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The North American Hardware and Paint Association’s 2026 Cost of Doing Business Study is available for purchase, offering financial benchmarks for hardware stores, home centers, lumber and building materials outlets, and paint stores. The published figures include typical and high-profit gross margins after rebates and dividends, though the article does not provide the study’s full methodology or broader financial results.
The North American Hardware and Paint Association’s 2026 Cost of Doing Business Study is now available for purchase, offering financial benchmarks for independent U.S. hardware stores, home centers, lumber and building materials outlets, and paint and decorating retailers. The figures are intended to help businesses compare their results with peers and identify areas for operational review.
The study reports gross margin after rebates and dividends for typical and high-profit businesses in four retail categories. Hardware stores recorded margins of 42.7% typical and 42.9% high-profit; home centers recorded 33.0% and 32.7%, respectively. Lumber and building materials outlets posted 30.2% typical and 33.0% high-profit, while paint outlets reported 38.2% for both groups.
Those figures are comparisons within each category, not a ranking across all operating costs or a measure of overall profitability. The source article does not explain the definitions of “typical” and “high-profit,” provide sample sizes, or publish other detailed results from the study. Retailers seeking those details would need to consult the full report.
Hardware Retailing reported that the study has provided financial information for more than 100 years. The publication says the current report covers U.S. independent retailers in the listed sectors and can be purchased through the association’s website. It describes the study as a resource for financial benchmarking, rather than presenting it as a forecast or a guarantee of business performance.
How Retailers Can Use the Benchmarks
The figures give owners a reference point for examining whether their margins resemble those reported for businesses in the same sector. A gap between a retailer’s own results and a benchmark could prompt a closer review of purchasing costs, pricing, product mix or sales performance, but the published numbers alone do not identify the cause of any difference.
The comparison may matter to independent retailers operating with tight margins and varied product categories. The article cites one retailer who says periodic comparisons help direct attention to specific operating measures. That experience is an attributed example, not evidence that using the study will produce the same results for other businesses.
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A Long-Running Industry Survey
The association’s study is presented as a recurring financial reference for the independent home improvement retail sector, with a history the source describes as more than 100 years. Its stated coverage spans hardware stores, home centers, lumber and building materials outlets, and paint and decorating outlets in the United States.
Hardware Retailing’s October 31, 2026, article promotes the newly available edition and highlights selected margin data. It also relays comments from retailers who say they use the report to compare their operations with high-performing peers. The article does not give a publication date for the underlying data collection period or explain how the current edition’s figures were calculated.
“Taking part in gap analyses using the Cost of Doing Business Study has improved our operation’s bottom line by focusing on the matrices and indices that enhance pre-income tax profits.”
— John Samore Jr., co-owner of Vermont Outlet True Value Hardware
Details Behind the Published Figures
The article supplies selected gross-margin figures but does not state the survey period, number of participating businesses, calculation methods or thresholds used to classify a retailer as typical or high-profit. It also does not show the full set of financial measures available in the report, so readers cannot assess the study’s complete scope from the article alone.
It is also unclear whether the reported figures reflect differences in store size, location, product mix or other operating conditions. The source does not establish that a particular retailer should match a benchmark, or that matching a high-profit figure would cause profits to rise.
Retailers Can Review the Full Report
The next step for businesses interested in the data is to purchase and review the 2026 study through the North American Hardware and Paint Association. Retailers can then compare their own financial records with the report’s relevant category and investigate any differences using measures suited to their business.
The source article does not announce a follow-up release, additional data publication or future event. Further information about the methodology and the full benchmark set would need to come from the association or the report itself.
Key Questions
What is the 2026 Cost of Doing Business Study?
It is a North American Hardware and Paint Association report providing financial information for independent U.S. hardware, home center, lumber and building materials, and paint and decorating retailers.
What gross-margin figures did the article publish?
For typical and high-profit businesses, respectively: hardware stores, 42.7% and 42.9%; home centers, 33.0% and 32.7%; lumber and building materials outlets, 30.2% and 33.0%; and paint outlets, 38.2% and 38.2%. The measure is gross margin after rebates and dividends.
Does the article explain how the figures were calculated?
No. The source article does not provide the survey period, sample size, calculation methodology or the criteria for the typical and high-profit groups.
Where can retailers get the full study?
The article directs readers to the North American Hardware and Paint Association’s website at yournhpa.org/2026-cost-of-doing-business-study to purchase the report.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
