Please note: The below are Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) only, and are aimed to help answer any concerns or queries you may have. They do not, and will not, form part of our sales offers/conditions, so please refer to our Terms & Conditions (Ts&Cs) accordingly. If you have any questions not listed below, please feel free to ask us and we will be more than happy to answer them. Where appropriate, we will also add them to this section for the future benefit of all our customers.
Quality & Certification
Yes. Please use this link to view and print our ISO certificate. Intoco work, and adhere, to a very strict and demanding quality management system (QMS). We welcome external audits by our clients (existing or new), at our works.
We supply EN10204/3.1 Mill test certificates with all materials as standard. We do not charge for these certificates.
We can also supply Certificates of Conformity (C. of C.’s) with orders, although we do charge a nominal fee for these.
INTOCO can also supply hard-copy documents with all shipments, or we can send copies via digital means such as email or through a web-based portal if required. We can also supply “red/wet-stamped” certificates where required.
EN10204/3.2 certification is a Mill produced certificate, counter signed by a 3rd Party Witness body, confirming that they have witnessed / reviewed the production route of the material, the testing required by the specification(s) and the traceability of the material(s) throughout the manufacturing process.
INTOCO stock several grades of alloy with 3.2 certification as standard. Please enquire if you need 3.2 certification.
Some specifications/orders require extra testing or revalidation of material information using a 3rd Party Witness body such as LR (Lloyds), DNV, TuV, ABS, etc.
INTOCO can arrange for any of our materials to be validated, witnessed and/or secondary tested under witness to ensure it meets your specification(s) or end-user requirements.
Typical testing could include Chemical Analysis, Mechanical Properties such as tensile testing and charpy impact testing, Corrosion testing such as ASTM G48, etc.
From time-to-time, documents go missing…either during transit or at your end once delivered. We can easily supply new copies… Just ask. Our traceability system is very effective and quick.
Orders
Either pick the phone up and call us (+44 1452 712519) or send us an email (sales@intoco.co.uk). Either way, you will get a very fast response time.
Of course… INTOCO have extensive sawing facilities and no order is too small. We can accommodate small quantity or short length orders… Just ask and we will meet your requirements.
Of course… INTOCO have extensive sawing facilities and we can cut to length any diameter and/or length required within the scope of our extensive stock programme.
Generally INTOCO’s quotations are valid for the month that they are offered in, so up to 4 weeks. But during times of volatile element prices for example, we may limit the validity to say 7 days.
However, INTOCO always try to honour the offered price(s) where we can. Please note: all offers are made strictly “subject to material remaining unsold”, so if it has been some time since the offer, please check back to ensure the stock is still available.
INTOCO’s prices are reviewed monthly… generally on the last working day of every month. This is to ensure we are up-to-date with variable costs such as alloying element costs, exchange rate variances, production costs, etc. It is important to review these monthly, as variables do mean that prices will fall as well as rise periodically.
A complex question… The production of raw materials containing high levels of alloying elements (such as chrome, nickel, molybdenum, etc) are produced over a period of about 6 to 8 months. In this time, these high value elements may increase or decrease in price based on metal exchange sentiment.
It is common for a stockholder not to know what the actual cost of the material is until it is delivered to them eight months after the order. Thus, INTOCO must review both our actual cost price and replenishment costs regularly, and this can vary prices accordingly.
There are many factors that go into the costs of producing steels and alloys such as mill costs, electrode costs, oxygen costs, power costs, element values, distribution costs, and so on. It is an extremely complex and variable commodity.
No sorry, we cannot. Part of our quality management system (QMS) states that all orders MUST be in writing. This helps ensure there have been no errors at quotation stage, nor that there will be any errors at order/supply stage. It is extremely important to us that you get exactly what you think you are ordering!
The easiest and quickest way is to send us an email (sales@intoco.co.uk)...either with an order attached or the details written in the body of the email. If you can, please also advise when the material(s) were quoted and, if possible, by who. This will help us find the associated offer/quotation.
We will then check the order against the quotation and send you a quick response saying thank you. This acknowledges we have received the order and confirm it. If you require a formal order acknowledgement (O/A) then you just need to ask when sending your order.
Just ask! We will do everything possible to accommodate your requirements.
Once an order is received and confirmed it then cannot be cancelled without costs. If nothing has been processed, then of course INTOCO will be reasonable. However, if material has been located and pulled from our stores systems, or has been cut at all, then there will be costs involved to cancel an order. Where INTOCO can help by replacing any material back into stock, we will charge up to a 25% re-stocking fee. In most cases, after cutting, INTOCO will not accept a cancellation as the material is deemed to be useless.
INTOCO use several abbreviations that are considered “commonplace” in the raw material industry but of course they may be new to you. Here are a few that we use all the time...
R/L means Random Length – C/L means Cut Length – S/L means Stock Length, and so on.
If there is anything in an offer that you are unsure of, just ask and we will be happy to explain.
When INTOCO are responsible for delivery of your order, it is extremely important to us that it is delivered well packed. This avoids both transit damage and also loss. Intoco have worked tirelessly to establish packing methods to meet the demands of goods in transit.
