--- title: "Building and Construction" url: https://www.uncap.com/industry/building-construction author: "Denis Dyli" published: 2026-06-09 updated: 2026-10-18 summary: "Building and construction distribution covers the materials that go into a structure and the tools, fixings and equipment used to put them there. Quantities are derived rather than chosen, because a buyer works from a measurement, and commercial pricing is a structure with contractor rates, job quotes and account tiers all in play at once. Building materials sell by area, length or weight, need a waste factor, and carry long lead times and submittals. Construction supply runs on will call and same day delivery, branch stock, rental alongside sale, box, carton and pallet pricing, and job accounts. Both sides run from one Shopify store, one product catalog and one ERP connection." --- # Building and Construction > Building and construction distribution covers the materials that go into a structure and the tools, fixings and equipment used to put them there. Quantities are derived rather than chosen, because a buyer works from a measurement, and commercial pricing is a structure with contractor rates, job quotes and account tiers all in play at once. Building materials sell by area, length or weight, need a waste factor, and carry long lead times and submittals. Construction supply runs on will call and same day delivery, branch stock, rental alongside sale, box, carton and pallet pricing, and job accounts. Both sides run from one Shopify store, one product catalog and one ERP connection. ## An overview of the category Building and construction distribution covers the materials that go into a structure and the tools, fixings and equipment used to put them there. Buyers are builders, contractors, specifiers and trade accounts, and the purchase almost always belongs to a job with a schedule attached rather than to a general restock. Two things distinguish selling here from general distribution. Quantities are derived rather than chosen, because a buyer works from a measurement and the site has to translate that into what you actually sell. And commercial pricing is a structure rather than a discount, with contractor rates, job quotes and account tiers all in play at once. Within that, the category has two distinct sides. **Building materials.** Distributors and manufacturers sell products priced by area, length or weight rather than by the each, so the number a buyer needs and the number you sell are rarely the same. A waste factor has to be added before a quantity is correct. Lead times on mill and special orders are long and variable, which makes a quote without a date largely unusable. Commercial work is decided by submittals and specification packages that sit outside most storefronts. **Construction supply.** Distributors sell tools, fasteners and jobsite equipment into a shorter clock. Buyers want will call or same day delivery and need to know which branch holds the item before they travel. Rental and sale often sit in the same catalog and behave differently. Fasteners price by box, carton and pallet simultaneously, and job accounts need billing and reporting by job rather than by company. ## Choose the part of the category that fits your business [Building materials](/industry/building-materials) For building products distributors and manufacturers. Square foot and linear foot pricing, waste factors, coverage rates, submittals and spec packages, mill and special orders. [Construction supply](/industry/construction-supply) For tool, fastener and jobsite equipment distributors. Will call and same day, branch stock, rental alongside sale, carton and pallet pricing, job accounts. ## Operators who span both Many distributors in this category carry some of each. That does not require two platforms. Both sides run from one Shopify store, one product catalog and one ERP connection, with the buying experience separated by account and catalog rather than by system. If your business spans both, start with the page whose ordering logic is more demanding, since that is what the architecture gets built around. [Uncap Blueprint](https://www.uncap.com/blueprint) maps the data model and the phased plan before a dollar goes into development. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does building and construction ecommerce cover? Building and construction distribution covers the materials that go into a structure and the tools, fixings and equipment used to put them there. Buyers are builders, contractors, specifiers and trade accounts, and the purchase almost always belongs to a job with a schedule attached rather than to a general restock. ### Why do building and construction buyers need more than a standard online store? Quantities are derived rather than chosen, because a buyer works from a measurement and the site has to translate that into what you actually sell. Commercial pricing is a structure rather than a discount, with contractor rates, job quotes and account tiers all in play at once. ### Should I start with the building materials page or the construction supply page? [Building materials](/industry/building-materials) is for building products distributors and manufacturers: square foot and linear foot pricing, waste factors, coverage rates, submittals and spec packages, mill and special orders. [Construction supply](/industry/construction-supply) is for tool, fastener and jobsite equipment distributors: will call and same day, branch stock, rental alongside sale, carton and pallet pricing, job accounts. If your business spans both, start with the page whose ordering logic is more demanding, since that is what the architecture gets built around. ### Can one Shopify store serve both building materials and construction supply buyers? Yes. Both sides run from one Shopify store, one product catalog and one ERP connection, with the buying experience separated by account and catalog rather than by system. Shopify B2B runs on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans, but unlimited catalogs and direct catalog assignment to companies and locations are Plus only. ### Which Uncap products fit a building and construction distributor? Uncap Quotes runs the full configure, price, quote process inside the Shopify admin, with version history and one-click conversion of an approved quote to an order. Uncap Portal carries the contractor accounts and lets buyers order products, services and rentals in one place. Uncap Connect keeps Shopify and your ERP in sync in real time, embedded in Shopify rather than in middleware, and your ERP stays the system of record. ### What is built during implementation rather than switched on? On building materials, the automatic waste factor and a submittal and spec document center are built during implementation. On construction supply, job-based billing, nearest-branch logic and the rental exposure layer are built during implementation. Uncap Blueprint maps the data model and the phased plan before a dollar goes into development.