Bricks and blocks
ERP software for brick and block manufacturers
Stock counted in thousands by yard, the cost of every batch from fly ash, cement and fuel, one invoice per truckload and builder credit in one system, with advances for your crews.
In short
SimpleERP is ERP software for brick plants and concrete block yards. It counts bricks in thousands by yard, costs each batch from a bill of materials, bills every truckload with the right tax and tracks what builders and dealers owe.
Illustration of a bill of materials with cost roll-up and a work order moving from planned to in progress to completed.
A day in a brick and block business
A brick yard runs on three counts: how many thousand are stacked and ready, how many went out on the trucks, and how much each builder still owes.
The day starts at the stacks. The yard foreman counts the ready bricks in thousands and writes them in a notebook. A tanker of fly ash arrives, the cement supplier wants paying for forty bags, and the loading crew asks for an advance. By nine, Hollis Homes wants 4,000 bricks at their site across town.
By evening, three trucks have left with a dispatch slip each, one load went on credit, and the loader's diesel was paid in cash. Nobody knows what a thousand bricks cost this month after fuel went up, and the builder ledger gets checked only when the builder disputes it.
SimpleERP replaces the notebook with two documents: a work order per production day or kiln load, which uses up fly ash, cement and fuel and puts finished bricks in the yard at real cost, and an invoice per truckload, which takes them out and adds the amount to the builder's ledger.
Inventory and purchase
Know how many thousand are in the yard
Each brick type and size is a product counted in thousands, and every yard is a warehouse with its own count. Fuel, fly ash, cement and sand are products too, added to stock at cost by supplier bills.
- A "1,000 pcs" unit you add once, so stock, recipes and invoices all speak in thousands.
- Stock by yard, with transfers between the kiln yard and the block plant.
- Low stock list shows when fuel or cement is below your reorder level and turns it into a purchase order.
- Count adjustments set the yard to what the foreman counted, with a reason.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
Manufacturing
Know what a thousand bricks cost you
A bill of materials says what goes into one thousand bricks, with a breakage allowance and a batch cost for labour, power or diesel, and a work order per production day records what was used and made.
- Completing a work order issues materials at average cost and adds bricks to the yard at actual cost.
- Breakage as scrap percent on each material, so the plan already allows for it.
- A new version when the mix changes; past batches keep theirs.
| Line | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Fly ash | 1,650 kg @ $0.02 | $33.00 |
| Sand | 900 kg @ $0.015 | $13.50 |
| Cement | 200 kg @ $0.12 | $24.00 |
| Gypsum | 60 kg @ $0.10 | $6.00 |
| Breakage allowance | 2% of $76.50 | $1.53 |
| Labour, power and diesel | per batch | $45.00 |
| Cost per 1,000 | $123.03 |
Billing
One invoice for every truckload
Each truckload is one invoice: pick the builder, type 4 thousand at your rate per thousand, and SimpleERP takes the bricks out of the yard, books cost and margin, and writes the tax in one step.
- Your tax rate on each product, or no tax for an exempt customer.
- The delivery site as the shipping address, so the driver and the builder see the same place.
- Truck number and site in the invoice notes, printed on a clean A4 copy with your bank details.
Illustration of tax invoice INV-2026-0213 to Northside Retail with tax 10% and the amount in words.
Payments and receivables
See which builder owes what, and since when
Every invoice and payment lands on the builder's or dealer's ledger, and the ageing report shows what is overdue and for how long, so the follow-up call starts with the right number.
- Credit limit per builder, with a warning on the invoice when a load would cross it.
- Part payments allocated to the invoices they settle, so balances are never typed by hand.
- Statements with a running balance you can print or share before the site visit.
Illustration of receivables ageing: 2,441 to collect across 5 buckets, with customer totals.
Payroll, expenses and assets
Crews, diesel and machines in the same books
Monthly staff are paid from attendance with advances recovered on the payslip, diesel and loader hire go in as expenses, and the block machine and forklift depreciate as fixed assets.
- Advances recorded when paid and recovered month by month through payroll.
- Expenses for diesel from a phone, with the receipt photo.
- Depreciation on machines and vehicles posted to the books every month.
Illustration of a payslip with Basic salary, Allowances, Bonus and net pay of 4,440.
Ready on day one
What you don't have to set up
SimpleERP seeds the dull parts when you sign up, so day one is about bricks and builders.
