What Is ECLASS?

Last updated: August 2026

ECLASS is a cross-industry standard for classifying products and services. Every product receives an unambiguous eight-digit classification code from a four-level hierarchy and is described with standardized properties, values and units. Companies use ECLASS primarily in procurement, data exchange and Industry 4.0 scenarios. The standard is maintained by the ECLASS association.

What does eCl@ss mean?

eCl@ss is the former spelling of the same standard — it now operates uniformly under the name ECLASS. The standard was initiated by major German industrial companies around the turn of the millennium and has been maintained by the ECLASS association, headquartered in Cologne, since 2000; it is published in more than 30 language variants.

In one sentence: ECLASS is a hierarchical classification standard that assigns products and services an unambiguous position and describes them with standardized, machine-readable properties.

What are the levels of the ECLASS structure?

ECLASS classifies across exactly four hierarchy levels. Each level is encoded with two digits, which together form the eight-digit ECLASS code (“XX-XX-XX-XX”). Products are always classified at the lowest level, the classification class — only there are the property lists attached.

How many ECLASS classes are there?

According to the ECLASS association, the standard comprises around 48,000 product classes and more than 23,000 unique properties, covering virtually every industry — from electrical engineering and machinery to chemicals, medical technology and services. Each release adds substance: release 16.0 alone introduced 995 new classes, including 137 new classification classes, plus more than 1,250 new properties.

What is the current ECLASS version?

The current release is ECLASS 16.0, published on 28 November 2025. According to the ECLASS association, more than 155,000 change requests from industry and commerce went into the release, which is available in 31 languages (29 fully translated). In practice, many recipients and platforms still work with older releases — so your data management needs to run several ECLASS versions in parallel and deliver the right version per recipient.

How do I find the ECLASS number for a product?

You find the eight-digit ECLASS code via the official search on eclass.eu: search by keyword for the matching classification class and adopt its code. Alternatively, many suppliers already deliver ECLASS numbers in their catalogue data, or your PIM system suggests suitable classes during classification. Always record the release version together with the code (e.g. “ECLASS 16.0”), because codes can change between releases.

What is the difference between ECLASS Basic and Advanced?

Both share the same classification but differ in descriptive depth. ECLASS Basic uses a simple, flat property structure, is available as CSV or XML, is easy to read for humans and comparatively easy to implement — typical for procurement, sales and controlling. ECLASS Advanced adds a flexible, hierarchical structure with blocks, aspects, cardinality and polymorphism, is delivered as XML and is primarily machine-oriented — used above all in engineering and CAx environments and in Industry 4.0 scenarios such as the Asset Administration Shell. Rule of thumb: Basic for commercial data exchange, Advanced for deeply structured technical product description.

Who uses ECLASS, and what is it used for in e-procurement?

ECLASS is used by industrial companies, wholesalers, procurement platforms and public-sector buyers across many industries — electrical engineering and automation, machinery, construction, chemicals, medical technology and logistics among them. In e-procurement, ECLASS makes electronic catalogues, orders and invoices understandable across company borders: purchasing departments analyze spend by commodity group, compare suppliers and reduce free-text orders. Many corporations therefore require ECLASS-classified catalogue data, typically transferred as BMEcat catalogues or via OCI interfaces.

Is ECLASS free of charge?

No. Unlike ETIM, ECLASS is licence-based: productive use of the releases requires a licence from the ECLASS association, with tiered conditions (details and prices on eclass.eu). Members of the association receive benefits and shape the standard through change requests. On top of the licence fee comes the internal maintenance effort — which drops considerably with proper PIM support.

What is the difference between ECLASS and ETIM?

ECLASS is hierarchical, cross-industry and strong in procurement, industry and Industry 4.0; ETIM is flat, feature-centric and the standard of the technical wholesale channel (electrical, HVAC, building). Many manufacturers need both: ETIM for the trade channel, ECLASS for corporate purchasing and engineering. You will find the full comparison table on our page What is ETIM?

What is the difference between ECLASS and UNSPSC?

UNSPSC (United Nations Standard Products and Services Code) is also a hierarchical commodity classification, but essentially a pure numbering system: it categorizes products without defining standardized property lists. ECLASS goes further — it classifies AND describes products via properties, values and units. UNSPSC dominates in North America and global spend analyses, ECLASS in European e-procurement and industry; internationally active companies therefore often map ECLASS to UNSPSC rather than choosing one.

How do you manage ECLASS in a PIM system?

ECLASS maintenance means assigning the correct classification class (in the correct version) per product and filling the required properties. Beyond a few hundred articles, this needs system support. In a PIM, you import the ECLASS release as a reference structure, map your internal attributes to ECLASS properties once, and let the system validate completeness and value ranges automatically. Version upgrades (say, 15.0 to 16.0) are handled through mapping updates instead of re-keying everything, and exports to procurement platforms are generated as BMEcat or the required portal format. Background: Classification of product data.

Where does ECLASS fit in the PIM and data management landscape?

ECLASS is a standard, not a system — it is maintained wherever your product data lives centrally. Within the interplay of a PIM system (leading source for product data and classifications), DAM and channel syndication, ECLASS is one of several target classifications alongside ETIM, marketplace categories or customer-specific structures. The PIM keeps your internal product model and translates it, rule-based, into the standards your customers’ purchasing systems require.

ECLASS in a PIM system like OMN

In OMN, the PIM system by apollon, you run ECLASS as a dedicated classification structure in parallel with your internal product hierarchy — and, where needed, alongside ETIM and further standards. Products are assigned to classification classes via mapping, properties are populated from your attributes, and completeness and value ranges are validated automatically. Multiple ECLASS versions can coexist, so every recipient gets the release they require. Via Channel Management, you deliver the data as BMEcat or portal-specific formats to procurement platforms and trading partners. apollon brings more than 25 years of experience in product data and media processes, particularly in industrial and retail projects. Details: OMN Product Information Management — or see classification management live in a free demo.

FAQ — Frequently asked questions about ECLASS

What does an ECLASS example look like in practice?

A product is classified at level 4 in exactly one classification class — its eight-digit code encodes segment, main group, group and commodity class (pattern “XX-XX-XX-XX”). Recipients receive the code plus properties and can sort and compare the product automatically.

Can I use ETIM and ECLASS in parallel?

Yes — in technical industries this is the norm: ETIM for wholesale and trade, ECLASS for corporate procurement and engineering. A PIM system maintains both standards on the same product, avoiding duplicate maintenance in separate lists.

What role does ECLASS play in Industry 4.0 and the Digital Product Passport?

ECLASS properties serve as a semantic vocabulary in Industry 4.0 scenarios — for example in the Asset Administration Shell, where properties must be referenced unambiguously. This makes ECLASS one of the foundations for machine-readable product descriptions, as also discussed for the Digital Product Passport.

What is an ECLASS classification class (CC)?

The classification class is the lowest of the four levels — the class a product is actually assigned to, and the only level carrying property lists. The upper three levels serve navigation and analysis; classification always happens at level 4.