Getting Started with the Octopart BOM Tool

Sourcing components for your Bill of Materials (BOM) can be tedious and inefficient. Tracking accurate pricing, checking availability, and comparing offers across multiple distributors often means jumping between websites and manually updating spreadsheets. It’s a slow, frustrating process—especially when a missing part can derail your project.

The new Octopart BOM Tool is built for speed. Designed specifically for engineers and procurement professionals focused on sourcing and purchasing, it streamlines the journey from uploading a BOM to buying. With instant part matching, intelligent offer comparisons, and up-to-date stock visibility, it takes the legwork out of component sourcing—so you can move faster and make better decisions with confidence.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to get started with the Octopart BOM Tool, refine your BOM, and take advantage of powerful features to keep your projects on track.

Step 1: Starting a BOM

You can use the Octopart BOM Tool in three ways: create a BOM from scratch, upload an existing file, or try a sample BOM for a quick demo.

• Creating a BOM from scratch allows you to manually enter and search for MPNs, selecting the best matches using Octopart’s guided suggestions.
• Uploading a BOM file lets you import XLSX, CSV, or JSON files (up to 5MB). Once uploaded, the BOM Tool automatically detects and maps your columns, so you can start quickly and accurately.

Pro Tip: For the best results, prepare your file with these columns before uploading:

• MPN (Manufacturer Part Number) – Required for part matching.
• Manufacturer – Strongly recommended to improve match accuracy.
• Quantity or Requested Quantity – Ensures pricing and stock offers are tailored to your actual needs.
   
• Once uploaded, the BOM Tool automatically:
  • Normalizes your data, aligning part numbers and descriptions to standardized formats.
  • Matches components to up-to-date distributor data, displaying stock levels, pricing, and technical specifications.
  • Identifies exact part matches and suggests alternatives if a direct match isn’t available.

Keep in mind that the new BOM Tool only supports one active BOM at a time. Each new upload replaces the existing BOM, so be sure to export your BOM if you need to save your work.

Step 2: Review and Refine Your BOM

After uploading your BOM, review and tune it for accuracy and completeness. The Octopart BOM Tool helps you quickly identify missing parts, compare offers, and verify compliance details.

1. Check for Missing Parts

The BOM Tool highlights any unmatched or partially matched components, ensuring you can address gaps in your BOM before proceeding. For missing parts, you can:

• Manually search and select alternatives by adjusting the part number.
• Open the Part Information section to explore suggested replacements from Octopart’s extensive database.

2. Review Selected Offers

The BOM Tool automatically selects the best offer based on:

• Your preferred distributors (if set).
• The required quantity and availability at the time of search.
• Best pricing, including bulk discounts.

You can manually review all available offers, including stock levels, packaging details, and price breaks. If your preferred distributors do not have stock, the BOM Tool will suggest offers from other suppliers across the market.

3. Verify Lifecycle Status & Compliance

To avoid sourcing obsolete parts, check the Lifecycle Status for each component in your BOM. Each part includes a color-coded indicator that makes it easy to spot potential issues at a glance:

• Green: Active
• Orange: Not Recommended for New Designs (NRND)
• Red: End of Life (EOL)
• Gray: Unknown status

For a full view, head to the Analytics tab, where you can review:

• Lifecycle status across your BOM
• RoHS status (Restriction of Hazardous Substances compliance)
• REACH status (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals compliance)

This ensures that you make informed sourcing decisions while meeting regulatory requirements.

Step 3: Optimize Your Sourcing Strategy

Fine-tune your sourcing preferences to get the best possible offers tailored to your needs. The BOM Settings allow you to:

• Prioritize preferred suppliers to focus on their stock and pricing.
• View BOM coverage per supplier to understand sourcing availability.
• Set your region and currency to enable country-specific offers.
• Define batch size to ensure pricing comparisons reflect your purchasing quantities.

With these settings in place, Octopart automatically selects the best offer that meets your criteria while ensuring the lowest available price.

For deeper cost optimization, explore supplier price breaks—you may find better pricing at slightly higher quantities. If packaging is a priority, you can also sort suppliers in the Order List by packaging type, ensuring your components arrive in the preferred format for your manufacturing process.

Step 4: Export or Purchase in One Click

Once your BOM is finalized, you can export it for further use or convert it directly into a shopping cart for quick purchasing. 

Exporting Your BOM

Exporting preserves your original data while adding new columns from Octopart, including direct links to selected offers for easy reference. You also have the option to export individual files by distributor, making it easier to share with your team or integrate into your procurement workflow.

Pre-Build Shopping Carts

For a smoother purchasing experience, you can convert your BOM into pre-filled shopping carts on supported distributor websites. This eliminates manual entry, allowing you to proceed with just a click. Pricing is automatically converted to your preferred currency, and batch size calculations ensure you have an accurate total cost before finalizing your order. This feature is currently available for select distributors, with more being added over time.

Tips & Best Practices

Enhance Your BOM with Additional Columns

Add extra columns to track critical information such as RoHS compliance, lead times, and part descriptions. This helps you stay organized and have all essential details at your fingertips for better decision-making.

Use Filters for Efficient Sorting

When dealing with large BOMs, filters make it easy to quickly sort components based on key attributes like part match, lifecycle status, compliance information, and selected offers. This helps you locate exactly what you need without sifting through unnecessary data.

Easily Modify Your BOM

If you need to adjust your BOM, you can easily add new parts, insert rows, or search for components directly within the tool. You can also click directly into the “Quantity” column to edit quantities on the fly, a simple but powerful way to fine-tune your sourcing strategy without breaking your flow. This flexibility makes it easy to refine your BOM as you go, keeping everything organized and up to date.

Organize with Column Operations

Take control of your BOM layout by customizing the view to match your needs. You can copy, hide, or delete columns, ensuring that only the most relevant data is visible, streamlining your review process.

Start Sourcing Today

The Octopart BOM Tool is designed to make sourcing seamless and efficient. Whether you’re working on a new design or managing procurement for production, it helps you quickly find the best offers, avoid supply chain disruptions, and keep your projects moving. With up-to-date stock visibility, intelligent part matching, and streamlined purchasing, you can confidently make informed decisions without the manual hassle.

Try Octopart BOM Tool today and see how it simplifies your sourcing workflow.