Major Tinplate Steel Suppliers in the U.S. & Territories

These are companies that manufacture or distribute tinplate or tin-coated steel (“tin mill products”) in the U.S. Some are large mills, others service/stock/supply.

Pricing: Buying Tinplate Steel “Per Ton” in the U.S.

Pricing of tinplate steel per ton depends on several variables. There is no fixed price, but I can give you ballpark figures and factors that influence final cost.

Key Cost Drivers

• Base steel price: The cost of cold-rolled substrate or black plate steel.

• Tin (or chromium) coating costs: Thickness of the tin plating, whether it’s electrolytic, etc.

• Finish / treatment: Whether bright finish, matte, TFS (tin-free steel), etc.

• Order volume and minimum load quantities: Per coil, per sheet, per lot.

• Shipping / logistics: Tinplate is heavy; transport cost matters a lot, especially over large distances or overseas.

• Trade duties / tariffs: If importing, or sourcing from overseas, tariffs may apply. Even domestic production can be affected by import duties on raw materials like tin, or steel import tariffs.

Recent Price Ranges & Estimates

• Generic flat-rolled steel prices in the U.S. are currently around US$800-US$1,100 per ton depending on grade, finish, coating, etc. For example, some base steel (cold-rolled or galvanized) is priced around $1,000/ton regionally.

• Tinplate being coated steel always carries a premium over uncoated/black plate steel. Depending on tin thickness, surface finish, and specification, premiums might range from several tens to a few hundreds of dollars per ton over base cold-rolled steel.

So you might expect fully specified tinplate coils to cost somewhere in the range of US$1,200 to US$2,000+ per metric ton (or more) depending on all the above factors (coating, finish, volume, etc.). If you buy large volumes and negotiate well, the cost might be lower.

Buying Tinplate Steel Online: Per Ton Purchases

If you want to buy tinplate steel online per ton, here are practical tips and how to approach it:

What to Specify in Your Order Request

• Thickness of steel substrate (e.g. gauge or mm)

• Tin coating specification: weight (g/m² or oz/ft²), electrolytic, bright, matte, etc.

• Finish desired (bright, matte, specific aesthetic surface)

• Coil width, length, or sheet size

• Minimum lot/coil weight

• Delivery location – for transport cost estimates

• Standards required (ASTM, ISO, etc.)

• Lead time

Where to Buy Online / Who to Contact

You can often contact suppliers via their websites (many have RFQ / quote request portals). Here are types of suppliers to check:

• Large mills like U.S. Steel & ArcelorMittal (direct mill quotes)

• Metal service centers & distributors (Reynolds Services, Randall Metals, etc.)

• Online industrial marketplaces & listings (ThomasNet, MetalMiner, etc.)

• Local or regional steel service centers might also carry stock (check for “tin mill” or “tin plate” in their product listings)

Sample Costs of Small-Scale Online Items (for reference)

To give perspective: small sheets or pieces (far less than a ton) are often sold at high per-weight cost due to handling and cutting. For example, a very small tinplate panel (2″ × 3.5″, 0.010″ thick) is listed around US$0.30-$0.45 each in pack quantities.  This gives some sense of material cost, finishing, etc., but large orders bring per-ton cost down dramatically since spread of fixed costs is better.

Considerations & Risks

• Minimum order size: Many suppliers require full coils or minimum tonnage. Buying less can be disproportionately expensive.

• Quality & compliance: Make sure supplier is certified to produce tinplate per food-safe, sanitary standards if for food/beverage, etc.

• Logistics & freight: The cost to ship a ton of tinplate is nontrivial. Choose suppliers closer to you (or with good shipping networks) to minimize that cost.

• Tariffs / trade policy: Changes in steel or tin import/export duties can change costs rapidly.

• Lead times: Some specialized grades, finishes, or custom orders may have long lead times.