Import a Price List CSV Into Your Quoting Software

If your pricing lives in a supplier price list or a spreadsheet, you should not be re-typing it into quoting software. Here’s how to get a CSV price list turned into reusable, calculating components.

Almost every contractor we talk to has the same asset: a price list. Usually a CSV or Excel export from a supplier — product codes, descriptions, units, prices. And almost every quoting workflow starts by re-typing pieces of it, job after job. This article explains the better path: importing the price list once, converting it into reusable components, and letting every future quote draw from it.

Why re-typing a price list costs you twice

Manual price-list handling fails in two directions:

• Time — every quote starts with data entry instead of estimating
• Stale prices — supplier lists change; hand-copied prices drift out of date and quietly eat your margin

The fix is structural: your pricing data lives in one place, imports in bulk, and every calculation pulls from it. Update the price once, every future job uses the new number.

What a price-list CSV looks like

A typical supplier export contains rows like this:

The import path turns rows like these into components — each one a product with its unit, coverage and price, ready to attach to a measurement.

The import path, step by step

1. Get the CSV— download the price list from your supplier, or export your current spreadsheet. Tidy column names if needed; the data doesn’t have to be perfect.
2. Import the catalogue — QuoteCore+ imports supplier catalogues directly, including CSV. Suppliers can also publish catalogues that you can pull from without any file handling at all.
3. Convert catalogue rows to components — the Catalogue to Component Converter turns price-list rows into Smart Components: product, coverage, unit, waste rule, labour and pricing in one reusable package.
4. Attach, don’t re-type — from then on, quoting means attaching the component to a measurement (area or lineal) and the quantities and prices calculate themselves.

Free vs full: the converter in practice

The Catalogue to Component Converter is one product with two ways to use it: the free version converts up to 7 components at a time, which suits a first pass or a small list. QuoteCore+ accounts handle larger batches — the right tool when you’re converting a full supplier catalogue in one go.

You can try the flow free with the Measurement to Quote Tool (built-in roofing component types included) or the free Smart Component Creator, then import at scale when you start a free trial.

What about spreadsheets that aren’t price lists?

Many estimating spreadsheets are more than a price list — they contain formulas, waste rules, labour rates, the way you actually price a job. That’s estimating logic, and it belongs in components too. See Convert a Spreadsheet to a Quote for the logic-migration path, and the spreadsheet-alternative guide for the bigger picture.

When your price list needs something bespoke

Unusual catalogue formats, supplier systems with no export, special pricing rules — if configuration can’t cover it, the custom solutions page lays out the route to a bespoke answer.

FAQ

Can I import my supplier’s price list CSV?

Yes. Supplier catalogues import from CSV into QuoteCore+, and catalogue rows convert into reusable components with the Catalogue to Component Converter. If your supplier publishes a catalogue on the platform, you can pull it directly without handling files.

How many components can I convert at once?

The free version of the converter handles up to 7 components at a time. QuoteCore+ accounts support larger batches for full-catalogue imports.

Do supplier price updates flow through?

Catalogue data is imported into your account, so you update prices where they live — the catalogue — and re-convert or update as needed. Historical quotes keep their original pricing, so past jobs stay explainable.

Can I use my own products, not just supplier lists?

Yes. Your own products, labour rates and waste rules become your own Smart Components — the import path is the same, the data source is just your list instead of a supplier’s.