10-point checklist to deliver an error-free IFC model
BIM Quality · 9 min · 2026-08-05
The 10 essential checks to deliver a quality IFC model: naming, levels, classification, properties per LOIN, coordinates, duplicates and more. Review them before you deliver.
Delivering an IFC model that "opens fine" does not mean it is correct. A model can display without issues and still fail naming, classification or property requirements that the client will review. This 10-point checklist summarizes the essential checks before a delivery, aligned with a public BIM standard (ISO 19650 / openBIM).
1. File and element naming
Verify that the file name and element names follow the agreed convention (project, discipline, stage, version). Consistent naming is the first thing reviewed and the easiest to fix before delivering.
2. Correct level (storey) structure
Levels (IfcBuildingStorey) must be well named, ordered and with the
correct elevations. Elements assigned to the wrong level cause errors in quantities,
sections and coordination.
3. Correctly assigned IFC classes
Each element must be exported with its correct IFC class: a wall
as IfcWall, a slab as IfcSlab, a column as
IfcColumn, etc. Review your software's category mapping to avoid elements
ending up as generic IfcBuildingElementProxy.
4. Minimize "proxy" elements
An excess of IfcBuildingElementProxy is a warning sign: it means many
objects were not classified correctly. Reduce proxies to a minimum by assigning proper
families and categories in the native model.
5. Classification
Many standards require a classification system (for example classification codes agreed in the project). Verify that elements have the classification code the client requires assigned.
6. Properties per Level of Information Need (LOIN)
Each project stage requires a different Level of Information Need (LOIN). Before delivering, confirm that elements have the properties and property sets required for the corresponding stage. Missing key properties is one of the most common findings.
7. Assigned materials
Elements must have materials correctly defined and associated. Materials feed quantities, analysis and the visual coherence of the federated model.
8. No duplicates
Duplicate elements (copied over themselves, or repeated across linked files) inflate quantities and cause false clashes. Check there are no identical overlapping elements before exporting.
9. Coherent position and coordinates
Confirm the model is in its correct location and that all disciplines share the same coordinate origin. A displaced model will not federate and will make coordination impossible.
10. Coherence with the declared stage
The model content must match the declared stage. Delivering a model with more (or less) development than committed generates findings. Make sure the file's stage matches what the model actually contains.
From a manual list to an automatic audit
Reviewing these 10 points by hand, element by element, is slow and error-prone. BIMaudit automatically evaluates your IFC model against these 10 categories of a public standard aligned with ISO 19650 and gives you a compliance traffic light (Compliant / Observed / Non-compliant) with the detail of each finding, 100% deterministically and reproducibly.
That way you deliver with the peace of mind of knowing, before the client does, where your model stands, and you demonstrate the improvement between versions with traceability.