# ThomasNet Industrial Supplier Scraper (`parseforge/thomasnet-scraper`) Actor

Search and extract supplier data from ThomasNet.com, the largest North American industrial directory. Returns each supplier as a flat row with contact details, certifications, employee count, and year founded.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/thomasnet-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Lead generation, Other
- **Stats:** 31 total users, 8 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $16.99 / 1,000 result items

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### ThomasNet Industrial Supplier Scraper

**Scrape ThomasNet supplier profiles by product, company, location, or certification.** Every supplier comes with its contact details, certifications, employee count, and year founded. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

ThomasNet serves **25 suppliers per search** to visitors without an account, and puts the following result pages behind a login. This Actor collects that full first page and stops, so you are never charged for rows you already have. To reach more suppliers, run several searches with different queries or with the Geographic Area and Company Type filters set.

ThomasNet's directory is the largest North American industrial supplier database, but its website has no public API and manual copying is slow. This Actor searches ThomasNet by product, company name, or category, applies your filters for location, company type, diversity ownership, employee count, year founded, and certifications, and returns each matching supplier as a flat row.

| Who uses it | What they scrape ThomasNet for |
|---|---|
| Procurement managers | Build a shortlist of qualified suppliers for a new component or service |
| B2B lead generation teams | Find manufacturers and distributors that match an ideal customer profile |
| Market researchers | Map the competitive landscape of industrial suppliers in a region |
| Sales development reps | Get contact details for outreach to industrial companies |
| Supply chain analysts | Identify certified or diversity-owned suppliers for compliance programs |

### What it does

This Actor collects ThomasNet supplier profiles by product, company name, or category, and returns each one as a flat row with contact details, certifications, employee count, and year founded.

- 🔍 **Search by product or company:** Enter a product like 'hydraulic pumps' or a company name like 'Siemens' and get matching suppliers.
- 📍 **Geographic filters:** Narrow results to a US state, Canadian province, or region, or keep all North America.
- 🏭 **Company type filter:** Choose manufacturer, distributor, custom manufacturer, or service company.
- 🤝 **Diversity ownership filter:** Select minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, disabled veteran-owned, LGBTQ-owned, or small business.
- 📊 **Employee and founding year filters:** Set minimum and maximum employee counts and founding year ranges.
- 📜 **Certification filters:** Include only suppliers with ISO 9001, AS9100, ITAR, FDA, and other industry certifications.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with ThomasNet data

**📋 Build a supplier shortlist.**

A procurement manager searches for 'CNC machining' in Ohio, filters for ISO 9001 and women-owned, and gets a list of qualified suppliers to send RFQs.

**🎯 Generate B2B leads.**

A sales rep searches for 'packaging equipment' across North America, filters for manufacturers with 50 to 500 employees, and exports the list for outreach.

**📈 Analyze industrial markets.**

A market researcher collects all distributors of 'safety equipment' in Canada and compares their certifications and founding years to spot market leaders.

**🤝 Find diversity suppliers.**

A supply chain analyst searches for 'electrical components' and filters for minority-owned and veteran-owned businesses to meet supplier diversity goals.

**📞 Get contact details for outreach.**

A sales development rep searches for 'industrial valves' in Texas and exports phone numbers and addresses for a calling campaign.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No login or API key** | Access ThomasNet's public directory without registration or rate limits |
| **The full first page, deduplicated** | All 25 suppliers ThomasNet serves per anonymous search, with no repeats between runs of the same search |
| **Fixed flat schema** | Every supplier returns the same fields for easy import into your CRM or database |
| **Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML** | Use the format that fits your existing workflow |

### How it compares

This Actor focuses on flexible search and filtering by product, location, company type, diversity ownership, employee count, founding year, and certifications, while competitors emphasize field count or email extraction.

| Feature | ParseForge | ThomasNet Suppliers Real-Time Scraper (2026) | Thomasnet.com Scraper (/w EMAILS) | ThomasNet Suppliers Scraper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search by product or company name | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Filter by geographic area (state/province) | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Filter by company type (manufacturer, distributor, etc.) | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Filter by diversity ownership | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Filter by employee count and founding year | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Filter by certifications | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Email addresses | Not listed | Yes | Yes | Not listed |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a product, service, or company name, and filters run as each supplier is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "query": "hydraulic pumps",
  "maxItems": 10,
  "searchMode": "all",
  "area": "NA",
  "companyType": "any"
}
```

The full page a search returns, narrowed to one state and one company type:

