Theme: A shared exchange format helps — but does not replace content and quality requirements
Quick definition
IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) is an open international standard for describing and exchanging building and infrastructure information between software applications. ISO 16739-1:2024 publishes the IFC data schema and exchange-file structure. The standard is used in BIM contexts but is not the same thing as BIM.
What the standard contributes
IFC defines concepts and structures that allow software to exchange modelled information without being the same product. The 2024 edition also covers infrastructure such as bridges, roads, railways and ports. Implementation levels and Model View Definitions (MVDs) can specify which parts of the schema a particular information delivery and software application support.
Example: exchanging a pump
A design model can be exported to IFC and opened in another tool. The recipient can then read the objects, geometry and properties that were actually included in the export. Using the pump in an operations or maintenance workflow may also require an agreed identity, system relationships and verified data — none of which follows automatically from opening the IFC file.
Open exchange is not a quality guarantee
A file may follow an IFC version yet omit required objects or properties, contain incorrect values, or be unsuitable for the recipient’s purpose. Check the version, selected MVD or other agreed exchange requirement, information content, units, relationships and validation results. The client should also specify which checks are binding and how deviations will be handled. Assessment must be tied to the project requirements.
IFC and BIM
BIM is a broader approach to model-based collaboration and information management. IFC is a standard for structuring and exchanging that information. A project can use BIM without every delivery being IFC, and an IFC file does not, by itself, define how information will be managed after handover.
HubMind’s view
Select the IFC version and exchange requirements to fit the recipient’s actual use case. The client and relevant information owners need to specify which objects and data are required and how they will be checked. IFC can then support interoperability without confusing the format with content acceptance or accountability for meaning.
Related concept
See BIM for the broader approach.
Related concepts
Sources and further reading
Scope and freshness
IFC is described with reference to ISO 16739-1:2024, second edition published in March 2024. This page does not summarise every schema element or software certification requirement. Reviewed 25 October 2026.