Changing a material in SolidWorks means swapping the physical properties assigned to a part or assembly

When you assign a material to a part in SolidWorks, you are telling the software what that part is made of — steel, aluminum, plastic, wood, or dozens of other options. This affects how the software calculates weight, cost, appearance in renderings, and behavior in simulations. To change the material, you access the material library, select a new material, and apply it to your part. The process takes about 30 seconds once you know where to look.

SolidWorks comes with a built-in library of common materials. You can also create custom materials with your own properties if the standard library does not have what you need. The material you assign stays with the part file, so if you open that file later, the material is still there.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the part or assembly file, right-click on the part name in the tree on the left, and select "Edit Material" to open the material library.
  • SolidWorks includes a built-in library organized by material type — metals, plastics, composites — and you can browse or search by name.
  • Once you select a new material and click "Apply", the part updates immediately with the new weight, density, and appearance properties.
  • If you need a material not in the library, you can create a custom material by entering density, cost, and other properties yourself.

How to access the material library

Open your part or assembly file in SolidWorks. On the left side of the screen, you will see the model tree — a list of all the parts and features in your design. Find the part you want to change material for and right-click on it. A menu will appear with several options.

Click on "Edit Material" from that menu. The Material dialog box will open, showing you the material currently assigned to that part and the full library of available materials. If no material is currently assigned, the dialog will show "No Material" at the top.

Selecting a material from the library

The Material dialog is organized by material category. You will see folders for Metals, Plastics, Composites, Wood, and other types. Click the arrow next to any category to expand it and see the materials inside. For example, expand "Metals" and you will see Steel, Aluminum, Titanium, Copper, and others.

If you know the name of the material you want, use the search box at the top of the dialog. Type "aluminum" or "nylon" and SolidWorks will filter the list to show only matching materials. Once you find the material you want, click on it to select it. The dialog will show you the properties of that material — density, cost per unit, color, and other details.

Click the "Apply" button to assign this material to your part. You will see the part update in your 3D view, and the weight and other calculated properties will change. If you want to confirm the change and close the dialog, click "OK". If you want to cancel and keep the old material, click "Cancel".

Creating a custom material

If the material you need is not in the library, you can create a custom material. In the Material dialog, look for a button labeled "New Material" or a plus icon. Click it to create a new material entry. You will be asked to name the material and enter its properties.

The most important property is density, because SolidWorks uses this to calculate the weight of your part. Enter the density in the units your document uses — typically grams per cubic centimeter or pounds per cubic inch. You can also enter cost per unit, color, and other properties if you want SolidWorks to track those. Once you save the custom material, it will appear in your library for future use.

Changing material for multiple parts at once

If you have an assembly with many parts and you want to change the material for several of them, you can do this one part at a time using the method above. However, there is no built-in way to select multiple parts and change them all at once in a single dialog.

A faster approach is to use the Design Library. If you have parts that should always use the same material, you can save them as design library parts with the material already assigned. Then when you insert that part into a new assembly, the material comes with it. This saves time if you work with the same materials repeatedly.

Understanding how material properties affect your design

When you assign a material to a part, SolidWorks calculates several properties automatically. The most visible is weight — the software multiplies the volume of your part by the density of the material to get the total mass. This weight appears in the properties panel and is used in any weight calculations for the assembly.

Material also affects rendering and visualization. If you use SolidWorks' rendering tools to create a photo-realistic image of your design, the material you assigned determines how the part looks — its color, shininess, texture, and how light reflects off it. For simulations like stress analysis or thermal analysis, the material properties determine how the part behaves under load or heat.

Checking and verifying the material assignment

To confirm that a material has been assigned correctly, right-click on the part again and select "Edit Material". The Material dialog will show the currently assigned material at the top. You can also check the properties panel on the right side of the screen — if you select the part in the 3D view, the properties panel will show the material name and density.

If you want to remove a material assignment and go back to "No Material", open the Material dialog and click the "No Material" option at the top of the list, then click "Apply".

Frequently Asked Questions

Does changing the material in SolidWorks change the actual part I am manufacturing?

No. Changing the material in SolidWorks only changes the properties in the software — weight calculations, appearance in renderings, and simulation behavior. The actual material you manufacture with depends on what you specify in your manufacturing drawings and what you tell your manufacturer. SolidWorks is a design tool, not a manufacturing instruction.

Can I assign different materials to different features within a single part?

No. In SolidWorks, a part can have only one material assigned to it. If you need a part made of multiple materials — for example, a steel body with an aluminum insert — you must model them as separate parts in an assembly, then assign a different material to each part.

What happens to the material if I save my part file and open it on a different computer?

The material assignment travels with the file. When you open the part on another computer, the material is still assigned. However, if that computer does not have the same custom materials in its library, SolidWorks may show a warning. The part will still open and work, but you may need to reassign the material using that computer's library.

Can I change the material of an assembly instead of individual parts?

No. Materials are assigned to individual parts, not to assemblies as a whole. If you want to change the material of every part in an assembly, you must change each part separately. You can do this by opening each part file individually, or by editing each part in the context of the assembly.

Where do the materials in the SolidWorks library come from?

SolidWorks includes a standard library of common engineering materials with realistic properties. These are based on typical material specifications and are meant to give you accurate weight and cost estimates for design purposes. For precise material properties needed for critical simulations, you should verify the values against your actual material supplier's data sheet.