Salesforce CPQ,
formerly SteelBrick:
what it does and
where the name comes from

Salesforce CPQ, formerly SteelBrick: what it does and where the name comes from

Posted byGreg Parashis

Posted on 03 November, 202603 November, 2026

This guide goes through what CPQ does day to day and where the SteelBrick name comes from. If you want the basics first, including what CPQ stands for, start with our page on what Salesforce CPQ is.

Where the name SteelBrick comes from

SteelBrick built the product as a managed package, which is software installed on top of a Salesforce org, and released it around 2010. Salesforce acquired SteelBrick in 2015 and renamed the product Salesforce CPQ. Searches for SteelBrick are still common, and some teams still use the name for the package installed in their org. If a document or a consultant mentions SteelBrick, they mean Salesforce CPQ.

Because CPQ was built as a managed package, it stores its data in its own custom objects instead of standard Salesforce objects. That detail matters when a team plans a move to Revenue Cloud, which is built on the core platform.

What Salesforce CPQ does

CPQ works from the Salesforce opportunity. A rep builds a quote there, and the product handles the work that spreadsheets and email threads usually carry.

• Product configuration. Guided selling and bundle rules keep reps from combining products that do not work together.
• Pricing. Price books, discount schedules, volume tiers, and contracted prices apply automatically.
• Approvals. Quotes outside your discount thresholds route to the right approver. Teams with complex approval chains have typically used the Advanced Approvals package, which was licensed separately from CPQ.
• Quote documents. Branded quotes and proposals generate from the quote record.
• Contracts, amendments, and renewals. After a quote is accepted, CPQ can create a contract and later amend or renew it with agreed prices carried forward.

Salesforce Billing, a separate add-on, extended CPQ into invoicing for subscription businesses.

Where Salesforce CPQ stands in 2026

• End of sale. Salesforce entered an end-of-sale phase for CPQ in March 2025. New customers cannot buy it.
• Existing customers. Current customers can continue to use CPQ, renew, and add licenses, with support continuing.
• Not end of life. Salesforce draws a clear line between end of sale and end of life. At the time of writing, no end-of-life date has been announced.
• Maintenance mode. New investment is going to Revenue Cloud, so CPQ is not receiving new features.

Our article on what end of sale means and whether to move goes into the timeline and the questions to ask before you decide.

What this means for your team

If you run CPQ today, nothing forces a move, and a stable setup can keep running. It is still worth knowing which of your pricing rules, approvals, and integrations you would need to carry forward, because that list shapes any later project. Our migration guide explains why the move is a rebuild and not an upgrade.

If you are evaluating quoting tools, CPQ is no longer available to buy. Start with what Salesforce Revenue Cloud is, and see how it compares in our side-by-side comparison.

Deciding what to do with CPQ? Our Revenue Cloud consultants can review your current setup and tell you what a move would involve. Talk to a CloudMasonry consultant.