How to Choose Between Slit Coil Suppliers

In recent years, some contractors have chosen to invest in their businesses by purchasing portable roll-forming machines.

Muchang contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

While owning this type of equipment certainly introduces ongoing maintenance and training requirements, the added control and flexibility easily offset the front-end requirements to some.

If you’re in that camp and invested in portable roll-forming equipment, you know all too well that not all slit coil programs and manufacturers are equal.

At McElroy Metal, we’re proud to stand out from our competitors based on our experience, product offering, packaging, service, paint, and substrate options.

Experience

Would you trust someone who has never gone fishing to teach you to fish? We’re guessing not. Well, the same analogy holds for picking your coil supplier. Many coil suppliers are strictly in the business of selling coil.

That means there’s a good chance they understand inventory and color positions more than coil properties like tensile strength and slit quality. At McElroy Metal, we take great pride in being a better coil supplier because we also run millions of lineal feet per year through roll-forming machines at our 14 plants nationwide.

Tem McElroy Sr. Circa with panels produced in our Shreveport, LA facility

Product Offering

Master Coil Options: Most coil suppliers order their master coils in only one or two widths. In contrast, we inventory over ten master widths to produce our various panel configurations. More master width equates to less drop and waste for our customers. For example, let’s say you need a 20” coil. A manufacturer who stocks the common 48” master would sell you two coils 20” wide and also charge you for 8” of drop (or waste) material. Depending on color and gauge, we’re often able to produce that same order from 41 9/16” wide coil leaving almost no waste.

Coil Size: We also offer much greater flexibility on coil size than many competitors. Again this decision stems from our experience as a roll former ourselves. We know every coil change takes time and, ultimately, money. So if a customer can handle larger coils, we accommodate them. But we also understand that whether it’s due to a slow-moving color or an equipment weight restriction, sometimes you need a small coil. We’re proud to offer a 100’ minimum length per coil. Additionally, we provide slits down to 15” for folks with gutter machines which can also be hard to find.

Custom Color: We also offer low minimums for custom colors. In fact, we often require half the quantity of our competitors to handle custom colors. Others often charge a custom color processing fee in addition to the higher material price. We do not.

Packaging

Our packaging exceeds industry standards. Sure we ship our coils “eye to the sky,” but everyone reputable does that. We strive to be different by adding paper and edge protectors on the top of the coil before shrink-wrapping it to a 2" x 4" pallet to offer the best protection possible.

Our customers also choose whether they want film applied to their coil, depending on their machinery and project specifics. Few other manufacturers offer such broad flexibility.

Service

We understand that quicker lead time for panels was probably at least part of the reason you decided to buy a roll former. As a result, we realize that prompt service and delivery are critical. With more than forty locations and a network of local stocking distributors around the country, we pride ourselves on our fast service and competitive freight. Check out our Find a Contractor tool to locate a distributor near you, or contact us for help.

Kynar 500Ⓡ

While we’ve been a big Kynar 500Ⓡ supporter for over twenty years, not every coil supplier offers Kynar 500Ⓡ as their standard. With the popularity of black and dark gray colors, it’s never been more essential to provide high-quality paint systems than today.

Discerning customers won’t accept the higher levels of fade and chalk prevalent with silicone-modified polyester (SMP) paint systems. You must read this if you’re still purchasing coils with an SMP paint system.

GalvalumeⓇ

We partner with US Steel to offer a US-produced GalvalumeⓇ substrate for all of our slit coils instead of Galvanized. GalvalumeⓇ products provide a 45-50 year warranty on the substrate. In contrast, Galvanized substrates offer no warranty.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Steel Coil.

Learn more! Read What’s the Difference Between Galvanized and Galvalume?

We also find greater consistency on the spangle across bare GalvalumeⓇ coils than suppliers who purchase coils outside the United States. As you’re likely aware, spangle consistency is a significant consideration when running multiple coils for the same project.