Bin Packing

The Algorithm That’s Ruining Your DIY Projects (And Why You Should Be Angry)

The real reason you can’t buy small amounts of aluminum tube isn’t a supply shortage—it’s a pricing algorithm problem. The cost of cutting and packing small orders is nonlinear and hidden, making traditional per-pound pricing untenable. But new algorithmic suppliers are solving this, and they’re about to disrupt the entire metal distribution industry.