- A chart of accounts with inventory, cost of goods sold and asset categories for plant, machinery and vehicles.
- Your country's tax rates, ready to pick on a product.
- Units such as pieces and kilograms, and numbering on your financial year.
- Salary components for your country and a default shift.
- Seven ready-made roles, from Owner to Employee self-service.
By job
Bricks and blocks by job
Inventory for brick makers
Fly ash in tonnes, cement in bags and bricks in thousands, across the raw material shed, the curing yard and the ready yard.
Read moreAccounting for brick plants
Builder cheques, gate cash, diesel and supplier credit in one double-entry ledger, with the month-end checks a brick unit needs.
Read morePayroll for brick kilns
Monthly staff on salary with shifts and advances, and the loading gang paid on its leader's bill, both posted to the same books.
Read moreProduction for brick plants
A mix per 1,000 bricks as a versioned BOM, a work order per shift, and the real cost per thousand from what the pan mixer used.
Read more
One system
The modules that do this work
A completed work order moves raw materials and bricks; a truckload invoice writes the sale, the cost, the tax and the builder's balance in one step.
Manufacturing
Bills of materials with scrap and cost roll-up, and work orders from plan to complete.
See howInventory
Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, with a movement ledger and a low-stock list.
See howInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howPayments & receivables
Receipts and payments allocated oldest first, receivables and payables ageing, and statements.
See howPayroll
Salary structures, monthly runs and payslips with your earnings and deductions, posted to the books.
See howFixed assets
An asset register with monthly depreciation, custodians, maintenance and disposal.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do for brick and block makers yet
Better you hear it now than find out after the first season.
- Stage-wise counts for moulding, firing and sorting. Record breakage as scrap or a stock adjustment.
- Piece-rate wages per thousand. Payroll is monthly salary with components.
- Delivery notes as stock documents. The invoice moves the stock, so raise it when the truck leaves.
- E-invoicing or transport documents filed through a government system. Use your tax authority's own portal for those.
- Special or reduced rates for building materials are not seeded. Add the rate under Settings and ask your accountant for the invoice wording.
Getting started
Start with your first invoice
Sign up with your email
Name, email and a password. No card for the seven-day trial.
Tell us about the business
Pick your country and, if you are registered, type your tax number. Accounts, tax rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for that country.
Add what you sell
Add a "1,000 pcs" unit, then your brick and block types and raw materials with opening stock per yard, from a CSV file or one by one.
Post your first invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. Your first invoice can be out within 10 minutes of signing up.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Which tax rate applies to bricks and blocks?
It depends on your country. Most charge their standard VAT, GST or sales tax rate on building materials, a few have reduced rates for some products, and sales to an exempt buyer may carry none. You set the rate on each product and every invoice line applies it. In India, kilns choose between two GST options, so ask your CA which one applies. Rates differ by country and change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your accountant or tax authority before you rely on it.
Does it track moulding, firing and sorting stages?
No. SimpleERP covers the money and stock side: what went into a batch, what came out, what was sold and who owes you. Record one work order per production day or kiln load and adjust stock after sorting.
How do I pay moulding and loading crews?
Monthly workers go through payroll, with advances recovered on the payslip. Piece-rate wages are not supported, so if a crew leader is paid per thousand, record them as a supplier and post his bill when the count is done.
Does it suit a small yard with a foreman and one bookkeeper?
Yes. Members are unlimited and each gets a role, so the foreman enters stock while the bookkeeper handles payments and tax. It runs in a phone browser, so the yard needs no computer.
We use a notebook and an old accounting app today. How do we move?
Import products from a CSV file with opening stock per yard, enter builders and suppliers with opening balances, and start invoicing from the first of a month. Keep the old app for past years.
Related
Keep reading
Stone crushers and M-sand
Truckload invoices per aggregate size, builder credit with ageing, and depreciation on crushers.
Read moreBuilding materials and hardware
Mixed-rate invoices, stock by warehouse and shop, and contractor credit with ageing.
Read moreManufacturing
BOMs with scrap and cost roll-up, work orders that move stock, and payroll for shop-floor staff.
Read moreMoving to SimpleERP
Import masters, balances and open bills from spreadsheets or your old software, checked first and undoable, then run both systems for a month.
Read moreWeighted average cost
How weighted average cost values stock and cost of goods sold, with the formula, a worked example and how it compares with FIFO.
Read more
Run your whole business from one simple place.
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.