Your Excel pricing calculator, inside the quote
Import the .xlsx your estimators already trust into a Spreadsheet block. Its cells set the price lines, the price table total comes back into a cell, and nobody retypes a number.
- 5/5 on G2
- 4.2 on Capterra
- Building QuoteCloud since 2013
Add a Spreadsheet block to your quote template and import your Excel .xlsx calculator into it. Formulas such as IF, ROUNDUP and lookups work across tabs. Connect a cell to a price line's description or unit price, and bring the price table total back into a cell. The Spreadsheet block is on Essentials and up.
Last reviewed by the QuoteCloud team
Two overlapping panels with sample data. Behind, Tessmore Engineering's quote TE-Q-2441 for Quenda Robotics with a Spreadsheet block holding Callum Reid's costing calculator, imported from TE costing calculator v7.xlsx: blank weight 0.42 kg, material $9.80 per kg, cycle time 14.5 minutes, machine rate $96 an hour, cost per part $29.42 and price per part $40.90, which sets the first price line; setup and programming $528.00 sets the second; the price table total $10,753.00 comes back into a cell. In front, the price table: 250 QR-310 motor mounts at $40.90 and setup at $528.00.
Costing calculator · Quoteimported from TE costing calculator v7.xlsx
=ROUNDUP(B10/(1-B9)*20,0)/20
| A | B | |
| 1 | Costing | QR-310 Rev A |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Material | 6061-T6 bar |
| 3 | Blank weight, kg | 0.42 |
| 4 | Material, $ per kg | 9.80 (formula =XLOOKUP(B2,Rates!A:A,Rates!B:B)) |
| 5 | Cycle time, min | 14.5 |
| 6 | Machine rate, $ per hour | 96.00 |
| 7 | Black anodise, $ per part | 2.10 |
| 8 | Setup & CAM, hours | 5.5 |
| 9 | Target margin | 28% |
| 10 | Cost per part | 29.42 (formula =ROUND(B3*B4+B5/60*B6+B7,2)) |
| 11 | Price per part | 40.90 line 1 unit price |
| 12 | Part description | QR-310 motor mount, 6061-T6, black anodised line 1 description |
| 13 | Setup & programming | 528.00 line 2 unit price |
| 14 | Price table total | 10,753.00 |
| 15 | Setup share of order | 4.9% (formula =B13/B14) |
| 16 | Margin per part | 28.1% (formula =(B11-B10)/B11) |
- Typed in
- Your rates
- Formula
- Sets a price line
- From the price table
Your parts, priced
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| QR-310 motor mount, 250 pcs | $10,753 | ||
QR-310 motor mount, 6061-T6, black anodised From B11To drawing Rev A · 5 weeks after your PO
|
250 pcs | $40.90 | $10,225.00 |
Setup, fixtures & CAM programming From B13One-off, kept for repeat orders
|
1 job | $528 | $528.00 |
| Add if you need it Tick to add | |||
First article inspection reportFull dimensional report on the first part
|
1 report | $185 | $185.00 |
- Subtotal
- $10,753.00
- Tax (10%)
- $1,075.30
- Total
- $11,828.30
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
Why move the calculator into the quote?
Callum Reid prices every RFQ at Tessmore Engineering in a workbook he has refined for years: material by the kilo, cycle time at the machine rate, anodising, setup, then a margin rounded up to the nearest 5 cents. Then he retyped the answer into the quote.
With the calculator imported into a Spreadsheet block in Tessmore's RFQ template, he types the inputs once, in the quote, and the price lines fill from the cells. The margin check reads the real price table total, options and all.
- No retyping between the workbook and the quote, so no transposed digits.
- Every quote carries the version of the calculator it was priced with.
- The block can sit in a section hidden from the recipient, so Quenda Robotics sees prices, not your costs.
How do I import an Excel calculator into a QuoteCloud quote?
Do it once, in the template, and every new quote starts with the calculator.
