In the US Construction Industry, who does the procurement for construction materials ? Do they have websites?

Question

How does the US Construction Industry purchase its building materials?

Answer 1

Most will source direct from the mfrs, to reduce the additional handling costs.

The smaller companies/contractors may go to a local supplier, similar to Home Depot, or some intermediate warehouse for specific materials.  In this case, it is worth it to have a third party store the materials for your job, rather than you storing them onsite, where there is limited space and may not be secure.

It will depend on what you are looking for in materials.  A good source of mfrs of materials is the Thomas Register.  But remember, these mainly are wholesalers and many require some sort of contract or credit arrangement in place to do business with you.

Good luck!

Answer 2

We have a purchasing department, and or onsite project engineers do procurement for construction projects. Most purchases are from either direct manafacturers or through material providers like White Cap or McMaster Carr. I can't speak for the entire industry though. All I know is what we do in our corner of the sandbox. That's a pretty generalized question. Please be more specific.