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Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling in Canada Industry Data and Analysis
Plumbing and HVAC equipment wholesaling as an industry has recorded slight declines over the past five years. Economic uncertainty hammered nonresidential construction markets in 2020, but housing starts offset some declines for wholesalers. As consumer confidence returned to growth, a strong recovery supported plumbing and HVAC equipment wholesaling as residential renovation expenditure climbed, housing starts increased and the nonresidential construction market expanded. Interest rate hikes in 2022 and 2023 led to a slowdown in residential construction activity, yet ongoing activity from the nonresidential market mitigated large losses. Provincial programs offering favourable tax incentives, rebates and other forms of financing to promote energy-efficient products have helped limit the losses for wholesalers during the current period. Interest rate cuts throughout 2024 and 2025 further helped reduce the impact of losses; however, these cuts were not significant enough to completely offset said losses. Revenue is expected to contract at a five-year CAGR of 0.4%. Revenue is anticipated to fall to an estimated $20.5 billion in 2026, during which revenue is expected to decline by 1.0%.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2016-2031. The most recent publication was released March 2026.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada operates under the NAICS industry code 41612CA. This industry distributes pipe, valves and fittings, plumbing fixtures, hydronics and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. Wholesalers in the industry purchase products directly from manufacturers and subsequently distribute products to contractors, end use businesses and retailers. Related terms covered in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada include heating, ventilation and air conditioning (hvac), wholesale bypass, hydronic heating and radio-frequency identification (rfid).
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada include Plumbing supplies , Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning supplies and Other.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada include Wolseley Canada Inc. and Emco.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada in 2026?
The market size of the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada is $20.5bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada in 2026?
There are 1,643 businesses in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada, which has declined at a CAGR of 0.7 % between 2021 and 2026.
How may import tariffs affect the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada?
The Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada?
The Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada has been declining at a CAGR of 0.4 % between 2021 and 2026.
What is the forecast growth of the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada?
The biggest companies operating in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada are Wolseley Canada Inc. and Emco
What does the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada include?
Distributing air-conditioning equipment, excluding window units and Distributing plumbing fixtures are part of the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada?
The company holding the most market share in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada is Wolseley Canada Inc..
How competitive is the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada?
The level of competition is moderate and increasing in the Plumbing, Heating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Wholesaling industry in Canada.
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