Building materials
ERP software for building material and hardware shops
Invoices that mix cement, steel, sand and fittings on one bill, stock by warehouse and shop, credit to contractors with ageing, and purchase orders to your dealers.
In short
SimpleERP is ERP software for building material and hardware shops. Invoices carry the right tax rate on every line, stock is tracked by warehouse and shop, contractor credit shows in an ageing report, and purchase, cash and staff sit alongside.
Illustration of tax invoice INV-2026-0213 to Northside Retail with tax 10% and the amount in words.
A day in a building materials business
A hardware and building materials shop sells in bags, kilos, lengths and pieces, mostly on credit, to people who come back every week.
At eight the first contractor sends a list on the phone: 60 bags of cement, half a tonne of 12 mm rebar, two loads of sand and a box of PVC elbows. The cement is in the warehouse, the fittings are on the shop shelves, and it all goes on one bill against his account.
By evening the owner asks: how much does Harbour Construction owe, and since when? Is the general-purpose cement running low before the weekend rush? Did the paint distributor's bill get entered, or is it still in the drawer? The answers sit in a billing app, a credit notebook and the warehouse keeper's memory.
SimpleERP puts them in one system. The invoice applies each line's tax rate, issues stock from the warehouse or shop it left, and adds to the contractor's balance. The receivables ageing report then shows who owes what and how long it has been outstanding.
Billing
One invoice for cement, steel, sand and fittings
Every line on a SimpleERP invoice carries its own tax rate, so a bill that mixes cement, steel bars, sand, plumbing fittings and a no-tax deposit totals correctly and prints a summary by rate. The rates come from the product, so the counter never picks them by hand.
- Units per product: bags for cement, kg for steel, a custom unit for sand loads, pieces for fittings.
- Discount per line in percent or as an amount, for the contractor who always asks.
- Returns become a credit note that puts the bags back in stock.
| Line | Quantity | Taxable value | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cement, general purpose | 100 bags @ $9.50 | $950 | 20%: $190 |
| Rebar 12 mm | 500 kg @ $1.10 | $550 | 20%: $110 |
| Washed sand | 3 t @ $40 | $120 | 20%: $24 |
| Pallet deposit, refundable | 10 @ $15 | $150 | No tax: $0 |
| Total | $1,770 | $324 | |
| Grand total | $2,094 |
Illustration of the keyboard-first invoice editor with a focused line, live tax totals and shortcut hints.
Inventory
Know what is in the warehouse and what is on the shelf
Set up the warehouse and the shop as two warehouses, and SimpleERP keeps stock on hand for each one, valued at weighted-average cost. A reorder level on each product puts it on the low-stock list before the last bag goes.
- Transfers move cement or pipes from the warehouse to the shop with a document for every move.
- Low-stock list per warehouse, built from your reorder levels.
- Physical count fixes breakage or a short bag count with a reason, posted to the books.
- Product import from a CSV file with the tax rate, unit, reorder level and opening stock.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
Receivables
Contractor credit you can see, not just remember
Every unpaid invoice ages in the receivables report, bucketed as current, 1 to 30, 31 to 60, 61 to 90 and over 90 days. A credit limit on the customer warns when a new invoice would take them past it.
- Payment terms such as Net 30 set the due date on every invoice.
- Part payments are allocated against the oldest invoices or the ones you pick.
- Party statement with dated rows and a running balance, ready to print for the builder's accountant.
Illustration of receivables ageing: 2,441 to collect across 5 buckets, with customer totals.
Purchase
Purchase orders to dealers, bills that update stock
A purchase order to the cement dealer or the tile brand becomes a bill when the goods arrive, and posting the bill adds the stock and the amount you owe in one step.
- Part deliveries bill against the same order until it is complete.
- Duplicate guard on the supplier's invoice number stops the same bill going in twice.
- Debit notes for short supply or broken tiles, applied to the bill or taken as a refund.
- Purchase register with the tax on each bill, to check what you reclaim before you file.
Accounting and people
Close the day with cash, bank and staff in order
Each receipt lands in the cash or bank account it was paid into, so the cash and bank registers show a running balance without a separate cash book. Staff attendance flows into payroll.
- Day book lists every entry for the day in posting order.
- Expenses such as van hire, loading charges or cleaning, recorded with the receipt photo.