Depending on the form, size(s), length, quantity of pieces, etc. of the order, INTOCO can suitably pack it in/on hard plastic tubing, Euro pallets, bespoke pallets, bespoke made-to-measure wooden crates, and so on. Rest assured…INTOCO know what they are doing when it comes to packing for both national and international shipments.
INTOCO are a UK based company supplying high integrity raw materials to an international audience. We distribute our goods worldwide and have an in-depth knowledge of air, sea & road freight services and associated requirements such as export documentation, certificates of origin, at-source customs clearance and procedures, export packing and ISPM15 certification for example. Rest assured: your order is in safe hands with us and our fully audited & proven logistic providers.
Firstly, INTOCO will react in terms of making sure you have material to work with. If your goods are beyond use, then they must be replaced quickly and that can be done. In terms of the damaged goods, it must be determined who’s fault the damage was and who was responsible for the transit of the goods. From there, a claim can be made on the responsible party.
INTOCO will react in terms of making sure you have material to work with. If your goods are lost, then they must be replaced quickly and that can be done. In terms of the lost goods, it must be determined who’s fault the loss was and who was responsible for the transit of the goods. From there, a claim can be made on the responsible party. However, it must be noted that INTOCO’s logistic providers do have a process to follow for a reported loss, in that they will check all known routing transit depots and delivery vehicles BEFORE allowing a claim to be made.
Yes we can… INTOCO are fully aware of the requirements for many countries requiring ISPM15 certificates and for the packing timber having the appropriate marking for proof of correct and conforming fumigation heat treatment. If this is a requirement for your order, please advise at enquiry stage.
Other Associated Services
INTOCO were established in 1972 as a small machine shop, supplying machining and heat treatment services to the extrusion/tool-steel industry. Our heritage is machining/manufacturing and we understand it very well including the complexities of machining, the need for on-time deliveries, and so on. We are proud to have a very modern machining division catering for first-stage machining such as boring, top-turning, facing, milling, etc., as well as being able to accommodate full product manufacturing to tight tolerances with very fast delivery times.
Very much so… We understand the grades and materials we stock to high level of metallurgy. This includes a full working knowledge of the chemistry, mechanical & corrosion properties of the material along with the full processing/production route for our alloys including melting, rolling/forging, heat treatment and finishing operations. We can also help you with machining data if required. INTOCO has the full backing of all the mills that supply us and their respective technical departments for further and more technical support services.
Ultrasonic (UT) and Positive Material Identification (PMI) are fast becoming standard requirements in the special steels & alloys raw material sector. There are many different specifications worldwide for every different industrial sector and we can help satisfy your end-user specification requirement by conducting these tests, along with many other tests such as chemical analysis, mechanical testing, corrosion testing, etc. Just ask our experienced sales team if you have a special need that has to be met.
Absolutely… For several years now, INTOCO has been recommending that larger users of special steels and alloys consider using new production routes and materials management to help in stabilizing prices and guaranteeing supply. Volatility in the alloying element markets in terms of price… and varying mill lead times in terms of delivery can often catch stock-holders out and cause supply problems. We therefore often get involved with pre-ordering materials on behalf of our clients to ensure stock availability when they need it, as well as full transparency on bulk purchasing with reduced price margins to help smooth large quantity buying.
General
Our sales division work from 07:00 to 17:00hrs (GMT) daily. However, we also have access to our emails remotely, so “out of hours” answers, where possible, can be quick.
Our warehouse/processing division generally work from 06:00 to 16:00hrs (GMT) daily Monday to Friday. We will also work at the weekend if necessary to satisfy workload and/or client’s demands.
We are open for client collections from 07:00 to 16:00hrs daily Monday to Friday. We can also accommodate out-of-hours collections if advance notice is given.
Yes we do accept most major credit cards. We have dedicated handlers for credit card transactions to ensure your security of information. We can also receive BACS / CHAPS bank transfers.
For UK clients, we work to proforma invoice terms on the first order(s). However, we are prepared to do a credit check on and give an immediate decision on account status, which is subject to our management’s discretion.
For overseas clients we work to Proforma invoice terms for the first three orders, and then offer a credit account which is set to an agreed acceptable value level and payment term. Again this is at our discretion and reviewed constantly.
INTOCO’s primary (and preferred) currency is of course Pound Sterling (GBP). However, offers can be made in Euros (EUR) and US Dollars (US$) if required. We do need to know this at the outset though, before making an offer. When INTOCO offers in EUR or US$, we do charge a small rate premium to cover spot rate currency exchange movements.
Absolutely. INTOCO's staff have a wealth of knowledge in both special steels and alloys AND manufacturing. We can support you in advising on the material’s properties such as chemical analysis make up, mechanical strength and toughness, corrosion, heat treatment, and so on.
We can also help with machining data and recommend speeds/feeds for ultimate machining, and INTOCO have a wealth of support from their supplying mill’s technical departments for deeper metallurgical questions, if necessary.
INTOCO have a highly skilled sales team and a large network of mill and stockholder associates, both in the UK and Europe, who we can use for support on products that we don’t physically hold in stock. If there is something you need, just contact us and we’ll do everything to help you find that material/grade.
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
For more information on any of our Special Steel & Alloy products, to request a quote or to place an order, please contact our helpful sales team.