Materials Guide

Three online materials, one consistent quote flow.

Our online quote currently supports A1011 carbon steel, 304 2B stainless steel, and 3003 aluminum for both flat laser-cut parts and STEP-based formed-part review.

A1011 Best general-purpose steel option
304 2B Corrosion-resistant stainless
3003 Lightweight aluminum option
STEP-aware Material changes update the preview finish too
Material Options

What each material is best for in the online system.

These are practical quoting notes, not just textbook property summaries.

A1011 Carbon Steel

Best starting point for brackets, fixtures, guards, and everyday industrial sheet-metal parts where cost and strength matter more than corrosion resistance.

  • Good default choice for most flat laser parts.
  • Common option for formed parts when finish is not the main driver.
  • Usually the most economical online material.

304 2B Stainless Steel

Best for cleaner appearance, corrosion resistance, washdown environments, and parts that need stainless performance without custom material handling.

  • Works well for food, marine, and visible equipment parts.
  • Higher density and cost than carbon steel.
  • Formed-part labor can change because weight affects bend pricing.

3003 Aluminum

Best for lighter enclosures, covers, panels, and assemblies where lower weight matters more than maximum strength.

  • Lightest online material in the current quote flow.
  • Useful when part handling or shipping weight matters.
  • Online formed-part quoting still uses steel-style bend tooling assumptions for now.
Comparison

Side-by-side material snapshot.

This helps a buyer understand both engineering tradeoffs and quoting impact.

Property A1011 Carbon Steel 304 2B Stainless 3003 Aluminum
Best for General industrial parts Corrosion resistance and cleaner finish Lower-weight parts and covers
Density 7.85 g/cm3 8.00 g/cm3 2.73 g/cm3
Tensile strength About 48 ksi About 75 ksi About 22 ksi
Corrosion resistance Low without coating High Moderate
Online quote notes Good baseline for flat and formed quoting Higher material cost and heavier formed parts Light weight changes formed-part labor behavior
Practical Notes

How material choice affects what the customer sees.

Visible in the quote

  • Material selection changes row pricing immediately.
  • STEP previews update color so steel, stainless, and aluminum are easier to recognize visually.
  • Lead time and order summary stay tied to the selected material and quantity.

Important for formed parts

  • Modeled part weight matters because bend labor changes above 50 lb.
  • Brake fit still depends on geometry, thickness, bend length, and tonnage.
  • If the part falls outside the online rules, it is flagged for review instead of being forced through checkout.
Material Pages

Go deeper by material and process.

Need Limits Too

Material choice is only half the story.

The technical specs page covers file types, sheet size, brake capacity, and the rules that decide whether a part can be quoted online instantly.