List of building materials explained

This is a list of building materials.

Many types of building materials are used in the construction industry to create buildings and structures. These categories of materials and products are used by architects and construction project managers to specify the materials and methods used for building projects.

Some building materials like cold rolled steel framing are considered modern methods of construction, over the traditionally slower methods like blockwork and timber.

Catalogs

Catalogs distributed by architectural product suppliers are typically organized into these groups.

Material (articles)	Main article or category
Cold rolled steel framing Steel framing systems Mezzanine floors Purlin and cladding rails Portable buildings Prefabricated buildings	Steel frames
Compressed earth block, mud brick, rammed earth
Concrete Hempcrete (biocomposite)
Conveyor systems Elevator or "lift" Escalator
Composites
Thermal protection Building insulation
Moisture protection Building envelope Conformal coating Damp (structural) Housewrap
Doors Stile and rail, raised panel, wood clad Access, sliding glass doors, tambour Folding doors, garage door, storefront Door hardware
Electrical systems and equipment AC power plugs and sockets Circuit breaker Electrical connector Electrical wiring Switches
Surface finishing Plaster and gypsum board Cement render Ceramic tile, quarry tile, pavers, mosaic Dropped ceiling, coffered ceiling Flooring wide plank, terrazzo, carpet Marble Wall covering, wallpaper, acoustic Paint, wood stain, faux finishing Staff a type of artificial stone Stucco Wood finishing	also "gyp-board" or "drywall" House painting
Fire suppression equipment
Furnishings Furniture Glassware Tableware
HVAC (Heating, ventilation and air conditioning)
Masonry, mortar (masonry), grout Adobe, brick and brickwork, glass brick, terra cotta Artificial stone Cinder block or concrete block Noxer block Stone dry stacked or mortar set Urbanite broken-up concrete	also: "Concrete Masonry Units" (CMU)
Metals Structural steel: I-beam and column Rebar Wire rope and cables Metal joist, decking, framing, trusses Metal fabrications Stairway, ladder, railing, grating, Strut channel, roofing (including copper) Decorative metal
"Openings" include Doors and Windows
Plastics
Plumbing fixtures and equipment
Building safety
Security systems
Specialties
Telecommunications equipment
Wood, carpentry Rough carpentry (unfinished) Heavy timbers, log home, timber framing or "post and beam" Bamboo Engineered wood, dimensional lumber Stud, joist, rafter Treated lumber and wood decking Sheathing, subflooring, panelling Plywood, shiplap, tongue and groove Oriented strand board Parallel strand lumber or "PSL" Glued laminated timber or "glulam" Finish carpentry or "architectural woodwork" Veneer, plastic laminate, wood panel Case-building products Millwork, bookcase, cabinets Ornamental woodwork Trim, molding or "moulding" Chair rail, baseboard, casing, sill	List of woods
Windows Casement, double hung, bay window Curtainwall, skylight, dormer

Industry standards

The Construction Specifications Institute maintains the following industry standards:

MasterFormat 50 standard divisions of building materials - 2004 edition (current in 2009)
16 Divisions Original 16 divisions of building materials

List of building materials explained

Catalogs

Industry standards

See also

Sources