BOM Editor
The BOM editor is where you manage the parts in a bill of materials. It has two tabs: Parts and PCB View.
Parts Tab
Section titled “Parts Tab”BOM Table
Section titled “BOM Table”The main table lists all parts in the BOM. Each row represents a line item.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Reference Designator | Component reference (e.g., R1, C2, U3) |
| MPN | Manufacturer part number |
| Quantity | Number of units per board |
| Unit | Unit of measure (each, mm, etc.) |
| Notes | Optional notes for this line item |
Adding Parts
Section titled “Adding Parts”- Click Add Part below the table.
- Enter the MPN in the new row. The field supports search — type to find existing parts in your catalog.
- Fill in the reference designator, quantity, and other fields.
- Changes save automatically.
Reordering Parts
Section titled “Reordering Parts”Drag rows to reorder them. The position is saved automatically.
Removing Parts
Section titled “Removing Parts”Click the delete button at the end of a row to remove it from the BOM. This does not delete the part from your catalog.
Distributor Pricing
Section titled “Distributor Pricing”Click the expand arrow on any row to see distributor pricing data. Each distributor shows:
- Stock — Quantity available
- Lead Time — Estimated delivery time in weeks
- MOQ — Minimum order quantity (shown as a badge)
- Price Breaks — Per-unit pricing at different quantity tiers
- Best Price — Highlighted across all distributors
A staleness dot indicates how fresh the pricing data is:
- Green — Less than 24 hours old
- Red — More than 24 hours old
Click the refresh button on a row to update pricing for that specific part.
Pricing Footer
Section titled “Pricing Footer”The bottom of the table shows:
- Per-line total cost (unit price x quantity)
- Grand total across all parts
Export CSV
Section titled “Export CSV”Click Export CSV to download the BOM as a CSV file.
Importing a BOM
Section titled “Importing a BOM”The import wizard walks you through importing parts from a CSV or XLSX file.
- Click Import BOM to open the wizard.
Step 1: Upload File
Section titled “Step 1: Upload File”Drag and drop a CSV or XLSX file, or click to browse. Supported formats: .csv, .xlsx.
Step 2: Select Header Row
Section titled “Step 2: Select Header Row”The wizard shows a preview of your file. Select which row contains the column headers.
Step 3: Map Columns
Section titled “Step 3: Map Columns”The wizard attempts to auto-detect your columns using fuzzy matching. It recognizes common formats from KiCad, Altium, and Eagle.
Each column shows a confidence indicator:
- High confidence — Auto-matched with high certainty
- Medium confidence — Probable match, verify before proceeding
- Low confidence — Could not match; select the correct mapping manually
Use the dropdowns to correct any mismatched columns.
Step 4: Review & Import
Section titled “Step 4: Review & Import”Preview the parsed data before importing. Choose a duplicate handling strategy for parts that already exist in the BOM:
- Skip (default) — Do not import duplicates
- Merge — Add imported quantities to existing quantities
- Replace — Overwrite existing entries
- Add Anyway — Import as separate line items
If your file includes an on_hand column, inventory quantities are also updated during import.
Step 5: Results
Section titled “Step 5: Results”A summary shows the outcome of each row:
- Created — New part added
- Updated — Existing part modified
- Skipped — Duplicate, not imported
- Error — Problem with this row (expand for details)
PCB View
Section titled “PCB View”The PCB View tab displays an interactive BOM (iBOM) visualization of the PCB layout.
Uploading an iBOM
Section titled “Uploading an iBOM”- Switch to the PCB View tab.
- Drag and drop an
.htmliBOM file (generated from KiCad’s iBOM plugin). - The PCB visualization loads automatically.
Using the iBOM
Section titled “Using the iBOM”- Click a component on the PCB to highlight it
- Click a reference designator in the list to locate it on the board
- Use the toolbar to toggle layers and adjust the view
Replacing or Removing
Section titled “Replacing or Removing”- Click Replace to upload a new iBOM file
- Click Delete to remove the current iBOM
Sub-Assemblies
Section titled “Sub-Assemblies”A BOM can reference another BOM as a sub-assembly. This is used for products that contain multiple boards or modules.
When adding a part, you can select an existing BOM as a sub-assembly instead of an MPN. Sub-assembly quantities multiply through the hierarchy — if your top-level BOM needs 2 of a sub-assembly, and the sub-assembly needs 10 resistors, the total demand is 20 resistors.
BoMBot detects and prevents circular references (e.g., BOM A references BOM B, which references BOM A).