Filter or require elements based on their material assignments. IFC supports single materials, layered sets, profiles, and constituent sets.

Parameters

Using in IDSedit

As Applicability

Filter elements by their material:

1. Add a Material Facet to the Applicability section
2. Enter a material name or leave empty for any material
3. Use patterns for flexible matching

Example: Target all concrete elements by setting Value to Concrete

As Requirement

Require elements to have a material assigned:

1. Add a Material Facet to the Requirements section
2. Optionally specify the required material name

Material Assignment Types in IFC

IFC supports several ways to assign materials to elements:

Single Material (IfcMaterial)

One material for the entire element:

IfcWall → IfcMaterial "Concrete"

Material Layer Set (IfcMaterialLayerSet)

Multiple layers for walls, slabs, etc.:

IfcWall → IfcMaterialLayerSet
           ├── Layer 1: "Plasterboard" (12mm)
           ├── Layer 2: "Insulation" (100mm)
           └── Layer 3: "Brick" (100mm)

Material Profile Set (IfcMaterialProfileSet)

For structural members with cross-sections:

IfcBeam → IfcMaterialProfileSet
           └── Profile: "Steel" (I-Section)

Material Constituent Set (IfcMaterialConstituentSet)

For composite elements with named parts:

IfcWindow → IfcMaterialConstituentSet
             ├── "Frame": "Aluminium"
             └── "Glazing": "Glass"

Important: The Material Facet matches materials from ALL these assignment types.

Standard Material Categories

IFC recommends these standard category names for consistency:

Tip: Use these standard names when possible for better interoperability.

Value Matching

Exact Match

Value: Concrete

Matches only materials named exactly "Concrete"

Pattern Matching

Use regular expressions for flexible matching:

Any Material

Leave Value empty to match any element that has a material assigned:

Value: (empty)

This is useful for requiring elements have material data without specifying which material.

Common Use Cases

Structural Material Verification

Require structural elements have material assigned:

Entity Facet: IfcBeam
Material Facet: Value = (empty) - any material required

Fire-Rated Assemblies

Filter non-combustible elements:

Material Facet: Value = Pattern "(concrete|steel|masonry|brick)"

Sustainability Tracking

Target timber elements for embodied carbon:

Material Facet: Value = Pattern ".*wood.*|.*timber.*|.*CLT.*"

Glazing Requirements

Find all glass elements:

Material Facet: Value = Pattern ".*glass.*|.*glazing.*"

Material Consistency

Require specific material naming:

Material Facet: Value = Pattern "[A-Z]+-[0-9]+" (e.g., "MAT-001")

Technical Notes

Matching Behavior

• Matches material names case-insensitively by default
• Checks ALL materials in layered/composite assignments
• Matches if ANY layer/constituent matches (OR logic)
• Material descriptions are NOT matched, only names

Layered Materials

For walls and slabs with multiple layers:

• A match occurs if ANY layer's material matches
• To require ALL layers match, create multiple specifications

Material vs Material Category

Some IFC files use:

• IfcMaterial.Name - The specific material name
• IfcMaterial.Category - The standard category (concrete, steel, etc.)

The Material Facet checks the Name field. Some checking tools may also check Category.

How Materials Work in IFC

Materials are associated via IfcRelAssociatesMaterial:

IfcWall
  └── IfcRelAssociatesMaterial
        └── IfcMaterialLayerSetUsage
              └── IfcMaterialLayerSet
                    ├── IfcMaterialLayer (LayerThickness: 0.012)
                    │     └── IfcMaterial (Name: "Plasterboard")
                    └── IfcMaterialLayer (LayerThickness: 0.100)
                          └── IfcMaterial (Name: "Concrete")

IFC Documentation

• IfcMaterial
• IfcMaterialLayerSet
• IfcRelAssociatesMaterial

Learn More

For detailed specification information, see the official Material Facet documentation from buildingSMART.