Distribution board design software

Drawing the board is not the slow part. The slow part is everything downstream: the bill of materials typed out by hand, the wiring diagram that no longer matches after a last-minute device swap, the board schedule that has to be printed and fixed inside the door.

Panelworks is browser-based distribution board design software. You build the board from real DIN rail devices at real module widths, and the wiring diagram, bill of materials and board schedule come out of that same model.

This is the master English page for Panelworks. Other language versions point here.

The job to be done

A panel builder does not deliver a drawing. They deliver a built board plus the paperwork that describes it, and the two have to agree.

Agreement is where the hours go. Swap a two-module MCB for a four-module RCBO, move an RCD one way to the left, and every hand-maintained document is now wrong. Retyping is slow, and it puts errors into exactly the paperwork the client keeps.

One model removes the retyping step. Change the board, and the documents change with it.

How it works, in four steps

1. The rail

Place devices on the rail the way you place them on the bench: true module widths, true footprints. If a row does not close, you find out while designing rather than with the enclosure already on the bench.

2. The wiring

Connect terminals, busbars and distribution blocks. Connections are recorded as data rather than drawn as lines, which is what makes the diagram generated instead of maintained.

3. The planning

Reserve ways for future circuits, mark trunking, and sketch the planning details on the model itself, where the person building the board will actually see them.

4. The documents

Look at the same board in four views: panel, wiring, single line and schematic. They are views of one model, so they stay consistent with each other on their own.

Component library

The library is multi-manufacturer rather than tied to one brand: Schneider Electric, ABB, Hager, Siemens, Eaton, Legrand, CHINT, Noark, IWAGO, Hyundai and Doepke. It is described as a growing library.

That matters because manufacturer configurators are, by construction, built around that manufacturer's own catalogue. Real boards are rarely single-brand: one maker's enclosure, another's protective devices, a third's terminals.

What comes out

Three deliverables, generated from the model rather than transcribed:

• the wiring diagram;
• the bill of materials, listing the devices actually placed;
• the board schedule, the one that goes on the cover sheet and inside the door.

On Pro these export as PDF, XLSX and CSV. PDF for the client file, XLSX or CSV to push into a quotation or a wholesaler order.

Free plan and Pro

The free plan keeps one board in the cloud, with all four views, the generic component catalogue and the bill of materials. It is enough to run a real job through the tool before deciding anything.

Pro is EUR 19 per month. It adds unlimited boards, version history with named revisions, PDF/XLSX/CSV export, custom components and country compliance packs.

If you are comparing against a full electrical CAD suite, the honest scope comparison is on the EPLAN alternative page.

Standards

The standards referenced on the Panelworks site are IEC, UL, CEC, SAR, RoHS and UKCA, and country compliance packs are part of the Pro plan.

Be clear about the division of responsibility: verification and the declaration stay with the board manufacturer. What the software gives you is documentation that matches the board as built, which is the material a technical file is assembled from.

FAQ

Do I need to install anything?

No. It runs in the browser and the board is kept in the cloud.

Can I mix manufacturers in one board?

Yes. The library is multi-manufacturer, because real boards are built that way.

Does it produce a board schedule automatically?

Yes. The board schedule, wiring diagram and bill of materials are all generated from the same model.

What export formats are available?

PDF, XLSX and CSV, on the Pro plan.

Is this suitable for consumer units as well as three-phase boards?

It is built around DIN rail devices at real module widths, which covers consumer units and larger distribution boards alike.

Run one real board through it and judge the output: start designing free.