AIMZ calculates the material cost automatically as quantity × unit cost. The figure in the material cost column in the Excel file is not used directly. If you adjusted the material cost on a line without changing the unit cost, the material cost in AIMZ will be wrong, usually too high.
Typical situation
You split an estimate item into one line for labour hours and one for materials, and manually adjusted the material cost on one of the lines. The unit cost is still the same as before. AIMZ then recalculates the material cost from quantity and unit cost, and the total differs from Excel.
How to fix it
Find the lines where the material cost differs. It helps to compare the total per production code with the source estimate.
Adjust the unit cost so that quantity × unit cost gives the correct material cost.
Make the adjustment in Excel before re-importing, or directly on the estimate line in AIMZ.
Check the total for the estimate afterwards.
Good to know
Labour cost is calculated the same way, as labour hours × hourly rate.
Excel can round decimals and cause small differences between unit cost and total. So check the total after import.