BMEcat: the XML Format for Electronic Product Catalogs

What BMEcat Is For

A supplier with many customers and a purchasing department with many suppliers need a common format for catalog data. Without a standard, every supplier delivers a differently structured spreadsheet, and every file has to be adapted individually.

BMEcat defines which details a catalog contains, what they are called and in which order they appear. The supplier generates the file from its ERP or product data system. The customer's purchasing system reads it and provides the items as a hosted catalog.

The standard was created on the initiative of the BME. The first version appeared in 1999, version 1.2 was presented in 2001, and BMEcat 2005 followed in November 2005. BMEcat 2005.1 followed in 2012; according to the BME, the current version is 2005.2.

Structure of a BMEcat File

A BMEcat file is an XML document with the root element BMECAT. It consists of a header and a transaction part.

<BMECAT version="1.2">
  <HEADER>
    <CATALOG>
      <LANGUAGE>eng</LANGUAGE>
      <CATALOG_ID>OFFICE-SUPPLIES-2026</CATALOG_ID>
      <CATALOG_VERSION>001.000</CATALOG_VERSION>
    </CATALOG>
    <BUYER>...</BUYER>
    <SUPPLIER>...</SUPPLIER>
  </HEADER>
  <T_NEW_CATALOG>
    <ARTICLE>
      <SUPPLIER_AID>4711</SUPPLIER_AID>
      <ARTICLE_DETAILS>
        <DESCRIPTION_SHORT>Copy paper A4, 80 g, 500 sheets</DESCRIPTION_SHORT>
      </ARTICLE_DETAILS>
      <ARTICLE_FEATURES>
        <REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME>...</REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME>
        <REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID>...</REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID>
      </ARTICLE_FEATURES>
      <ARTICLE_ORDER_DETAILS>
        <ORDER_UNIT>C62</ORDER_UNIT>
      </ARTICLE_ORDER_DETAILS>
      <ARTICLE_PRICE_DETAILS>
        <ARTICLE_PRICE price_type="net_customer">
          <PRICE_AMOUNT>4.20</PRICE_AMOUNT>
          <PRICE_CURRENCY>EUR</PRICE_CURRENCY>
        </ARTICLE_PRICE>
      </ARTICLE_PRICE_DETAILS>
      <MIME_INFO>
        <MIME>
          <MIME_SOURCE>4711.jpg</MIME_SOURCE>
        </MIME>
      </MIME_INFO>
    </ARTICLE>
  </T_NEW_CATALOG>
</BMECAT>

Images and documents are not contained in the XML file. The file only refers to them; the files themselves are transferred separately.

BMEcat 1.2 and BMEcat 2005

In catalog projects you will mainly encounter two versions. Which one applies is determined by the system that reads the catalog.

Before the first delivery, clarify which version, which mandatory fields and which classification the receiving system expects. A formally valid BMEcat file is not yet a catalog that can be read without rework.

BMEcat and OCI Catalog: the Difference

BMEcat and OCI are often mentioned in the same breath, but they solve different tasks. BMEcat is a file format for catalog data. OCI is an interface through which a user moves from the purchasing system into the supplier's web shop and brings the cart back.

Many companies use both side by side: hosted catalogs for the core assortment and punchout for suppliers whose assortment cannot sensibly be maintained as a file.

• OCI catalog: fields and process
• Punchout catalog: the jump into the supplier shop
• cXML: the second common punchout protocol

Classification in the Catalog: ECLASS and UNSPSC

A classification system assigns every item to a class in a fixed hierarchy. Purchasing uses this assignment for navigation in the catalog, for reporting by category and for mapping to material groups in the ERP. BMEcat transports the classification but does not prescribe which system is used.

ECLASS, formerly written eCl@ss, is a standard for classifying and describing products and services. It is published by ECLASS e. V., based in Cologne. The classes are organized in four levels: segment, main group, group and commodity class. In addition to the classes, ECLASS defines properties that allow products to be described consistently.

An eCl@ss number is the eight-digit code of an ECLASS class. Each of the four levels takes two digits. The first two digits identify the segment, and all eight digits together identify the commodity class to which an item is assigned. ECLASS is maintained in releases, so the number always goes together with the release used.

UNSPSC stands for United Nations Standard Products and Services Code. The code was developed in 1998 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) together with Dun & Bradstreet. Until the end of 2024, GS1 US managed the code on behalf of the UNDP; since 2025 maintenance has been back with the UNDP. UNSPSC also uses eight-digit codes in four levels: segment, family, class and commodity.

The two systems are built independently of each other. The same eight-digit code means something different in ECLASS than in UNSPSC, so a catalog must always state which system and which version its codes refer to.

Where BMEcat Imports Fail in Practice

• Version or mandatory fields do not match what the receiving system expects.
• The supplier's units of measure do not correspond to the units in the customer's ERP.
• Classification codes are missing, outdated or come from a different system than agreed.
• Prices appear in the catalog without validity, without currency or with the wrong price unit.
• References to images and data sheets point to files that were not delivered.
• Short descriptions are so brief or inconsistent that requesters cannot find the item in search.

• Catalog data quality: finding errors before a catalog goes live

Related Terms and Matching Ovenca Modules

• OCI catalog

  The catalog that stays in the supplier's shop.

• Punchout catalog

  How a punchout session works and how it differs from a hosted catalog.

• cXML

  The XML protocol for punchout and document exchange.

• Catalog data quality

  Typical errors in supplier catalogs and how they surface before approval.

• Catalog Management

  Import, check, map and approve supplier catalogs.

• Vendor Portal

  Suppliers submit catalogs and correct errors themselves.