SBA lenders approved 273 7(a) loans to masonry contractors from October 2023 through June 2026, $69,491,300 from 77 lenders. The median loan was $100,000 against $150,300 nationally, and the median rate 10.5% against 10.25%. SBA Express carried 69.6% of loans and start-ups only 1.1%. Acquisitions were rare, 5.9% of loans, but large, at a median of $591,750. A mason's loan turns on the owner's credit and filed returns, how the business gets through winter, and how reliably builders and general contractors pay.
| Measure | Masonry Contractors | All industries |
|---|---|---|
| SBA 7(a) loans approved | 273 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $100,000 | $150,300 |
| Middle half of loans | $36,000 – $250,000 | $50,000 – $500,000 |
| Loans of $1 million or more | 5.9% | 12.9% |
| Median rate at approval | 10.5% | 10.25% |
| Middle half of rates | 9.5% – 11.5% | 9.3% – 11.25% |
| Acquisitions (change of ownership) | 16 (5.9%) | 16,849 (10.4%) |
| Median acquisition loan | $591,750 | $693,000 |
| Lenders that made these loans | 77 | 1,648 |
| SBA 504 loans (real estate, equipment) | 9 | 16,714 |
Approvals FY2024 – FY2026 to date (1 Oct 2023 – 30 Jun 2026), cancelled loans excluded. Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan records, as of June 30, 2026.
- SBA 7(a) loans approved
- 273 (Oct 2023 – Jun 2026), from 77 lenders
- Median loan
- $100,000 (national $150,300)
- Median rate at approval
- 10.5% (national 10.25%)
- SBA Express / start-ups
- 69.6% / 1.1% of loans
- Acquisitions
- 16 loans (5.9%), median $591,750 at 9.13%
- SBA 504
- 9 loans, median $407,000
A market built on SBA Express
Masonry contractors (NAICS 238140) lay brick, block and stone, set veneer and pavers, build and repair chimneys, and restore and tuck-point older buildings. The median loan supported 3 jobs, and the shape of the lending follows from that: small companies borrowing small sums.
The single most telling figure is that 69.6% of loans went through SBA Express. Express goes up to $500,000 with a 50% guaranty and lets the lender approve on its own credit process, which suits a mason who needs a truck, a skid steer or a working-capital cushion and has years of tax returns to show. The industry's 90th percentile loan was exactly $500,000, the Express ceiling, and only 16 loans reached $1 million or more. Nine loans in ten sit at or under the Express limit.
| Figure | Masonry contractors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Loans / total / lenders | 273 / $69,491,300 / 77 | A modest dollar total spread over many small loans |
| Median loan | $100,000 | Two-thirds of the national $150,300 |
| Middle half of loans | $36,000 to $250,000 | Equipment and working capital |
| 90th percentile | $500,000 | The SBA Express ceiling |
| Loans of $1 million or more | 16 (5.9%) | A thin top end |
| Median rate (middle half) | 10.5% (9.5% to 11.5%) | Small loans sit under higher SBA rate caps |
| Fixed-rate share | 14.3% | Most loans float |
| Median term | 120 months | Ten years |
| Start-ups / franchises | 1.1% / none | Lenders are financing masons with a record |
| Acquisitions | 16 (5.9%), median $591,750 at 9.13% | Rare, large, and priced below the industry median |
The trade-off in Express is the thinner guaranty. With SBA standing behind only half the loan, the lender relies heavily on credit history and on the business's own filed returns. A mason whose returns show little profit after years of aggressive write-offs will find that the Express decision is made largely on those returns, not on the explanation. See SBA 7(a) vs SBA Express.
Why lenders see almost no masonry start-ups
Only 1.1% of loans went to start-ups, and none to franchises. That does not mean masons do not start companies; it means they start them without an SBA loan. A mason going out alone usually begins with a used truck, a mixer and scaffolding bought with savings or equipment financing, and comes to an SBA lender a few years later with returns to show. By then the lender is reading a track record, not a plan.
For the borrower, that makes the first SBA application a test of how the business has been reported. Clean filed returns, a balance sheet that ties to them, and a debt schedule listing every truck note and equipment loan are the file. Personal credit matters more than usual, because every owner of 20% or more guarantees the loan and a small Express loan leans on that guarantee.
