Materials are directly associated with products and product types to indicate a uniform material for the entire object.
Materials can also be associated with the IfcTypeObject, defining a material for occurrences of that type. If a material is associated at both the IfcTypeObject and IfcObject, then the material directly assigned to IfcObject takes priority.
The following diagram shows the generic classes and relationships used when applying this concept.
In addition, concepts may have particular importance to common or standardised industry practices and scenarios. For these specific usage scenarios, the table below shows a recommended list of general usage patterns that users may adopt.