Item Code Matching for Ship Chandlers

Almost every avoidable problem in marine supply starts with an ambiguous item description. A vessel types "gasket sheet" or "cotton waste" into a requisition, the chandler reads it differently, and the wrong item arrives, or the quote comes back with a query that costs a day the vessel does not have. The fix is to match each line to the exact item in your own catalogue before it is quoted.

Tidal turns free-text descriptions, units and any codes on the RFQ into lines from your own catalogue. Match one line by hand or a whole requisition in bulk, correct anything it gets wrong once, and it learns your catalogue over time, so buyer and supplier are always describing the same thing.

From a typed description to the right catalogue code

Marine catalogue tooling built into the same platform buyers and ship chandlers use to requisition, quote and deliver.

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Description matching

Type or paste an item description and Tidal matches it to the right line in your own catalogue, in the right units, ready to requisition or quote.

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Code matching

When an RFQ already carries item codes, Tidal reads them and maps them to the matching SKUs and codes in your own catalogue.

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Search your catalogue

Search your own catalogue by description or code to find the exact line you need instead of guessing at the nearest match.

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Bulk requisition matching

Match a whole requisition or spreadsheet at once, turning a list of typed items into your catalogue lines before it goes out to suppliers.

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Shared lines, both sides

Buyers requisition and chandlers quote against the same catalogue lines in Tidal’s ship chandler software, so quotes, deliveries and invoices all line up.

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Built into the workflow

Matched lines flow straight into RFQs, orders and spend reporting, no re-typing between a lookup tool and your buying system.

Consistent codes are what make marine supply work

Fewer wrong-item deliveries because every line maps to a real line in your catalogue

Faster quoting, chandlers price the exact item, not their best guess

Cleaner invoice matching when the order maps to your catalogue lines

Any codes on the RFQ are mapped to your own catalogue, so coding differences stop being a blocker

Bulk matching that clears a whole requisition before it leaves the office

One source of truth shared between buyers and ship chandlers

Item code matching, answered

What is item code matching?

Item code matching resolves each line on an incoming RFQ, a code, a free-text description or a unit, to the matching SKU or code in your own catalogue, so you quote the exact item the customer asked for instead of a best guess.

Does Tidal include an item-code catalogue?

If your customers' RFQs include standard marine item codes, Tidal reads them and maps them to the codes and SKUs in your own catalogue. Tidal does not include, host or distribute any third-party item-code catalogue.

How accurate is the matching?

Tidal reaches a 90%+ first-pass match rate against your own catalogue and improves as it learns from your corrections. Lines it is not confident about are flagged for a quick human review rather than guessed.

Can Tidal match a whole requisition at once?

Yes. Alongside single-line matching, Tidal matches a full requisition against your catalogue in bulk, so a list of items typed by the vessel resolves to your catalogue lines before it goes out for quoting.

See Tidal turn a real RFQ into a quote in 30 minutes

Leave your work email and the port or company you buy for. We will set up a live demo on your own RFQs, no slideware. Live in about a week, from $2,500 per month.

✓ Quotes back in under 30 minutes

✓ Item-code matching at over 90% first pass against your catalogue

✓ No spam, a reply within one business day

Item code matching for ship chandlers