What is an ESX file?

What the file format is for

Xactimate® estimates are made of several linked pieces: a sketch (the drawn structure with its measurements), line items priced against that sketch, photos attached to specific items or rooms, and project metadata like the claim number and insured name. Keeping all of that together and portable is the job of the ESX format.

Rather than emailing a PDF and asking someone to redraw the roof or retype fifty line items, the estimator exports an ESX. The next person opens Xactimate® and imports it, and the sketch, quantities, and pricing arrive already built. This is the core reason ESX exists: it turns an estimate into a file that can be handed off instead of rebuilt.

The format is specific to Xactimate® and is documented in Xactware's own help center; the general behavior described here (bundle of sketch, items, and photos) is consistent with that documentation, though menu wording changes between versions.

What's actually inside an ESX bundle

• The sketch: walls, roof planes, rooms, and their measurements

  This is what lets the receiving party see and edit the same structure without redrawing it.

• Line items with quantities, unit pricing, and any applied price list

  The estimate dollar total travels with the file, not just the shape of the building.

• Photos attached to rooms, elevations, or specific line items

  Photo documentation stays linked to the item it supports instead of arriving as a loose folder.

• Claim and contact metadata: claim number, insured name, property address, adjuster or preparer information

  This is what lets Xactimate® file the import under the right claim instead of a blank project.

• Notes, macros, or estimate-level settings the preparer used

  These carry the preparer's estimate logic (depreciation settings, tax, overhead and profit) into the receiving project.

Who produces an ESX file

Anyone estimating in Xactimate® can export an ESX: a carrier desk adjuster building the initial estimate, an independent adjuster writing a field estimate, a contractor or restoration firm building a scope for negotiation, or a roof measurement report provider delivering a sketch and roof line items to be dropped into someone else's estimate.

In the roof-report use case specifically, the provider is not writing the whole claim estimate. They are producing a sketch of the roof, with facets, pitches, and measurements, packaged as an ESX so the person estimating the claim can import it into Xactimate® instead of drawing the roof from scratch. Sketch My Roof, the site sponsor, delivers this kind of report to an order made by property address; see the Sketch My Roof facts page for the current format and turnaround terms.

How an ESX moves between parties

1. The file is built or ordered

   An estimator exports an ESX from an existing Xactimate® project, or a measurement report is ordered by property address and delivered as an ESX.

2. It's delivered by email or file transfer

   The ESX arrives as an attachment or download link. It is a single file regardless of how large the sketch or how many photos it carries.

3. It's imported into the receiving Xactimate® project

   The receiving party opens their project and imports the ESX, typically via a Sketch import or estimate import option in the file menu; exact menu names and click paths vary by Xactimate® version, so verify the current path in your build or in Xactware's help documentation.

4. The sketch and line items merge into the working estimate

   Once imported, the roof or room sketch and its line items sit inside the existing project, where the estimator can edit pricing, add items, or apply the carrier's price list.

5. The estimate is finished, exported, and filed

   The completed estimate can itself be re-exported as a new ESX to send onward (to a carrier, an IA firm, or XactAnalysis®), while the original delivery file is kept in the claim record.

ESX compared to the other formats you'll see on a claim

ESX is not the only file format moving around a roof claim. Symbility® uses its own XML-based exchange format, and every party also needs a plain document for the file and for the homeowner. Knowing which format a given recipient needs avoids a second round trip.

Some report providers deliver more than one format from a single order so the estimator gets the ESX or XML for the software and a PDF for the file at the same time.

Ordering an ESX for a roof, in practice

When the need is a measured roof sketch rather than a full estimate, most adjusters and contractors order it by property address rather than building it inside Xactimate® from a description. Sketch My Roof publishes flat rates for this: Standard ESX at $19, Complex-roof ESX at $25 for cut-up roofs with many facets, PDF-only at $25, and ESX plus PDF together at $29, with no subscription or minimum order. Same calendar day delivery applies to orders placed before the 6 PM Eastern cutoff. You can order a roof report by address and choose the format the estimate needs at checkout.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• ESX bundles a Xactimate® sketch, line items, and photos as an importable file; import path is via a Sketch/estimate import option and varies by version: Xactware Help Center (as of August 2026)
• Symbility® uses an XML-based exchange format distinct from ESX: CoreLogic claims documentation (as of August 2026)
• Published formats and terms: ESX for Xactimate®, XML for Symbility®, PDF; ordered by address; no subscription; same calendar day delivery before the 6 PM Eastern cutoff: Sketch My Roof service facts (as of August 2026)
• Published residential menu: Standard ESX $19, Complex-roof ESX $25, PDF-only $25, ESX + PDF $29: Sketch My Roof residential order page (as of August 2026)