Iron Rod

Hey guys I just recently joined the forum because I have minimal knowledge of scrap metal and though you guys would be able to answer my question. I am currently looking for some 5/8" iron (rod/round bar) for a DIY summer project. The diameter size doesn't have to be spot on but that is what my preference would be for the project. Basically I'm curious if anyone knows if this size of iron would be found on a house construction site. I tried to do some research on the uses of this type of iron but didn't really get any answers. My initial though was that it could be uses when building houses or maybe in a car? Any information would be helpful, also is it legal to "dumpster dive" in the dumpsters on construction sites?

Awesome, will do thanks!

Ironrod you are in luck I cut up a few loads of rod a week some is 1/2 to 2 inch in 25 foot lengths. Now the bad part it would cost around 800 a ton to buy it. If you are interested let me know. Oh I am across the river in Venice IL.

I scored some a month ago. 1/2 inch threaded rods 4 feet long. About 20 of them. My buddy stopped buy last week. He saw it and needed some for a prodject aslo. He also scraps and traided me 2lbs of copper1 wire for 3 rods. Think I made out with the better deal. Its great how scrappers can help each other out sometimes and not be fighting in the streets over washers and dryers.

Would helpo if you gave the lenghts your looking for and grade, on the small cars you will find an anti sway bars sometimes found both front and rear of the car. The sway bars are high grade spring steel in aproximately 3 to 4 ft lenghts.

Be carful if your going to cut one free their pre loaded.

Where are you guys finding these rods at? I am looking for approximately 220 feet total of the iron but am going to want about 11 20" pieces of the iron rod. I am unfamiliar about different types of iron grades but any grade will do I believe.

it's kinda hard to guess since so much of the steel used in building houses is also interchangeable with parts on cars. try stopping by the steel store and just tell them you need some steel rods yay long, yay wide. While you're out, drop by the lumber yard and tell them i need 3 four ft boards too plz

Ironrod, apparently you missed my post they are in 20 foot sections and some of them are 5/8. Its usually a 20 to 25 ton load that comes from a customer. I don't ask where because I don't care its just my job to make sure that whatever comes out of the back of the trailer gets cut up. Private Message me if you want to save you some but like it said you probably want about 800 dollars worth of rod or slightly more.

Originally Posted by Ditchdigger

Here, let me Google that for you.

Read the Wikipedia article, and follow its links to the other articles on steel. You're probably looking for "steel", not "iron".

Other than reinforcing rods for concrete, you're probably not going to find much in the way of 5/8" x 20' steel rods on housing construction sites, but it's easy enough to Google up steel dealers too.



In general, the answer to that would be, "with permission", otherwise, "no". Now whether you'll actually get arrested is a different question. Are you expecting to find eleven undamaged 20' rods in a dumpster?



Huh? :confused:

With all due respect, I've never seen a piece of steel go into a house that resembled anything found in an auto parts store. (With the exception of a few nuts and bolts maybe.) Steel studs might be common in commercial construction, but other than the rebar mentioned above, houses contain mostly a few I beams, some steel posts to support them, some angles for masonry lintles, some joist hangers, maybe some steel decking under the concrete of the porch, and lots of nails...

Edited to add: Oh, and maybe the gas pipe plumbing, and the HVAC ductwork...

Originally Posted by IronRod

My initial though was that it could be uses when building houses or maybe in a car?

Maybe i was being a bit sarcastic, but his info has been very vague, and i'm sure any search for types of steel would return countless informative articles on the subject(the info is definitely out there). Also, I misunderstood when he said 11-20" pieces, i thought he meant 11-20 inchers ; ) I kind of related his posts to sending an order to a lumber yard for 3-4' (ft.) "boards". You might get anything back from 3-4' 1x2 pine@$3 to 3-4' 2x12 walnut@$300, IF they even filled the order at all, which they probably wouldn't, without some little bit of info as to width,depth,type,grade

Maybe i was being a bit sarcastic,

Oh, ok. Obviously it went over my head. My fault.

Originally Posted by Ditchdigger

Oh, ok. Obviously it went over my head. My fault.

i wasn't really looking for fault Dd. Mighta even been chiming in, when i shoulda been chimin out, lol! Just an immense number of variables there. I really think Pistone has a chance of helping him some, if he'll do some bit of legwork on it himself as well

I was just estimating biscuit I don't know the weights per foot nor do I want to know them. Good work looking it up though all I know is they would want 800 a ton for whatever he cherry picks out of the yard. He would have to be quick about it to some 20 ton loads of rod only take an hour and a half to cut up to three hours max. So he would have to act quickly or off to the mill it goes.

Originally Posted by PistoneScrapProcessing

I was just estimating biscuit I don't know the weights per foot nor do I want to know them. Good work looking it up though all I know is they would want 800 a ton for whatever he cherry picks out of the yard. He would have to be quick about it to some 20 ton loads of rod only take an hour and a half to cut up to three hours max. So he would have to act quickly or off to the mill it goes.

I'm surprised there are still yards left that still deal with off sales. Wished I lived closer I would be a regular customer, good used iron is a lot more economical than buying new even after paying to have it cut to size.

There is a yard in BC that specializes in mill crops.

I save all the channel, angle, rounds, flatbar and plate of any usable size for pesonal projects, have a couple of tons sitting around the yard and would never consider selling. I still find myself buying the odd peice of new, even at todays prices for new still affordable.

I never meet a scrap yard owner that didn't want to double his money. I have meet tons of people that go from yard to yard and pick through piles all the time. Hydraulic pumps locomotive parts, etc. If there is a secondary market for it you can bet your hinny that someone will buy it if you save it from the pile.

The railroad always takes the horns off I know it sucks or I would have a stack of them. Trust me I love loud stuff just as much as next person. I am pretty sure you can buy them online though. I hear truck drivers that have them all the time. Scares the crap out of me when they blow there horn because I can't figure out where its coming from. Its way louder then the regular air horn they have on semi's. Heres a link. 1500 bucks isn't cheap but I love how it says it will wake the dead!!!

http://www.hornblasters.com