# Thomasnet API

> Thomasnet returns industrial supplier listings and company details, available as a workflow and API.

Thomasnet finds North American industrial suppliers by product or service, with optional location and supplier type filters. Search suppliers returns company details, including location, certifications, size, and sales range, and requires a product or service.

- Page: https://fous.com/workflows/thomasnet
- Handle: `@thomasnet`
- Category: [Commerce](https://fous.com/workflows/category/commerce)
- Source website: https://thomasnet.com
- Last verified: Sep 29, 2026
- Fous is not affiliated with Thomasnet.

## Methods

### Search suppliers

Operation `search_suppliers`, version 1. 1 credit per call.

Find North American industrial suppliers for a product or service, optionally narrowing by location and supplier type. Results follow the public listing order within each region; sign-in limits deeper pages, so fewer than the requested number may be returned and filters only cover public listings. Certifications come from public certification listings or explicit company-profile claims.

**Input**

| Field | Type | Required | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `max_results` | integer | no | `5` | Maximum number of suppliers to return, for example 20. |
| `supplier_type` | string | no | `"distributor"` | Type of supplier to find, for example manufacturer. |
| `state_or_province` | string | no | `"Michigan"` | US state or Canadian province name, for example Ohio. Leave blank for all North America. |
| `product_or_service` | string | yes | `"industrial valves"` | The product or service to find, for example CNC machining. |

**Input schema**

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "product_or_service"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "max_results": {
      "type": "integer",
      "default": 20,
      "maximum": 50,
      "minimum": 1,
      "description": "Maximum number of suppliers to return, for example 20.",
      "x-fous-developer": true,
      "examples": [
        5,
        3
      ]
    },
    "supplier_type": {
      "enum": [
        "any",
        "manufacturer",
        "distributor",
        "service_company"
      ],
      "type": "string",
      "default": "any",
      "description": "Type of supplier to find, for example manufacturer.",
      "examples": [
        "distributor",
        "manufacturer"
      ]
    },
    "state_or_province": {
      "type": "string",
      "default": "",
      "description": "US state or Canadian province name, for example Ohio. Leave blank for all North America.",
      "examples": [
        "Michigan"
      ]
    },
    "product_or_service": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The product or service to find, for example CNC machining.",
      "examples": [
        "industrial valves",
        "CNC machining",
        "ultraunlikelyzxcmachiningqwe"
      ]
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "max_results": 5,
      "supplier_type": "distributor",
      "state_or_province": "Michigan",
      "product_or_service": "industrial valves"
    },
    {
      "product_or_service": "CNC machining"
    },
    {
      "product_or_service": "ultraunlikelyzxcmachiningqwe"
    }
  ]
}
```

**Output**

| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `suppliers` | array |  |  |
| `suppliers[].city` | string or null | `"Portage"` |  |
| `suppliers[].company_name` | string or null | `"Colonial Engineering, Inc."` |  |
| `suppliers[].year_founded` | integer or null | `1974` |  |
| `suppliers[].supplier_type` | string or null | `"Manufacturer"` |  |
| `suppliers[].certifications` | array |  |  |
| `suppliers[].company_website` | string or null | `"https://colonialengineering.com/"` |  |
| `suppliers[].short_description` | string or null | `"Manufacturer of ball, check, butterfly, and foot plastic valves made from acetal, PVC, CPVC, and polypropylene. Availab` |  |
| `suppliers[].state_or_province` | string or null | `"Michigan"` |  |
| `suppliers[].annual_sales_range` | string or null | `"$10 - 24.9 Mil"` |  |
| `suppliers[].number_of_employees` | string or null | `"10-49"` |  |
| `suppliers[].thomasnet_company_id` | string | `"180183"` |  |
| `suppliers[].thomasnet_profile_link` | string | `"https://www.thomasnet.com/company/colonial-engineering-inc-180183/profile"` |  |

**Example input**

```json
{
  "max_results": 5,
  "supplier_type": "distributor",
  "state_or_province": "Michigan",
  "product_or_service": "industrial valves"
}
```

**Example output**

```json
{
  "suppliers": [
    {
      "city": "Portage",
      "company_name": "Colonial Engineering, Inc.",
      "year_founded": 1974,
      "supplier_type": "Manufacturer",
      "certifications": [
        "ISO 9001"
      ],
      "company_website": "https://colonialengineering.com/",
      "short_description": "Manufacturer of ball, check, butterfly, and foot plastic valves made from acetal, PVC, CPVC, and polypropylene. Available accessory options are O-rings, seals, sockets, thread ends, and seats. Serves …",
      "state_or_province": "Michigan",
      "annual_sales_range": "$10 - 24.9 Mil",
      "number_of_employees": "10-49",
      "thomasnet_company_id": "180183",
      "thomasnet_profile_link": "https://www.thomasnet.com/company/colonial-engineering-inc-180183/profile"
    },
    {
      "city": "Troy",
      "company_name": "Brehob Corporation",
      "year_founded": 1953,
      "supplier_type": "Distributor",
      "certifications": [],
      "company_website": "https://www.brehob.com/",
      "short_description": "Distributor of air compressor accessories including valves . Automatic drain and relief valves are offered. Serves building, medical, paper mill, and auto part manufacturing industries . 24/7 emergenc…",
      "state_or_province": "Michigan",
      "annual_sales_range": "$25 - 49.9 Mil",
      "number_of_employees": "100-199",
      "thomasnet_company_id": "122682",
      "thomasnet_profile_link": "https://www.thomasnet.com/company/brehob-corporation-122682/profile"
    }
  ]
}
```

## Quick start

Call the API with a Fous API key (`FOUS_API_KEY`). To create one, turn on Developer mode in Fous Studio, then open Keys & connections → API keys (https://app.fous.com/keys).

