Key to Metals AG

What Key to Metals AG does

Key to Metals AG is a privately owned Swiss company headquartered in Zürich that develops and operates the Total Materia online database platform for technical material properties data. Founded in 1999, the company was a global pioneer in delivering material properties information (mechanical, chemical, thermal characteristics of metals and alloys) online, displacing traditional handbook-based reference workflows. The platform is available in 25+ languages and serves enterprise engineering customers across automotive, aerospace, energy, metals and steel, industrial machinery, inspection, and academia, with named customers including ABB, Siemens AG, EDF, GE, Honda, Ford, Toyota, Cummins, Tata Steel, ArcelorMittal, and Lufthansa Technik.

The company's revenue is generated through three streams: subscription-based recurring access to the Total Materia database (primary stream), OEM/embedded licensing of its data and software into partner platforms (Siemens AG PLM, Altair, CYBERNET SYSTEMS, Elsevier, Oxford Instruments, SPECTRO, Thermo Fisher Scientific), and professional audit and certification services delivered through the DAS SP division established in 2023 across multiple ISO frameworks. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales, a global partner/reseller network, and industry association relationships (ACAROM, AIPE).

The operating model is notably lean: the company is reported at 1-10 employees while maintaining multilingual global operations and a large enterprise customer base. The founders — Peter Heusser (Co-Founder & Chairman) and Viktor Pocajt (Co-Founder, President & CEO) — retain control, with Neil Baumann as COO and Ivan Pocajt leading the DAS SP certification division. No external institutional investors, venture capital, or parent ownership has been disclosed. A copyright reference to 'Total Materia AG' (2025) suggests a potential rebranding or affiliated commercial entity, though no public listing or ticker exists.

Name

Key to Metals AG

Legal name

Key to Metals AG

Website

https://keytometals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Privately owned Swiss company operating the Total Materia online database for material properties data, serving enterprise engineering customers across automotive, aerospace, energy, steel, and industrial sectors globally, supplemented by ISO certification services through its 2023-established DAS SP division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Materials Information Software

akta.pro primary industry

Manufacturing, Quality & Industrial Operations Reference (Lean, Six Sigma, QA/QC) (EDAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Material properties database
• Metallurgical data software
• Alloy property reference
• Engineering materials information
• Online materials database

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Database Subscription Services: The primary revenue stream comes from subscription-based access to their online material properties database, serving engineers, professionals, and companies worldwide.
2. Certification and Audit Services (DAS SP): DAS SP division provides professional audit and certification services including ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 50001, 27001, 20000-1, 22301, 22000, HACCP, and 13485 certifications. Established in 2023 with headquarters in Zürich, operating in the European region.
3. OEM Solutions: The company provides customized projects and OEM solutions, integrating their databases and software applications into partner platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Key to Metals AG develops and operates the Total Materia online database platform, the world's most comprehensive resource for technical data on material properties (metals, alloys, polymers, and related materials), launched in 1999. The company also delivers customized projects and OEM solutions that integrate its databases and software applications into partner engineering software platforms, and through its 2023-established DAS SP division it provides ISO audit and certification services to industry and the public sector.

Product overview

Key to Metals AG operates as a privately owned Swiss company specializing in online databases for technical materials data. The company offers Total Materia, a comprehensive online database platform for material properties information, along with related software applications, customized projects, and OEM solutions. DAS SP, a division established in 2023, provides separate audit and certification services. The Total Materia database serves as the primary offering, focused on delivering technical data for engineering applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DAS SP: A division of Key to Metals AG established in 2023 that delivers audit and certification services to industry, public sector, and trade and service sectors.

Products and services

• Total Materia Online database platform providing comprehensive technical materials data for engineers, researchers, and industrial customers. Covers metals, alloys, polymers, and related materials, including mechanical properties, chemical compositions, and thermal characteristics. Delivered as a subscription-access web platform supporting 25+ languages and serving automotive, machinery, energy, metals, aerospace, inspection, and academic customers worldwide.
• OEM and Customized Database Solutions Customized projects and OEM solutions that integrate Key to Metals AG's databases and software applications into partner engineering software platforms, allowing partners to embed material properties data within their own CAD/CAE/PLM or other technical tools.
• DAS SP Audit and Certification Services Professional audit and certification services delivered through the DAS SP division, covering ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 50001, 27001, 20000-1, 22301, 22000, HACCP, and 13485 standards. Headquartered in Zürich and operating in the European region.

