Swiss reference system · Standardised articles

CAN catalogue — Standardised articles for Swiss electrical work

The CAN (Catalogue of Standardized Articles) is the Swiss reference system that structures article codes, designations and exchange formats between installers, engineering offices and wholesalers of the Swiss and German-speaking electrical market.

What is the CAN?

The Catalogue of Standardised Articles (CAN) is maintained by the community of Swiss distributors and manufacturers. It harmonises the article codes, the multilingual designations (FR/DE/IT) and the exchange formats of data between the players in the Swiss electrical engineering market.

In concrete terms, the same luminaire, cable or circuit breaker receives a unique CAN identifier recognized by all wholesalers (Otto Fischer, Elektro-Material EM, Bugnard, Winterhalter+Fenner, etc.) and their ERP systems. It is the Swiss equivalent of the German SAP-EAN or the French GENCOD code, but focused on electrical engineering.

Why the CAN is central for a Swiss engineering office

  • Quotes and tenders — every item quoted in a tender can be referenced by its CAN code, which avoids ambiguity when ordering.
  • Exchange of material lists between engineering office and installer via the formats .crbx (IfA18) and .01s (SIA 451 / IfA92).
  • Procurement — wholesalers read CAN exports directly and prepare orders without re-keying.
  • Traceability — using the CAN code in schematics and parts lists enables automatic updates when a manufacturer replacement occurs.

Associated exchange formats

Format .crbx — IfA18

structured XML carried by Informatique pour l'Artisanat (IfA), version 18. Describes positions, quantities, CAN items, unit prices, totals and associated services. De facto standard for Swiss electrical tenders since 2018.

Format .01s — SIA 451 / IfA92

Legacy text format, predating XML, but still accepted by Swiss wholesalers for transmitting "flat" material lists. Associated with SIA 451 for installation documentation.

How to generate a CAN file with ElectroCAD

ElectroCAD includes a integrated generator which directly produces:

  • Files .crbx IfA18-compliant, ready to send to the wholesaler.
  • Files .01s SIA 451 / IfA92 compliant for legacy workflows.
  • Excel/CSV lists with "CAN code", "Designation", "Quantity", "Price" columns for internal audit.

The CAN codes are attached to every block in the ElectroBlocs library via customizable attributes. The same schematic thus feeds both the graphical rendering and the CAN material list — with no double entry.

Catalogue updates

The CAN catalogue evolves regularly (added manufacturer references, code changes, withdrawals). Offices using ElectroBlocs receive mapping updates via the plugin's standard release channel (command EBRELOAD).

FAQ

Is the CAN subject to a fee? Access to the raw catalogue depends on a subscription with a wholesaler or a software vendor. On the ElectroCAD side, the block → CAN code mapping is included in the Pro and Ultimate licences.

Difference between CAN and NPK? The NPK (Normpositionen-Katalog) is used by civil engineering and construction at large. The CAN is specific to electrical engineering. Both are published under the aegis of SIA / CRB.

Compatible with Otto Fischer / EM / Bugnard? Yes, all three wholesalers read the format .crbx exported by ElectroCAD.