BMEcat example file

Below is a complete, valid BMEcat file with one product, to read, copy and try out, with an explanation of every block. Further down you will find five sample catalogues to download: with ETIM, with eCl@ss, with both, in the older 1.2 format, and one with deliberately built-in errors.

A complete catalogue with one product

A miniature circuit breaker, described according to BMEcat 2005 and the ETIM BMEcat Guideline 5.0. The file is valid against the official schema and passes the guideline in the German country column without a single finding. The manufacturer, product data and prices are fictitious, the classification codes are real.

example.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<BMECAT version="2005" xmlns="https://www.etim-international.com/bmecat/50">
  <!-- Header: applies to the whole catalogue -->
  <HEADER>
    <GENERATOR_INFO>Sample catalogue from bmecatviewer.com, all data fictitious</GENERATOR_INFO>
    <CATALOG>
      <LANGUAGE>eng</LANGUAGE>
      <CATALOG_ID>BSP-EINS</CATALOG_ID>
      <CATALOG_VERSION>1.0</CATALOG_VERSION>
      <CATALOG_NAME>Sample catalogue with one product</CATALOG_NAME>
      <DATETIME type="generation_date">
        <DATE>2026-10-01</DATE>
      </DATETIME>
      <TERRITORY>DE</TERRITORY>
      <CURRENCY>EUR</CURRENCY>
    </CATALOG>
    <BUYER>
      <BUYER_NAME>Sample Wholesale Ltd</BUYER_NAME>
    </BUYER>
    <SUPPLIER>
      <SUPPLIER_NAME>Musterhersteller AG</SUPPLIER_NAME>
      <ADDRESS type="supplier">
        <CONTACT>Product data management</CONTACT>
        <STREET>Beispielweg 1</STREET>
        <ZIP>12345</ZIP>
        <CITY>Musterstadt</CITY>
        <COUNTRY>Germany</COUNTRY>
        <EMAIL>[email protected]</EMAIL>
        <URL>https://www.example.com</URL>
      </ADDRESS>
    </SUPPLIER>
    <USER_DEFINED_EXTENSIONS>
      <UDX.EDXF.VERSION>5.0</UDX.EDXF.VERSION>
    </USER_DEFINED_EXTENSIONS>
  </HEADER>
  <!-- Transaction: a complete new catalogue -->
  <T_NEW_CATALOG>
    <PRODUCT mode="new">
      <SUPPLIER_PID>BSP-1003</SUPPLIER_PID>
      <PRODUCT_DETAILS>
        <DESCRIPTION_SHORT>Miniature circuit breaker B16, 1-pole</DESCRIPTION_SHORT>
        <DESCRIPTION_LONG>Miniature circuit breaker with tripping characteristic B, single-pole, rated current 16 A, breaking capacity 6 kA, one module wide.</DESCRIPTION_LONG>
        <INTERNATIONAL_PID type="gtin">2012345000032</INTERNATIONAL_PID>
        <MANUFACTURER_PID>LS1-B16</MANUFACTURER_PID>
        <MANUFACTURER_NAME>Musterhersteller AG</MANUFACTURER_NAME>
        <MANUFACTURER_TYPE_DESCR>LS1 B16</MANUFACTURER_TYPE_DESCR>
        <SPECIAL_TREATMENT_CLASS type="NOT_RELEVANT">NONE</SPECIAL_TREATMENT_CLASS>
        <KEYWORD>MCB</KEYWORD>
      </PRODUCT_DETAILS>
      <PRODUCT_FEATURES>
        <REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME>ETIM-9.0</REFERENCE_FEATURE_SYSTEM_NAME>
