How to Export a BOM from KiCad (2026 Guide)

A BOM is only as good as its fields

Your KiCad schematic knows every component, but a fab or assembler needs that list as a clean, priced Bill of Materials — with the right manufacturer part numbers, quantities, and references. Export it sloppily and you get back questions, silent substitutions, or a quote you can't trust. This guide covers KiCad's BOM tool, which symbol fields actually matter, and how to price the whole list across LCSC, DigiKey, and Mouser before you order.

What a KiCad BOM actually contains

A BOM is a grouped list of every component in your design: one row per unique part, with quantity, the reference designators (R1, R2, C5...), value, footprint, and ideally a manufacturer part number (MPN) and supplier part number. KiCad builds it from the schematic's symbol fields, so the quality of your BOM is decided upstream — if your symbols don't carry MPN fields, the export won't either. KiCad 8 generates BOMs directly from the schematic editor with a configurable field layout.

What you can do with the exported BOM

• Auto-extract BOM — Open your board and the BOM is pulled out and grouped automatically.
• Three-supplier pricing — Search LCSC, DigiKey, and Mouser for every line at once.
• Cross-matched MPNs — The same part is matched across suppliers so you compare like for like.
• Optimal-buy view — See the cheapest valid source per part, and the total.
• CSV / XLSX export — Hand a clean, priced sheet to your fab or purchasing.
• No upload — Parsing and pricing run in your browser; the design stays local.

Exporting a BOM from KiCad, step by step

1. In KiCad's schematic editor, make sure each symbol has the fields you need — at minimum Value and Footprint, ideally an MPN or LCSC field for sourcing.
2. Open Tools → Generate Bill of Materials. Pick a BOM preset (or the JLCPCB plugin if you're assembling there) and export the CSV.
3. Review the grouped rows — confirm quantities and references match your board, and that no part is missing an MPN.
4. To price it, open your board in the viewer and let it search LCSC, DigiKey, and Mouser for each line.
5. Export the priced CSV/XLSX and send it to your fab, assembler, or purchasing — or use the optimal-buy total to place the order.

Why a clean BOM saves a re-quote

Assembly houses quote from your BOM. A missing MPN means they pick a substitute — or stop and ask, delaying the order. A wrong quantity means a shortage on the line. A part with no supplier match means a manual sourcing round at your expense. Getting the BOM right, with real MPNs priced across suppliers, turns a back-and-forth quote into a one-shot order, and often cuts the parts cost by sourcing each line from the cheapest valid supplier.

Who needs this

• Anyone preparing a BOM for JLCPCB or PCBWay turnkey assembly.
• Engineers pricing a design across LCSC, DigiKey, and Mouser before committing.
• Makers handing a clean, priced sheet to a contract assembler.
• Buyers finding a cheaper second source for an expensive or out-of-stock part.
• Anyone sanity-checking a BOM they received before approving the build.

Your design stays private

MakerSuite 3D extracts and prices the BOM entirely in your browser. The board file is never uploaded or stored, so proprietary designs and client work stay on your machine — which matters when you're costing boards under NDA.