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Exterior Building Materials: In-Stock Inventory Sales by Category

The landscape of the building materials industry continues to evolve, forcing LBM dealers, inventory managers, and builders to adapt their strategies. Principia’s ongoing, monthly LBM dealer survey puts a spotlight on an interesting aspect—sales derived from in-stock inventory.

Bar chart showing the percentage of sales reported by LBM Dealers generated from in-stock inventory in the last 12 months. Roofing, Exterior Trim, and Siding are ranked the highest. Doors and Windows and Patio Doors are ranked the lowest.
n= 322 Roofing; 341 Exterior trim; 338 Siding; 184 Fencing; 335 Decking; 310 Railing; 363 Doors; 360 Windows/patio doors

Sales from in-stock inventory is highest among roofing (59%), exterior trim (55%), and siding (52%). Not surprising, as these categories tend to lend themselves more to standardization. Building products with more extensive sizing and style options, such as windows and doors, show smaller percentages of in-stock purchasing (20% and 22%, respectively). Decking and railing also report less than half their sales from in-stock inventory most likely driven by the variety of products available to the consumer paired with the desire for customization.

Understanding the percentage of sales from in-stock inventory provides valuable insights. Heading into 2025, Principia will be evaluating this metric in a time series analysis.  It will be interesting to see if there is any seasonality with in-stock purchases, as well as identifying possible regionality trends and if they play a role with in-stock purchases. Principia will be monitoring these results and digging into possible trends on a product-by-product basis.