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A construction supply store's extra rules are mostly about what is on your shelves. Cement, steel bars, nails, plywood, hollow blocks, uPVC pipes, tiles and electrical wires on the DTI-BPS list must carry a PS mark or ICC sticker. DTI requires price tags on consumer products sold at retail. If you sell wood preservative, ask FPA if you need a licence. Some towns, such as Miagao, Iloilo, also bar selling rugby or solvents to minors.[1,2,3,4]
Construction supply prep list
- Print the DTI-BPS product list and keep it at receiving
- Store the boxes of every displayed unit in the stockroom
- Put up a price board for items sold by weight or length
- Ask FPA about a licence before you stock wood preservative
- Ask the BPLO if your town has a solvent sales log rule
Check every delivery for the PS mark or ICC sticker
Products under DTI-BPS mandatory certification, local or imported, must bear the PS mark or ICC sticker before distribution. The list includes cement, steel bars, GI and BI pipes, nails, plywood, hollow blocks, uPVC pipes, tiles, sanitary wares and electrical wires. Retailers must keep the package of each displayed unit for checking and let DTI enforcers into the stockroom.[4]
Inspect marks when trucks unload, not when DTI visits, and keep boxes of display items like sinks in the bodega.
Price tags on retail goods
Consumer Act Art. 81 requires price tags, labels or markings on goods sold at retail. DTI cites fines of ₱200 to ₱5,000 and/or 1 to 6 months in prison. Under the Price Act, selling a basic necessity or prime commodity without a price tag is prima facie evidence of profiteering.[1]
For goods sold by the kilo or metre, a price board near the stock works better than tags.
Wood preservative and solvents
The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority licenses dealers and retailers of fertilizer and pesticides and sets the licence fee. If you sell wood preservative, ask FPA which licence fits and what it costs.[2]
Miagao, Iloilo, as one town's example, prohibits hardware stores from selling rugby or solvents to minors and requires a log of each buyer's name, address and purpose.[3]
If you also sell small tools and paint, our hardware store kit covers that side.
Questions people ask
- Who gets the PS mark, me or my supplier?
- The manufacturer or importer gets the product certified. Your part as a retailer is to sell only marked products and keep the packaging of displayed units ready for DTI.
- Does a construction supply store need an FPA licence?
- Ask FPA if you sell wood preservative. FPA licenses dealers and retailers of fertilizer and pesticides and sets the fee.
- What is the fine for missing price tags?
- DTI cites fines of ₱200 to ₱5,000 and/or 1 to 6 months in prison under the Consumer Act.
- Do I need a permit to stock sand and gravel?
- Ask your city environment office before you stock sand and gravel, and ask what papers it wants from your supplier.
Sources
Checked 13 November 2026. We link the agency's own page for every requirement. Rules change; confirm with the office before you pay.
- DTI warns business owners, establishments that price tag is a must · Department of Trade and Industry · 6 May 2022
- Citizen's Charter 2025 (External Services) · Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority · November 2025
- Child and Youth Welfare Code - Page 7 of 14 - Municipality of Miagao · Municipality of Miagao, Iloilo · 1 February 2012
- PS and ICC Marks - BPS S&C Portal · DTI Bureau of Philippine Standards
The extra permits, in one table
| Permit or registration | Agency | When it applies | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tags on all consumer products sold at retail[1] | DTI | always | Not published |
| Price tag on basic necessities/prime commodities[1] | DTI | if selling basic necessities or prime commodities | Not published |
| FPA license if retailing wood preservative[2] | Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority | if retailing wood preservative | Set by FPA; ask FPA |
| No sale of rugby/solvents to minors; keep a customer log (name, address, purpose) for solvent sales[3] | LGU (example: Miagao, Iloilo) | if selling rugby/solvents, where the LGU has such an ordinance (Miagao example) | not applicable |
| Sell only covered construction products bearing the PS mark or ICC sticker (e.g. Portland and blended cement, deformed/rerolled steel bars, GI/BI pipes, steel wire nails, plywood, CHB/concrete masonry units, uPVC pipes, ceramic tiles, sanitary wares, electrical wires)[4] | DTI-BPS | if selling products on the DTI-BPS mandatory certification list | not applicable to retailers (certification is obtained by the manufacturer/importer) |
| Keep the original box/package of displayed certified units and give DTI monitors access to the stockroom to check PS/ICC markings[4] | DTI-BPS | if selling covered products whose mark is on the packaging | not applicable |