've occasionally packed books along and just camped out in their yard in the marshlands for a few hours to soak up sunshine. It's a bit of the peninsula past and I'm happy they are there.
If you are pushy pushy and expect drive through service in two minutes this is not the place. For artists or those who are not used to dealing with industrial supply houses i guess that Alan may seem a bit reticent - Just remember that each transaction is unique and takes a bit of effort. he uses a calculator and paper not a computer - you get the idea. he's been very reasonable on returns too. And yes, there is an old sink to wash your hands off afterwards!
Jim and the guys in the yard are very knowledgeable, happy to fire up a forklift or chop off a few feet of some weird barstock. There are a stack of tape measures that you can borrow. They do saw and plasma cut and sheer sheet metal at a reasonable rate which is enormously helpful. Inevitably when I buy new material though I also pick up something used from the yard.
I also use maxx metals in san carlos. prices are about the same, they are nice too but it's less convenient to me and they have none of the surplus. -
Review from Erick L.
Hayward, CA
12/16/2010
Pros: Great selection, decent prices, You will most likely find what you are looking for, and then some.
Cons: Hours - not open on the weekends. Definitely prepare to get dirty here. But YES there is a sink! It is around the corner from where you pay.
This is my go to place for any projects needing steel, aluminum, pipe, angel iron, extruded piece, etc.
I have to admit that they aren't THAT cheap but a lot better than Home Depot. I can spend hours looking around here because it just two big warehouses. The worker there are great but I would have to agree with the others that the owner that's behind the little room where you pay is kind of grouchy.
I also have been charged different prices per pound for scraps. Not that far off but still it's the principle. -
Review from Christopher S.
Emeryville, CA
5/30/2011
This place is a tremendous resource for anyone building metal things. The prices can be high, but you can make a deal with Alan if you are buying a lot. Also, the guys who work there couldn't be nicer - a dramatic difference from a number of other surplus metal supply places around here...
One word of caution: Some of their stock has been around a while and been bent and scratched up more than a bit. If such things matter to your project, be sure to check the stock carefully (with a square for example) before you take it home. If you DO get something bent, they will happily replace it for you. -
Review from Andrew C.
Hillsborough, CA
11/1/2007
Stuff: 5 stars
Staff: mixed bag
Pricing: 1 star
This place is a basement inventor's nirvana -- an astounding variety of salvaged....EVERYTHING -- plus the usual steel supplier's inventory. If you need a roll of 12" copper foil, 500 lbs of lead sheet & lumps, or a fuel-tank nacelle from a fighter jet, this is the place.
That said - their prices are DARNED high, especially for cutoffs and scrap -- and they seem to be a little arbitrary based on the owner's mood and what he thinks of you. I've gotten charged different prices per lb. week-to-week, for virtually identical commodity stuff. (And to call the owner a grump would be putting it gently -- he's like the old guy in the spooky house that kids throw rocks at, in books.)
Suggest you call ahead for a quote, and try to sound like a business. Net rumor has it that engineering students (I'm not one, btw) are not particularly favored customers. (This is true at other places, too, but their pricing doesn't seem quite so ... whimsical.)
Most of the staff are great, btw -- and again, you could spend hours there just treasure-hunting. Just wish it had better karma. ;-) -
Review from Neil A.
Montara, CA
8/29/2010 4 Check-ins Here
Alan Steel rocks! It is so nice that businesses like this still exist. Otherwise, we'd all be getting raped buying a limited selection of crap from Home Depot or getting bent over on shipping from various internet suppliers.
Any type of metal you are looking for you will find at Alan Steel. I have purchased various alloys of aluminum, steel, stainless, brass, bronze, copper and titanium in a variety of shapes and sizes from Alan Steel in the past couple of months. I'm not a machinist by trade only an enthusiastic hobbyist so I really appreciate an outfit like this that allows me to wander around the yard looking for what I need without any attitude. They sell a huge variety of new and used stock. Whenever I can, I try to find what I need from the scrap stock since I'll save a bit not having to get things cut. The selection is well organized and materials are more or less color coded. The staff is very friendly and although I'm obviously not one of their major customers I've always had good luck getting helpful advice.
There are only two things I can bag on for Alan Steel. I wish they had a sink! Every time I go here my hands get filthy from handling stuff and then I have to get in my car all nasty and drive away. I recommend bring some wet naps.... Secondly, when you pay with a credit card they pull out the archaic imprint machine. I've never been a victim of identity theft but I'm always on the watch for potential security problems. I've paid with credit a few times at Alan Steel but I'm always paranoid that I'll misplace the receipt. Now I've just taken to doing it the old fashioned way with cold hard cash. -
Review from justin v.
