Building materials and hardware
GST billing software for hardware shops
Cement in bags, pipes in lengths, binding wire by the kilo and putty by the bag, for a contractor whose site is across the Telangana border. One bill, the right tax, stock out of the godown.
In short
SimpleERP is GST billing software for hardware and building material shops in India. Each line carries its unit, HSN and rate, contractor credit days set the due date, and site deliveries outside Andhra Pradesh are billed with IGST.
Illustration of the keyboard-first invoice editor with a focused line, live tax totals and shortcut hints.
A GST billing day at Krishna Cement and Hardware
Krishna Cement and Hardware sits on Eluru Road in Vijayawada, with a yard and godown at Gollapudi for cement, steel and sand. Its buyers are contractors building apartments, masons buying for a house job, and homeowners who walk in for a tap or a can of paint.
The heavy bills come from contractors. A builder from Khammam orders 200 bags of PPC cement, 40 lengths of 4 inch PVC pipe, binding wire and wall putty for a site in Telangana, so the bill goes as IGST. The next contractor's site is in Gunnavaram, so his bill splits into CGST and SGST.
Krishna's billing clerk enters each line in its own unit, and SimpleERP takes the HSN and rate from the product. The place of supply sets the tax heads, the contractor's payment terms set the due date, and posting the bill takes the bags out of the Gollapudi godown.
How does an out-of-state site bill work?
Enter the contractor's GSTIN and the site as the ship-to address. When the place of supply is outside Andhra Pradesh, every line is charged IGST; inside the state, the same lines split into CGST and SGST.
- Bill to and ship to print separately, so the site address is on the invoice.
- A unit per product: bags, lengths, kg, litres or pieces.
- A discount per line for the contractor who buys by the truckload.
| Line (HSN) | Quantity | Taxable value | IGST |
|---|---|---|---|
| PPC cement, 50 kg bag (2523) | 200 bags @ ₹310 | ₹62,000 | 18%: ₹11,160 |
| PVC pipe 4 inch, 6 m (3917) | 40 lengths @ ₹780 | ₹31,200 | 18%: ₹5,616 |
| GI binding wire (7217) | 50 kg @ ₹85 | ₹4,250 | 18%: ₹765 |
| Wall putty, 40 kg bag (3214) | 30 bags @ ₹720 | ₹21,600 | 18%: ₹3,888 |
| Total | ₹1,19,050 | ₹21,429 | |
| Invoice total | ₹1,40,479 |
Can the counter keep up with walk-in buyers?
A homeowner buying a tap, a few elbows and a litre of enamel goes on a walk-in customer and is billed in under a minute. The editor never leaves the keyboard: product, quantity, Enter, and save.
- Search by size or brand, such as 20 mm elbow or 53 grade.
- UPI QR on the print for buyers who pay on the spot.
- Credit notes for a returned fitting put it back on the shelf.
Illustration of GST tax invoice INV-2026-27-0213 to Ravi Stores with CGST 9% and SGST 9%, round off, a UPI QR code and the amount in words.
How do contractor credit days show on the bill?
Set payment terms such as Net 30 or Net 45 and a credit limit on each contractor. The due date prints on every bill, and the invoice warns before saving when a new bill would take the contractor past his limit.
- The warning shows the figures: dues now, this bill, and the limit.
- Quotations for a site estimate convert to the invoice without retyping.
- Posted bills cannot be edited; cancelling reverses the stock and the dues together.
What does my CA get at month end?
The sales register lists every bill with the contractor's GSTIN, place of supply and each tax head, and the HSN summary groups the month by code. Both export to CSV for your CA's GSTR-1 work.
- Purchase register with input GST to match against GSTR-2B.
- Credit notes net off in the registers automatically.
- Invoice numbers follow the April to March year, such as INV-2026-27-0731.
One system
What it connects to
A posted bill issues stock from the godown or shop, adds to the contractor's dues and writes output GST.
Building materials and hardware
Mixed-rate GST invoices, stock by godown and shop, and contractor credit with ageing.
See howInventory for hardware shops
Cement, steel, pipes and paint by godown and shop, in their own units, at average cost, with a reorder level for every size.
See howAccounting for hardware shops
Contractor credit and ageing, dealer payables, cheque receipts and month-end checks, built from posted bills.
See howPayroll for hardware shop staff
Monthly pay for counter staff, the godown keeper and drivers, with advances recovered and a Sankranti bonus.
See howGST billing
Tax invoices with CGST, SGST or IGST by place of supply, HSN on every line and a UPI QR on the print.
See how
Honest limits
What SimpleERP does not do yet
- E-invoice IRN and QR code, and e-way bills, are not generated through the government APIs
- Cess is not calculated; GST return filing stays with you or your accountant
- No price lists: every line is priced as you bill it
- No weighbridge link: the weight of a steel or sand load is typed from the slip
- No transport or unloading charge calculator; add freight as its own line with the rate you agreed
Getting started
Start with GST billing
Sign up with your phone
Name, phone number and a password. No card for the seven-day trial, and email is optional.
Tell us about the business
Type your GSTIN and the state fills itself. Accounts, GST rates, units, roles and numbering are seeded for you.
Add what you sell
Import your products from a CSV file with unit, HSN and rate for each grade and size, then add regular contractors with their GSTIN and credit days.
Post your first GST invoice
Pick the customer, add lines and save. The place of supply picks CGST and SGST or IGST for you.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Can I bill steel by weight when I stock it by tonnes?
Keep TMT in kg as its unit, and both purchase and sale are in kg. A supplier bill for 5 tonnes goes in as 5,000 kg, and a sale of 340 kg comes off the same figure.
Can I charge delivery to the site on the bill?
Yes. Add delivery as its own line with the amount you agreed. When you deliver the goods and charge for it on the same bill, GST treats it as part of a composite supply taxed at the rate of the goods, so give the delivery item that rate; confirm with your CA if a transporter bills it separately. SimpleERP has no freight calculator, so the amount is entered by hand.
What GST rate do I charge on cement now?
Cement under HSN 2523 is usually 18% since the September 2025 rate changes; it was 28% before. Set the rate once on each cement product and every bill applies it. Rates change, so confirm the rate for your goods with your CA or the GST portal before you rely on it.
Can I give one contractor a lower rate than another?
There are no price lists. Each product has one selling price, and the clerk changes the rate or gives a line discount for a contractor's agreed price. The bill keeps both, so the register shows the discount.
Related
Keep reading
Building materials and hardware
Mixed-rate GST invoices, stock by godown and shop, and contractor credit with ageing.
Read moreInventory for hardware shops
Cement, steel, pipes and paint by godown and shop, in their own units, at average cost, with a reorder level for every size.
Read moreAccounting for hardware shops
Contractor credit and ageing, dealer payables, cheque receipts and month-end checks, built from posted bills.
Read more
See how GST billing works in SimpleERP for building materials and hardware
Seven days free. No card. Your first GST invoice in minutes.