Online Metals Integration Guide

Integrate your Online Metals account with Helm to automate order imports, maintain real-time inventory visibility, and streamline fulfilment for metals, alloys, and raw material sales

What is Online Metals

Online Metals is a leading eCommerce platform for small-scale and industrial buyers of raw materials, offering cut-to-size metals and plastics in various grades and finishes. It supports both B2C and B2B orders across the manufacturing, fabrication, and engineering sectors

Connecting Online Metals to Helm allows you to synchronise stock, centralise order fulfilment, and manage diverse product variants from a single platform

PROS ✅

CONS ❌

Direct access to a specialised marketplace for industrial metals and raw materials

Requires a valid API URL and API Key issued by Online Metals or parent platform

Supports real-time stock and order syncing for high-volume SKUs

Product listings may require detailed specifications (e.g. alloy type, thickness, tolerance)

Ideal for just-in-time fulfilment and custom product configurations

Complex SKUs may require careful mapping for cut-to-size or customised orders

Step-by-Step Setup

From your Helm dashboard:

  1. Navigate to Settings > My Store

  2. Click Add New Sales Channel

  3. Select Online Metals from the list of available integrations

  4. Click Install

  5. Enter the required details:

FIELD

DESCRIPTION

Sales Channel Name

Enter a name such as Online Metals US or Online Metals B2B Orders

Sales Channel Logo

Upload the Online Metals logo or your own branded icon

API URL

Enter the full API endpoint provided by Online Metals

API Key

Paste the API key issued through your Online Metals account or developer portal

  1. Click Continue

Interaction Settings

Configure how Helm interacts with Online Metals:

INTERACTION SETTINGS

DESCRIPTION

Sync Inventory

Import your product catalogue including material types and variants

Sync Stock Levels

Keep inventory quantities aligned between Helm and Online Metals

Use Channel Names

Show material names or grades from Online Metals in order summaries

Max Stock Levels

Cap the amount of stock shown for selected products (e.g. rare alloys)

Stock Buffer

Reserve inventory to avoid overselling or delays in production runs

Auto Merge Orders

Automatically combine multiple orders from the same buyer or plant

Order Importing Type

Set the date and time to begin downloading new orders

Final Steps

  • Click Save once all settings are configured

  • Set the channel to Is Active at the top of the screen

Your Online Metals integration is now live - and you’re ready to Take the Helm

Common Issues

ISSUE

SOLUTION

Invalid API URL

Ensure the URL includes HTTPS and the correct path/version

Invalid API Key

Confirm the API key is active and linked to your Online Metals seller account

Orders Not Importing

Check the channel status and review date filters and sync configuration

Stock Not Syncing

Make sure SKU mapping and stock sync settings are correctly enabled in Helm

If you experience issues and need assistance, contact Helm Support