Hardware and Building Supplies Retailing: ABS business counts
ANZSIC class 4231, in the Retail Trade division.
- Actively trading businesses in Hardware and Building Supplies Retailing (ANZSIC class 4231) across Australia, June 2025
- 5,880 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025.
- Actively trading non-employing businesses in Hardware and Building Supplies Retailing (ANZSIC class 4231) across Australia, June 2025
- 2,263 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025.
- ABS business entries in Hardware and Building Supplies Retailing (ANZSIC class 4231) across Australia: counted at June 2025 but not June 2024
- 611 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, 2024-25.
- ABS business exits in Hardware and Building Supplies Retailing (ANZSIC class 4231) across Australia: counted at June 2024 but not June 2025
- 660 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, 2024-25.
About these figures
- These ABS figures count actively trading businesses, not workers, sites or venues, each in its main state or territory.
- Entries and exits compare two 30 June counts. They are not counts of openings and closures.
- The ABS adjusts its counts slightly to protect confidentiality, so a small number or a zero is approximate, not proof that no such business exists.
Summary of the ABS class definition
In this class, the ABS counts businesses mainly engaged in retailing hardware or building supplies.
Examples the ABS lists:
- Carpenters’ tool retailing
- Cement retailing
- Ceramic floor tile retailing
- Garden tool retailing
- Hardware retailing
- Lacquer retailing
- Lawn mower retailing
- Lock retailing
- Mineral turpentine retailing
- Nail retailing
The ABS counts businesses mainly engaged in this related work in other classes:
- wholesaling builders’ hardware or supplies (except plumbing supplies) are included in Class 3339 Other Hardware Goods Wholesaling
- wholesaling timber are included in Class 3331 Timber Wholesaling
The ABS page for class 4231 gives the full definition and what the class leaves out.
By employment size
| Businesses | Count |
|---|---|
| All businesses | 5,880 businesses |
| Non-employing | 2,263 businesses |
| 1 to 4 employees | 2,052 businesses |
| 5 to 19 employees | 1,321 businesses |
| 20 to 199 employees | 239 businesses |
| 200 or more employees | 5 businesses |
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
By turnover
| Businesses | Count |
|---|---|
| Zero to less than $50k | 848 businesses |
| $50k to less than $200k | 980 businesses |
| $200k to less than $2m | 2,400 businesses |
| $2m to less than $5m | 930 businesses |
| $5m to less than $10m | 376 businesses |
| $10m or more | 346 businesses |
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 3, June 2025. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
Entries and exits, 2024-25
| Businesses | Count |
|---|---|
| At the start of the year | 5,929 businesses |
| ABS business entries | 611 businesses |
| ABS business exits | 660 businesses |
| At the end of the year | 5,880 businesses |
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, 2024-25. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
By main state or territory
| Businesses | Count |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | 1,746 businesses |
| Victoria | 1,965 businesses |
| Queensland | 1,060 businesses |
| Western Australia | 547 businesses |
| South Australia | 375 businesses |
| Tasmania | 93 businesses |
| Australian Capital Territory | 62 businesses |
| Northern Territory | 30 businesses |
| Other Territories or Currently Unknown | 0 businesses |
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2, June 2025. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Sources
Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 2: Businesses by main state by industry class by employment size ranges (8165DC02.xlsx). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 16 December 2025, checked 15 October 2026.
Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 3: Businesses by main state by industry class by turnover size ranges (8165DC03.xlsx). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 16 December 2025, checked 16 October 2026.
Correspondence, GCCSA 2021 to GCCSA 2026 (CG_GCCSA_2021_GCCSA_2026.csv). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 22 July 2026, checked 15 October 2026.
Greater Capital City Statistical Areas digital boundary file, 2026 (GCCSA_2026_AUST_SHP_GDA2020.zip). Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 22 July 2026, checked 15 October 2026.
Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0): the detailed classification. Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 26 June 2013, checked 16 October 2026.
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