How to use lookup table pricing in WooCommerce

Lookup table pricing lets you charge the right price for made-to-measure products, straight from your own price table. Customers enter measurements or choose options with preset values and WooCommerce finds the matching price instantly.

In this tutorial, we’ll use made-to-measure mirrors as our example. After completing it:

• Users will be able to:
  • One-axis table: enter the diameter of a round mirror in a single number field and see the price straight away
  • Two-axis table (2D pricing table): enter the width and height of a rectangular mirror in two number fields and see the price straight away
  • Multi-axis table: choose a width, height, mirror type and thickness from four select fields and see the price update, as in the demo product
• As the store owner or admin, you’ll be able to:
  • Import your price list from a CSV file or build it in your WordPress dashboard
  • Set up tables to return prices based on one, two or multiple input fields
  • Update a single price without uploading the whole table again
• As a bonus, we’ll also look at how to:
  • Add a markup to your lookup prices
  • Use different tables for different variations

There’s a demo product here for the multi-axis table so you can see it in action.

Customers value products made to their own requirements. Deloitte’s consumer research found that 36% of consumers are interested in buying personalized products, and one in five of them would pay a 20% premium.

What is a lookup table and when should you use one?

A lookup table is a table of prices for each size or option you sell. When a customer enters their measurements or makes a choice, WooCommerce finds the matching price in the table.

A lookup table works better than a formula when your prices don’t scale evenly. For example:

• You price in size bands, so every mirror up to 90 cm wide costs the same
• Your costs jump at certain sizes, for example when a panel needs thicker glass
• Your prices come from a price list you’ve already built in a spreadsheet

The shape of your table depends on how many inputs set the price. In this article, we’ll look at three examples:

• One input: a round mirror priced just by its diameter, using a table with a single column of prices
• Two inputs: a rectangular mirror priced by width and height, using a grid table – also called a 2D pricing table or price matrix – with widths along the top and heights down the side
• More than two inputs: a mirror priced by width, height, mirror type and thickness, using a flat table, also called a list-style table

Let’s start with the most common setup, the rectangular mirror.

What is a 2D pricing table?

A 2D pricing table is a grid of prices with two inputs: one along the top and one down the side. Each cell holds the price for that pair of values, such as a mirror’s width and height.

	30	60	90
30	$45	$60	$75
60	$60	$85	$110
90	$75	$110	$145

To find a price, read across to the width and down to the height. In this table, a mirror 60 cm wide and 90 cm high costs $110.

Customers don’t need to enter a size that’s in your table. With ‘Exact match?’ unchecked, Advanced Calculations rounds each measurement up to the next size, so a mirror 55 cm wide and 80 cm high is priced as 60 × 90.

2D pricing tables are ideal for made-to-measure products where two measurements set the price, such as:

• Mirrors, glass and picture frames
• Blinds, curtains and shutters
• Banners, signs and printed panels
• Carpets, rugs and flooring cut to size

A 2D pricing table is one type of WooCommerce price matrix. If you want to show variation prices in a grid or list your products in a price table instead, take a look at our guide to creating a WooCommerce price matrix.

The rectangular mirror tutorial below shows you how to build a 2D pricing table step by step.

How do you set up lookup table pricing in WooCommerce?

WooCommerce doesn’t natively have a feature for lookup table pricing so you’ll need two extra plugins:

• WooCommerce Product Add-Ons Ultimate – allows you to add extra fields to product page so that users can enter measurements and select options
• Advanced Calculations – extends Add-Ons Ultimate and allows you to set pricing using lookup tables

You can buy these plugins separately or together at a discount as part of the Product Add-Ons Ultimate Bundle.

Lookup tables video

Here’s a short video to accompany this tutorial.

Or you can follow our step-by-step guide below.

Step #1: Install Product Add-Ons Ultimate and Advanced Calculations

In this tutorial, we’ll assume that you already have WordPress and WooCommerce installed and ready to go.

Advanced Calculations adds lookup tables to the calculation fields in Product Add-Ons Ultimate. It’s compatible with all themes and page builders, so it will work with your existing store.

Once you’ve purchased both plugins, repeat these steps for each one:

• Download the plugin’s zip file by clicking on the link on your order confirmation screen or in your welcome email. You’ll receive the email automatically a few seconds after you’ve completed the purchase
• Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard
• Click on the ‘Upload Plugin’ button
• Drag and drop the plugin’s downloaded zip file into the ‘Choose File’ area and click ‘Install Now’
• When the plugin has uploaded, click the ‘Activate Now’ button

You now have both plugins installed and activated. Next, let’s create the price table.

