Question 1

What is a parts cross-reference and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

A parts cross-reference is a mapping between an original equipment manufacturer part number and the equivalent numbers from other suppliers or aftermarket brands. Industrial distributors, fleet maintainers, and repair shops use these mappings to find the same part under different names, confirm interchangeability, and source replacements faster.

Question 2

What input format does the Parts Cross-Reference Lookup expect?

Accepted Answer

The tool accepts a simple pipe-delimited format: OEM Part | Cross References (comma separated) | Description | Manufacturer | Category. You can also upload a CSV. The parser auto-detects common headers like oem, cross, description, brand, and category so you can paste vendor price lists without renaming columns.

Question 3

How does search handle different naming conventions?

Accepted Answer

Search normalizes part numbers by removing spaces, hyphens, underscores, dots, and slashes, and comparing without case. That way queries like 6203-2RS, 6203 2RS, and 62032rs all match the same row. Partial matches also work, so you can type just the leading characters of a number.

Question 4

Can I use this for OEM plus aftermarket catalogs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Industrial and automotive catalogs usually follow multiple conventions, such as OEM numbers, aftermarket suppliers, and interchange codes. List the OEM part on the left and any equivalents on the right, comma separated. The lookup treats each equivalent as a hit that resolves back to the same primary part.

Question 5

Does the tool upload my data to a server?

Accepted Answer

No. Parsing, indexing, and search all run in your browser. Your catalog never leaves your device, which makes the tool safe for internal part numbers, margins, and pricing files.

Question 6

How can I keep a shared cross-reference across my team?

Accepted Answer

Export the cleaned CSV and store it in your shared drive, Git repo, or ERP attachment field. If you manage support queries, feed the CSV into a chatbot so customer service can answer interchange questions in real time instead of passing them to engineering.

OEM	Equivalents	Description	Brand
6203-2RS	SKF 6203-2RSNSK 6203DDUNTN 6203LLU	Sealed ball bearing 17x40x12	Multiple
FL-1A	FL1APH2870AXG2	Engine oil filter 1-8NPT	Fram
BP-100A	100A-BP1100-ATX100	Hydraulic brake pad front set	Bosch
SP-RC12YC	RC12YCJ19LMBR2LM	Spark plug resistor copper core	Champion
AF-42138	42138CA9997A1695C	Air filter panel style	ACDelco

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