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Builders' merchant

Builders' merchants sell building and DIY products and materials.

Annual Salary

£16,000 to £30,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

39 to 41 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

2.2%
Future employment

There will be 2.2% more Builders' merchant jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

On a typical day you could:

  • give product information to customers
  • load and unload deliveries by hand or with a forklift truck
  • process orders and handle payments
  • move goods to storage areas
  • put orders together and organise deliveries
  • advise customers about which materials to use
  • complete stock control paperwork or update computerised stock lists

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work at a builder's yard or at a store.

Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers.

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
Apprenticeship

You could get into this job through a trade supplier intermediate apprenticeship.

This typically takes 12 months to complete as a mix of learning in the workplace and off-the-job study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Direct application

You could apply directly to work as a builders' merchant.

You may find it useful to have GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including maths and English. Experience in construction, warehousing or retail could be helpful.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • Some jobs with a builders' merchant may involve driving trucks up to 7.5 tonnes. For these you'll need to have a category C1 driving licence.
  • have forklift truck driver training for some jobs

More information

Further information

You can find out more about working as a builders' merchant from Building Materials Careers.

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With experience, you could progress to supervisor or manager.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
  • the ability to organise your time and workload
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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