Spring is when Canterbury building sites go from quiet to fully booked almost overnight — and material lead times are usually the first thing to blow out once that happens. Here’s what’s worth locking in now, before the rush.
Why Spring Catches Builders Out Every Year
After a quieter winter, both trades and material suppliers see demand spike at once heading into spring and summer. Suppliers that can turn orders around in days during winter can stretch to weeks once every builder in the region is ordering timber, concrete and fixtures in the same fortnight.
What to Lock In Before the Rush
- Framing timber and structural materials — order early rather than assuming next-week availability once spring hits
- Concrete and foundation materials — pour scheduling gets tight fast once every site in the region wants the same window
- Specialty fixtures and fittings — anything with a longer supplier lead time to begin with gets worse under seasonal demand
- Trade availability — material delays matter less if your subcontractors are also booked solid
Where a Buying Group Helps With Timing, Not Just Price
Collective purchasing power isn’t only about the discount — CBS’s existing supplier relationships also mean members are ordering through established accounts rather than joining a queue cold. That relationship can matter as much as the price when everyone’s chasing the same stock in the same six-week window.
A Simple Planning Approach
Map out what your current and upcoming jobs actually need over the next two to three months, and place orders against that picture now rather than reactively as each job reaches the material stage. It’s a small shift in timing that avoids a lot of spring scrambling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do material lead times get longer in spring?
Demand spikes all at once as the building season ramps up after winter, and suppliers that can turn orders around quickly in quieter months get stretched once every site in the region is ordering simultaneously.
How far ahead should I be ordering materials for spring builds?
As a general rule, two to three months ahead of when you’ll actually need them on site — earlier for anything with a naturally longer supplier lead time, like specialty fixtures.
Want help mapping out your spring material orders? Get in touch with CBS before the season gets busy.