```bash
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
: "${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example}"

curl 'https://api.fous.com/v1/query' \
  --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --max-time 120 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "api": "@thomasnet",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "search_suppliers",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "max_results": 5,
    "supplier_type": "distributor",
    "state_or_province": "Michigan",
    "product_or_service": "industrial valves"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}'
```

```python
# Save as fous.py and run with python3 fous.py. No packages needed.
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
import json
import os
import urllib.error
import urllib.request

api_key = os.environ.get("FOUS_API_KEY")
if not api_key:
    raise RuntimeError("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example")

body = json.loads("{\n  \"api\": \"@thomasnet\",\n  \"visibility\": \"public\",\n  \"operation\": \"search_suppliers\",\n  \"version\": 1,\n  \"input\": {\n    \"max_results\": 5,\n    \"supplier_type\": \"distributor\",\n    \"state_or_province\": \"Michigan\",\n    \"product_or_service\": \"industrial valves\"\n  },\n  \"response\": {\n    \"format\": \"json\"\n  }\n}")
request = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://api.fous.com/v1/query",
    data=json.dumps(body).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    method="POST",
)
try:
    with urllib.request.urlopen(request, timeout=120) as response:
        result = json.load(response)
except urllib.error.HTTPError as error:
    raise RuntimeError(f"HTTP {error.code}: {error.read().decode('utf-8', errors='replace')}") from error
if result.get("success") is False:
    raise RuntimeError(result.get("error", {}).get("message", "Request failed"))
print(json.dumps(result["data"]["output"], indent=2))
```

```typescript
// Save as fous.mts and run with npx tsx fous.mts.
// First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
const apiKey = process.env.FOUS_API_KEY;
if (!apiKey) throw new Error("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example");

const response = await fetch("https://api.fous.com/v1/query", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(120_000),
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "api": "@thomasnet",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "search_suppliers",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "max_results": 5,
    "supplier_type": "distributor",
    "state_or_province": "Michigan",
    "product_or_service": "industrial valves"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}),
});
type ApiResult = { success: boolean; data?: { output: unknown }; error?: { message: string } };
const result: ApiResult = await response.json();
if (!response.ok || result.success === false) {
  throw new Error(result.error?.message ?? `HTTP ${response.status}`);
}
if (!result.data) throw new Error("Missing API response data");
console.log(result.data.output);
```

Or describe the data in plain language: send `{"api":"@thomasnet","prompt":"Describe the data you need, with every detail"}` to the same URL. Fous fills in the input, runs the method that fits and returns only the fields you asked for; `data.route.calls[].request` is the exact call it made. Routing is free; the run costs the same.

## Use cases

- Find suppliers for a product or service
- Narrow supplier searches by state or province
- Compare supplier types and certifications
- Review company locations and founding years
- Identify suppliers by employee count and sales range

## FAQ

### Is Fous affiliated with Thomasnet?

No. Fous is not affiliated with Thomasnet. This workflow reads the public thomasnet.com website and returns its data.

### How much does it cost?

Each run costs 1 credit. With pay-as-you-go, a credit costs 1¢; monthly plans cost less per credit.

### Do I need a Thomasnet account?

No. You only need a Fous account.

### How current is the data?

Fous gets the data from thomasnet.com when you run it; repeating the same request within a day may return the saved result. Fous checks this workflow automatically; it last passed a check on Sep 29, 2026.

### Which suppliers offer a particular product or service?

Use Search suppliers with a product or service to find matching North American industrial suppliers.

### Can I filter suppliers by location or type?

Search suppliers accepts a state or province and supplier type as optional filters.

### What details are available for each supplier?

Search suppliers returns details including company name, location, certifications, founding year, employee count, and annual sales range.

## Related

- [Grainger API](https://fous.com/workflows/grainger.md): Industrial and facility supplies with public list prices.
- [Alibaba API](https://fous.com/workflows/alibaba.md): Alibaba provides wholesale products, prices, minimum orders, and public supplier details; shipping options may depend on destination and quantity, and searches cover up to 20 public listing pages.
- [Target API](https://fous.com/workflows/target.md): Target helps shoppers find products, details, photos, ratings, links, current prices, and nearby-store stock and pickup or delivery availability; prices and availability can change by location and time.
- [Trustpilot API](https://fous.com/workflows/trustpilot.md): Trustpilot provides company ratings, reply and location details when available, recent public reviews, and company search results with ratings, review counts, categories, locations, and links.
- [North Data API](https://fous.com/workflows/north-data.md): Public company register information for European companies.
- [Nordstrom API](https://fous.com/workflows/nordstrom.md): Search clothing, shoes, and beauty products at Nordstrom.
- [Newegg API](https://fous.com/workflows/newegg.md): Newegg provides US computer and electronics listings, with product details and selected public offers whose prices, availability, stock, and shipping can change or may not be displayed.
- [Home Depot API](https://fous.com/workflows/home-depot.md): Home Depot offers home improvement products with prices, ratings, availability, and delivery options, plus nearby stores’ distances, regular hours, and services; holiday hours may differ and coverage varies.
- [All Commerce workflows](https://fous.com/workflows/category/commerce)