- 1
Save it as .xlsx
Only .xlsx imports. Save .xls or .csv files, or a Google Sheet, as .xlsx first.
- 2
Add a Spreadsheet block
In your quote template, click + and choose Spreadsheet. Put it in a section hidden from the recipient if it holds your costs.
- 3
Import the file
Click Import on the spreadsheet toolbar and choose the .xlsx. The tabs, values and formulas come into the block.
- 4
Check the formulas
Test a known job. Macros, pivot tables and some complex formulas don't come across: rebuild them with standard functions.
- 5
Connect cells to the price lines
Connect each price cell to a line's unit price, and a text cell to its description. Bring the price table total back into a cell for your checks.
The same calculator, before and after the import
Callum's Quote tab in Excel, and the same figures in the quote's Spreadsheet block, now pricing the lines.
| A | B | |
| 1 | Costing | QR-310 Rev A |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Blank weight, kg | 0.42 |
| 3 | Material, $ per kg | 9.80 |
| 4 | Cycle time, min | 14.5 |
| 5 | Machine rate, $ per hour | 96.00 |
| 6 | Target margin | 28% |
| 7 | Cost per part | 29.42 |
| 8 | Price per part | 40.90 |
| 9 | Setup & programming | 528.00 |
Illustration of a workbook table with sample data, not Excel’s screen.
Import
- .xlsx import
- Same tabs and formulas
- Cells set price lines
Costing calculator · Quoteimported from TE costing calculator v7.xlsx
=ROUNDUP(B10/(1-B9)*20,0)/20
| A | B | |
| 1 | Costing | QR-310 Rev A |
|---|---|---|
| ⋯ | ||
| 9 | Target margin | 28% |
| 10 | Cost per part | 29.42 (formula =ROUND(B3*B4+B5/60*B6+B7,2)) |
| 11 | Price per part | 40.90 line 1 unit price |
| 12 | Part description | QR-310 motor mount, 6061-T6, black anodised line 1 description |
| 13 | Setup & programming | 528.00 line 2 unit price |
| 14 | Price table total | 10,753.00 |
| 15 | Setup share of order | 4.9% (formula =B13/B14) |
| 16 | Margin per part | 28.1% (formula =(B11-B10)/B11) |
- Your rates
- Formula
- Sets a price line
- From the price table
The workbook is our illustration with sample data, not Excel's screen. The import is a copy: later edits to the .xlsx don't flow into quotes, so update the template when your rates change.
Which cells set the price lines?
In TE-Q-2441, cell B11 (price per part, $40.90) sets the first line's unit price and B12 sets its description. B13 (setup and programming, $528.00) sets the second line's unit price. Callum types 250 on the line: quantities are set on the price lines as usual.
The price table total, $10,753.00, comes back into B14. From there the block works out setup as a share of the order (4.9%) and the margin per part (28.1%), the checks Callum used to do on a calculator.
- Connect a cell to a line's description and unit price.
- Bring the price table total back into a cell as an input.
- Options your client ticks change the total, and the cells that read it.
Spreadsheet block: Essentials and up
Price books and imports for manufacturersYour parts, priced
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| QR-310 motor mount, 250 pcs | $10,753 | ||
QR-310 motor mount, 6061-T6, black anodised From B11To drawing Rev A · 5 weeks after your PO
|
250 pcs | $40.90 | $10,225.00 |
Setup, fixtures & CAM programming From B13One-off, kept for repeat orders
|
1 job | $528 | $528.00 |
| Add if you need it Tick to add | |||
| 1 report | $185 | $185.00 | |
- Subtotal
- $10,753.00
- Tax (10%)
- $1,075.30
- Total
- $11,828.30
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
What comes across from Excel, and what doesn't
From the user guide's notes on .xlsx import, and what we'd check before your first live quote.
Comes across
Tabs, cell values, rows and columns, simple formatting, and formulas built from standard functions such as SUM, IF, ROUND, ROUNDUP and lookups.
