The Steel Plate Buying Guide

[planetjanet]

Hello Pizzamakers

I'm in South Africa and finding a pizza steel is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I want to buy direct from steel merchant, not retail. And these guys (steel merchants) don't know what I'm talking about. I need tech specs for food grade steel  - can someone help me out?

thanks
Janet

[Mark Polo]

Look for 1/2 inch hot rolled steel, A36 carbon steel.  I did not ask for "food grade" and I have used mine for 10 years without problems.

[CobaltHex]

"food grade" is a marketing term. graded steel is (for the most part) pretty uniform across the board. https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6117

Once you wash it, it should be fine. It will likely already have an oxide layer that is probably durable enough, but you can always season on top of that too, which will trap anything else in

[wisnoskij]

Has anyone ever tried a 3 piece steel? I am looking to get a ~18"x18" surface, and it is looking that rectangular bars might be cheaper than sheets/plates cut to size. something like three 6*18 plates (I would just get a 54" long bar of the stuff).

Is it worth going that route to save a few bucks, or do you really want it in 1 or 2 pieces?

[CobaltHex]

I would think the single plate would be better, but you shouldn't have issue finding plate steel. Construction companies will buy huge sheets of it at a time

[Booty156]

Hey, looking to replace my old pizza stone. Where is the best place to find pizza steel in the UK? Cheers

[NoBSpizza]

I ordered a cheap S235JR steel plate on Ebay. Using the steel plus broiler method this thing allows me to make Neapolitan style pizzas in two minutes, using a standard 300 Celsius / 570 F electric oven (see profile pic). I don't think there's a need for fancy pizza steels.

[Quebert]

Would there be a noticeable difference between a 16" steel from BakingSteel.com & Cookingsteel.com?  Looking to get one for my Karu 16 for NY bakes.  The one from BS.com is 9lb heavier, and they're both 3/8". I'm assuming the Karu would have no problem supporting 28lbs.

[Pizza_Not_War]

Would there be a noticeable difference between a 16" steel from BakingSteel.com & Cookingsteel.com?  Looking to get one for my Karu 16 for NY bakes.  The one from BS.com is 9lb heavier, and they're both 3/8". I'm assuming the Karu would have no problem supporting 28lbs.

Same size, same thickness, 9lbs difference makes no sense.

[caymus]

Would there be a noticeable difference between a 16" steel from BakingSteel.com & Cookingsteel.com?  Looking to get one for my Karu 16 for NY bakes.  The one from BS.com is 9lb heavier, and they're both 3/8". I'm assuming the Karu would have no problem supporting 28lbs.

A standard 16 x 16 x 3/8 plate should be about 27 lbs,  If one is 9 lbs lighter, it either has a different dimension or is a different alloy. 

[Timpanogos Slim]

A standard 16 x 16 x 3/8 plate should be about 27 lbs,  If one is 9 lbs lighter, it either has a different dimension or is a different alloy.

In order for a 16 x 16 inch steel plate to weigh 18 lbs it would have to be 1/4 inch thick.

[TXCraig1]

Would there be a noticeable difference between a 16" steel from BakingSteel.com & Cookingsteel.com?  Looking to get one for my Karu 16 for NY bakes.  The one from BS.com is 9lb heavier, and they're both 3/8". I'm assuming the Karu would have no problem supporting 28lbs.

I think you looked at something wrong. Both 16x16x3/8 show ~27lbs.

[Samson]

Would there be a noticeable difference between a 16" steel from BakingSteel.com & Cookingsteel.com?  Looking to get one for my Karu 16 for NY bakes.  The one from BS.com is 9lb heavier, and they're both 3/8". I'm assuming the Karu would have no problem supporting 28lbs.

Quebert - did you have success with this and making NY style pies in the Karu 16? I'm interested in getting a Karu to make NY bakes but haven't found a consensus on how well the oven can actually handle it, or if a steel helps. (I tried messaging you since the question isn't exactly related to the topic but your inbox was full!)

[Quebert]

Quebert - did you have success with this and making NY style pies in the Karu 16? I'm interested in getting a Karu to make NY bakes but haven't found a consensus on how well the oven can actually handle it, or if a steel helps. (I tried messaging you since the question isn't exactly related to the topic but your inbox was full!)

DOH didn't know my box was full, not to derail this thread, so I'll post this then go clear it out some. Yes, it's an amazing oven for NYs, I'd do 5-6 minute bakes with almost no effort.  I never did get a steel for it, but out the box it works fantastic. 1st propane pizza oven I've used where turned all the way the temps were too low for NY bakes.  Wish I had gotten to try the oven with a steel, I would have liked it even more I'm sure.

It's pricey but worth every penny.

[WaterDog]

In case anyone is researching where to buy and current prices, I just bought a 3/8"x15"x18" A36 steel on eBay for $84 shipped. Seems fair. After years of making decent pies (according to friends and kids) time to up my game.

[Timpanogos Slim]

In case anyone is researching where to buy and current prices, I just bought a 3/8"x15"x18" A36 steel on eBay for $84 shipped. Seems fair. After years of making decent pies (according to friends and kids) time to up my game.

There's a business here called MetalMart that always has a wide selection of off-cuts out in the weather that they sell by the pound - some of them in uniform sizes, some of them just random. Just gotta drag myself out there and select one.

[Yuvalvv]

What's your opinion about this steel from Amazon? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMLKW6Q/?tag=pmak-20
14"x14", 0.14" thick (too thin?), cold-rolled 4130 steel (not low-carbon, 0.28-0.33% carbon), $38 (w/ free shipping), will it be sufficient?

I'm having a hard time finding a place to make me a custom one here in Israel. Is low carbon a must (what's the different between low-medium-high in the context of using it for baking)? will 0.23" be enough (I usually make 2 pizzas tops, or what's the ideal thickness for this application)?

[kbrede]

What's your opinion about this steel from Amazon? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMLKW6Q/?tag=pmak-20
14"x14", 0.14" thick (too thin?), cold-rolled 4130 steel (not low-carbon, 0.28-0.33% carbon), $38 (w/ free shipping), will it be sufficient?

I'm having a hard time finding a place to make me a custom one here in Israel. Is low carbon a must (what's the different between low-medium-high in the context of using it for baking)? will 0.23" be enough (I usually make 2 pizzas tops, or what's the ideal thickness for this application)?

Personally, I wouldn't go anything less than 0.25" thick. I went with 0.375". Carbon seems to be the steel of choice and what I went with. What other types of steel are you looking at? I'm not sure what low-medium-high refers to either. In what context?

[TXCraig1]

Even 1/4" is on the too-thin side, IMO. I absolutely would not go thinner than 1/4".

Low carbon/mild steel is most common largely because it's cheap. It's also more conductive than higher carbon products - but that may or may not make a difference in your pizza. What really you don't want is stainless. A lot of the heat transfer on the bottom of the pizza is via IR (wherever the crust isn't actually touching the steel) and stainless emits very little IR. Stainless is also lower conductivity that high-carbon steel.

[TXCraig1]

I'm not sure what low-medium-high refers to either. In what context?

It refers to the carbon content. As far as relevance to pizza goes, the higher the carbon, the less conductive. That being said, there isn't a definite answer if one or the other will help you make better pizza. There are lots of other factors.