Step #2: Create your mirror price table

Go to Product Add-Ons > Lookup Tables in your WordPress dashboard and click ‘Add New Lookup Table’. Enter a name for the table, such as ‘Mirror prices’, and choose ‘Grid (2 axes)’ from the ‘Table type’ field. This creates a 2D pricing table with widths along the top and heights down the side.

You can then add your prices in one of two ways. Here’s our support doc on working with lookup tables for more details.

Option #1: Import a CSV file

Import a CSV file if your prices are already in a spreadsheet. Set out your spreadsheet like this, then save it as a CSV file:

	30	60	90	120	150
30	45	60	75	90	105
60	60	85	110	135	160
90	75	110	145	180	215
120	90	135	185	230	275
150	105	160	220	275	330

The first row holds the widths, starting from the second column. The first cell of each row below holds a height, and the top-left cell is left blank.

Click ‘Import File’ in the ‘Replace via CSV’ box in the sidebar and choose your file. The table imports immediately and its prices appear in the editor.

Option #2: Build the table in your dashboard

Click into any cell and type to enter a width, height or price. Use ‘+ Row (at end)’ and ‘+ Column (at end)’ to add more sizes.

Click into a cell to use the toolbar above the table. You can insert, duplicate and delete rows and columns, which makes it quick to add a size that’s similar to an existing one.

Click ‘Publish’ to save your table. You now have a price table for your mirrors. Next, let’s create the product.

Step #3: Create your mirror product

Go to Products > Add New and create a simple product for your mirror. Add a title, description and images in the same way you would for any other product.

You can set the regular price to 0, since the lookup table will set the price. Or you can enter another value – e.g. the lowest price for the product. Now let’s add the fields where customers enter their measurements.

Step #4: Add width and height fields

Click on the ‘Product Add-Ons’ tab on the ‘Product data’ panel. Add a field, set its ‘Field Type’ to ‘Number’ and label it ‘Width (cm)’.

Set a minimum and maximum value so customers can only enter sizes you can make. For our table, that’s 30 cm to 150 cm. You can also enter a custom ‘Step’ value – for example, if measurements should only be in multiples of 5cm, then enter 5 as the Step value.

Repeat these steps to add a ‘Height (cm)’ field. Your product now has two fields where customers can enter their measurements.

Step #5: Add a calculation field

Add a third field and set its ‘Field Type’ to ‘Calculation’. Then:

• Enter {look_up_table} in the ‘Formula’ box. This shows the ‘Advanced Calculations Options’ section
• Select ‘Mirror prices’ in the ‘Look Up Table’ field
• Choose your width field in the ‘Field for X’ field and your height field in the ‘Field for Y’ field
• Set the ‘Action’ field to ‘Display As Cost’ so the result is added to the product price

Leave ‘Exact match?’ unchecked for both fields. This rounds each measurement up to the next size in your table, so a mirror 85 cm wide is priced as a 90 cm mirror.

You now have a calculation field that reads the price from your table.

If you publish the product and view it on the front end, you can now enter values in the ‘Width’ and ‘Height’ fields. The plugin will read the customer measurements and use them to look up the correct price from the table.

That’s how to set up lookup table pricing in WooCommerce using a table with two axes. If you only have only input field (e.g. a ‘Diameter’ field for circular mirrors) you can use a single-axis table.

Now let’s look at how to price products using more than two inputs.

How to create a lookup table that requires more than two input fields

A mirror’s price often depends on more than its size. In this example, it also depends on the mirror type and the glass thickness.

That’s four inputs – width, height, type and thickness – so you’ll need a ‘flat’ table. Flat tables have three or more axes, listed as rows. Every column must match the customer’s input exactly for that row’s value to be returned

Step #1: Create a flat table

Create a CSV file with a column for each input and a final column headed ‘Return’ for the price:

Width	Height	Mirror type	Thickness	Return
60cm	60cm	Silver	4mm	70
60cm	60cm	Silver	6mm	85
60cm	60cm	Bronze	4mm	90
60cm	60cm	Bronze	6mm	105
60cm	90cm	Silver	4mm	95
60cm	90cm	Silver	6mm	115
60cm	90cm	Bronze	4mm	120
60cm	90cm	Bronze	6mm	140
90cm	60cm	Silver	4mm	95
90cm	60cm	Silver	6mm	115
90cm	60cm	Bronze	4mm	120
90cm	60cm	Bronze	6mm	140
90cm	90cm	Silver	4mm	130
90cm	90cm	Silver	6mm	160
90cm	90cm	Bronze	4mm	165
90cm	90cm	Bronze	6mm	190

Each row holds one combination of options and its price. Add a row for every combination you sell, then import the file in the same way as before. You can also choose ‘Flat table (3 or more axes)’ and enter the rows in your dashboard.

