How to Convert IFC to Excel: Free Offline Tool

IFC is the open standard for BIM data exchange. Every major CAD platform exports it, every coordination tool reads it. To filter elements, check parameters or run calculations, a spreadsheet is easier to work with than a viewer.

The IFC to Excel converter takes an .ifc file (IFC2x3, IFC4, IFC4x3), and writes an .xlsx workbook with every element and every property set. Plus a .dae file with 3D geometry. No plugins, no CAD software, runs offline. Workflows and documentation are in the cad2data repository on GitHub.

What data do you get from an IFC file?

The converter flattens elements and their property sets into Excel® rows and columns:

Data	What you get
Identity	GlobalId, Name, ObjectType, IFC Class (IfcWall, IfcSlab, etc.)
Property sets	All Psets flattened into columns: Pset_WallCommon, Pset_SlabCommon, custom Psets
Quantity sets	BaseQuantities (NetArea, GrossVolume, etc.) as separate columns
Spatial	Building, Storey, Space assignments
Materials	Material name, layer sets
Classification	Uniclass, OmniClass, or custom classification references

Each row is one IFC entity. The IFC class is in the Category column, so a filter on IfcWall gives all walls. Property set names are part of the column header, for example [Qto_WallBaseQuantities] NetVolume.

In our benchmark (DDC Community v18.4.1) GlobalId extraction averaged 99.95% over the 9 sample files that could be checked against ifcopenshell.

Quick start

git clone https://github.com/datadrivenconstruction/cad2data-Revit-IFC-DWG-DGN.git
cd cad2data-Revit-IFC-DWG-DGN

# Windows
DDC_WINDOWS_Converters\DDC_CONVERTER_IFC\IfcExporter.exe "C:\Projects\Model.ifc"

# Linux (APT)
sudo apt install ddc-ifcconverter
ddc-ifcconverter input.ifc output_dir/

Output lands next to the input file: Model_ifc.xlsx + Model_ifc.dae.

Important: always use full absolute paths. Relative paths can produce silent failures or empty output.

Using n8n™ workflows

The repository also contains visual workflows for n8n:

npx n8n
# Open http://localhost:5678
# Import n8n_1_*.json from DDC_n8n_Workflows&Pipelines/

Set your IFC file path in the “Set Variables” node, click Execute. The workflow handles conversion and validation automatically. Workflow n8n_3_* does batch conversion of an entire folder with HTML reporting.

Python™ scripting

import subprocess
from pathlib import Path
import pandas as pd

# Convert
subprocess.run([
    r"C:\DDC\IfcExporter.exe",
    r"C:\Projects\Office.ifc"
], capture_output=True, timeout=300)

# Analyze
df = pd.read_excel("Office_ifc.xlsx")
walls = df[df["Category"] == "IfcWall"]
print(f"Walls: {len(walls)}")
print(f"Net volume: {walls['[Qto_WallBaseQuantities] NetVolume'].sum():.1f} m³")

From there the table can go to pandas, matplotlib, scikit-learn or a language model.

Docker® containers

The Linux packages come from our APT repository, so a container is a few lines:

FROM ubuntu:22.04
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl && \
    echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://pkg.datadrivenconstruction.io stable main" \
    > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ddc.list && \
    apt-get update && apt-get install -y ddc-ifcconverter
WORKDIR /data
ENTRYPOINT ["ddc-ifcconverter"]

docker build -t ifc-converter .
docker run --rm -v /projects:/data ifc-converter /data/Model.ifc /data/output/

IFC versions supported

IFC Version	Notes
IFC2x3	Most common version in existing projects
IFC4 (incl. IFC4x1)	Current standard, recommended for new projects
IFC4x3	Infrastructure extensions (bridges, roads, rail)
IFC4.3 (ISO 16739-1:2024)	Latest ISO standard
IFC4X3_RC2	Not supported (pre-release schema; failed in our benchmark with “Unsupported schema”)

When another tool fits better

For rule-based model checking with a viewer, a model checker such as Solibri™ is the usual choice. For programmatic access from your own code, open-source IFC libraries such as IfcOpenShell or the xBIM Toolkit read IFC directly. The converter is for the case in between: the whole model as one table, from the command line, without writing a parser.

FAQ

Can I convert IFC to Excel without BIM software?

Yes. The converter reads IFC files directly. No Revit®, no ArchiCAD®, no viewer needed. Works on Windows® and Linux.

What IFC schema versions are supported?

IFC2x3, IFC4 (including 4x1), IFC4x3 and IFC4.3 (ISO 16739-1:2024). Known limit: the pre-release schema IFC4X3_RC2 is not supported.

Does it extract property sets?

Yes, all of them. Standard Psets (Pset_WallCommon, etc.), quantity sets (BaseQuantities), and custom property sets. Each property becomes a column in the output.

Can I batch convert multiple IFC files?

Yes. Use the n8n batch workflow, Python™ scripts, or shell loops. No file limit.

Download

Free Community version of the IFC converter (personal and research use; commercial licence on request). Extracts all elements, all property sets, all quantities to a structured Excel workbook. Windows CLI and Linux APT packages.

Get it on GitHub
IFC to Excel converter: download and details

Working with other CAD/BIM formats? See our guides for Revit to Excel, DWG to Excel, DGN to Excel, and Revit to IFC conversion.

Revit® and AutoCAD® are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. Excel® and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Docker® is a registered trademark of Docker, Inc. Python™ is a trademark of the Python Software Foundation. n8n™ is a trademark of n8n GmbH. Solibri™ is a trademark of Solibri, Inc. ArchiCAD® is a registered trademark of Graphisoft SE. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.