Dassault Systèmes
Exporting STEP from SOLIDWORKS and checking your BOM.
A STEP from SOLIDWORKS contains the whole design with all parts and quantities, provided you set one option correctly. Below: the export, the BOM to Excel and how to check them against each other.
Published 20 September 2026
01 Export
Exporting STEP from SOLIDWORKS.
- 1 Open the assembly and choose File > Save As.
- 2 Under Save as type choose a STEP file type (STEP AP214 or STEP AP242) and click Options.
- 3 Set Output as to Solid/Surface geometry.
- 4 Leave "Export assembly components as separate STEP files (recommended for large assemblies)" switched off.
- 5 Click OK and save. Then check the file in the free STEP viewer.
One option decides whether you get a single file
With "Export assembly components as separate STEP files" SOLIDWORKS makes a separate STEP file per component, with a top file that refers to them. Handy for very large designs, but your customer or the check then gets loose files. For one complete file, leave it off.
Multiple instances and assembly features
If several instances of the same part are in the assembly and you export as separate files, assembly cuts (cuts at assembly level) are not included. In that case check whether the model in the export is still correct.
Performance
Export face/edge properties and Export appearances take time on large designs. Colours are nice in a viewer, but for a check on quantities and structure you do not need them.
02 BOM
BOM from SOLIDWORKS to Excel.
- 1 Make a drawing with a Bill of Materials of the assembly.
- 2 Click the BOM on the drawing sheet.
- 3 Choose File > Save As, enter a name and save as an Excel file.
The saved BOM is a separate copy: later changes to the drawing do not end up in it. So export it at the same moment as the STEP, otherwise you compare two versions.
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 SOLIDWORKS 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
SOLIDWORKS and STEP.
01 Why does my STEP contain loose files instead of one assembly?
Then "Export assembly components as separate STEP files" was on. Switch it off in the export options (File > Save As > Options) and export again; you then get one STEP with the whole structure in it.
02 Does the material come along in the STEP?
That depends on your version and settings. Open the export in the free STEP check: it shows which parts have a material and which are empty or have a default value.
03 Which STEP version is best to export from SOLIDWORKS?
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 SOLIDWORKS, upload the drawings and the BOM with it and let BOMproof check them against each other. Book a demo with your own design.