Constructing a building requires a large involvement of machinery, labour and resources, there are lots of variables one needs to be aware of during the process of construction. One such concern is building supplies. Constructing a building requires quality building supplies and these supplies comes in so many forms, the type of materials required in the construction of a building differs from one construction to another, there are different supplies demand each type of construction, for example, concrete houses demand a different set of materials to houses made of wood.

Type of Building Supplies

Building supplies can be of different types that can be categorized depending upon the requirement, it may be for temporary use or permanent, they are:

- Fabric: If you were to look into the type of building materials used by nomads around the world, you will find that the tents are made of fabric. Circular yurt and conical teepee are two fabrics popular used as material for the construction of tents etc. fabric though widely used in nomadic settlements have also found a home in modern times with its usage commonly among backpackers who camp outside etc.

- Mud and Clay: No material is more natural and ancient than the traditional mud and clay. Building with clay are largely divided into two styles according to the amount and quality of clay used, a large number of clays would result in the abode/cob style while the sod style is when the clay used is much lower. Mud and clay are inexpensive and very good at thermal control as they keep room temperatures constant, making it warmer during the cold and keeping it cool during hot summers.

- Rock: The Egyptians, Aztecs and Incas were great civilizations built entirely on rocks. These dense but tough building supplies have been in use widely since the medieval period, possessing great durability, humans have used stones as materials for building by piling them one over the other and using a holding agent like cement to hold them together. The only drawback is its weight and that it requires internal heating resources as they are not good at making rooms warmer.

- Wood: Widely used around the world, wood is perhaps the most popular building supplies and it can be used in almost any type of structure anywhere in the world. It is more flexible than most materials, even after bending it, wood still retains its strength. When compressed vertically wood becomes incredibly sturdy for use in construction. Better quality woods make for better quality buildings though this would cause expenses to increase by quite a margin.

- Brick and Block: Bricks were widely used during the 1700s up to the 1900s due to its resistance to flames and cheap production cost. Bricks by the 20th century were slowly replaced by cinder blocks, which are bricks made of concrete, though complete not been able to occupy the market of construction products

- Concrete: Using a mixture of aggregate (composite) and a binding agent like cement one could form concrete. A popular form of concrete is Portland cement concrete which comprises a mixture of mineral aggregates (usually gravel and sand), water and of course Portland cement. The cement mixture after hydration hardens to form a stone-like material that we know as concrete. Concrete tensile strength is quite low and iron bars or steel bars are required to strengthen it from within.

Thus, it is very important for builders and homeowners to understand the different types of materials required to prevent any recurring problems in the future.