CNAE codes for building material stores in Brazil and how to prospect them
The main CNAE code for building supply stores in Brazil is 4744-0/99 – Comércio varejista de materiais de construção em geral (Retail of building materials in general). Hardware stores use 4744-0/01, electrical supplies 4742-3/00, plumbing 4744-0/03 and wholesalers 4679-6/99. To prospect this segment, search codes 4744-0/99, 4744-0/01, 4744-0/05, 4742-3/00, 4744-0/03, 4679-6/99 as both primary and secondary CNAE, keep only active CNPJs, then filter by company size and city.
CNAE codes for building supply stores
CNAE (Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) is Brazil's official activity classification. Every company registered with a CNPJ declares one primary CNAE and any number of secondary ones. These are the CNAE 2.3 subclasses most used by building supply stores:
| CNAE | Official description (pt) | English | When it shows up |
|---|---|---|---|
4744-0/99 | Comércio varejista de materiais de construção em geral | Retail of building materials in general | Building supply stores and home centers |
4744-0/01 | Comércio varejista de ferragens e ferramentas | Retail of hardware and tools | Hardware and tool stores |
4744-0/05 | Comércio varejista de materiais de construção não especificados anteriormente | Retail of other building materials | Specialized building material stores |
4742-3/00 | Comércio varejista de material elétrico | Retail of electrical supplies | Electrical supply stores |
4744-0/03 | Comércio varejista de materiais hidráulicos | Retail of plumbing supplies | Plumbing supply stores |
4679-6/99 | Comércio atacadista de materiais de construção em geral | Wholesale of building materials in general | Building material wholesalers |
Search primary and secondary CNAE
Many building supply stores register their real activity as a secondary CNAE, because the CNPJ was opened under another primary activity or because they do more than one thing. Neighborhood stores often declare hardware, electrical and plumbing as secondary even if they sell everything. Filtering on the primary code alone misses part of the market.
Who sells to building supply stores
Building supply stores are a sales channel for manufacturers and distributors, and they buy technology and services for their own operations.
- Manufacturers and distributors looking for new resellers
- POS, retail ERP and inventory software
- Consumer credit and card machines
- Delivery logistics and fleet
- Brand sales representatives
How to build a list of building supply stores in Brazil
- Pick the codes: start with
4744-0/99and add4744-0/01,4744-0/05,4742-3/00,4744-0/03,4679-6/99depending on what you sell. - Search them as primary and secondary CNAE.
- Keep only active registrations (situação cadastral ativa) to drop unfit, suspended or closed CNPJs.
- Narrow by location (state, city, neighborhood) and company size (MEI, ME, EPP, other). To expand distribution, prioritize ME and EPP companies with share capital that fits your minimum order.
- Keep companies with contact data (email or phone) and save the filter as a reusable segment.
- Write a segment-specific opener and track replies in a pipeline.
1Lead runs all of these filters in one search over Brazil's public company registry, and its AI suggests adjacent CNAE codes from a plain-language description such as "I am a paint manufacturer looking for new building supply resellers in Brazil's Northeast". The product interface is in Portuguese.
Qualification signals
- Primary 4679-6/99: a wholesaler supplying other stores.
- Branches: regional chains with central purchasing.
- Recent opening date: a new store building its supplier mix.
How to approach this segment
For manufacturers, pitch range expansion: margin, turnover and sales support (point-of-sale material, counter staff training). For software, focus on dead stock and stockouts.
Example first message (in Portuguese, with translation)
Frequently asked questions
What is the CNAE code for a building supply store in Brazil?
4744-0/99, retail of building materials in general.
Which CNAE do building material distributors use?
4679-6/99, wholesale of building materials in general.
Is electrical supply a separate CNAE?
Yes, 4742-3/00. Stores that sell everything use 4744-0/99 and may declare 4742-3/00 as secondary.
Where is the official CNAE table?
IBGE publishes it in the CONCLA online search, with the full hierarchy (section, division, group, class, subclass) and notes on what each code includes and excludes.