Dataset · Structure & Materials

Building Materials Permit Data

Building materials permit data records what US buildings are actually made of: roof coverings, siding, structural systems, and glazing, as named on the permits that authorized the work. Builty extracts material and, where the permit states it, brand, at the address and in aggregate by geography.

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Material
Roof, siding, structure
Brand
Where the permit names it
Roof · Siding · Structure
Three material families
25+ yrs
Of installed history
Why permits

What the country is actually built out of

Material is a rating variable and a market. A carrier prices impact-resistant shingles differently from three-tab, and wood shake differently again in a wildfire county. A manufacturer wants to know what share of installs in a metro used its product last quarter. Both questions are answered by the same field, and neither is answerable from a parcel record.

What's in the data

What's in the data

Material families as jurisdictions name them, kept at the level of detail the permit supports.

SignalWhat it carries
Roof coveringComposition and architectural laminate, tile, metal, wood shake, TPO, EPDM, built-up
Impact ratingWhere a permit names an impact-resistant or Class 4 product
Siding & claddingStucco, fiber cement, vinyl, brick, stone veneer, wood
Structural systemWood frame, masonry and CMU, steel, concrete
Windows & glazingReplacement, glazing type, and opening protection
BrandManufacturer named on the permit, normalized across spelling variants
GeographyAddress, locality, county and CBSA, so share is computable at any grain
Transformation

A materials permit, decoded

The material sits in the description text, where no field exists for it.

Raw record, as published
Builty structured output
"REROOF: REMOVE 2 LAYERS, INSTALL CLASS 4 IR ARCH SHINGLE 28 SQ, SYNTHETIC UNDERLAYMENT"Residential re-roof
Material: Architectural asphalt shingle · Impact rating: Class 4 impact-resistant · Underlayment: Synthetic · Layers removed: 2 · Area: 28 squares · Rating relevance: Class 4 is a discount-eligible product in many states
Who uses it

Who uses it

Rating variables
Impact-resistant roofing for discount eligibility, wood shake for wildfire exposure, at the address.
Manufacturer share
Installed share by material and brand, by metro and by quarter.
Distributor planning
Where product is actually going on buildings, which is not the same as where it shipped.
Product launch tracking
When a new product starts appearing on permits, and where it spreads next.
Catastrophe rebuild demand
Material demand after an event, as the rebuild is permitted.
Portfolio exposure
Material mix across a book, at the address.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can you tell what a roof is made of?
Where the permit names the covering, yes: composition, architectural laminate, tile, metal, wood shake, and commercial membranes. Impact-resistant and Class 4 products are captured where the permit states them, because those change rating eligibility.
Do you capture the manufacturer brand?
Where the permit names it. Brand appears in permit text far more often than people expect, particularly on roofing and mechanical work, and names are normalized across spelling variants so share is countable.
How is this different from a shipment or sales figure?
Shipments tell you what left a warehouse. Permits tell you what went onto a building, at which address, in which month. The two diverge on inventory, on channel, and on geography.
What material families are covered?
Roof coverings, siding and cladding, structural systems, and windows and glazing. Depth varies with what each jurisdiction publishes in its description field.
Can I get market share for one metro?
Yes. Material and brand share is computable at address, locality, county or CBSA grain, scoped to any date range.
Related

Keep reading

Structure & Materials
Roofing →
Structure & Materials
New Construction →
Overview
US Building Permit Data →

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