python-calamine
Python binding for Rust's library for reading excel and odf file - calamine
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. The package is actively maintained, has no security vulnerabilities, carries a permissive MIT license, and offers a fast compiled alternative to pure-Python Excel readers. Install friction is manageable with prebuilt wheels for common platforms. Suitable for any project needing to read Excel or ODF files in Python 3.10+.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later; Rust toolchain needed only for development/building from source.
- Medium install friction due to compiled wheels; prebuilt binaries available for common platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows, multiple architectures including ARM).
- Active maintenance with recent releases; no runtime dependencies to manage.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
last release 2026-07-13 (32 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-13 · 492 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 6,279,339 downloads/mo, #1,940 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install python-calamine
from python_calamine import CalamineWorkbook
workbook = CalamineWorkbook.from_path("file.xlsx")
sheet = workbook.get_sheet_by_name("Sheet1")
data = sheet.to_python()- Performance characteristics compared to other Excel readers (openpyxl, xlrd) on large files
- Support for Excel formulas, formatting, or only cell values
- Memory efficiency for very large spreadsheets
- ODF format coverage and limitations
What it is and what it does
python-calamine is a Python wrapper around the Rust calamine library that reads Excel (.xlsx) and ODF spreadsheet files. It provides a simple API to load workbooks, list sheet names, and extract sheet data as Python lists or use it with pandas. The package is built with PyO3 and maturin, delivered as precompiled wheels for most platforms.
The library skips empty rows and columns at the start of data by default but allows you to disable this behavior. It integrates with pandas 2.2 and above, which have built-in support for it. With zero runtime dependencies and active maintenance, it's designed as a fast, lightweight alternative to pure-Python spreadsheet readers.
Use it for
- Extract data from Excel files into Python for data analysis or processing pipelines
- Batch read multiple sheets from a workbook and convert to pandas DataFrames
- Parse ODF spreadsheets in automated workflows without external dependencies
- Load spreadsheet data in applications where performance matters (compiled Rust backend)
- Integrate with pandas workflows using pandas' native calamine support
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
The package is actively maintained, has no security vulnerabilities, carries a permissive MIT license, and offers a fast compiled alternative to pure-Python Excel readers. Install friction is manageable with prebuilt wheels for common platforms. Suitable for any project needing to read Excel or ODF files in Python 3.10+.
Install
python-calamine on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled wheels; prebuilt binaries available for common platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows, multiple architectures including ARM). Active maintenance with recent releases; no runtime dependencies to manage.
Requires Python 3.10 or later; Rust toolchain needed only for development/building from source.
License in practice
MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.
Quickstart
pip install python-calamine
from python_calamine import CalamineWorkbook
workbook = CalamineWorkbook.from_path("file.xlsx")
sheet = workbook.get_sheet_by_name("Sheet1")
data = sheet.to_python()Verify before relying
- Performance characteristics compared to other Excel readers (openpyxl, xlrd) on large files
- Support for Excel formulas, formatting, or only cell values
- Memory efficiency for very large spreadsheets
- ODF format coverage and limitations
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 32 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 6,279,339 / month, #1,940 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Rust |
Evidence: python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_armv7l.manylinux2014_armv7l.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_ppc64le.manylinux2014_ppc64le.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_s390x.manylinux2014_s390x.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_5_i686.manylinux1_i686.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_1_aarch64.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_1_armv7l.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_1_x86_64.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-win32.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_12_x86_64.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_armv7l.manylinux2014_armv7l.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_ppc64le.manylinux2014_ppc64le.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_s390x.manylinux2014_s390x.whl; python_calamine-0.8.2-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl
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See also fastexcel · excelrd · xlrd3 · aspose-cells-python · xlcalculator · pylightxl · openpyxl · xlrd · aspose-cells · agate-excel