- Mark all present, then change the exceptions.
- Salary advances recovered from the next payslip.
Illustration of the daily attendance sheet on a phone with a Mark all present button.
Ready on day one
What you don't have to set up
A new shop can bill minutes after sign-up, because the plumbing is seeded.
- A chart of accounts with cash, bank, sales, purchase and stock accounts already linked.
- Your country's tax rates, ready to pick on a product or service.
- Units such as pcs, kg, m, box and set; add bags, tonnes or sq ft in settings.
- Invoice numbering such as INV-2026-0412 on your financial year.
- Seven system roles, including Sales, Purchase and Inventory, and Accountant.
By job
Building materials and hardware by job
Inventory for hardware shops
Cement, steel, pipes and paint by warehouse and shop, in their own units, at average cost, with a reorder level for every size.
Read moreAccounting for hardware shops
Contractor credit and ageing, dealer payables, cheque receipts and month-end checks, built from posted bills.
Read morePayroll for hardware shop staff
Monthly pay for counter staff, the warehouse keeper and drivers, with advances recovered and a Christmas bonus.
Read more
One system
The modules that do this work
An invoice issues stock from the warehouse, posts the sale and the tax, and adds to the contractor's balance until the payment lands in cash or bank.
Invoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howInventory
Stock on hand by warehouse at weighted average cost, with a movement ledger and a low-stock list.
See howPayments & receivables
Receipts and payments allocated oldest first, receivables and payables ageing, and statements.
See howPurchase
Purchase orders, supplier bills that receive stock, debit notes and payables.
See howAccounting
A double-entry ledger with journals, bank registers, statements and a lock date.
See howHR, attendance & leave
Employees, a daily attendance sheet, phone check-in, holidays and leave balances.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do for building material and hardware shops yet
Weigh these before you move a busy counter over.
- Prices including tax. Enter the price before tax; the invoice adds the tax on top.
- Weighbridge integration. Type the weight from the slip on the invoice line.
- Delivery notes as a stock document. The invoice moves the stock, so raise it at dispatch.
- Price lists per customer type. Set a default selling price and change the price or discount on the line.
- POS hardware such as receipt printers, cash drawers or barcode scanners. Invoices print on A4.
- Batch or shade tracking for tiles. Make each shade a separate product.
- E-invoicing or transport documents filed through a government system. Use your tax authority's portal for those.
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
Import your products from a CSV file with the tax rate, unit and opening stock per warehouse, then add your regular contractors with their credit terms.
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
What tax rates apply to cement, steel, tiles and sand?
In most countries building materials carry the standard VAT, GST or sales tax rate, with exceptions such as materials for new homes or energy-saving fittings in some places, and lines like refundable deposits carrying no tax. SimpleERP stores the rate on each product and applies them line by line, so one bill can carry two or three rates. Rates differ by country and change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your accountant or tax authority before you rely on it.
Can I give different prices to contractors and walk-in buyers?
Not through price lists; SimpleERP has none yet. Each product has one default selling price, and you change the price or add a discount on the invoice line.
How many staff can use it?
Add the counter staff, warehouse keeper and accountant as members, each with a role. There are seven system roles, so a salesperson can bill without seeing the books.
I keep credit in a notebook and billing in an old app. How do I move?
Import products from a CSV file with opening stock, import contractors and other customers with their opening balances, and start billing from the first day of a month.
Can I bill a customer in another region?
Yes. Enter the customer's address, region and tax number, and pick the rate that applies on each line. The sales register lists every invoice with its tax for your return. In India, the invoice also switches between local and interstate tax by itself.
Related
Keep reading
Wholesale & distribution
Keyboard-first billing, stock across warehouses at average cost, party ledgers and receivables ageing.
Read moreRetail
Counter invoices paid on the spot, stock by store with a low-stock list, and the day's cash and bank.
Read moreBricks and blocks
Bricks in thousands by yard, batch costs from a BOM, truckload invoices and builder credit.
Read moreStore & purchase teams
Low stock to purchase order, supplier bills, counts, transfers and work orders.
Read morePayments & receivables
Receipts and payments allocated oldest first, receivables and payables ageing, and statements.
Read more
Run your whole business from one simple place.
Seven days free. No card. Your first invoice in minutes.