Set up and use cost codes to organise and report on your estimates.
10 articles
Introduction to Cost Codes
An overview of cost codes in Ensign — what they are, how to set them up, and how to report on them.
Updated 26 March 2026
Enabling Cost Codes
How to turn on cost codes in Ensign's system preferences, configure the available options, and understand what changes when the feature is enabled.
Setting Up Cost Code Descriptions
How to create, edit, import, and export your cost code descriptions in Ensign, including setting default on-cost percentages.
Associating Cost Codes by Type and Manufacturer
How to assign cost codes at the manufacturer and component type levels in Ensign, including bulk setup via spreadsheet import and export.
Associating Cost Codes by Product
How to set cost codes on individual products during takeoff, change cost codes in bulk, and understand how the priority and override system works.
Cost Codes for Free Types and Subcon
How to set default cost codes for free-type items and subcontract special categories in Ensign.
Cost Codes in Your Estimate
How cost codes appear on the takeoff screen, how to view and filter them, and how they affect the summary table markup process.
Exporting to Sage
How to export cost code data from Ensign to Sage 200, including prerequisites, column layout, and step-by-step instructions.
Exporting to Pegasus
How to export cost code data from Ensign to Pegasus (EQ2), including prerequisites, column layout, step-by-step instructions, and controlling item order.
Reporting by Cost Code
How to generate cost code reports in Ensign, understand the three report types (summary, section breakdown, and detailed), and export them to PDF, Word, Excel, or CSV.
