What is ETIM?
ETIM (European Technical Information Model) is a classification standard for technical products. It provides a unified language for describing products across the electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and industrial supply chains. ETIM defines product classes (e.g., EC000007 = Circuit breaker), each with a set of standardized features (attributes), allowed values, and units.
Who uses it?
ETIM is used by manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors across Europe and increasingly worldwide. It's the dominant classification in the electrical wholesale industry. Major buying groups and trade platforms (e.g., 2BA in the Netherlands, ELDAS in Germany) require ETIM-classified product data from suppliers.
Why it matters for product data
Without ETIM classification, your products can't be found or compared in many B2B platforms. Distributors increasingly reject supplier data that isn't ETIM-classified. ETIM 10.0 (the current version) covers over 5,640 product classes with detailed attribute definitions. Getting your catalog ETIM-compliant means: assigning the correct class to each product, filling all required attributes, and using the correct units and value formats.
ETIM vs eCl@ss
Both are product classification systems, but they serve different markets. ETIM dominates in electrical and HVAC. eCl@ss is broader, covering all industrial products, and is more common in Germany's automotive and manufacturing supply chains. Some companies need both. The attribute structures are different, so you can't simply convert one to the other — you need to map each product independently.
How FacetFlux helps
FacetFlux automatically classifies products to the correct ETIM class during AI enrichment. Upload your catalog, and FacetFlux assigns ETIM classes, fills required attributes, and exports as ETIM xChange — no manual lookup required.
Try FacetFlux Free