Canadian wholesale sales increased in April, with stronger demand for building materials and metal products offsetting weaker sales of machinery and technology equipment.
Wholesale sales, excluding petroleum products and oilseed and grain, rose 0.6 percent to $89.3 billion in April. Sales were up 6.3 percent compared with the same month last year.
The building material and supplies subsector posted the largest increase, with sales rising 4.3 percent to $12.7 billion. It was the fourth consecutive monthly gain for the sector. Growth was led by metal service centres, where sales climbed 14.1 percent to $2.3 billion on stronger demand for steel products.
The mineral, ore and precious metal industry group recorded the second-largest increase. Sales rose 15.7 percent to $1 billion, supported by higher sales of gold, zinc and bauxite. Compared with April 2025, sales in the industry group were up 25 percent.
The miscellaneous subsector, which includes mineral and precious metal wholesalers, increased 1.4 percent to $11.5 billion as four of its industry groups reported higher sales.
The gains were partly offset by a decline in the machinery, equipment and supplies subsector. Sales fell 1.2 percent to $19.3 billion, largely because of lower sales of computer and communications equipment, which dropped 4.1 percent to $5.8 billion.
Despite the monthly decline, machinery, equipment and supplies sales remained near record levels. April was the second-highest month on record for the subsector.
After adjusting for price changes, wholesale sales volumes fell 0.3 percent in April.
Five provinces reported higher wholesale sales during the month.
Ontario led the increase, with sales rising 0.7 percent to $46.5 billion. Higher sales of non-agricultural chemical products and recyclable materials contributed to the gain. The province’s miscellaneous subsector increased 5.6 percent to $5.4 billion.
British Columbia recorded the second-largest provincial increase. Sales rose 2.5 percent to $8.4 billion, with growth reported in five of seven subsectors. Building materials and supplies led the advance, rising 3.9 percent to $2 billion.
Alberta moved lower, with wholesale sales declining 0.9 percent to $9.5 billion. The decrease was driven by a 4.3 percent drop in machinery, equipment and supplies sales.
Sales in Saskatchewan fell 2.1 percent to $4 billion.
Wholesale inventories increased 1.1 percent to $139.9 billion in April. Inventories rose in five of seven subsectors.
Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts inventories posted the largest gain, increasing 4.4 percent to $18.8 billion. Building material and supplies inventories rose 3.5 percent to $23.7 billion.
The inventory-to-sales ratio edged up to 1.57 in April from 1.56 in March. The ratio measures how many months it would take to exhaust inventories if sales remained at current levels.