In this guide 6 sections
A rating decides the sale because an electrical part either fits the circuit or it does not. Hold current, poles, voltage and series as separate fields, link modules to frames and plates, sell cable by the metre or coil, and date every quotation.
Why a rating decides the sale
A homeowner may shop on looks. An electrician shops on the rating. A breaker one step too low for the circuit is not a cheaper alternative but the wrong part, and it comes back in the van.
Search follows the rating. People type “32 amp double pole isolator” or “6 way distribution board”, not a brand name. A rating buried in a long title cannot be filtered, so the right part stays hidden from the person who needs it. Contractors planning a board upgrade read the breaking capacity and the trip curve before anything else on the page.
Price still matters. But it matters only among parts that already pass the rating test, and the page has to prove that first.
Hold every rating as its own field
Give each product family the fields its buyers check. A circuit breaker needs rated current, number of poles, voltage, breaking capacity and trip curve, while a socket needs current, gang count, earthing and finish.
Keep units fixed. Current is always a number in amps. A filter can sort it, but free text such as “16A or 20A, check box” breaks every filter that touches it.
A second pass adds the ingress rating, the mounting type and the colour, because those are the fields that cause returns when they are missed. Missed fields cause returns.
- Rated current in amps and voltage, stored as numbers
- Number of poles and number of ways on a board
- Breaking capacity and trip curve for breakers
- Ingress rating and mounting type for enclosures
- Series name on every piece of switchgear and every wiring accessory
Series decide what fits what
Wiring accessories are sold in series. A switch module from one series fits frames and plates from that series only, and a mismatched plate rocks on the wall or will not close.
Hold the series as a field. Link each module to the frames and plates that take it. A frame takes a set number of modules and a plate covers a set number of gangs, so show only the plate that fits the module in the basket.
Add the back box depth and the finish. A white plate and a brushed steel plate are separate listings when stock and price differ, not a colour dropdown on one product page.
- Module, frame and plate linked by series and gang count
- Back box depth for each plate or frame
- Finish held as its own code, with its own stock
Cable is sold by length, not by the piece
Cable confuses a shop template. Twin and earth, armoured cable and flexible cord carry a core count and a cross section, yet buyers ask for metres, not items. Weight per metre belongs in a field too, since it decides whether a coil travels by parcel or on a pallet.
Sell it three ways: cut to length by the metre, in a fixed coil or on a drum, each with its own unit, price and minimum cut. Stock is kept in metres. Each sale takes its metres off the stock.
Offcuts under a set length go to a clearance list, and drums need a delivery rule because a full drum is far too heavy for a courier parcel.
- Cable type, core count and cross section as fields
- Price per metre, per coil and per drum
- Minimum cut length and offcut handling
Quotations should carry a validity date
Contractors send lists, not baskets. Let the buyer paste or upload the list, match each line to a code, and flag any line that matches nothing so a person can resolve it. Matching rules help: strip spaces and hyphens from codes, and treat the maker’s old code as an alias of the new one.
Return the result as a quotation, not an order. Put a validity date at the top, because copper moves, a price held indefinitely hurts the supplier, and a price that lapses quietly annoys the buyer.
Today, check twenty of your best selling lines. Each line should show its rating, its series and its unit in fields that a filter can read, before anything new goes on the shelf.
Electrical product field sheet
It fits on one page. Each row covers one product family: breakers, sockets, switch modules, frames, plates and cable. Columns list the fields to hold: current, poles, voltage, series, unit of sale and compatible items. A last block lays out the quotation header, with the customer, the date, the validity date and the lines quoted.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
What is a series in wiring accessories?
It is a range of modules, frames and plates made to fit together, sold under one name by one maker. Mixing series rarely works. So store the series name with every accessory.
How should cable be priced by the metre?
Store a price per metre with a minimum cut, plus a separate price for a full coil or drum, so the basket can total the order before checkout.
Do I need a quotation tool, or will email do?
Email works at first. It hides which price was quoted when, whereas a quotation record with a number and a validity date lets the counter find the right one in seconds.
How often should ratings be checked?
Check them when a maker issues a new range or changes a part number. Ratings rarely change, but codes do. A replaced code can point at a different rating without anyone noticing, so compare the old and new datasheets line by line before you switch.