```json
{
  "query": "hydraulic pumps",
  "maxItems": 25,
  "searchMode": "all",
  "area": "OH",
  "companyType": "manufacturer"
}
```

Because a search tops out at 25 suppliers, the way to cover a market is several runs that
each ask a different question — by state (`area`), by company type, by certification, or with
a narrower query — rather than one run with a large `maxItems`.

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.02266 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 10 results (free-plan preview) | $0.23 |
| 25 results (one full search) | $0.57 |
| 250 results (10 searches) | $5.67 |

A run is also charged a small fixed fee when it starts. Duplicate suppliers are dropped
before they reach your dataset, so a repeated page is never billed twice.

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect all 25 results a search returns.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [ThomasNet Industrial Supplier Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/thomasnet-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to ThomasNet through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/thomasnet-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Check your query spelling and try a broader term. Also review your filters: if you set a very narrow employee range, founding year, or multiple certifications, no supplier may match. Remove filters one by one to find the culprit.

**Why are some suppliers missing?**

ThomasNet's search may not return every supplier for a query, especially if you set a high maxItems. Try a more specific query or adjust filters to capture more results.

**Why is the run slow?**

Large maxItems values and many filters can slow the run. Reduce maxItems or narrow your filters to speed it up.

**Why do I get an error about the query?**

The query field is required and must be a string. Make sure you entered a product, service, or company name, not a URL.

**Can I scrape a specific ThomasNet URL?**

No, this Actor only accepts a search query, not a direct URL. Use the query field to search for the product or company you need.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is ThomasNet? | ThomasNet is the largest North American directory of industrial suppliers, listing manufacturers, distributors, custom manufacturers, and service companies with their products, certifications, and contact details. |
| Do I need a ThomasNet account or API key? | No. This Actor reads the public ThomasNet search results directly, so no login, registration, or API key is required. |
| How many suppliers can I scrape in one run? | Up to 25, which is what ThomasNet serves per search to visitors without an account — it requires a login for page 2 onwards. The actual number returned depends on how many suppliers match your query and filters. To collect more, run several searches with different queries or filters. |
| What data does each supplier row include? | Each row includes the supplier's name, address, phone number, website, company type, employee count, year founded, certifications, and diversity ownership status, plus other fields shown in the sample output. |
| Can I filter by location? | Yes. Use the area filter to select a US state, Canadian province, or region, or choose 'NA' for all North America. |
| Can I filter by certifications? | Yes. Select one or more certifications like ISO 9001, AS9100, ITAR, or FDA Registered to include only suppliers that hold them. |
| Can I filter by diversity ownership? | Yes. Select minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, disabled veteran-owned, LGBTQ-owned, or small business to include only certified diversity suppliers. |
| What is the difference between search modes? | Search mode 'all' searches by product or category across all suppliers, while 'name' searches by company name. Use 'name' when you know the exact company. |
| Can I export the data? | Yes. The Actor exports to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, so you can use the data in spreadsheets, databases, or other tools. |
| Is this Actor legal? | This Actor only accesses publicly available data on ThomasNet. You are responsible for complying with ThomasNet's terms of service and applicable laws in your jurisdiction. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Thomas Publishing Company. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `query` (type: `string`):

Product, service, or company name to search for (e.g. 'hydraulic pumps', 'CNC machining', 'Siemens').

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

How many suppliers to collect per run. ThomasNet serves 25 suppliers per search to anonymous visitors and gates further pages behind an account, so 25 is the ceiling for one search. Narrow the query or change the Geographic Area / Company Type filters to reach different suppliers.

## `searchMode` (type: `string`):

How to search: 'all' searches by product/category across all suppliers; 'name' searches by company name.

## `area` (type: `string`):

Filter by US state, Canadian province, or region. Use 'NA' for all North America.

## `companyType` (type: `string`):

Filter by supplier business type. Manufacturer makes finished products, Distributor resells, Custom Manufacturer builds to spec, Service is industrial services.

## `ownership` (type: `array`):

Filter by diversity-owned business classification. Select one or more to only include certified diversity suppliers.

## `minEmployees` (type: `integer`):

Only include suppliers with at least this many employees.

## `maxEmployees` (type: `integer`):

Only include suppliers with at most this many employees.

## `yearFoundedFrom` (type: `integer`):

Only include suppliers founded in or after this year.

## `yearFoundedTo` (type: `integer`):

Only include suppliers founded in or before this year.

## `certifications` (type: `array`):

Only include suppliers holding one or more of the selected industry certifications.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "query": "hydraulic pumps",
  "maxItems": 10,
  "searchMode": "all",
  "area": "NA",
  "companyType": "any",
  "ownership": [],
  "certifications": []
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Dataset with scraped supplier profiles from ThomasNet

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "query": "hydraulic pumps",
    "maxItems": 10,
    "searchMode": "all",
    "area": "NA",
    "companyType": "any"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/thomasnet-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "query": "hydraulic pumps",
    "maxItems": 10,
    "searchMode": "all",
    "area": "NA",
    "companyType": "any",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/thomasnet-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "query": "hydraulic pumps",
  "maxItems": 10,
  "searchMode": "all",
  "area": "NA",
  "companyType": "any"
}' |
apify call parseforge/thomasnet-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/thomasnet-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/yJcv57wys3pTeXnaZ/builds/gBzqKBF3n4CjQrpZy/openapi.json