Tijuana, Baja California
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Steel service center in Tijuana
We cut steel, aluminum and stainless sheet to the exact size your production needs, right here in Tijuana. No full coil to buy, no waiting for it to cross the border.
26 years cutting steel
Services
The two steel cutting services Alfa Metal runs. If your process feeds sheet by sheet, you need cut to length; if it feeds from a continuous coil, you need slitting. Both are here, in the same plant and under the same quality lead.
From coil to flat sheet, with the squareness and flatness your die actually needs.
At our Tijuana plant we uncoil, level and cut your steel, aluminum or stainless coil into sheets at the exact size you specify. Up to 4,000 mm long and 1,350 mm wide, in gauges from 0.45 to 3.5 mm.
One wide coil in, several strips at the exact width out. No burr, no telescoping.
At our Tijuana plant we split your master coil into strips at the width your process calls for, with circular knives and tensioned rewinding. Thickness from 0.45 to 3.5 mm and entry widths up to 1,320 mm.
Capacities
Before writing to us, check your size against these ranges. If it falls just outside, tell us anyway: sometimes there is a way around it.
| Item | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.45 mm (0.017") | 3.5 mm (0.137") |
| Width | 500 mm (19.5") | 1,350 mm (53") |
| Length | 400 mm (15.5") | 4,000 mm (157.5") |
| Coil weight | 15 ton/coil |
| Item | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.45 mm (0.017") | 2.5 mm (0.098") |
| Width | 500 mm (19.5") | 1,350 mm (53") |
| Length | 400 mm (15.5") | 4,000 mm (157.5") |
| Coil weight | 15 ton/coil |
| Item | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.45 mm (0.017") | 3.5 mm (0.137") |
| Width | 500 mm (19.5") | 1,320 mm (52") |
| Inside diameter (uncoiler) | 406 mm (16") | 508 mm (20") |
| Coil weight | 12 ton/coil |
If your size falls just outside these ranges, tell us anyway: there is often a way to solve it.
Materials
Every material behaves differently when you cut it. These are the ones we process in Tijuana and what you should know about each before you specify.
Galvanized steel is steel coated with zinc by hot dipping. It is the workhorse for enclosures, duct and any sheet exposed to moisture, because the zinc keeps protecting the steel even where the cut leaves it bare.
Electrolytically deposited zinc. A thinner, more even layer than GI, a smoother surface and better paint behavior: the choice when the part will be visible.
Cold rolled sheet, uncoated. Tight dimensional tolerance, clean surface and good drawability. It needs downstream protection: paint, coating or a controlled environment.
Hot rolled sheet, pickled or not. This is the material for structure, bases and reinforcements, where thickness and strength matter more than finish.
Light, free of red rust and a very good thermal conductor. It scratches easily, so we handle it with separators and edge protection from the cut all the way to shipment.
For hygiene, corrosion and appearance. It demands dedicated tooling and handling so the surface is not contaminated with carbon steel particles, which later show up as rust spots.
Industries
Tijuana concentrates export manufacturing, appliances, automotive and construction. All that industry needs a sheet metal supplier that cuts to size: the mill sells by the coil and the plant needs the exact size.
Cabinets, doors, side panels and trays all start as leveled sheet and slit strip. Here flatness and a mark-free finish are not a luxury: they are the difference between a door that closes and one that comes back.
Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in the region work with tight tolerance windows and traceability audits. We deliver strip and sheet identified by heat number, with the constant width a progressive die demands.
Duct, plenums, air handler cabinets and covers. Galvanized is the sector's natural material, and slitting lets you feed the roll former directly without going through sheet storage.
Roofing, façades, gutter, stud and light gauge profile. A badly cut width on a profile multiplies with every meter installed; that is why knife setup is checked by lot, not by shift.
Chassis, shielding, heat sinks and racks. Tijuana's export manufacturing has to answer engineering changes in days, not months: cutting here avoids the full cycle of importing already-processed sheet.
Stamping, bending, welding and plate shops that buy material already fit to run. We are the link between the mill, which sells full coils, and the shop, which needs the exact size.
How we work
Five steps, with no surprises in between. You know where your material stands and what is left before it ships.
Material, gauge, width, length, quantity and date. A drawing or part number helps; if you do not have one, the size and the end use are enough to start.
We confirm the size fits the line's capacities, calculate coil yield and tell you what pays off better: cutting to sheet or cutting to strip.
Knife or leveler setup is defined by gauge and material, and the coil is assigned. You get a committed date, not a vague window.
We cut, measure in line and check burr, squareness and flatness. What does not meet spec does not get packed.
Banded, corner-protected, identified bundles ready for handling. We coordinate delivery in Tijuana's industrial zone and the rest of Baja California.
Why Alfa Metal
We do not sell cheap steel: we sell the certainty that the sheet arrives at size, burr-free and on the day we said.
More than two decades cutting steel. That experience shows where you cannot see it: in the setup that prevents burr and in knowing which material will move when you cut it.
You do not have to split the project between two suppliers. Sheets for the press and strips for the roll former come out of the same coil.
Being on the Libramiento means deliveries in hours, plant visits with no paperwork and a phone call answered in your own working hours.
GI, EG, CR and HR, plus aluminum and stainless with separate handling so the surface is never contaminated.
From 400 to 4,000 mm long and 500 to 1,350 mm wide. Cut to what your part needs, not to what happened to be in stock.
It is the commitment the company has stated since it was founded, and the criterion for deciding which equipment comes in and which process changes.
The plant
Real photographs of our steel cutting plant in Tijuana. None of them is stock.
Technical blog
The Alfa Metal technical blog: sheet metal cutting articles written from the line, not from the brochure.
All three routes work. The difference is in tied-up capital, in response time, and in who absorbs the cost when engineering changes.
Bringing production close only works if the suppliers are close too. Sheet metal is one of the links where that shows up first.
A quote takes three days when three items are missing. Here is the list, and also what nobody writes down but everybody assumes.
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not here, write to us: we answer just as directly.
It depends on the material and the type of cut. The practical thing is to send us the size, gauge and quantity you need: in the same quote we will tell you whether a dedicated run makes sense or whether it is better to schedule it alongside another lot of the same material.
We work as a service center: we can process the coil you already own or source the material. Write to us with the material, gauge and volume and we will confirm which arrangement suits you.
The cut-to-length line turns the coil into flat sheets of a given length. Slitting divides a wide coil into narrower strips that are still coils. If your process feeds sheet by sheet, you need cut to length; if it feeds from a continuous coil, you need slitting.
In carbon steel, from 0.45 mm to 3.5 mm thick; in aluminum and stainless, up to 2.5 mm. Width reaches 1,350 mm on the cut-to-length line and 1,320 mm on the slitting line, and length runs from 400 to 4,000 mm.
Lead time depends on line load, on the material and on whether the coil is already on the floor. We give you a committed date with the quote; for recurring projects we can reserve capacity by program.
We coordinate deliveries within Tijuana's industrial zone and the rest of Baja California. We are at Calle Campos 17151, on the Libramiento, so most of the city's industrial parks are minutes away.
When the coil arrives with a producer certificate, we pass it along with the material identified by heat number. If your end customer requires traceability, tell us at the quoting stage so we plan the run that way from the start.
Yes. We would rather you see the line before sending us a large lot. Schedule your visit by phone at (664) 977-7814 or through the contact form.
Next step
A cutting quote should not take days. Write to us with material, gauge and size, and we will come back with price and a committed date.
