Wholesale Trade, April 2026
July 1, 2026
Wholesale sales increase in April
Wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) rose 0.6% to $89.3 billion in April. Sales increased in five of the seven subsectors, representing about 60% of total wholesale sales. The largest increases came from the building material and supplies subsector (+4.3% to $12.7 billion) and the mineral, ore and precious metal industry group (+15.7% to $1.0 billion). Wholesale sales were 6.3% higher in April compared with the same month one year earlier.
In volume terms, wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) decreased 0.3% in April.
Chart 1
Wholesale sales (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and oilseed and grain) increase in April
Building material and supplies subsector records largest increase
Sales in the building material and supplies subsector grew 4.3% to $12.7 billion in April, the fourth consecutive monthly increase. The gain in April was driven by the metal service centres industry group, which rose 14.1% to $2.3 billion. This industry group covers wholesalers of metal products, including iron and steel castings, metal pipes and rails, and various steel products. The increase in April came from stronger sales of steel products.
The mineral, ore and precious metal industry group posted the next-largest increase in April, with sales rising 15.7% to $1.0 billion. Sales of gold, zinc and bauxite contributed the most to the increase. Sales in April were 25.0% higher than they were in the same month one year earlier. This gain led the growth within the miscellaneous subsector, which rose 1.4% overall to $11.5 billion, with sales increasing in four industry groups.
The increase in wholesale sales in April was moderated by a decline in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector, which fell 1.2% to $19.3 billion. Notwithstanding this decrease, April 2026 was the second-highest month on record for sales of machinery, equipment and supplies. The computer and communications equipment and supplies industry group (-4.1% to $5.8 billion) drove this decrease.
Higher provincial wholesale sales led by Ontario and British Columbia
In April, five provinces recorded higher sales, led by Ontario and British Columbia.
Ontario posted the largest increase in sales, rising 0.7% to $46.5 billion in April. Higher sales in the non-agricultural chemical product and recyclable material industry groups generated the gain. These gains led the growth in the miscellaneous subsector, which rose 5.6% overall to $5.4 billion.
British Columbia posted the second-largest increase in provincial wholesale sales in April, rising 2.5% to $8.4 billion. Sales increased in five of the seven subsectors, with the building material and supplies subsector (+3.9% to $2.0 billion) reporting the largest increase.
Partially offsetting the growth in April was a decline in sales in Alberta (-0.9% to $9.5 billion), which reflects a 4.3% drop in sales of machinery, equipment and supplies.
In addition, sales in Saskatchewan fell 2.1% to $4.0 billion in April.
Wholesale inventories rise, driven by motor vehicles and building materials
Wholesale inventories (excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain) rose 1.1% to $139.9 billion in April.
Inventories increased in five of seven subsectors in April. The largest increase came from the motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and accessories subsector (+4.4% to $18.8 billion), followed by the building material and supplies subsector (+3.5% to $23.7 billion).
The inventory-to-sales ratio increased from 1.56 to 1.57 in April. This ratio measures the number of months required to exhaust inventories if sales remain at current levels.
