Siemens
Exporting STEP from NX and checking your BOM.
NX has its own export choice per STEP version. Below: the export of an assembly, the parts list to Excel and how to check them against each other.
Published 20 September 2026
01 Export
Exporting STEP from Siemens NX.
- 1 Open the assembly and choose File > Export and in it STEP214 or STEP242.
- 2 Choose the whole assembly as input (not just the visible part) and note which reference set is exported.
- 3 Enter the target file and export.
- 4 Check the file in the free STEP viewer: does the number of parts match the Assembly Navigator?
Reference sets decide what goes along
If a reference set without solids is exported, the STEP is empty or wireframe only. Check that before you send the file on.
Do not suppress anything by accident
Parts that are suppressed or filtered out in the view are not included in the export. In the viewer you see straight away whether the number of instances is right.
02 BOM
BOM from Siemens NX to Excel.
- 1 Open the drawing with the parts list, or use the Assembly Navigator.
- 2 For a parts list, set the sorting to Manual and right-click the header.
- 3 Choose Export to Spreadsheet. In the Assembly Navigator you do the same with the right mouse button in the window.
Export to Spreadsheet requires Excel 2016 or newer to be installed.
No BOM at hand? The free STEP to Excel makes one from the model itself: per part the total quantity, the material and the dimensions.
03 Check
Does the model match the BOM?
Export the STEP and the BOM at the same moment: otherwise you compare two versions. Then you can lay them against each other.
Free, in your browser
- Parts or subassemblies lying double in the same place
- Parts that touch nothing, with the distance in mm
- Parts without material or with a default value such as Generic
- The same shape under different names
With BOMproof
Your drawing and your BOM as well.
BOMproof lays the STEP from Siemens NX next to your PDF drawings and your Excel BOM: quantities per position, title block and revisions, materials on the drawing against the model. Every comment gets a pin in 3D and a balloon on the drawing.
Sources
04 Frequently asked questions
NX and STEP.
01 My STEP from NX is empty or contains only lines. Now what?
Probably a reference set without solids was exported. Choose the reference set with the solid body (often Entire Part or the default set) and export again.
02 Which STEP version is best to export from NX?
AP214 or AP242. Both contain the product structure with assemblies, parts and quantities, which is what you need for a BOM and a check on the model. AP203 works too, but contains less (for example no colours).
03 Can I view such an export without a CAD licence?
Yes. Open the .stp or .step file in the free STEP viewer on this site: you see the 3D model, the product structure and the BOM, and you can download the BOM as Excel. The file stays on your own computer.
05 Other packages
Working with something else?
From export to demonstrably good release.
Export your STEP from Siemens NX, upload the drawings and the BOM with it and let BOMproof check them against each other. Book a demo with your own design.