ATLANTA — Home Depot is making a major move to expand its presence in the building materials market. The Atlanta-based home improvement retailer announced that one of its subsidiaries will purchase GMS Inc. a specialty building products distributor.

The $4.3 billion deal will combine GMS with SRS Distribution, another Home Depot subsidiary to create a vast distribution network of more than 1,200 locations and a fleet of over 8,000 trucks nationwide.

GMS Inc. distributes a wide range of construction materials, including drywall, and steel framing that serves both residential and commercial contractors.