Line card

In short

• Line card is a US term for the list of manufacturers and product lines that a distributor carries.

• Distributors publish the line card as a PDF or as a web page. Examples are the line cards of Graybar and Werner Electric.

• The list shows which brands the distributor can supply. For other brands, the distributor quotes an equivalent or buys elsewhere.

Example

A US distributor publishes its line card on its website. An installer asks for a switchgear from a brand that is not on the list. The distributor cannot quote that brand directly. It offers an or equal product from a manufacturer on its line card and attaches the spec sheets that prove the match. Otherwise, it buys the named product from another source.

New lines often reach a distributor through the manufacturers’ representatives. The line card has two uses. Customers and contractors use it to see which brands a distributor can supply. For the distributor, it sets the limit of what it can quote directly. For a buyer, it is a first filter: a brand that is not on the list can still be supplied, but then as an equivalent or from another source.

The term is US usage. In a German tender, the same question is handled through the Leitfabrikat and the wording „oder gleichwertig“.

What to watch for

• If a specification names a brand that is not on the line card, offer an equivalent and attach the datasheets.

• Keep the line card current in your quoting system. An outdated list leads to quotes for brands you no longer carry.

• Ask early whether a requested brand is on the line card. A missing brand changes the offer.

• Check whether a brand can be quoted directly or only as an equivalent before you promise a delivery date.

Not to be confused with

• Price list: the list of prices for articles. A line card names brands and product lines.

• Catalogue: lists all articles of a distributor, not only the brands.