How Sheet Metal is Made and Shipped

Sheet metal is used in countless industries. It’s a fundamental material for HVAC systems, automobiles, rockets, and so much more. It’s used in abundance, but creating and shipping sheet metal is a difficult process.

As a shipper of all things, we care about the process of producing and moving the most important goods and equipment for all industries. In this article we’ll cover everything you need to know about sheet metal, including:

• How it’s made
• What it’s made from
• How it’s transported

How Sheet Metal Is Made

Sheet metal is used in an incredible number of ways. With sheet metal being such a common commodity, you’d think it would be a relatively easy production process. However, it’s not that simple.

Making sheet metal requires large machines, high temperatures, and exact processes.

Melting

All sheet metal starts as a raw material and metal ores. These materials are heated up to extreme temperatures and melted into a molten form. This makes the metal malleable and able to be worked into sheets.

The specific temperature needed to melt raw material depends on what kind of metal is being used. Some metals like tin melt at 449.5ºF, but stronger metals like titanium melt at 2,800ºF. 

Melting the metal requires specific, heavy, and very hot machinery.

Molding

As the metal starts to cool, it will harden and begin the process of getting stronger.

It’s important to start the shaping process while the metal is still malleable. Most sheet metal manufacturers will pour the metal into a rectangular mold to get the metal closer to the end shape.

As long as the metal cools in the correct general shape, the next steps will get the metal to the proper steps.

Pickling

Sheet metal pickling is quite different from pickling cucumbers. However, it does involve soaking the materials in an acid bath. In the case of sheet metal, the molded material is soaked in a hydrochloric or sulphuric acid solution for a few hours.

This process of pickling sheet metal removes any impurities such as scale, rust, and contaminants, and prepares the sheet for the next part of the process.

Annealing and Rolling

Now that the metal is in the general shape and the impurities are removed, it’s time to start shaping it into sheets.

Annealing is the process of heating the metal to make it malleable again. It doesn’t get up to melting temperatures, but it makes the metal workable again.

Rolling occurs after the metal has been annealed. The softened metal is pushed through two rollers multiple times as the rollers get closer together. This process flattens the metal until it’s in a sheet form.

During this process, the metal may be annealed and pickled multiple times.

What is Sheet Metal Used For

Just about every business that manufactures something uses sheet metal. That includes:

• HVAC
• Electronics
• Construction
• Military
• Aerospace
• Automobile
• Transportation
• So much more

Sheet metal is a widely used material that needs to be delivered to just about every industry. With the demand being so high, maintaining a healthy supply chain is vital to sheet metal production.

The supply chain is a delicate balancing act. One thing goes wrong and there could be backups for days, weeks, and in some extreme cases, months. Open Road fills the gaps where the supply chain goes wrong.

Open Road uses a network of professional and vetted hotshot drivers to alleviate the shipping woes of businesses that rely on sheet metal. Connect with us now to start getting the materials you need, when you need them.

Learn more about how Open Road can serve metal fabricators and their business partners.

How is Sheet Metal Transported

There are roughly 7,999 businesses in the sheet metal and window and door manufacturing industry. So many businesses throughout the United States rely on sheet metal production and transportation. 

This is how sheet metal is hauled to all the companies that rely on it.

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As Flat Panels or Coiled

Unless stated otherwise, most sheet metal is lightly oiled so it’s easier to transport. It protects the metal from friction issues during transportation.

Sheet metal is either shipped in sheets or in a coil. Both options present a challenge of its own:

• As Sheets: When being transported in sheets, sheet metal is more likely to slide around or break due to tension. The edges of sheet metal are particularly prone to chipping and cracking, and ratcheting the sheets down can create enough tension to break them.
• As Coils: Coiled sheet metals are coiled right off the press while still warm. This creates a lot of tension within the coil. Due to this tension, coils have to be transported upright. If laid on its side, a bump in the road could cause the whole thing to snap quickly.

Sheet metal requires a careful hand when packaging and loading no matter the method of transportation. 

FTL and LTL

Manufacturing sheet metal is a big production. It’s no surprise that most shipments fulfill the requirements for full truckload (FTL) freight. That means they can fill a full container or truck. 

Less than truckload (LTL) shipment is required when a shipment can’t fill an entire container or truck. For sheet metal, this becomes more viable as the sheets get closer to their final destination.

Hotshots

Getting through the last mile of delivery is the most expensive, most challenging part of the entire shipping process. Hotshots make that process easier by cutting out multiple stops and changing hands.

Hotshots are specialized freight haulers that carry goods from a pickup location directly to the final destination without having to deal with multiple stops and changing hands at warehouses that LTL freight carriers have to deal with.

Not every hotshot will be able to haul sheet metal properly, but Open Road connects businesses with drivers who are equipped and qualified for the jobs they’re picking up.

Connect with host shots for the sheet metal industry by getting started with Open Road.