Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) has released its 2026 State of the Channel Report, providing critical insights into the forces shaping wholesale HVACR distribution and manufacturing.

Now in its sixth edition, the report delivers a concise but comprehensive view of market performance, competitive shifts, and forward-looking demand trends—built on HARDI’s proprietary data, industry surveys, and expert analysis.

“This report continues to evolve alongside the channel,” said Tim Fisher, HARDI Research Director. “Each year, we refine our analysis to focus on the intelligence that matters most to decision-makers. Our goal is to equip distributors and suppliers with practical insights they can apply across sales, marketing, finance, and product strategy.”

The 2026 edition provides:

• Residential and Nonresidential Market Outlooks – Updated projections for contractor business purchase activity and the macroeconomic factors driving HVACR demand. Highlights in the 2026 report include residential unitary sales trends, by region, and a detailed update on the data center market.
• Distribution Channel Performance Benchmarks – An assessment of the competitive dynamics at play among competing retail and distribution channels, and the threat these competing channels pose to traditional wholesale distributor businesses.
• Contractor Business Purchasing Trends – Insights into needs and preferences of contractor businesses, as well as emerging market opportunities for wholesale distributors.
• Legislative & Regulatory Developments – Updates on the most pertinent government actions and implications for the channel.
• Voice of Contractor and Voice of Supplier Survey Results – The 2026 report includes the response summaries for both of HARDI’s key annual survey initiatives, the results of which are woven throughout the report.

For HARDI members, the report serves as a strategic tool to align teams around customer-driven insights, while also offering outlooks – down to the regional level – of sales expectations for the year. HARDI encourages member companies to share the report across sales, marketing, finance, and product development teams to inform decision-making and long-term planning.

State of the Channel 2026 is available to HARDI member companies at exclusive member pricing and is also available for purchase by non-members. In addition to distributors and manufacturers, the report serves as a valuable resource for private equity firms and investors evaluating HVACR distribution and manufacturing opportunities, research and advisory firms conducting market analysis or benchmarking, and strategic planners, consultants, and suppliers seeking credible data to inform forecasting, due diligence, and channel strategy.

Whether used to support a specific transaction, inform a strategic initiative, or build a broader market research framework, the report provides credible, channel-specific intelligence not available in broader construction or macroeconomic reports. For more information or to purchase the 2026 State of the Channel Report, visit www.hardinet.org.