Building Materials

A&a Material Corp A-S China Plumbing Products Ltd Aica Kogyo Company Limited Alno AG American Standard Sanitaryware (thailand) Public Company Limited American Stone Industries, Inc. Arad Investment & Industrial Development Asahi Eito Company Limited Asahi-Seiki Manufacturing Company Limited Associated Materials Inc. Baumaterialien-Handelsgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft Beltecno Corporation Blockleys Plc Booth Industries Group Plc Brickworks Limited Brodrene Klee AS Bunnings Limited Burgbad AG Butler Manufacturing C.i. Holdings Berhad Cakebread Robey Plc Cashbuild Limited Centex Corporation CFM Corporation Chabert Duval Groupe SA CHEVALIER SINGAPORE HOLDINGS LIMITED Coinvest Companhia De Investimentos Interlagos Sa Compobaie SA Consolid Company Limited CONSTANTIA-ISO AG Coorstek Inc. Dadex Eternit Limited Daido Steel Company Limited Daiken Company Limited Daiken Corporation Daito CO., Ltd. Daiwa Rakuda Industry Company Limited Dal'alu Sa DONG YANG ELEVATOR CO., LTD. Ebata Corporation Ebv Ag Ege Profil ELEVADORES ATLAS SCHINDLER SA Eljer Industries, Inc. EMCO LTD Empresas Pizarreno S.a. Erith Plc Erlus Baustoffwerke AG Eyeful Home Technology Inc.

Fabrica Peruana Eternit SA Faplac S.a. Fayenceries DE Sarreguemines Digoin ET Vitry-LE-Francois Fletcher Challenge Ordinary Division Friedrich Grohe Ag Fujitec Company Limited Gardena Holding Ag Gibbs And Dandy Plc Golden Pharos Berhad Graham Group Plc Hashimoto Sogyo Co., Ltd. Heritage Bathrooms Plc Hesperia Holding, Inc. Hill & Smith Holdings Plc Hills Industries Limited Hindustan Sanitaryware & Industries Ltd Hitachi Metals Techno, Ltd. Hyundai Elevator Co., Ltd Igb Corporation Berhad Iliad Africa Limited Imperial Industries, Inc. Inax Corporation Indian Hume Pipe Company Limited (the) Industrial Concrete Products Berhad Innova Exploration Limited Inversiones Industriales Colina Janis Ltd. Jannock Limited Japan Kenzai Co., Ltd. Keramag-Keramische Werke AG Keumkang Korea Chemical Company Limited Kimura Co., Ltd. Kingspan Group Plc Kondotec Inc Kvk Corporation Kyushu Fujisash CO., Ltd. LA Macc SA Lacroix SA LAPEYRE LG INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS COMPANY LIMITED MAAX INC Marubeni Construction Material Lease Co. Masonite (africa) Limited Matsumoto Kenko Co., Ltd. Mdb AG Miyako, Inc. Msauli Asbestos Beperk MT Genex Corp National Consolidated Limited

Nihon Decoluxe Co., Ltd. Nihon Spindle Mfg CO Ltd Nikko Company (5343) Nippon Aluminium Co., Ltd. Nippon Zenith Pipe Co., Ltd. Nitto Boseki CO Ltd Noda Corporation NORSK KJOEKKENINVEST ASA NORTEK HOLDINGS, INC. Ochi Sangyo Co., Ltd. Orient Group Incorporated Otis Elevator Company (india) Limited Porcher (etablissements) Sa Powdertech Co., Ltd. Qualceram Shires Plc Rheinisch-westfaelische Kalkwerke Ag Rock of Ages Corporation Ruukki Group Oyj Sadi Spa Samse SA Sanitary Wares Manufacturing Corporation SANITEC OYJ Sankyo Aluminium Industry CO., Ltd. Sansei Yusoki Co., Ltd. SCHINDLER AUFZUEGE & FAHRTREPPEN Schindler Holding AG Seven Industries CO., Ltd. Shanghai Huili Building Materials Company Limited Sharpe & Fisher Plc Shikoku Chemicals Corporation Shin Nikkei Company, Ltd. Simpson Manufacturing Company Spaencom A/s Suomen Helasto Oyj Takara Standard CO Ltd Takashima & Company Limited Test Rite International CO Ltd Thai Wire Products Public Company Limited Titon Holdings Plc Trelleborg AB (publ.) Uac Berhad Unifer Holdings Ltd Universal Home Inc. Vest-Wood A/S Westag & Getalit AG Wewers A/s YAMAKI CORPORATION (RETAIL) Yung Tay Engineering Company Limited

