Carbon steel sheet covers trailer skins, fenders, equipment guards, electrical boxes, feeders and ductwork. The right choice between hot rolled, pickled and oiled, cold rolled and galvanized depends on the finish, tolerance and weather the part will see. We source all four, arrange cutting to your blanks or drawing, and deliver across Texas.
What steel sheet is used for and how to choose
Hot rolled (HR) sheet, commonly 16 gauge through 7 gauge, is the least processed and carries dark blue-gray mill scale. It is the workhorse for trailer floors, guards and ag equipment that will be blasted and painted. Pickled and oiled (P&O) is hot rolled with the scale removed and a light oil applied. It welds cleaner, takes paint better and bends without scale flaking off at the radius.
Cold rolled (CR) sheet is rolled again at room temperature. It holds tighter thickness and flatness, has a smooth, clean surface, and forms crisply. That is why it goes into enclosures, cabinets, brake-formed parts and anything powder coated. Galvanized sheet has a zinc coating for outdoor life without paint; G90, with 0.90 ounces of zinc per square foot total, is the common coating for barns, feeders, ductwork and trailer panels.
One caution on galvanized: welding burns off the zinc and produces fumes that make welders sick. Grind the coating back, weld with ventilation and fume extraction, and touch up the joint with a zinc-rich paint. If most of the part is welded, bare or P&O sheet galvanized after fabrication is often the better route.
Steel sheet types and grades
| Grade/finish | Why pick it | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Hot rolled (A1011) | Lowest processing, heavier gauges. Trailer decks, guards, ag parts. | Mill scale must be removed for clean welds and paint. Looser tolerance. |
| Pickled and oiled | Scale removed. Cleaner welds and paint prep, better bends. | Oil must be cleaned off before paint or powder coat. |
| Cold rolled (A1008) | Tight thickness and flatness, smooth surface. Enclosures and formed parts. | Rusts quickly bare. Keep it dry and coat it. |
| Galvanized G90 (A653) | Zinc coating for outdoor life without paint. | Zinc fumes when welding. Grind, ventilate and touch up. |
| Galvannealed A60 | Zinc-iron coating that takes paint well. Common on painted outdoor boxes. | Thinner coating than G90. Plan to paint it. |
Common steel sheet gauges and sizes
| Gauge | Nominal thickness | Commonly available as |
|---|---|---|
| 24 ga | 0.024 in | CR, galvanized |
| 22 ga | 0.030 in | CR, galvanized |
| 20 ga | 0.036 in | CR, galvanized |
| 18 ga | 0.048 in | CR, galvanized |
| 16 ga | 0.060 in | HR, P&O, CR, galvanized |
| 14 ga | 0.075 in | HR, P&O, CR, galvanized |
| 12 ga | 0.105 in | HR, P&O, CR, galvanized |
| 11 ga | 0.120 in | HR, P&O, CR |
| 10 ga | 0.135 in | HR, P&O, galvanized |
| 7 ga | 0.179 in | HR, P&O |
Sizes only. Metal prices move daily, so every order is quoted. Common sheet sizes are 36 x 96, 48 x 96, 48 x 120 and 60 x 120 in. Galvanized gauges run slightly thicker because of the coating; see the sheet metal gauge chart.
Cut-to-size options for steel sheet
Rectangles and strips are sheared, which is quick and holds about a thirty-second of an inch on light gauge. For shapes, slots and nested parts, laser cutting holds a few thousandths and leaves a clean edge ready to bend. Plasma cutting is the economical choice on 10 gauge and 7 gauge hot rolled when edge quality is less critical.
Laser and plasma both burn zinc off the cut edge of galvanized sheet, so expect a bare edge that needs touch-up outdoors. For brake-formed parts, tell us the bend lines so the grain and any cosmetic side are laid out right on the blank. We arrange every cut through our supply network and quote it with the sheet.
What to include in your steel sheet quote request
- Type: HR, P&O, CR, galvanized G90 or galvannealed
- Gauge or decimal thickness
- Blank sizes or part drawing (DXF or PDF)
- Quantity per size
- Finish plan: painted, powder coated or left bare
- Mill certs, if required
- Delivery city or ZIP