Bring materials or types into a Real-Time LCA project from a spreadsheet.
For early-stage estimates, refurbishments, or any project where you don’t have a BIM model, you can upload an Excel workbook with materials or types and their quantities. Real-Time LCA turns each row into an item in the Building Component Inventory that you can map to a material or construction.
Open the project and switch to the Material Mapping tab. Click the upload icon next to Select above the Building Component Inventory to open the menu, then choose Excel upload.
The Upload Excel file modal opens. Click Download Template to get the official spreadsheet — it has the columns Real-Time LCA expects and a few example rows to copy.
Cell A1 is a dropdown. Open it and choose the classification system you want to use for column A across the whole sheet.
Supported systems:
Short name
Long name
BIMTypeCode
—
BSAB96
Klassifikationssystemet BSAB
CCI
Construction Classification International
CCS
Cuneco Classification System
NS34512022
Norsk Standard NS 3451:2022
Uniclass
Uniclass 2015
Pick the system that matches the Classification System you set on the project’s Speckle model configuration — otherwise the rows will not group into BIM types correctly.
Each row describes one material layer. To build a multi-layer type, repeat the same Classification Code and Type on consecutive rows and change only the Material and quantities — that tells Real-Time LCA those layers belong to the same construction.
Column
Header
Required
What to type
A
Classification System / Code
Yes
A1 sets the system (dropdown). A2+ pick a code from that system.
B
Label
Yes
A human-readable group, e.g., External walls.
C
Type
Yes
The construction’s type name, e.g., Exterior Wall 588 mm. Repeat across rows that belong to the same multi-layer type.
D
Material
Yes
The material in this layer, e.g., Brick, Insulation, Concrete. One material per row.
E
Meters
Optional
Linear quantity in metres.
F
Square meters
Optional
Area in square metres.
G
Cubic meters
Optional
Volume in cubic metres.
H
Pieces
Optional
Count of discrete items.
I
Weight
Optional
Mass in kg.
Use only the quantity columns that apply to the layer — leave the rest at 0 or blank.
The three rows share the same classification code and type, so Real-Time LCA stacks them as layers of one Exterior Wall 588 mm construction.
Import does not accept duplicates — rows with the same Type and Material combination will be rejected. Each material may only appear once per type, even if the quantities differ.For example, the following rows would be rejected because both share Exterior Wall 588 mm and Concrete:
Choose Upload to model — the Speckle model in your project the rows should be attached to (for example, architectural).
Toggle Overwrite existing materials if you want this upload to replace materials and types previously imported for that model. Leave it off to add to what is already there.
Drop your .xlsx file in the Click to upload or drag and drop area, or click to browse.
Click Import. Use Cancel or × to abort without changes.
The rows appear in the Building Component Inventory, ready for material and construction mapping.