Winter, retainage and the cash cycle
Mortar and grout do not cure properly in hard freezes. In colder states masonry work slows or stops for part of the year, or continues only with heated enclosures that eat margin. A lender reading a mason's monthly figures expects strong summer and autumn revenue and a winter trough, and wants to see that the business carries enough cash, or a line, to pay its debt service through the slow months. A contractor that has leaned on short-term advances every winter will have a harder time; SBA will not refinance an active merchant cash advance. See refinancing cash advances for contractors and seasonal lines of credit.
| Kind of work | How it pays | What the lender asks |
|---|---|---|
| Residential new construction for builders | Per-house billing when the brick or stone is done | How many builders, how fast they pay, what happens in a slow housing market |
| Commercial block and veneer for general contractors | Monthly progress billings, less retainage | Retainage outstanding, pay-when-paid terms, change orders |
| Restoration, tuck-pointing and chimney work | Deposits and completion payments from owners and property managers | Repeat customers, job margins, the insurance and safety record on high work |
| Hardscape and outdoor living | Homeowner deposits, balance on completion | Seasonality and whether deposits are spent before the work is done |
Commercial masonry puts money into retainage that will not come back until the building is finished. Show it separately on the receivables aging so it is read as held money, not slow pay. Lenders also look hard at labor: skilled masons are scarce, and a company whose output depends on a few foremen is judged partly on whether they stay.
Buying a masonry company
Only 16 loans financed a change of ownership, 5.9% of the industry against 10.4% nationally, at a median of $591,750 and a median rate of 9.13%. The companies that sell tend to be established commercial or restoration contractors with foremen, equipment and general contractors that invite them to bid; small crews rarely have anything to sell but the owner.
At that size the purchase will usually need an independent business valuation, because SBA requires one where the amount financed, less appraised real estate and equipment, exceeds $250,000. The buyer injects at least 10% of total project costs; a seller note counts toward up to half of that only on full standby for the life of the loan, and a note that pays is simply debt in the coverage calculation. The seller may consult for up to 12 months, or up to 24 months under SOP 50 10 8.1 from 1 October 2026, which matters in a trade where general contractors know the owner by name. From 1 October 2026 the deal must also show 1.25x coverage on historical results. See buyer industry experience requirements.
Yards, buildings and equipment
Nine SBA 504 loans went to masons, at a median of $407,000: a yard with a shop for mixers, saws and scaffolding, and room for pallets of block and stone. 504 needs the business to occupy at least 51% of an existing building, and typically splits the project 50% bank, 40% CDC and 10% borrower. See SBA 7(a) vs 504.
Most equipment needs are small enough that a dedicated equipment loan competes with a 7(a) on speed and paperwork; see equipment financing vs SBA 7(a). The 7(a) earns its place when the need combines equipment with working capital or refinancing, because it can carry both over 10 years.
Preparing a mason's file
The SBA list: business tax returns for 2–3 years, a P&L and balance sheet, a year-to-date P&L through last month-end, a debt schedule with copies of any notes being refinanced, and personal tax returns and a personal financial statement for each owner of 20% or more. For a masonry contractor, add monthly revenue for the last two years so the winter trough is visible, a receivables aging with retainage split out, the largest builders and general contractors by revenue, and the equipment list with liens.
SBA requires debt service coverage of at least 1.15x, and 1.0x globally once the owners' personal obligations are included; see global cash flow. Transparent builds the full lender package in a day once the documents are in and matches the file against the 278 lenders in its book that write SBA 7(a) and 504; on SBA loans the lender pays Transparent, not the borrower.
Common questions
- How much do masonry contractors usually borrow from SBA?
- The median 7(a) loan from October 2023 through June 2026 was $100,000, and the middle half ran from $36,000 to $250,000. Nine in ten loans were $500,000 or less.
- Why do most masonry SBA loans go through SBA Express?
- Because the loans are small and the borrowers established. SBA Express goes up to $500,000 with a 50% guaranty and a lender-run credit decision, and 69.6% of masonry loans used it. The lender relies more on your credit and filed returns in exchange.
- Can I get an SBA loan to start a masonry business?
- It is possible, but rare in practice: only 1.1% of masonry loans went to start-ups. Lenders want a history of filed returns, so most masons start with savings or equipment financing and come to SBA later. A start-up must inject at least 10% of total project costs.
- Will a lender hold winter losses against me?
- Not if the pattern is normal for the trade and the year as a whole covers the debt. Show monthly figures for two years and how you paid the bills through the slow months. Repeated winter cash advances are the pattern that worries lenders.
- What does it take to buy a masonry company with SBA?
- At least 10% of total project costs as equity, a business valuation on most deals, and a plan to keep the foremen and general-contractor relationships. The 16 acquisition loans in the period had a median of $591,750 at a median rate of 9.13%.