How to Create a Custom Material in SOLIDWORKS

Hanen Bdioui

15 May 2026 5 mins to read

In mechanical design, using the correct material is not only about appearance. Material properties directly affect part weight, simulation accuracy, manufacturing decisions, and cost estimation.

Although SOLIDWORKS includes a large built-in material database, engineers often work with supplier-specific materials, modified plastics, custom alloys, or 3D printing materials that are not available in the default library.

This guide explains how to create and manage custom materials in SOLIDWORKS using a practical engineering workflow.

Why Create Custom Materials?

Custom materials in SOLIDWORKS are useful when the standard material library does not contain the material you need. Many companies use special plastics, aluminum alloys, composite materials, or 3D printing materials that are not included in the default database.

Creating custom materials helps engineers use correct material information in their designs and simulations. This is important for getting accurate part weight, strength, and manufacturing data.

Custom materials are often used when a supplier provides special material properties, when existing materials do not match the required values, or when a company wants to use its own standard material library.

Using accurate material properties improves mass calculations, center of gravity accuracy, simulation results, BOM consistency, and manufacturing documentation.

Step 1 — Open the Material Editor

Open a part file in SOLIDWORKS.

In the FeatureManager Design Tree:

Right-click Material
Select Edit Material

This opens the Material Database window where all libraries, categories, and materials are stored.

Step 2 — Create a New Material Library

Instead of editing default SOLIDWORKS materials, create your own library.

In the left panel:

Scroll to Custom Materials
Right-click and choose New Library
Give the library a clear name

Example:

Company Materials
Custom Plastics
3D Printing Materials

After creating the library:

Right-click the library
Select New Category

Example categories:

Engineering Plastics
Aluminum Alloys
Composite Materials

This structure keeps materials organized for future projects.

Step 3 — Create a New Material

There are two common methods engineers use.

Method 1 — Copy an Existing Material (Recommended)

This is the fastest workflow because it preserves:

Appearance settings
Basic physical properties
Material classifications

Example:
If you need a modified 1060 Alloy, copy the existing Alloy material first.

Steps:

Select an existing material
Right-click → Copy
Right-click your custom category → Paste

Rename the material afterward.

Example:

Aluminum 6061 Custom

If you copied Aluminum 1060 Alloy to create your new material, the main step is replacing the mechanical properties with the correct values for Aluminum 6061.

First, rename the material to Aluminum 6061 Custom. Then update the important engineering properties inside the material editor.

Keep the density around 2700 kg/m³, since both alloys are very similar in weight. The biggest difference is strength. Aluminum 1060 is a soft commercial aluminum, while 6061-T6 is much stronger and commonly used for structural and machined parts.

Change the Elastic Modulus to approximately 68.9 GPa.
Update the Yield Strength to around 276 MPa.
Set the Tensile Strength to approximately 310 MPa.
Keep Poisson’s Ratio at about 0.33.

For thermal properties, change the Thermal Conductivity to roughly 167 W/m·K, because 6061 conducts heat less efficiently than 1060 alloy. The Thermal Expansion coefficient can stay close to 23.6 ×10⁻⁶ /K.

If you are using the material for simulation or manufacturing calculations, it is better to use supplier datasheet values for the exact temper, especially if the material is 6061-T6, 6061-O, or 6061-T4. Most engineering applications typically use 6061-T6 because of its higher strength and good machinability.

Method 2 — Create a Material from Scratch

If no similar material exists:

Right-click the category
Select New Material

This creates an empty material entry where all properties must be entered manually.

Step 4 — Define Material Properties

After creating the material, update the engineering properties by double clicking each value field in the material editor.

The most important properties to define are the density for accurate mass calculations, elastic modulus for stiffness behavior, yield strength and tensile strength for structural analysis, and Poisson’s ratio for simulation accuracy.

You can also define thermal properties such as thermal conductivity and thermal expansion if the part will be used in thermal or flow simulations.

For sheet metal materials, additional settings like default thickness, bend radius, bend allowance, and K-factor can also be configured to standardize manufacturing workflows.

Step 5 — Apply the Material

Click Apply and then Close.

The custom material is now assigned to the part.

Once applied, SOLIDWORKS automatically updates:

Mass properties
Material appearance
Simulation data
BOM material definitions

Sharing Custom Material Libraries

Custom materials are stored as .sldmat files.

Default location example:

C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS\lang\english\sldmaterials

For engineering teams, storing material libraries in a shared location is recommended.

Common options include:

Shared network folders
PDM vaults
Cloud-managed engineering folders

To add a shared library:

Go to Tools → Options
Open File Locations
Select Material Databases
Add the shared folder path

This ensures all users work with the same validated material data.

Engineering Best Practices

Use Real Supplier Data

Whenever possible, use manufacturer datasheets instead of estimated values.

Standardize Naming

Use clear naming conventions such as:

Steel AISI 1045
ABS Injection Molded
PETG Carbon Fiber

Keep Libraries Organized

Separate materials by:

Manufacturing method
Industry standard
Material family

Backup Material Libraries

Since .sldmat files contain company-specific data, regular backups are important.

Final Thoughts

Creating custom materials in SOLIDWORKS is a simple process, but it has a major impact on engineering accuracy and workflow consistency.

A properly managed material library improves:

Simulation reliability
Manufacturing communication
Design standardization

For companies working with specialized materials or production workflows, custom material libraries quickly become an essential part of the CAD environment.

Author
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Hanen Bdioui

Sales Development Representative at ChampionXperience

Hanen Bdioui is the Editor-in-Chief at ChampionXperience, where she leads content on CAD, VR, and emerging engineering technologies. She works with Dassault Systèmes as a Content Creator and SOLIDWORKS Application Engineer, and contributes as a technical writer for Engineering.com and EngineeRules, covering topics in CAD, PLM, and simulation. Hanen also creates specialized content for 3DEXCITE, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, and Onshape, supporting engineers and companies in adopting modern digital workflows.