Guide to Building Materials

The right construction materials can lend your project strength and versatility
By Matt Alderton

Building materials are just as important as layout and design when it comes to construction -- especially in commercial and industrial construction. Indeed, building supplies are critical to the success of any structure.

Construction materials can be used for aesthetic purposes to make buildings look nice. More importantly, though, construction materials are vital for structural stability. With the right building materials, you can achieve both goals -- creating an attractive building that is structurally sound. Options for building supplies include:

1. Wood building materials.
2. Stone and brick building materials.
3. Metal building materials.
4. Concrete building materials.
5. Glass building materials.
6. Green building materials.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use wood building materials for everything from framing to flooring Wood building materials are perhaps the most common and versatile construction materials in the world. Appropriate for almost any structure in a variety of climates, they're useful inside your building and out.

I recommend:  For wood construction materials, check Temple-Inland, which carries wood and lumber for framing, siding and more. Truitt & White has a wide selection of lumber and wood building materials.

Turn to bricks and stones as wall-worthy construction materials While they're too heavy, awkward and energy-inefficient for broad applications, stone building materials are popular for exterior construction and landscaping designs. Projects that would benefit from the strength of stone building supplies should consider brick, which is equally sturdy but more practical.

I recommend:  For brick building materials, go to Hanson Brick, which offers more than 1,000 brick design options. Eldorado Stone offers a wide variety of stone and brick. Find more suppliers of bricks and pavers at Business.com. You can also search the Brick Industry Association's member directory or go to ebuild.com.

Choose metal commercial building materials for larger construction projects Metal building supplies are ideal for large buildings, such as warehouses and skyscrapers, which require metal skeletons for framing.

I recommend:  Search for commercial building materials with McGraw Hill Construction's Sweets Network, which has a vast directory of metal building supplies. Suppliers like American Steel Components sell steel building materials.

Add a modern touch to your project with concrete building materials Even better than brick, and stronger than stone, concrete commercial building materials, including cinder blocks and reinforced concrete, are the predominant choice for modern builders.

I recommend:  Suppliers of ready-mixed concrete include Standard Concrete Products Ltd. Find suppliers and manufacturers that specialize in concrete via The Concrete Network, the Portland Cement Association or Business.com's concrete directory.

Use glass building materials for their aesthetic interest Unlike other building materials, glass is more decorative than structural. Most commonly used for windows, it can also be used for architectural elements like curtain walls and space frame ceilings.

I recommend:  For glass building materials, try companies like DuPont, which offers glass laminating solutions for both decorative and structural applications, and CGI, which specializes in impact resistant windows and doors for commercial and residential buildings. Or, for even more information about glass building materials, consult the Glass Association of North America.

Help the environment with green building materials Increasingly popular are environmentally friendly building materials, including sustainable lumber and recycled building supplies.

I recommend:  You can find responsibly harvested sustainable lumber via the Forest Stewardship Council and salvaged or recycled building materials via the Building Materials Reuse Association's directory. Meanwhile, consult the U.S. Green Building Council's member directory for vendors and suppliers that use -- and can help you find -- green building materials.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Keep your budget top-of-mind when you're buying building materials, supplies and equipment, as it's easy to overspend on them.
• Choosing the best building materials for your project comes down to both form and function. Ask your engineer which commercial building materials will give you the aesthetic that you desire and the structural integrity that you need.
• While traditional building materials like wood and metal will always form the core of commercial building projects, interesting building materials like plastic, ceramics, fabric and even foam are becoming increasingly popular as accents and alternatives.
• Streamline shopping when you purchase prefabricated buildings; they come with all the building materials, supplies and instructions necessary for erecting them.