Lumber supplier with local delivery
Buy direct from local sawmills and deliver boards and beams to woodworkers and small contractors.
- C$3k-15k
- Side hustle
- Out and about
Estimates for a small start in Canada, not guarantees.
What it is
A lean timber supply business run from home with no retail yard. You take orders, collect or arrange delivery from sawmills and drop wood at customers' workshops or job sites.
Your first three steps
- Contact two or three nearby sawmills about trade pricing and ordering terms
- Work out your delivery vehicle or trailer, and a price list with delivery zones
- Visit local builders, fence installers and woodworking shops with a simple price sheet
Who pays
Small contractors, deck and fence builders, cabinet makers, woodworkers and farms or acreage owners needing rough-sawn lumber.
How it makes money
You earn the margin between mill price and your selling price, plus a delivery charge. Repeat trade customers give steady orders.
Skills that help
- Negotiating with suppliers
- Driving and loading heavy materials
- Quoting and invoicing
- Knowing lumber sizes and grades
Watch out for
- Check your municipality for home-based business licence and zoning rules, including storing any stock at home
- Commercial general liability and commercial vehicle insurance, since personal auto cover may not apply
- Vehicle weight limits and safe load securing rules, which vary by province
- Slow winter months in colder regions as construction drops off
- Check CFIA restrictions on moving certain untreated wood in regulated areas
- GST/HST registration once you pass the small supplier threshold
Deep research report · Canada
Everything you need to start: lumber supplier with local delivery
Researched with live web search for Canada: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a lumber delivery business?
Estimates suggest startup costs of typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on your vehicle, any storage and insurance. It's a lean model run from home with no retail yard.
How much revenue can a lumber supplier with delivery make?
Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on your customers, order sizes and delivery area. Winter months can be slow in colder regions as construction drops off.
What rules should I check before starting a lumber delivery business?
Check your municipality's home-based business licence and zoning rules, including storing stock at home, commercial vehicle and liability insurance, vehicle weight and load securing rules in your province, and CFIA restrictions on moving certain untreated wood.
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