Big-shop pricing for small shops.
The metal buyer your shop never had.
The problem we fix
Big metal distributors are built for customers who buy by the truckload. If you run a 6-person machine shop or a 2-bay fab shop, you know how that goes. The quote takes three days. There's a minimum order fee. The sheet you need is at another branch. The online stores will sell you one piece, at a retail price with shipping on top.
So you end up calling five places to find one sheet, and paying more than the shop down the road that buys ten times as much.
Winston Materials works the other way around. We do the calling. We check multiple sources for your material and the cut, and hand you one quote with the best option we found. You get the buying power of a shop with a purchasing department, without hiring one.
How it compares
| Winston Materials | Typical big distributor | |
|---|---|---|
| Small orders welcome | Winston Materials Yes | Typical big distributor Minimums and small-order fees are common |
| Quote turnaround | Winston Materials Most same business day | Typical big distributor Often days |
| Every metal on one request | Winston Materials Yes | Typical big distributor Often split by branch or division |
| Shops multiple sources for you | Winston Materials Yes | Typical big distributor No |
| Cut to size | Winston Materials Yes | Typical big distributor Yes |
| Mill certs on request | Winston Materials Yes | Typical big distributor Yes |
| One person who knows your shop | Winston Materials Yes | Typical big distributor Depends who picks up |
Big distributors vary. This is what small shops tell us they run into most.
What you can count on
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One contact for every metal
Aluminum, stainless, steel, brass and specialty alloys on one request.
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Fast quotes
Most answered the same business day.
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Cut to size
Saw, shear, laser, waterjet and plasma, arranged for you.
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Mill certs on request
Heat numbers and test reports that follow your material.
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Delivered across Texas
Austin, San Antonio, Houston, DFW and everywhere between.
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Straight answers
If a cheaper grade does the job, we'll tell you.