How to Create Custom Properties in SOLIDWORKS

Custom properties in SOLIDWORKS are small pieces of information stored inside your model files—things like part numbers, descriptions, materials, revision levels, and more. Used correctly, they keep your bill of materials (BOM), title blocks, and data-management systems in sync without manual retyping.

This guide walks through the standard File > Properties workflow to create custom properties, explains how those properties connect to BOMs and drawings, and finishes with some practical best-practice tips.

What Are SOLIDWORKS Custom Properties?

A custom property is metadata attached to a part, assembly, or drawing. Each property has a name, a type (Text, Number, Date, or Yes/No), and a value. You define the property once in the model and then reuse it everywhere the file is referenced.

Custom properties are commonly used to drive:

• Bills of materials (BOMs) – columns such as Part Number, Description, Material, and Weight.
• Drawing title blocks and notes – so the drawing automatically shows the correct description, revision, author, and other key details.
• PDM / data-management systems – where custom properties are mapped into searchable fields and used in workflows and reports.

Defining properties consistently at the model level saves time and reduces mistakes when designs or product structures change.

Accessing File Properties in SOLIDWORKS

You manage custom properties in the File Properties dialog. SOLIDWORKS organizes information there into three main tabs: Summary, Custom, and Configuration Specific. The Custom tab applies to the whole file, while the Configuration Specific tab lets you define values that differ between configurations.

To open the properties dialog and start adding custom properties:

• On the menu bar, click File > Properties. You can also access the same command from the Standard toolbar, as shown.
• The Summary Information / Properties window appears. Switch to the Custom tab to enter properties that apply to the entire part, assembly, or drawing.

In many teams, this dialog is the central place to record comments for colleagues, project identifiers, and any metadata that will later appear in BOMs, drawings, and PDM.

Creating a Custom Properties Table for a Part

On the Custom tab, SOLIDWORKS shows a table where each row represents one property. You can add or edit properties at any time in the model’s life cycle.

Understanding the Columns

Each row of the table contains four main columns:

• Property Name – the label for the property (for example, Part Number, Description, Material, or Stock Size). You can type your own name or select from a predefined list.
• Type – the kind of data stored: Text, Number, Date, or Yes or No. Choosing the correct type helps with sorting and calculations in BOMs, cut lists, and reports.
• Value / Text Expression – the value you enter directly, or an expression that references model data (for example, a link to mass, material, or a global variable).
• Evaluated Value – the result that SOLIDWORKS calculates from the expression. This is what will appear in BOMs, notes, and title blocks.

Behind the scenes, properties you enter here can be stored either for the whole file or for a specific configuration, depending on which tab you are editing.

Adding Details and Expressions

In many cases you will add straightforward text, such as a project code, customer name, or revision. For more advanced workflows, you can also use functions or equations in the Value / Text Expression field—for example, to pull in the part’s mass, material, or a global variable so that the property updates automatically when the model changes.

Because these properties are stored with the model, any user who opens the file can see or update the same information, which is especially useful in team environments or when you share models with a PDM system.

Using Standard Property Names

The drop-down list of property names lets you add common fields such as Density, Material, Stock Size, or company-specific attributes. Standardizing on a fixed set of names makes it much easier to build reusable BOM and drawing templates that work across all of your parts and assemblies.

In the illustrated example, three properties have already been added: Part Number, Description, and Weight. Typically, the Weight value is linked to the model’s calculated mass so that it always reflects the current geometry, while Part Number and Description are entered manually according to your company’s numbering rules.

The second column (Type) controls how each of these values behaves. For example, using a Number type for cost or quantity helps when you later sort or filter data, while a Yes or No type is ideal for true/false flags such as “Purchased Part” or “For Export Only.”

How Custom Properties Feed Bills of Materials and Drawings

Once custom properties are defined, you can reference them directly in BOMs, cut lists, and drawing notes. When the property changes in the model, every linked table or note updates automatically, which greatly reduces manual editing and the risk of inconsistent documentation.

Typical uses include:

• BOM columns – Insert or edit BOM columns and set the column property to a custom property such as Part Number, Description, Material, or Vendor_Number.
• Drawing title blocks – Link fields like title, drawn by, checked by, and revision directly to properties so new drawings auto-populate with minimal input.
• Notes and annotations – Use “Link to Property” in notes to display any custom property value from the model, a specific configuration, or the referenced sheet.

If a property such as Material or Description is edited at the model level, the BOM and drawing will update after a rebuild, helping ensure consistency across your documentation.

Custom vs. Configuration-Specific Properties

Many real-world parts exist in multiple configurations (for example, different lengths, materials, or options). SOLIDWORKS lets you store properties either for the whole file or per configuration:

• Custom properties (file-level) – apply to every configuration in the file. These are good for information that never changes between configurations, such as project name, customer, or a general description.
• Configuration-specific properties – apply only to the active configuration. Use these for values that differ per configuration, such as size, material, or configuration-specific part numbers.

As a general rule, avoid creating properties with the same name in both the Custom and Configuration Specific tabs, because it can be unclear which value is actually being used in BOMs and notes.

Speeding Up Entry with the Property Tab Builder

For teams that create a lot of models, the Property Tab Builder provides a form-based interface for entering custom properties. Instead of editing the table directly, users fill in fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, or drop-down lists in the Task Pane, and the underlying custom properties are updated automatically.

Key points about Property Tab Builder:

• It is a separate utility installed with SOLIDWORKS, listed under SOLIDWORKS Tools in the Start menu.
• You can build different tabs for parts, assemblies, drawings, and weldments, each with its own set of properties.
• Form controls such as lists and checkboxes enforce consistency—users pick from approved values instead of typing free text.
• Once a tab is saved in a folder listed under Options > File Locations > Custom Property Files, it appears in the SOLIDWORKS Task Pane for all users who share that location.

This approach is especially useful when you want every file to carry the same core set of properties with minimal training or manual data entry.

Best Practices for Managing Custom Properties

• Define a naming convention. Decide on standard property names (for example, PartNumber, Description, Material, Finish) and stick to them across all templates and projects.
• Choose the correct data type. Use Text for descriptive fields, Number for quantities and costs, and Yes or No for simple flags. This makes downstream sorting, filtering, and automation more reliable.
• Avoid duplicate names across tabs. Do not define the same property name in both Custom and Configuration-Specific tabs unless you have a very specific reason and understand how your BOM templates read properties.
• Build templates with common properties. Save frequently used properties into part, assembly, and drawing templates so new files start with the right metadata already in place.
• Integrate with PDM when possible. If you use SOLIDWORKS PDM, map key custom properties to PDM variables so that information entered once in the model becomes searchable and reportable across the vault.

By combining these practices with the simple workflow shown above—opening File > Properties, filling in the Custom tab, and linking those properties into BOMs and drawings—you create SOLIDWORKS models that are easier to share, reuse, and document consistently.