---
title: "Item-Supplier Mapping"
space: "ERPNext"
url: "https://www.prilk.com/docs/erpnext/item-supplier-mapping"
updated: "2026-05-15"
---

## Item-Supplier Mapping

For items you buy from multiple suppliers, the **Item Supplier** table on each Item record links them — with each supplier's part number, price, lead time.

### Where to add suppliers to an item

Open any Item → **Item Supplier** child table at the bottom.

### Adding a supplier

For each supplier that carries this item, add a row:

| Field | What |
|---|---|
| **Supplier** | The supplier |
| **Supplier Part No** | The part number they use (often differs from your internal Item Code) |
| **Price** | Their list price (optional — can also use Price Lists) |
| **Lead Time** | Days from order to delivery |

### Why this matters

**Auto-matching incoming invoices:** when you receive a PEPPOL invoice from a supplier, ERPNext matches their product names / IDs against the Item Supplier table to find the right ERPNext Item. Without this mapping, the matcher falls back to product names, which is fuzzier.

**Default supplier per item:** when creating a Material Request, ERPNext can suggest the default supplier for each item — typically the first one in the Item Supplier list.

**Comparison shopping:** when creating a Request for Quotation, ERPNext can email all suppliers listed against the items, collect their quotes, and present a side-by-side comparison.

### Supplier-specific pricing

You can express supplier-specific pricing two ways:

1. **Price on the Item Supplier row** — simple, just one price per supplier
2. **Supplier-specific Item Price** — full Item Price record with a Buying Price List per supplier, supports time-limited prices, volume breaks

For most setups, the simple row-level price is enough. Move to Item Prices when you need volume or seasonal pricing.

### Default supplier for receiving

When a Purchase Invoice arrives without a clear supplier match (via PEPPOL or manual upload), ERPNext checks the Item Supplier mapping in reverse: "which suppliers carry these items?" and uses that to suggest a supplier.

### Bulk mapping

For migrating many items × suppliers:

1. **Data Import → New** → Document Type: **Item Supplier**
2. Download template — needs Item Code, Supplier, optional Supplier Part No, Price, Lead Time
3. Upload

### Common situations

- **Multi-source critical items** — list multiple suppliers in priority order; ERPNext defaults to the first
- **Single-source items** — only one supplier listed
- **Supplier with different part number** — supplier uses "ABC-123-RED"; your Item Code is "ITEM-042"; the Item Supplier row carries the mapping
- **Replacing a supplier** — add the new one, set as primary, remove the old when transition is done