ESX & Format
Trade Category Prefix
A trade category prefix is the short letter group at the front of a line item code that names the trade, such as roofing, drywall or paint. A wrong prefix can send a line into the wrong trade and change how it prices, so check it before you argue the description.
Full guide: xactimate line item search guide
More esx & format terms
- Reprice
What happens when you import an ESX file: Xactimate prices every line item against the price list loaded in your copy, which may differ from the one used to write the file.
- Structural check
A review of an ESX file's structure, required sections, code shape, and line totals, before you try to import it.
- Verisk
The analytics company that owns Xactimate and the Xactware estimating tools.
- XactAnalysis
Verisk's web-based tool for viewing and working with Xactimate estimates without a desktop install.
- Xactimate
The estimating software used across the property insurance industry to price damage claims. Carriers, adjusters, and contractors all work from the same Xactimate price lists, which is why it is the common language of claims.
- XactNet
XactNet is Xactware's network for sending claim assignments and files between carriers, adjusters and contractors, separate from email. When a carrier sends work through XactNet, the attached estimate is usually an ESX file, so keep the message and its attachments together, since that file and not a PDF is what carries the line items.
Common questions
What does "Trade Category Prefix" mean in Xactimate estimating?
A trade category prefix is the short letter group at the front of a line item code that names the trade, such as roofing, drywall or paint. A wrong prefix can send a line into the wrong trade and change how it prices, so check it before you argue the description.
Where does "Trade Category Prefix" show up in a claim?
The term matters on estimates and scopes across the insurance restoration workflow, see the full guide for where it fits.
Put this to work
ESXPress converts carrier scope PDFs into import-ready Xactimate ESX files, line items mapped to their real code, priced for import.
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