When you need timber in any quantity for a renovation, a dedicated timber merchant or timber yard will almost always serve you better than a general DIY shed. Stock is deeper, quality is more consistent, and once you have a trade account the price difference is significant. This guide explains how timber merchants work, what they carry, and how to get the best deal whether you’re a contractor or a self-builder.
Timber Merchant vs Builders’ Merchant
Both stock timber, but the emphasis is different. A general builders’ merchant (Travis Perkins, Jewson, Buildbase, MKM) carries timber alongside plasterboard, cement, drainage, and hundreds of other product lines. A specialist timber merchant or timber yard focuses almost exclusively on wood, which means:
- Wider species and grade selection — structural C16/C24 softwood, European redwood, hardwoods, and specialist joinery sections
- Longer lengths — typically up to 6 m or even 7.2 m as standard, versus the 4.8 m often maxed out at a general merchant
- Tighter moisture content control — many timber yards carry kiln-dried stock properly labelled with MC percentages
- Machining and processing — most timber yards will rip, cross-cut, plane, and rebate to your spec on-site
General builders’ merchants are more convenient for mixed loads (timber + fixings + cement in one delivery), but if timber is the main event, a specialist yard normally wins on price and choice.
| Factor | Specialist Timber Merchant | General Builders’ Merchant |
|---|---|---|
| Species range | Wide (softwood + hardwoods) | Mainly structural softwood |
| Max length (common) | Up to 7.2 m | Usually 4.8–5.4 m |
| Sheet materials | Full range + large-format | Standard range |
| Machining/processing | Usually available | Rarely |
| Trade account terms | 30-day credit standard | 30-day credit standard |
| Convenience (mixed loads) | Low | High |
| Typical trade saving vs DIY shed | 15–35% | 10–25% |
Sawn vs Planed (PAR) Timber
Structural timber — floor joists, rafters, studwork — is almost always supplied sawn (rough-sawn, sometimes marked CLS or C16/C24). Sawn sizes are nominal: a “50 × 100” piece actually measures close to those dimensions because it hasn’t been finished. Sawn timber is cheaper and perfectly adequate for hidden structural work.
PAR (Planed All Round, also called PSE — Planed Square Edge on two faces) is finished to a precise finished size. A nominal 50 × 100 PAR piece will typically finish at around 44 × 94 mm. PAR costs 15–25% more per linear metre than sawn equivalents but is essential for joinery, carcassing, architraves, skirtings, and anything that will be seen or need a tight fit.
When ordering, always confirm whether your quoted size is nominal (sawn) or finished (planed), because the difference of a few millimetres matters in joinery work.
Sheet Materials
Most timber merchants stock a full range of sheet materials alongside dimensional timber:
- OSB (Oriented Strand Board) — OSB2 (dry internal), OSB3 (structural, moisture-resistant) — commonly used for roofing, flooring, and sarking
- Plywood — structural (C/C or C/D grade), hardwood-faced, marine, and birch-faced ply
- MDF — standard, moisture-resistant (MR MDF), and fire-rated grades
- Chipboard — flooring-grade tongue-and-groove P5 chipboard
- Cement particle board / Fermacell — often stocked at specialist merchants
Sheet prices vary substantially with global commodity markets. As a rough guide, trade pricing on an 18 mm OSB3 sheet (2440 × 1220 mm) runs roughly 20–30% below typical DIY-shed retail. The saving per sheet may seem modest, but across a whole roof or floor it adds up quickly.
Large-format sheets (up to 3050 × 1525 mm) are available from specialist merchants and some larger builders’ merchants — useful for worktops, interior joinery, and reducing waste on large spans.
Machining and Processing Services
One of the biggest advantages of a specialist timber merchant over a DIY retailer is on-site machining. Most yards offer:
- Cross-cutting to exact length (usually charged per cut, typically £0.50–£2.00 per cut depending on section size)
- Ripping to width on a band-saw or table saw
- Planing and thicknessing — converting sawn to a specific finished size
- Rebating and moulding — profiles for architraves, glazing beads, door stops
This means you can often order, say, 44 mm thick oak boards and have them thicknessed and ripped to the exact width your job demands. The cost of machining is usually far lower than the waste you’d generate cutting down oversized sections yourself, and it saves van space on the way to site.
Always ask about machining lead time when ordering — a straightforward cut to length can be done while you wait, but profiling or moulding may add a day or two.
Ordering and Delivery
Measuring accurately is your most important job before calling a timber yard. Order by linear metres for dimensional timber and by sheet count for boards. Quote species, grade, section size (nominal or finished), and length. A good merchant will query anything ambiguous.
Delivery is available from most timber yards via flatbed or HIAB lorry. Typical delivery charges range from free above a minimum order (often around £200–£400 trade value) to £30–£80 for a smaller drop within a reasonable radius. For structural timber deliveries, confirm:
- Whether an offload is included (HIAB) or you need labourers on site
- The lorry length and access width — long timber loads need clear road access
- Lead time — common sizes are often same-day or next-day; less common sections may need 3–7 days
Returns: unlike tiles or bricks, timber cut to length is generally non-returnable. Order a modest contingency (typically 5–10% extra for wastage and cutting) but avoid over-ordering significantly.
Costs and Getting Trade Pricing
Walk-in retail pricing at a timber yard is already typically 15–25% below a DIY chain like B&Q or Wickes for equivalent structural products. Opening a trade account pushes this further — expect to save an additional 5–15% off the walk-in rate, with the exact discount depending on your monthly spend.
To open a trade account at most timber merchants, you’ll need:
- A registered business name, sole-trader details, or a consistent billing address
- Credit references (often 2–3 trade references from existing suppliers)
- A typical spend estimate — higher anticipated volume means better rates from the outset
If you’re a homeowner doing a single project, most timber yards will still serve you at walk-in rates without an account. Being clear about the total quantity needed and asking politely whether there’s a project discount often yields a small reduction.
Comparing quotes: for significant timber packages — say, a loft conversion or extension — it’s worth getting priced by at least two or three suppliers. Provide identical specification lists so quotes are comparable. Merchants will often sharpen their price if they know they’re competing.
VAT is charged at 20% on all timber products for UK customers. Trade accounts are usually quoted ex-VAT; make sure you’re comparing like-for-like when reviewing quotes from different suppliers.
