Ansys Granta Selector

ANSYS Granta Selector is a materials selection and materials intelligence platform used to evaluate engineering materials based on performance, cost, sustainability, and manufacturability. Developed by Ansys, it helps engineers identify and compare appropriate materials during product design and development.

Selecting the right material is rarely a simple decision. Engineers must balance mechanical performance, weight, durability, cost, and environmental impact simultaneously. Granta Selector provides the tools to analyze these factors using a large, structured database of material property data built around a proven selection methodology.

The platform allows engineers to compare materials across mechanical, thermal, electrical, and environmental properties, making it possible to identify candidates that satisfy specific design constraints while visualizing the trade-offs between competing requirements.

Granta Selector also includes tools for sustainability analysis and lifecycle assessment, allowing engineering teams to evaluate environmental impact alongside technical performance when making material decisions.

Because of these capabilities, the software is widely used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, and advanced manufacturing, where material choices directly affect product performance, compliance, and cost.

Key Features

• Ashby property charts for graphical two-axis materials selection across entire material families simultaneously, visualizing performance trade-offs that no table or filter-based search replicates
• Performance index methodology for systematic selection by engineering criteria including minimum weight, maximum stiffness, thermal management, and dozens of other optimization targets
• Comprehensive material database covering metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, foams, and natural materials with mechanical, physical, thermal, electrical, and environmental properties
• Simulation export pipeline with direct export to Ansys Mechanical, Fluent, Electronics Desktop, Abaqus, LS-DYNA, and Radioss using simulation-ready material cards
• JAHM dataset providing temperature-dependent material properties for thermal and structural simulation across a wide range of engineering materials
• 2025 R2 content additions including simulation-ready sheet steels for metal forming, updated adhesives and tapes, and comprehensive composite materials datasets
• Restricted Substances module for REACH and RoHS compliance assessment at the point of material selection
• Eco Audit tool for lifecycle environmental impact and carbon footprint comparison across candidate materials
• Hybrid materials modeler for property prediction of composite and hybrid material configurations beyond the standard database
• AnsysGPT virtual assistant for AI-assisted materials query and selection guidance, introduced in 2025 R2

Best For

Materials engineers, design engineers, and simulation analysts facing genuinely difficult materials selection problems with competing performance requirements such as weight versus stiffness, thermal conductivity versus electrical insulation, or cost versus corrosion resistance. Particularly valuable for teams who need both the graphical trade-off visualization to understand the full design space and the simulation export pipeline to carry selection decisions directly into analysis tools without manual property transcription.

Who It's Not For

Engineers whose materials question is a lookup rather than a selection decision. Identifying an international equivalent, verifying a supplier datasheet, or retrieving a specific property value for an already-chosen material is better served by Total Materia's cross-reference depth or MatWeb's free accessibility.

Organizations whose primary need is enterprise-wide material data governance, internal test data management, and PLM integration are better served by Granta MI, the enterprise-tier platform that Granta Selector is not designed to replace.

Platform

Windows desktop application installed locally with annual license activation. No Mac or Linux support for the core application.

Simulation export connectors are compatible with Ansys Workbench, Ansys Mechanical, Fluent, Electronics Desktop, Abaqus, LS-DYNA, and Radioss for multi-solver workflows.

AnsysGPT virtual assistant access is available through a browser-based interface.

Pricing

Commercial engineering software typically sold as part of the Ansys Granta suite.

Annual subscription licensing is available through Ansys directly or certified channel partners, with configurations for individual users, small teams, and enterprise deployments.

Restricted Substances and Eco Audit modules are available as add-ons to the core Selector platform.

Academic licensing is available through Granta EduPack for educational institutions at reduced rates.

Contact Ansys or a certified reseller for current pricing by configuration and user count. A trial evaluation is available through Ansys directly.

Pros

• Ashby property chart methodology makes multi-objective materials trade-offs graphically visible in a way no table or filter-based search replicates
• Simulation export to Ansys, Abaqus, LS-DYNA, and Radioss connects the selection decision directly to analysis tools without manual property transcription
• Restricted Substances module identifies REACH and RoHS exposure at the point of selection, the lowest-cost point in the design cycle to catch compliance risk
• 2025 R2 development cadence with new sheet steel forming data, composite datasets, and AnsysGPT integration reflects active product investment rather than a maintained legacy tool
• Eco Audit lifecycle tool integrates environmental impact into the selection decision alongside performance and cost
• Academic heritage from Cambridge and Professor Ashby's methodology means the theoretical foundations align with the same frameworks taught in engineering programs globally

Cons

• Windows only with no cross-platform support
• Pricing requires direct Ansys engagement before cost evaluation is possible
• Not suited to quick property lookup or international standards cross-reference workflows, where MatWeb and Total Materia are more efficient
• Enterprise material data governance and PLM integration require Granta MI rather than Granta Selector, and the two products are priced separately
• Database breadth is strong for established engineering material families but less comprehensive than Total Materia for less common or regionally specific material specifications

Rating

⭐ 4.4 / 5

Editorial Take

ANSYS Granta Selector is widely used for data-driven material selection in advanced engineering programs. For teams designing high-performance products, it provides tools to evaluate materials systematically based on technical and environmental criteria.

Alternatives

Total Materia, MatWeb, Cambridge Engineering Selector, Ansys Granta MI, MMPDS, ASM Aerospace Specification Metals, Prospector

Used In

• Aerospace and defense lightweight structural material selection

• Automotive powertrain and body material optimization

• Medical device biocompatible material selection

• Electronics thermal management material trade-off analysis

• Consumer product cost versus performance material decisions

• Industrial machinery wear and corrosion material selection

• Academic engineering design coursework and capstone projects

Founded

1994 (Granta Design, Cambridge); acquired by Ansys 2019