NOX METALS vs Metals Depot for Aluminum Plate
By Dick Grayson
Buy from Metals Depot if you need general-purpose aluminum in any quantity, thin sheet, or diamond plate, and certification is not part of the job. Buy from NOX METALS if you need certified aerospace or defense plate at 0.25 inch and thicker, particularly 7075 or 7050, with mill certs and DFARS melt-source documentation. Metals Depot is a well-built online metal store: prices are published, there is a cart, they cut to size and custom shapes, and they state no minimum order, which is genuinely useful and unusual among distributors. Their aluminum plate offering is aimed at general fabrication rather than aerospace, and that is the whole comparison.
In Short
- →Metals Depot owns the any quantity, any size, delivered position, with prices online, a cart, no minimum order, and cut to size on custom shapes.
- →Their published aluminum plate lineup is 3003, 5052, and 6061. That covers general fabrication and light industrial work well.
- →Choose Metals Depot for hobby, shop, and general fabrication work, thin sheet, and diamond plate. We do not sell any of those.
- →Choose NOX METALS for certified aerospace and defense plate: 6061 to 10 inches, 7075 and 7050 to 6 inches, with mill certs and DFARS melt-source documentation.
- →The dividing line is the alloy ceiling and the paperwork, not the ordering experience. Both of us publish prices and take small orders.
- →If you searched for diamond plate or aluminum sheet under 0.25 inch, buy from them, not us.
Side by Side
Verified against public pages in August 2026. Metals Depot does not publish a saw tolerance or a per-order ship date.
| NOX METALS | Metals Depot | |
|---|---|---|
| Instant online pricing | Yes, under 60 seconds | Yes |
| Online cart and checkout | Yes | Yes |
| Ship date before you order | Committed per line item | Not published |
| Minimum order | None | None, stated |
| Cut to size | Any rectangle on bandsaws, 0.08 inch kerf | Yes, plus custom shapes |
| Published saw tolerance | Ask for your thickness | Not published |
| Aluminum plate alloys | 6061, 7075, 7050, 5000-series, cast tool and jig | 3003, 5052, 6061 on the plate page |
| Plate thickness | 6061 to 10 inches, 7075 and 7050 to 6 inches | General fabrication range |
| Thin sheet and diamond plate | Not stocked | Yes |
| Certification by default | Mill certs, heat numbers, lot traceability | Not published |
| DFARS and domestic melt | Available | Not publicly marketed |
| Night and weekend delivery | Yes | No |
What Metals Depot Does Well
There is a reason they rank for nearly every aluminum buying query. The store works, the prices are visible, and they do not make a small customer feel unwelcome.
- No minimum order, stated plainly. Buying one piece of anything is a normal transaction, which is not true across most of this industry.
- Any size and custom shapes, not just rectangles. For a general fabrication job that is more flexible than a saw-only supplier.
- Breadth of product forms: sheet, plate, diamond plate, tread plate, angle, tube, bar, across steel, stainless, aluminum, and brass.
- Published prices on everything, which is a real service in an industry that mostly hides them.
The Alloy Ceiling Is the Difference
Their plate page lists 3003, 5052, and 6061. Those three cover an enormous amount of legitimate work: brackets, enclosures, weldments, and general structural fabrication. They do not cover the high-strength end, and that gap is where the two companies stop overlapping.
- 7075-T651 and 7075-T7351 are the high-strength workhorses for aerospace structure, tooling, and defense hardware. Different alloy family, different price, different documentation expectations.
- 7050-T7451 to AMS 4050 is the thick-section aerospace alloy, chosen specifically for stress corrosion cracking resistance in heavy sections.
- Thickness. General fabrication plate rarely runs past a couple of inches. We stock 6061-T651 to 10 inches and 7075 and 7050 to 6 inches, and cutting those is a different machine problem.
- Cast tool and jig plate for fixtures and vacuum tables, where flatness and dimensional stability matter more than strength.
Certification Is the Other Difference
If your print or purchase order asks for traceability, this is the part that decides it. Metals Depot does not publicly document a certification program, which is entirely appropriate for the market they serve and disqualifying for regulated work.
- Mill certifications with heat numbers and full lot traceability ship on every NOX METALS order by default, not on request.
- DFARS 252.225-7009 flow-downs ask where the metal was melted. We stock DFARS-compliant and domestic-melt material across 6061, 7075, and 7050.
- We are ISO 9001:2015 certified, published with scope at noxmetals.co/verified.
- If your job is a weldment for a shop fixture, none of this matters and you should not pay for it. If your job ships to a prime, all of it matters.
Buy From Metals Depot When
We would rather route you correctly than win a sale we are wrong for.
- You need aluminum sheet thinner than 0.25 inch. We do not stock it at all.
- You need diamond plate or tread plate. We do not sell decorative or traction products.
- You need 3003 or 5052 for a fabrication or forming job.
- You need a custom shape rather than a rectangle.
- You need steel, stainless, or brass on the same order.
Metals Depot built a straightforward online metal store with published prices and no minimums, and for general fabrication in 3003, 5052, and 6061 that is a good place to buy. We stock the other end of the range: certified aerospace and defense plate in thick sections with the documentation a regulated job requires. If your search was for diamond plate or thin sheet, go to them. If it was for 7075 or 7050 with certs, that is us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Metals Depot have a minimum order?
No. They state no minimum order and sell in any quantity, which is one of the genuinely good things about their store. NOX METALS also has no minimum, including single pieces of 7075 and 7050.
Does Metals Depot sell 7075 aluminum plate?
7075 appears in their broader aluminum lineup, but their aluminum plate page lists 3003, 5052, and 6061. For 7075 or 7050 plate in thick sections with mill certs and DFARS documentation, you want a supplier that stocks aerospace plate as a core category.
Who is cheaper for aluminum plate?
For thin general-purpose material Metals Depot is usually the cheaper and more appropriate answer. For thick plate and for anything that fits an existing certified drop in our inventory, we are typically well below cut-to-size pricing, often 20 to 40 percent below on the drop. The alloys barely overlap, so the comparison rarely comes down to price.
Does Metals Depot provide mill certificates?
They do not publish a certification program. If your job requires mill certs with heat numbers, lot traceability, or DFARS melt-source documentation, confirm in writing before ordering from any supplier. We ship certs with every order by default.
I need aluminum diamond plate cut to size. Can NOX METALS do that?
No. We stock aluminum plate at 0.25 inch and thicker and do not carry diamond plate, tread plate, or thin sheet. Metals Depot sells diamond plate cut to size and is the right supplier for that.
Certified plate, 0.25 inch and up
Price certified 6061, 7075, or 7050 in 60 seconds.
Mill certs with heat numbers on every order, DFARS and domestic melt available, and a committed ship date before you commit.