Check after import
Complex formulas, named ranges and structured table references. Test the block against a job you priced in Excel and compare the answers.
Doesn't come across
Macros and VBA, pivot tables and some chart types. Rebuild a macro's job with formulas, and keep pivot tables for your reporting workbook.
Import your calculator today
The Spreadsheet block is on the Essentials plan and up. Start a free 14-day trial and price your next quote from the cells you already trust.
Variations on this set-up
Keep costs out of sight
Put the Spreadsheet block in a section set to Hide from Recipient. Your estimator sees the costing; the client sees the priced lines.
Fill the inputs with a Zap
When a Zap creates the quote, it can write values into the block's cells, such as weights or measures from a row in an Excel table.
Log the priced quote to Excel
The calculator lives in the quote; the register can stay in Excel. A Zap adds a row for every new quote: see log every document.
Not sure it should move?
Some workbooks belong in Excel. Spreadsheet block or workbook? walks through which to use when.
Questions about the calculator
Can I import an Excel spreadsheet into a QuoteCloud quote?
Yes. Add a Spreadsheet block and click Import on its toolbar to bring in an .xlsx file. Values, rows, columns, tabs and simple formatting come across, and the block stays editable. Only .xlsx is supported, so save .xls, .csv or Google Sheets files as .xlsx first. The block is on Essentials and up.
Will my Excel formulas still work?
Mostly. The Spreadsheet block supports Google-Sheets-style functions such as SUM, IF, ROUND, ROUNDUP and lookups, with references across tabs. Macros, pivot tables and some complex formulas may not survive the import, so test a job you priced in Excel and rebuild anything that changed.
Can a spreadsheet cell set a price line in the quote?
Yes. Any cell can be connected to a price line's description and unit price, so the calculator prices the line. The quantity is set on the line as usual. The price table total can also come back into a cell, for checks such as margin or setup as a share of the order.
Will my client see the calculator and my costs?
Not if you hide it. Put the Spreadsheet block in a section or container set to Hide from Recipient: your team sees the costing in the editor, and the client sees the priced lines. If the block is meant for the client, such as a sizing table, leave it visible.
Does the block stay linked to my Excel file?
No. The import copies the workbook into the block; later edits to the .xlsx don't flow into quotes. Keep the calculator in your quote template and update the template when rates change, so every new quote starts from the current version.
More on QuoteCloud and Excel
Use cases with the exact steps, then how to connect, test and what it costs.
- Log every QuoteCloud document to an Excel tableEach new document adds a row to your register, and its status, signed date and value update as it moves.
- Create QuoteCloud quotes from Excel table rowsA new row in a request table drafts the quote from your template and writes its reference back to the row.
- Month-end quote reporting in ExcelQuoted, signed and deposit figures already in the table, ready for the pivot table finance runs at month end.
- Spreadsheet block or Excel workbook?When to move your calculator into the quote, when to keep the workbook and move rows with Zaps, and when to do both.
- Connect Microsoft Excel to QuoteCloud, step by stepCheck where the workbook lives, format a table, connect both apps in Zapier and build the first Zap.
- Excel to QuoteCloud field mapEvery column the Excel Zaps on this site fill or read, which way it travels and a sample value.
- Test and troubleshoot the Excel ZapsTest with a copy of the workbook, then fix the usual problems: no workbook listed, no table, no row found.
- What QuoteCloud with Excel can and can't doWhat the Spreadsheet block and the Zaps do, where they stop, Zapier or Make, and what we haven't confirmed.
- What the Excel connection costsEssentials and up for the Spreadsheet block and Zapier, plus a fee only for documents a Zap creates.
- FAQAnswers to the questions estimators and finance teams ask before connecting QuoteCloud and Excel.
Price from the cells you trust.
Start a free 14-day trial, import your Excel calculator into a Spreadsheet block and let it set your price lines.
Excel calculator in a quoteFree 14 days · no card
Start free trial