Step #2: Add input fields for each input

Flat tables only return a price when every input matches a row exactly. That means customers need to choose their sizes from a list rather than typing them in.

Create a mirror product and add four select fields on the ‘Product Add-Ons’ tab:

• Width: 60cm, 90cm
• Height: 60cm, 90cm
• Mirror type: Silver, Bronze
• Thickness: 4mm, 6mm

Make sure each option’s text matches your table exactly, including capital letters. For example, ‘Bronze’ in your field won’t match ‘bronze’ in your table.

Step #3: Add a calculation field

Add a calculation field and enter {look_up_table} in the ‘Formula’ box. Select your flat table in the ‘Look Up Table’ field.

The ‘Field for X’ and ‘Field for Y’ settings are replaced by an ‘Axis Fields (in column order)’ section. Choose your fields in the same order as your table’s columns: width, height, mirror type, then thickness.

Each select field appears twice in the list. Choose the version ending ‘(option label)’ so the plugin matches the text of the option the customer selects (not the value entered in the ‘Price’ column).

Set the ‘Action’ field to ‘Display As Cost’ and publish your product. Customers can now choose their size, mirror type and thickness and see the price update as they go.

There’s a demo product here so you can try it yourself.

What kind of fields can you use as inputs for lookup tables?

Advanced Calculations allows you to use any field that gives a single value, whether that’s a number the customer types or an option they choose. Options can be numeric or text – both work.

Pick the field type that suits how your customers think about the product.

Number fields

Use number fields when customers enter their own measurements, such as width, height or diameter. They work best with grid tables, where ‘Exact match?’ can round each measurement up to the next size in your table.

Set minimum and maximum values on each number field so customers can only enter sizes you can make.

Select, radio and image swatch fields

Use these fields when customers choose from a set list, such as a mirror type, thickness or fixed size. Image swatches work well for options customers want to see, like the color of a bronze or silver mirror.

Each of these fields appears twice in the input dropdowns:

• (option label): matches the text of the option the customer selects, such as ‘Bronze’. This is the one you’ll usually want
• (option price): matches the price you’ve set for the option instead

Make sure each option’s text matches your table exactly. Choice fields work best with flat tables, since every value must match a row exactly.

Calculation fields

Use a calculation field when the value you need to look up has to be worked out first. For example, a calculation field could convert a customer’s measurements from inches to centimeters, then pass the result to your lookup table.

You can also use the result of one lookup table as the input for another.

Which fields should you avoid?

Avoid checkbox groups and image swatch fields that allow more than one choice. Customers can select several options at once, so the field doesn’t give a single value to match.

Bonus #1: How do you add a markup or discount to lookup prices?

Add a second calculation field to adjust the price from your table. This is useful for adding a markup or running a sale without editing every cell.

Click into the ‘Fields’ row above the new field’s ‘Formula’ box. Click the button for your lookup field to insert its placeholder, such as {field_123}.

Then build on it with normal math. For example, this adds a 20% markup:

{field_123} * 1.2

Set this field’s ‘Action’ to ‘Display As Cost’. Make sure it’s the only one of the two fields set to ‘Display As Cost’, so the price isn’t added twice.

Bonus #2: How do you use different tables for different variations?

Use a variable product if you want a separate price table for each version of a product. For example, you could have one table for standard mirrors and another for safety-backed mirrors.

Product Add-Ons Ultimate lets you create variation-specific fields. Add a calculation field for each variation and select a different lookup table in each one.

How do you show the price table on the product page?

If you’d like to display the price table on the product page so that users can clearly see how the pricing works:

• Edit the calculation field for your lookup table
• Enable ‘Display table?’

How do you update your prices?

Open the table from Product Add-Ons > Lookup Tables, click into a cell and type the new price. Click ‘Update’ to save your changes.

For larger changes, click ‘Export as CSV’ in the ‘Replace via CSV’ box. Edit the file in your spreadsheet app, then import it again. Importing replaces the table’s existing data rather than adding to it.

FAQs

Lookup table pricing in WooCommerce – recap

In this article, we looked at how to use lookup table pricing in WooCommerce. We priced a rectangular mirror by width and height using a grid table, a round mirror by diameter using a single-column table and a mirror by size, type and thickness using a flat table.

Advanced Calculations lets you import tables from CSV, edit prices in your dashboard and look up prices using as many inputs as you need. It works with the calculation fields in Product Add-Ons Ultimate.

All our plugins are compatible with all themes and page builders, including Astra, Flatsome and Woodmart, and page builders like Elementor and Divi. If you have any questions, our world-class support team is on hand to help. And the plugins are backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee, so you can try risk-free.

You can buy these plugins separately or together at a discount as part of the Product Add-Ons Ultimate Bundle.