Siemens
Exporting STEP from Solid Edge and checking your BOM.
Solid Edge exports assemblies to STEP AP203 or AP214. Below: the export with the right setting, the parts list to Excel and how to check them against each other. With BOMproof it can also be done without an export: then we read the Solid Edge files ourselves.
Published 20 September 2026
01 Export
Exporting STEP from Solid Edge.
- 1 Open the assembly and choose File > Save As (or Translate) with file type STEP.
- 2 Open the export options and choose the Class VI (manifold solid) variant for solids, so you get real volumes and no surfaces or wireframe.
- 3 Choose AP214 as application protocol, unless the recipient asks for something else.
- 4 Save and check the file in the free STEP viewer.
Class II, IV or VI
Solid Edge can export wireframe (class II), surfaces (class IV) or manifold solids (class VI). For a check on parts and quantities you need solids: class VI.
Construction geometry
You can choose which construction geometry is included. Leave it out if you only want to exchange the model; it makes the file smaller and the structure clearer.
02 BOM
BOM from Solid Edge to Excel.
- 1 In Draft make a drawing with a parts list of the assembly.
- 2 Right-click the parts list and copy its contents.
- 3 Paste the contents in Excel and save as .xlsx.
Solid Edge has no button that writes the parts list straight to Excel; copy and paste is the usual route. There are add-ins that automate this. If you have the parts list as CSV, BOMproof can read that too.
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.
If you work with Solid Edge, BOMproof does not need a STEP or Excel export. Choose the folder with your files and the drawing of the main assembly: we find the links to subassemblies, parts, their drawings and the PDFs with the same name ourselves. We read the structure and quantities, and per part document number, revision, material and density. That shows, for example, parts with density 0 (0 kg on the BOM), a material name that does not fit the density, or a drawing that is still linked to an older revision of the model. For duplicate and floating parts and comments in 3D a STEP is still needed.
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 Solid Edge 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
Solid Edge and STEP.
01 My STEP contains only surfaces, no parts. Why is that?
Then it was exported as a surface model (class IV) or wireframe (class II). Export again as manifold solid (class VI); the parts then come in the file as volumes and the product structure is correct too.
02 Can BOMproof read Solid Edge files without a STEP export?
Yes. In BOMproof you choose the folder with the assembly, the parts and the drawings (or a Pack and Go zip). We read the structure, the quantities and the properties per file, such as document number, revision, material and sheet thickness, and check them against your drawing and BOM. Solid Edge does not have to be installed for this. We do not yet read the 3D shape itself from Solid Edge files; if you also want duplicate or floating parts checked, supply a STEP as well.
03 Which STEP version is best to export from Solid Edge?
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).
04 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.
From export to demonstrably good release.
Export your STEP from Solid Edge, upload the drawings and the BOM with it and let BOMproof check them against each other. Book a demo with your own design.