How to change the thickness or material of a wall in Revit?

Short Answer

Yes — in Autodesk Revit, you can change the thickness or material of a wall by editing its wall type with Edit Type and then opening the type structure layers. This is the most common professional method because it updates all walls of that type consistently. Limitation: type changes affect every instance using that wall type.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: Editing a wall type in Revit is a global change, so changing thickness or material can alter multiple walls across the entire project at once. It can also affect joins, room boundaries, hosted elements, and dimensions if the wall’s core layers shift.

How to Change the Thickness or Material of a Wall in Revit

• Command: Edit Type

• Shortcut: No default shortcut

• Quick Steps:

  1. Select the wall, then in the Properties palette click Edit Type.
  2. In the Type Properties dialog, click Structure next to the Structure parameter to open Edit Assembly.
  3. In the layer table, change the Thickness value or click the Material field to assign a new material, then confirm with OK twice.

Variables & Settings

• Key Setting: Preview in the Edit Assembly dialog
  Use the Preview option to see how layer changes affect the wall build-up before closing the dialog. Also check each layer’s Function because core boundary behavior can affect joins and hosted components.

Why it Fails

• Cause 1 (Geometry): Changing wall thickness can move wall faces or core boundaries, causing joins, openings, or attached elements to shift unexpectedly.
• Cause 2 (Layers/Locks): The wall may belong to a type used throughout the model, so office standards or worksharing control may prevent casual edits.
• Cause 3 (Command/Logic): Users often edit the instance instead of the type, but wall layer thickness and material are type-based, not instance-based, in standard Revit walls.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

• Quick Fix: In Type Properties, click Duplicate before editing the wall structure, then assign the new type only to the walls that need different thickness or material.
• Manager’s Verdict: Duplicate the wall type whenever the change is project-specific; only edit the original type if you intentionally want every wall of that type updated across the model.

FAQ

Can I change only one wall without affecting others?
Yes, duplicate the wall type first, then edit the new type.

Can I change wall material from the Properties palette directly?
No, standard wall layer materials are usually controlled in the wall type structure.

Will changing wall thickness affect doors and windows?
Yes, hosted elements can shift or require review after the wall type changes.

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