Convert PDF to ESX: upload it, then open it in Xactimate
Upload your carrier scope PDF, get an ESX estimate file, with every unit price taken from your own document.
Convert PDF to ESX: your four steps
So you want to convert PDF to ESX: upload the scope PDF, let the conversion run for a few minutes, download the .esx file, and open it in Xactimate. ESXPress reads an insurance carrier estimate PDF and produces a Xactimate .esx estimate file — line items, quantities, and unit prices — from the document you uploaded.
Step 1 — upload. You upload the estimate PDF your carrier or contractor sent you, often called the scope of loss. Step 2 — the conversion happens. The document becomes organized lines: each product code, its quantity, and its unit price just as they appear in the PDF. This takes a few minutes and runs on our side. Step 3 — download. You download the .esx file when it is ready. Step 4 — open. You import the file into Xactimate, where your own price list is applied.
The result is a real Xactimate estimate file, not a text export: the same line items the carrier listed, the same quantities, and the same unit prices, ready to be adjusted, extended, or appended once it is inside Xactimate.
No re-typing hundreds of lines and no copying prices from one document to another. The estimate comes off the page as a file Xactimate can open, and every number in it traces back to the PDF you uploaded.
Every unit price comes from your PDF
The unit price on every line is the price from your own PDF. ESXPress does not guess a price and it does not substitute another price list. If a product code is not recognized, the PDF price stays on the line and the line is flagged — the total never silently changes.
Measured across 289 real claim files with 7,525 line items, 2,756 line items (36.6%) carry a code our catalog recognizes; the rest keep their PDF price. The median estimate file moves 17% of its lines, and 39 files move none. That is what honest conversion looks like: the output reflects the document you uploaded.
This matters most on a scope with hundreds of lines. A line that keeps its PDF price keeps the number the carrier stood behind, and a line our catalog recognizes can be repriced against the list you use. You decide; the file does not decide for you.
The exported .esx also carries no price-list name, no tax block, and no minimums of our own. Xactimate's receiver applies its list when importing, and a real import test in Xactimate confirmed the file opens clean. If Xactimate asks you to reprice, that is the intended design: your chosen price list does the pricing.
Not a generic file converter
Generic file converters handle formats. They can wrap a PDF into a file with an .esx ending, but they do not understand an estimate — they cannot tell a line item from a page number, a quantity from a date, or a unit price from a tracking number.
ESXPress is built around Xactimate estimates. It reads the carrier's scope of loss as what it actually is: line items, quantities, unit prices, and product codes. It keeps every price from your PDF, flags what it cannot resolve instead of guessing, and can turn the floor plans in the same scope into Xactimate-ready sketch files.
The difference shows in the output. A generic converter gives you a file with the right extension and the wrong kind of content; this one gives you an estimate you can open, review, and work in. When a code is unclear, the safe behavior is to keep the source number and say so — guessing invites a total that no longer matches the carrier's scope.
Behind that sits real data: 33,076 line items and 6,648 distinct product codes extracted from real insurance claim documents, plus a free code dictionary with more than 1,480 dedicated Xactimate code pages, each with a description, category, and related links.
What you can convert: formats, multi-page PDFs, and sketches
ESXPress converts insurance carrier estimate PDFs — the scope documents that come from an adjuster, a contractor, or a claim system. If the carrier sent the estimate as a PDF, that is the input, and the itemized lines do not have to be re-typed anywhere else.
Multi-page scopes convert as one document: the converter reads every page and combines them into a single estimate. A long scope PDF converts the same way a short one does, and every page stays part of the same file.
Floor plans inside the scope are supported too. They export as Xactimate-ready .skx sketch files — one per floor page, or a zip of all of them. The first export builds the rooms and takes a few minutes; later exports of the same claim are fast. Sketch exports go through the same pipeline as production.
Everything in the flow is watched: the automated upload-to-convert-to-download smoke test runs every 30 minutes, so a broken convert path gets caught quickly rather than discovered on a customer's job.
Opening the .esx file in Xactimate
This is the step that shows the difference. You download the .esx file and import it into Xactimate. Because nothing was stamped into the file — no price-list name, no tax block, no minimums — the receiver applies the price list you use, and a real import test confirmed the file opens clean.
You may see Xactimate ask you to reprice during import. That is expected and intended: the pricing is done by your chosen price list, not by a list that came with the file. The line prices in the file itself come from your PDF.
Before import, every line that could not be resolved was already flagged during conversion. So when you review the estimate, you can see exactly which lines still carry their PDF price and which carry a code Xactimate recognizes — nothing happens behind your back.
A converted file is usually the starting point, not the finish line. Once the estimate is inside Xactimate, lines can be adjusted, quantities changed, and new work added for the rest of the claim.
Flags, errors, and what to do
A conversion can meet a code it does not recognize — a variation in how the carrier wrote it, or a code outside the common set. ESXPress keeps the PDF price and flags the line instead of changing the total. The estimate is still complete, and the flag tells you where to look.
Free tools help with the review: an ESX validator checks your converted file, a reprice checker looks at your pricing decisions, and a code search covers the dictionary of more than 1,480 Xactimate code pages. A glossary, a profit calculator, and guides walk through the whole workflow — all free.
If a file still will not open, the starting point is the original PDF: every price in the output traces back to that document, so any mismatch shows up as a flag rather than as a silent difference.
When a scope is clean, you may not see flags at all. Most conversions produce an estimate you can open and adjust right away; the flags exist for the rest, so the total never changes without telling you why.
Frequently asked questions
Which PDF formats can I convert to ESX?
ESXPress converts insurance carrier estimate PDFs — the scope documents that come from an adjuster, a contractor, or a claim system. The line items, quantities, and unit prices in that PDF are what become the .esx file.
Can I convert a multi-page scope PDF?
Yes. The converter reads the whole PDF, page by page, and combines the pages into one estimate. Floor-plan pages are handled separately as sketches: one Xactimate-ready .skx file per floor page, or a zip of all of them.
Can I turn the floor plan in my scope into a Xactimate sketch?
Yes. Floor plans in the scope PDF export as Xactimate-ready .skx sketch files. The first export builds the rooms and takes a few minutes; later exports of the same claim are fast. Sketch exports run through the same production pipeline.
How long does it take to convert a PDF to ESX?
The conversion takes a few minutes and runs as a background job, so nothing needs to happen on your side between upload and download. The first floor-plan sketch export takes a few minutes as well.
What happens if a product code is not recognized?
The PDF price is kept and the line is flagged — the total never silently changes. Measured across 289 real claim files with 7,525 line items, 2,756 line items (36.6%) carry a code our catalog recognizes; the median file moves 17% of its lines, and 39 files move none.
Will converting the PDF change my prices?
No. Every line carries the unit price from your own PDF, and the exported file carries no price-list name, tax block, or minimums. When you import it, Xactimate applies the price list you use — that is the intended design.
How do I open the converted ESX file?
Open Xactimate and import the .esx file. A real import test confirmed the file opens clean. Xactimate may ask you to reprice during import, which is expected, because your price list does the pricing.
What if the converted file does not open or looks wrong?
Check it with the free ESX validator, look up flagged codes in the code dictionary, and follow the guides. Flagged lines keep their PDF price, so the output total can always be compared against the original PDF. The upload-convert-download pipeline is also smoke-tested automatically every 30 minutes.