        <REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID>EC000042</REFERENCE_FEATURE_GROUP_ID>
        <FEATURE>
          <FNAME>EF008618</FNAME>
          <FVALUE>1</FVALUE>
        </FEATURE>
        <FEATURE>
          <FNAME>EF005548</FNAME>
          <FVALUE>1</FVALUE>
        </FEATURE>
        <FEATURE>
          <FNAME>EF000227</FNAME>
          <FVALUE>16</FVALUE>
        </FEATURE>
        <FEATURE>
          <FNAME>EF002950</FNAME>
          <FVALUE>1</FVALUE>
        </FEATURE>
        <FEATURE>
          <FNAME>EF000218</FNAME>
          <FVALUE>70</FVALUE>
        </FEATURE>
        <FEATURE>
          <FNAME>EF005997</FNAME>
          <FVALUE>false</FVALUE>
        </FEATURE>
      </PRODUCT_FEATURES>
      <PRODUCT_ORDER_DETAILS>
        <ORDER_UNIT>C62</ORDER_UNIT>
        <CONTENT_UNIT>C62</CONTENT_UNIT>
        <NO_CU_PER_OU>1</NO_CU_PER_OU>
        <PRICE_QUANTITY>1</PRICE_QUANTITY>
        <QUANTITY_MIN>1</QUANTITY_MIN>
        <QUANTITY_INTERVAL>1</QUANTITY_INTERVAL>
      </PRODUCT_ORDER_DETAILS>
      <PRODUCT_PRICE_DETAILS>
        <DATETIME type="valid_start_date">
          <DATE>2026-01-01</DATE>
        </DATETIME>
        <PRODUCT_PRICE price_type="net_list">
          <PRICE_AMOUNT>4.15</PRICE_AMOUNT>
          <PRICE_CURRENCY>EUR</PRICE_CURRENCY>
          <TAX>0.19</TAX>
          <LOWER_BOUND>1</LOWER_BOUND>
        </PRODUCT_PRICE>
      </PRODUCT_PRICE_DETAILS>
      <USER_DEFINED_EXTENSIONS>
        <UDX.EDXF.MIME_INFO>
          <UDX.EDXF.MIME>
            <UDX.EDXF.MIME_SOURCE>bilder/BSP-1003.jpg</UDX.EDXF.MIME_SOURCE>
            <UDX.EDXF.MIME_CODE>MD01</UDX.EDXF.MIME_CODE>
          </UDX.EDXF.MIME>
        </UDX.EDXF.MIME_INFO>
        <UDX.EDXF.BRAND_NAME>Muster</UDX.EDXF.BRAND_NAME>
        <UDX.EDXF.DISCOUNT_GROUP>
          <UDX.EDXF.DISCOUNT_GROUP_MANUFACTURER>R12</UDX.EDXF.DISCOUNT_GROUP_MANUFACTURER>
        </UDX.EDXF.DISCOUNT_GROUP>
        <UDX.EDXF.PACKING_UNITS>
          <UDX.EDXF.PACKING_UNIT>
            <UDX.EDXF.QUANTITY_MIN>12</UDX.EDXF.QUANTITY_MIN>
            <UDX.EDXF.QUANTITY_MAX>12</UDX.EDXF.QUANTITY_MAX>
            <UDX.EDXF.PACKING_UNIT_CODE>BX</UDX.EDXF.PACKING_UNIT_CODE>
          </UDX.EDXF.PACKING_UNIT>
        </UDX.EDXF.PACKING_UNITS>
        <UDX.EDXF.ROHS_INDICATOR>true</UDX.EDXF.ROHS_INDICATOR>
        <UDX.EDXF.CE_MARKING>true</UDX.EDXF.CE_MARKING>
        <UDX.EDXF.REACH>
          <UDX.EDXF.REACH.LISTDATE>2026-01-21</UDX.EDXF.REACH.LISTDATE>
          <UDX.EDXF.REACH.INFO>false</UDX.EDXF.REACH.INFO>
        </UDX.EDXF.REACH>
      </USER_DEFINED_EXTENSIONS>
      <PRODUCT_LOGISTIC_DETAILS>
        <CUSTOMS_TARIFF_NUMBER>
          <CUSTOMS_NUMBER>85362010</CUSTOMS_NUMBER>
        </CUSTOMS_TARIFF_NUMBER>
        <COUNTRY_OF_ORIGIN>DE</COUNTRY_OF_ORIGIN>
      </PRODUCT_LOGISTIC_DETAILS>
    </PRODUCT>
  </T_NEW_CATALOG>
</BMECAT>

