I love places like this. Local, authentic, and a little gritty. I worked with two of their sales reps and someone in the yard for a recent project and all three were knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. I suspect they mostly work with contractors and other professionals, but as end user I still received good service. They have a wide range of products and their prices are reasonable (although anything metal is relatively expensive). There is a rust-for-less yard with discounted pieces. Tip: they close noon-1pm for lunch, so plan ahead. read more

I called Ceres Pipe and Metal this morning to ask about the thickness of their rectangular tubing and what they had available in stock. Unfortunately the customer service was very poor. The employee I spoke with, Kathy, had a rude and dismissive attitude from the start. When I mentioned the issue, she sarcastically offered to transfer me to her manager as if the situation didn't matter. As a business owner myself, I know how important it is to treat customers with respect, even when answering simple questions. Hopefully management takes customer service more seriously than what I experienced today. read more

Kathy helped me over the phone! She's a rockstar! Got my order ready very quickly and was a pleasure working with!

For hobby level fabricators and makers you get a mix of treatment from material suppliers. The staff at this place is always helpful with great attitude. From the counter staff to the cutting and loading, they treat you nicely. read more

The guys behind the counter are extremely rude and unhelpful. They lack customer service skills, you should be able to answer customer questions with out giving them an attidute. read more

So i went to buy a couple sheets of metal. A lady started to help me in the front desk. She asked me how could she help me. I told her let me show you in your sample you have outside. So I finally picked the metal I wanted but there was no sample outside. I asked her if I could see the Metal before i buy. She said no because of insurance liability. She said you can buy it and if you dont like you can return with a 25% restock fee. I was paying over $100 so I asked her again in the most polite way if there was any way I could see the metal before i buy. She then started to talk to me in a rude manner. Fine I will show you if i loose my job you will have to provide me one. She said cuss words after that stomping and complaining all the way to showing me the metal. I then told her i am just here to buy something and i am talking to you in a professional manner. There is no need to use cuss words. I told her I really don't need to buy anything if you want. She said I could leave if I wanted with cuss words. I then told her I would not leave without talking to her manager. So I ended up buying the material. Hope i don't need metal anymore. I dont want to shop there anymore. I read a couple of the other complaints on the reviews and I noticed i am not the only one who has gotten bad service. Be aware if you go in there. Or go in there if you feel like getting treeted like dirt. read more

This place is perfect for what you need for ornamental iron supplies. Have ben coming here for more than 4 years already and its helped me get threw alot of jobs good people good cookies and good materials. .. But the other day i came here in a hurry and totally forgot they close at 12, i went in normally and grabbed a box and began to shop still not realizing that its already 12... Well guy at front desk was helping out till 3 min later he began to hurry me and still not realizing they are closing... So i got a few things and they began to hurry me then they told me they have to get to lunch. I told them " oh shoot ok" told them at least let me get what i need cuz i had only few things to get, well they started telling me " come on homie its time to go.. Its time to leave homie... Homie you got to go... First of all i am Mexican but im not a "Homie.. I didnt understand why they were calling me that it why?? ..well i got kicked out basically in a rude way. I was late 1 time in 4 and half years, im the owner of a company and i think there poor way of handling this could have ben way better. Like not let me shop when ur closing tell me when i walk in the door. I have decided not shop here anymore. read more

These people are super friendly and helpful, there prices are cheaper than other comparable steel suppliers , especially the "rust for less" section. I always go here when I don't want the HASSLE of going to the other people who are usually and ordeal for me, read more

Ceres Pipe & Metal - Hardware Stores Near Me - Modesto, California

Had to leave one star because it won't let me give 0 stars, recently purchased over 500$ worth of product, I asked for metal to use for a fence, when I was building the fence the metal was super weak and it was really wobbly, when I tried to return it because they gave me bad product for what I asked and they said they couldn't return it because the surface had some slight rust from sitting outside a few days, it wasn't even that noticeable, I was even willing to buy a different product that would work for my needs but definitely not anymore since they won't accept my return. Definitely not the way to treat customers. read more

I've always received excellent customer service at Ceres pipe and metal. their lunch schedule this kind of cut into the business day but oh well. it's also cool that the workers have a set time where they could have a uninterrupted lunch. I have worked on several projects at home and a small business I was a part of and these guys have always been great. I do wish they had delivery though since I don't have a truck with racks on it :(. read more

I have been doing business with Ceres Pipe for 5 years. I have never had a problem with them until my last visit. I needed to return a $20 stock item without a receipt that I bought 30 days prior. The employee helping me said they couldn't, but asked the manager standing next to him if they could refund me. The manager just tapped on a sign that said no returns after 15 days in a very rude manner. I understand policy, and would have been fine if he told me 'no' in a more polite way. But I was offended by the manner in which he did this. To make things worse, I was going make a $700 purchase while there, and asked if they could just apply the refund to that purchase, and again, was told no. I felt as though they were telling me, "if you don't like our policy, feel free to shop elsewhere". Which is exactly what I will do. read more

Great prices and 90% of time have what you need in stock, they also have a great source for third party company's who they direct you to if they can't help you in that category. Overall I'd say it's a great company. read more

I have been dealing with Ceres Pipe and Metal for years and have found them to be very helpful in my business as a metal sculptor and fabricator. Unlike other companies in the area, you can buy just what you need and are not forced to take the whole piece if you choose. I have never seen the response that (Jose R.) others have and would (have) recommend them to anyone. Plus they have good cookies. read more

Modesto Steel or any other place is better than this company. The prices are the same as others but lets just say when you walk in and walk up to the counter you have to wait till the 6 guys (high school kids with no educations) play rock, papers, scissors to see whos gonna get up and off the computer to help you. most of them know nothing about steel or pipe or any metal for that matter. try going in and asking for 20 feet of 1 inch x 3/4 inch flatbar and watch the dumbfounded look you get from the employee. take an example of the metal you want so they can know what you want; oh and tell them to make sure they have it in stock cause most of the time they'll ring you up and charge you and then you go out to the lot and they don't have the metal you just paid for. the funny thing to top it off is they have some poor employee lifting all this steel by hand all day and cutting it with a torch to the measurements you want. pay the extra 50 cents and go to Modesto Steel. The company I work for won't do business because of these reasons anymore. I've gone here several times and every time is the same. read more

I've been doing business with C P & M for a few years now. They are always helpful and polite which is a hell of a lot more than the other local steel suppliers are. I usually call ahead for them to check stock on an item. So far everything I have needed except special order culvert pipe is in stock. When I order something , I get a call right when it comes in so I can plan for pick up. I order a fair amount of 30' culvert and their yard guys are always as helpful as can be to make sure they get it loaded EXACTLY the way I want it. This is a top notch, first class outfit. Don't let a couple of 'never happy' reviews persuade you from giving them a call for your next project. Or you can go to some of the other guys who couldn't care less if you buy from them or not. read more