Construction materials require careful storage on construction sites to prevent damage and theft. Materials can be categorized as factory goods, raw materials, or workshop finished items. Factory goods like cement, ceramics, and ironmongery require protection from moisture, breaking, or pilfering. Raw materials such as stone, ballast and sand are bulky and need dedicated storage space. Workshop finished items and semi-finished items need protection as replacements are expensive. Proper storage is important for material flow, and records must be kept of all materials.

1. Construction Site Management - Material Storage
A construction site has many materials at any one point. Most of these are usually in their raw state,
meaning that they will undergo some process before they can be input into the building to form a part
of the building. They come in different forms and can be categorized as below;
· Factory Goods: These are mostly off the shelf items, they are unique in the fact that they can easily be
resold and are therefore easy targets for pilferage. They are also delicate in the fact that they have
unique storage requirements. Examples here include;
. Cement: The most important attribute to consider in the storage of cement is the fact that it reacts
chemically when in contact with moisture. For this reason, it should be kept under shade and on a
platform, away from excessive moisture.
. Ceramics: These include water closets, wash basins, Tiles and the like. They are extremely delicate and
will easily break. This attribute is also shared with glasses. They should therefore be properly packaged
in padded cartons and away from areas of much activity, usually under lock and key.
. Ironmongery: These include locks, hinges, handles and the like. Owing to their small sizes, they are
prone to pilfering. These should also be kept well locked and only issued under strict accountability.
· Raw materials: This category belongs to the main items like stone, ballast and sand. These are not
prone to the previous problems like weather and pilferage. However, they have one attribute that is
being bulky. They consume a lot of space on site and require a generous allocation of storage space.
These are best stored in bays and contained using things like stones, in the case of sand.
· Workshop finished items: This category also includes semi-finished items, for example in the case of
timber. Items here are usually ready for installing in the works and are mostly purpose made. Some may
have been imported from overseas and in their exact measurements. This means that damage or loss of
such will lead to a very expensive work of replacement. Examples here include Fixtures, timber, roofing
materials et cetera.
storage is a very important part of site management. How materials are
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delivered and dispatched determines how easily things flow. In almost all cases, site space is usually
restricted and as such, material storage should be very well thought out. One thing to consider is that
only the important and requisite materials and items per time should be stored on site to minimize on
the risks mentioned above. Records should be kept very in good accuracy of all materials required,
ordered, delivered, accepted, stored, dispatched, put to the works and any deficits.