San Francisco, CA
7/25/2009
The following is a letter to Alan from our Fire Department.
Alan, Thanks again for being a great community champion.
July 20, 2009
Alan Steel and Supply Co
505 E. Bayshore Rd.
Redwood City, CA 94063
Re: Donations of Steel to Fire Department
Dear Alan,
This letter is to express our sincere appreciation for the steel and other various items that your business has graciously donated to our fire department for training purposes. Your contributions will be used to make forcible entry and ventilation props that our firefighters can practice current methods upon. These training tools will enable us to work more effectively on the fire ground, ultimately making our community a safer place.
With the economy in it's current state, projects such as these are only made possible when our community champions like you, step forward and help. In addition, during my visits to your business, it has been a pleasure to meet and work with the employees in the yard. It is evident that your organization prides itself with exceptional service and community relations. On behalf of the Redwood City Fire Department, I would like to thank you.
Respectfully,
Justin Velasquez -
Review from j. w.
Portola Valley, CA
8/5/2011
Not exactly a place for women to hang out but needed a 10 ft. pole the other day and they didn't have it at Home Depot. They have everything here. Plus, they were exceedingly polite and though I did not have a big outlay, Javier very kindly tied the pole to the roof of the station wagon. Trip was not as painful as I had expected...in fact, it was kind of fun! Definitely 5 stars.
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Review from Robert G.
Palo Alto, CA
7/10/2008
A source like non other on the Peninsula, we've been Alan's
customer since 1982 & you can't beat the service nor the
attention by the friendly staff. This fim is hard working and expedient, we'd be lost with them. -
Review from Chip G.
Palo Alto, CA
6/23/2011
Good place for DIYer. Expensive due to land costs in Silicon Valley. Very helpful people. Fabricators are very professional.
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Review from David M.
San Carlos, CA
11/18/2009
This place charges to much for what they are selling and the growing mountain of unsold metal is case and point. While you probably find what you are looking for in the way of salvage metal, Alan Metal is far from a bargain "Pick-n-Pull" type of scrape yard. I completely agree that the prices are much higher than you'd expect for scrap metal. Raw steel sold by the pound ($0.60 and up) is not cheap.
btw, the price per cut is not $1.00 per purul v. post, it is now a minimum of $2 or $3 and up per the sign in the office.
I'll go here because I live nearby, but will continue to look for a better pricing somewhere else. -
Review from willie l.
San Francisco, CA
9/18/2010
awsome new faverite
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Review from parul v.
San Francisco, CA
7/8/2006
rust lust. salvage as well as stock aluminium, stainless, delrin, brass, and some plastics in sheet, tubing, extusions, rod, angle and on and on. also included free of charge are gigantimorphic gears, motors, rolls of wire, connectors, hardware, and an old school scale that always proves entertaining. they charge $1.00 a cut for stock. pretty expensive amidst the other raw materials giants around. conveniently close to the racetracks or the malibu grand prix for post metal shopping fun.
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Review from David P.
San Francisco, CA
8/19/2008
Fascinating place to browse. In addition to finding what you need, you might find a ton of stuff you didn't know you needed :). The only drawback is that Alan is often abrupt and cranky and the prices of some stuff can be really high. Know exactly what you need before you talk to Alan to minimize exposure/crankiness.
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Review from Len S.
Los Altos, CA
1/4/2010
I have to give Alan Steel three stars because there simply are no other places like it on this side of the bay. If they had any local competition, I'd rank them lower. They have a great collection of surplus stuff and scrap, but their prices are generally nuts (as is in too high). If you have a specific project, the prices are painful but acceptable compared to new material, but if you are just browsing or collecting bits for future use or maybe welding practice, you are going to PAY. Also, they have a fair amount of machinery that looks old and used (they claim it's new) but is priced higher than what you'd pay for new (with warrantee) elsewhere, especially the Jet (Taiwanese tool maker) machines. They have piles of used motors at ridiculous prices, far higher than what you find on Ebay (or maybe even Granger), including shipping. I've seen this before in surplus places (insane, higher than new, pricing) and I honestly don't get it, but it is what it is. All in all, worth a visit, but their pricing limits purchases to only what you NEED, which maybe is good thing considering the clutter in my garage ;-)
