Tubing that carries chloride-bearing fluids tends to fail in small places first. A pinhole in one tube can take an exchanger offline for a week while a replacement is sourced. Arch City Steel & Alloy, Inc. is a metals distributor in Fenton, Missouri, that helps plants avoid that waiting time. The company has sold carbon, stainless, alloy and nickel alloy products to industrial buyers since 1992, and it carries inventory at stocking locations in three states.A large share of the company's stainless business comes from 316 seamless tube . This grade contains molybdenum, which gives it better resistance to pitting than 304 in the presence of chlorides. The seamless form has no weld line, so the wall is the same all the way around. Plant engineers often choose it for heat exchangers, condensers, instrument lines and process piping that run under pressure. Arch City stocks the tube in a wide range of outside diameters and wall thicknesses and sells it to recognized standards such as ASTM A213 and ASTM A269. The company issues test reports for each order once a purchase order is in place.
"Most of the buyers who call us for 316 already know the grade well," said a company spokesperson. "What they want is the right size, the right wall and a clear answer on timing. Our job is to listen to how the tube will be used and match it to what we have on the shelf. When a buyer shares the operating conditions early, we can quote faster and with more confidence."
The company works only as a stocking distributor and does not produce material. Its inventory reaches well past tubing. Buyers can also source pipe, bar, plate and sheet in stainless steel, along with nickel alloys, carbon steel and chrome moly grades. Refineries, chemical plants, power stations and equipment builders make up much of the customer base. Many of these buyers need a single supplier who can cover several grades on one purchase order.
Shutdown schedules rarely leave room for a late tube delivery. A maintenance planner who knows where to find 316 seamless tube before the outage begins has one less item to chase. Arch City aims to be that source for plants nationwide.
About Arch City Steel & Alloy, Inc.
Arch City Steel & Alloy, Inc. is an industrial metals distributor based in Fenton, Missouri. The company stocks stainless steel tube and pipe, nickel alloy products, carbon steel and chrome moly materials in bar, plate and sheet forms. It serves refineries, chemical processors, power generation sites and manufacturers throughout North America. For more information, visit https://archcitysteel.com/