Quantifiable outcome

• First online database launched in 1999 - pioneering the online technical information delivery model
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers30 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ACAROMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACAROM is the largest representative automotive association in Romania, gathering 144 companies that develop existing and new activities in the automotive industry. Established in 1996, ACAROM is the voice of the Romanian automotive industry. The association initiates, facilitates and coordinates actions for its members including participation in industry events, organization of training programs, lobbying for industry issues, development and dissemination of standards and regulations related to the automotive sector.
• AIPEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIPE (Italian Association of Pressure Equipment) is a non-profit association which gathers the most important boiler producers in Italy. The intent of the organization is to cope effectively and quickly, with the main challenges faced by the boiler producers, not only at a local level but also on an international scale.
• AltaircoreTechnology or IntegrationAltair is the leading global provider of technology that strengthens client innovation, and has been providing expert assistance in the fields of product design, advanced engineering software, on-demand computing technologies and enterprise analytics solutions for the past 27 years.
• CYBERNET SYSTEMScoreTechnology or IntegrationCYBERNET SYSTEMS has been providing scientific computational and engineering solutions to a wide range of customers for over 30 years. Primarily specializing in the provision of software, CYBERNET SYSTEMS strive to offer a total solution for the clients CAE needs including structural, thermal and fluid analysis.
• ElseviercoreTechnology or IntegrationElsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress.
• OXFORD INSTRUMENTScoreTechnology or IntegrationOXFORD INSTRUMENTS develops high-tech instruments and systems for research and development as well as for industry, from solutions for basic research in physics to commercially viable nanotechnology.
• Siemens AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationAs one of the world's largest engineering and electronics organizations, Siemens AG have a strong background and involvement in the field of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). Providing a range of PLM software solutions, Siemens aim is to help global organizations work as a single team by creating a coherent data structure and consolidating the many systems used within the organization, such as CAD, CAM and CAE software.
• SPECTROcoreTechnology or IntegrationAs part of the AMETEK Materials Analysis Division, SPECTRO is one of the leading global suppliers of analytical instruments, employing optical emission and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry technology used by industry, research and academia alike for the elemental analysis of materials.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationThermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science and provides solutions for customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control industries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ANSYS: ANSYS is a leading engineering simulation platform whose acquisition of Granta Design bundles materials data into broader CAE workflows — a broad incumbent with overlapping materials capabilities as part of a much wider simulation portfolio.
• S&P Global Commodity Insights (formerly IHS Markit): S&P Global (via IHS Markit legacy) provides industrial reference data and standards information — including metals and engineering-related datasets — as part of a much broader commodities and standards information portfolio.
• Siemens Digital Industries (Xcelerator / Teamcenter): Siemens PLM (now part of Siemens Xcelerator) integrates material data inside CAD/CAE/PLM workflows and is simultaneously a Key to Metals OEM partner and a broad incumbent with overlapping materials data capabilities.

Direct peers

• ASM International: ASM International publishes the ASM Handbooks and ASM Alloy Center / Materials Data, the most authoritative materials reference sources used by metallurgical and design engineers — directly comparable reference content to Total Materia.
• MatWeb: MatWeb is a free online materials property database covering metals, plastics, ceramics and composites for engineers and designers — a head-to-head substitute reference source for Total Materia's subscription database.
• MakeItFrom: MakeItFrom is a free materials properties database and comparison tool used by engineers and designers to look up and compare grades — closely comparable self-serve materials reference functionality to Total Materia.
• Granta Design (ANSYS): Granta Design, now part of ANSYS, sells GRANTA MI materials information management software and the MI databases used by engineering enterprises for material selection and property data — directly competing in the same engineering-materials data niche as Key to Metals/Total Materia.
• UL Prospector (formerly IDES): UL Prospector (formerly IDES) is a materials search platform used by product designers and engineers to access technical datasheets across plastics and metals — an overlapping subscription/free materials-information service targeting the same engineering buyer.
• AZoM: AZoM.com is a leading online materials science portal publishing material property articles, datasheets and supplier information — directly comparable as a technical materials information resource for engineers.

Others

• Total Materia AG: Total Materia AG appears in the website footer (© 2025 Total Materia AG) and as a related-entity/rebranding reference for Key to Metals AG — the closest commercial mirror of the subject company and likely the same operating business surfaced under a different corporate wrapper.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Key to Metals AG