Save the text as a file ending in .xml and any tool that reads BMEcat will open it. The page What is BMEcat? explains in detail what the individual elements mean.

What is in the file

Block	In the example	What matters
`BMECAT`	version 2005, namespace of ETIM Guideline 5.0	The `version` attribute determines which schema the file is validated against.
`CATALOG`	language, catalogue ID, version, name, creation date, territory, currency	The language is a three-letter ISO 639-2 code (`eng`), the currency an ISO 4217 code (`EUR`).
`BUYER`, `SUPPLIER`	buyer and supplier with address	The ETIM guideline requires an e-mail address for the supplier.
`USER_DEFINED_EXTENSIONS` in the header	`UDX.EDXF.VERSION` 5.0	States which version of the guideline the catalogue follows.
`SUPPLIER_PID`	`BSP-1003`	The product number, unique within the whole catalogue.
`PRODUCT_DETAILS`	short and long text, GTIN, manufacturer's part number, type, keyword	`SPECIAL_TREATMENT_CLASS` with `NOT_RELEVANT` and `NONE` means: no special labelling needed. The guideline still requires the entry.
`PRODUCT_FEATURES`	ETIM 9.0, class `EC000042`, six features	Features as ETIM codes, numbers with a decimal point, yes and no as `true` and `false`. The unit follows from the feature.
`PRODUCT_ORDER_DETAILS`	order and content unit `C62`, quantities	`C62` is the code for piece under UN/ECE Recommendation 20.
`PRODUCT_PRICE_DETAILS`	net list price 4.15 EUR from 1 Jan 2026, tax rate 0.19	Decimal point, never a comma. The tax rate is a factor, not a percentage.
`USER_DEFINED_EXTENSIONS` in the product	product image, brand, discount group, packing unit, RoHS, CE, REACH	The ETIM guideline's extension block. `MD01` marks the product image. This is where the German country column is most demanding.
`PRODUCT_LOGISTIC_DETAILS`	customs tariff number, country of origin	The eight-digit commodity code of the EU Combined Nomenclature, needed for customs and Intrastat.

Sample catalogues to download

Each file can be downloaded or opened straight in the tool. There you see key figures, fields and the validation report without needing a catalogue of your own.

File	Products	Size
bmecat-2005-etim.xmlBMEcat 2005 with ETIM 9.0. Six products, passes ETIM Guideline 5.0 in the German country column without a finding.	6	22.9 KB	Download Open in the tool
bmecat-2005-etim-mit-fehlern.xmlThe same file with eight typical errors. They are listed below.	6	22.8 KB	Download Open in the tool
bmecat-2005-eclass.xmlBMEcat 2005 with eCl@ss 12.0. Features in plain text, images via `MIME_INFO`, validated against the BMEcat base standard without a guideline.	4	10.6 KB	Download Open in the tool
bmecat-2005-etim-eclass.xmlETIM and eCl@ss in the same file. One `PRODUCT_FEATURES` block per system.	6	25.1 KB	Download Open in the tool
bmecat-1.2.xmlThe older 1.2 format. `ARTICLE` instead of `PRODUCT`, valid against the 1.2 schema.	4	8.9 KB	Download Open in the tool

All files are UTF-8 encoded and the product texts are in German. The images they refer to are not included, just as with a catalogue sent without its ZIP archive.

What is in the file with errors

Eight errors of the kind that keep turning up in real supplier catalogues, each in a specific product:

BSP-1001, price with a comma. 39,80 instead of 39.80. For an importing system that is not a number. The tool reports it twice, as an unreadable price and as a numeric field without a number.
BSP-1002, wrong GTIN check digit. The number has 13 digits, but the last one does not match the first twelve. Usually a typo or a mangled number.
BSP-1002, wrong order. KEYWORD comes before SPECIAL_TREATMENT_CLASS. Irrelevant to the content, formally a schema violation, and some systems reject the file for it without saying why. The tool reports it as an error.
BSP-1003, unit “STK”. Common in German, but not a valid code. The correct one is C62.
BSP-1004, duplicate product number. The product carries the same SUPPLIER_PID as BSP-1003 and therefore appears under BSP-1003 in the validation report. The importing system has to guess which of the two applies.
BSP-1005, reversed price period. Valid from 1 July 2026, valid until 1 January 2026.
BSP-1006, currency “EURO”. Only the ISO code EUR is allowed.
BSP-1006, REACH data missing. Optional in the schema, mandatory in the German country column of the ETIM guideline. The tool lists this one as a warning. Switch to the Dutch column and the finding disappears.

Where the codes come from

The ETIM classes and features are real: EC000003 (residual current circuit breaker), EC000042 (miniature circuit breaker) and EC000125 (socket outlet), each with features that belong to the class. So are the eCl@ss classes 27-14-22-01 and 27-14-19-01. The GTINs start with 20 to 29, a prefix range that GS1 reserves for internal use, so none of them collides with a globally assigned product number. The manufacturers, addresses and prices are fictitious. The plain-text names of the ETIM features are not in the files. They are part of the ETIM translations, and if you have an ETIM language file you can load it into the tool.

Where can I find a BMEcat example file?

On this page: a complete example to copy and five sample catalogues to download, namely BMEcat 2005 with ETIM, with eCl@ss, with both, with typical errors, and BMEcat 1.2. All of them contain only fictitious product data and can be opened straight in the tool.

What does a BMEcat file look like?

A BMEcat file is an XML file with the root element BMECAT. It contains a header (HEADER) with catalogue information and a transaction, usually T_NEW_CATALOG, with one PRODUCT element per product. Each product has at least a product number, a short description, an order unit and a price block.

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