DOM question

[baja B-rad]

The first time I bought DOM it was a light grey color. This last time it was a darker grey almost black. The markings where right for DOM. Is there any difference. Is it a processing thing?

[garagebuilder]

Yea, from what I understand, the darker coating is from oversea mills (greater chance of corrosion), and the lighter coating is from domestic mills. I could be totally wrong though. Along with the specs of the tubing there should be a mill name also, that will clue you in on where it's comming from.

[FISHMOUTH FABWORKS]

The tube I get,the USA stuff has mill scale on it(the darker coating) the india stuff is a light grey.

[loufish]

...Just make sure there's no threads at each end....:D

[baja B-rad]

Thanks guys. Good to know the stuff I got this time is American made.

No threads on this stuff but that sure would have made it easier to put together :D

[jo maoma]

...the darker coating is from oversea mills (greater chance of corrosion), and the lighter coating is from domestic mills....


...the USA stuff has mill scale on it(the darker coating) the india stuff is a light grey.



Thanks guys. Good to know the stuff I got this time is American made.

Huh? is it just me.... :confused:

[maxyedor]

If you want to be sure you're getting American made, ask for a cert. with the metals properties and origins on it, most metal shops will give it to you, some will charge a couple bucks, and any who won't should be avoided like the swine flu.

FWIW, most light grey tube I've seen is Indian and from my experience is good stuff, the darker grey, almost black stuff is 50/50 Chinese and American, and the sorta nasty looking stuff with spotty mill scale is all Chinese and about on par with USA made ERW in terms of bending strength (or at least resistance to my tube bender), but dimensionaly more accurate.

[baja B-rad]

I guess I should have read the replies more carefully cause the first ones kinda conflict.

The stuff I have is dark gray and upon further inspection it says that is made in India so I guess I didnt buy American :(

So if the India stuff is strong then I am in good shape.

[atomicjoe23]

I will throw my experience in here. . .the stuff that I get locally is light grey in color and the mill sheets that come with it say it's from India. . .

[tpatkins]

Thanks for bringing this up, I'm curious now. I just got 2 19ft sticks of 1 1/2 .120 that are very dark. Gonna have to take a look when i get home.

[Chase 2]

If it makes that much difference to you, get the certs.

[tpatkins]

Well my curiosity killed that cat, says made in the good ole USA


I wonder if it's not a matter of where the metal is coming from. If your in one of the coastal states your getting overseas stock because of shipping costs across the states. If your in the midwest the shipping costs are less which could keep the price down. I'll have to ask when I go next time.

[atomicjoe23]

The stuff I'm getting here in Washington state comes from India by way of Chicago, IL. . .

[murphco]

our steel suplier asks if i want india made usa or other,i wionder what the other is.and the mill is in utah so not that much of a trip for the usa stuff.

[john92223]

Other would be Chinese.

[maxyedor]

Other would be Chinese.

Yep, but "other" sounds better to somebody who doesn't know that a large majority of tubing comes from China.

I'll try to remember and post pics of the markings on the order of tube I just got, it's all Indian stuff, like I said early, in my experience, Indian tube is good stuff, and US made tube was nowhere to be found. All the tube is light grey and has white paint markings on the outside giving the mill specs.

[Chase 2]

It doesn't matter where it comes from if the certs match what you bought. A lot of crap is made in the USA too. The stuff painted on the side of the tube is often part of the counterfitting, you can't go by that. Just get the paperwork and relax.

[Giant Geoff]

4-5 years ago EMJ told me a big company that orders a lot, wants it with out the dark heat coating on the out side for some job; they called it “bright” I’m thinking they pickle and oil it to come out that way. Hope this helps.

[atomicjoe23]

Yes. . .the term is pickling. . .if you have the light grey stuff and you look at the cert sheet it will say "pickled" somewhere on there. . .

[mikeyfrombc]

we buy 100,s of feet a week at time of DOM and it comes in all kinds of colours regardless of the orgin , we bend it and weld it and machine it and it,s all the same , in 21yrs of working with DOM i,ve seen more issues with domestic HSS ,ERW etc then i have with off shore DOM