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Access Structures, CCDC and FIZ Karlsruhe Crystal Databases

World biggest cristal structures repository. For each organic crystal, get its chemical diagram and an interactive 3D model view of the molecule, its author and first publication source.

The Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC) Access Structures service provides an interface for searching, visualizing, and downloading small-molecule organic and metal-organic crystal structures. It aggregates data from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) started in 1965, and the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD), offering access to over 1.25 million curated entries derived from diffraction experiments. The platform delivers critical structural parameters, including:

  • Three-dimensional atomic coordinates and displacement parameters
  • Unit cell dimensions, space group symmetry, and crystal system data
  • Experimental metadata, including temperature, pressure, and radiation source
  • Direct links to primary scientific literature and deposition records

Professionals in pharmaceutical science and material engineering utilize this structural data to drive drug discovery and optimize chemical manufacturing processes. Key applications include:

  • Identifying and characterizing polymorphs to ensure regulatory compliance and patent protection
  • Designing porous materials and catalysts through structural motif analysis
  • Validating experimental powder X-ray diffraction patterns for quality control and phase purity
  • Informing computational modeling and molecular dynamics simulations for material innovation
Disciplines: Chemistry, Crystallography, Materials science, Pharmaceutical research, Mineralogy.
Free alternative to ICSD, Crystallography Open Database, Materials Project.
Access Structures (CCDC and FIZ Karlsruhe) compared with ICSD, Crystallography Open Database and Materials Project
Access Structures (CCDC and FIZ Karlsruhe)ICSDCrystallography Open DatabaseMaterials Project
Material scope: Access Structures searches the CSD, the ICSD or the whole collection. The CSD covers organic and metal-organic structures from X-ray, neutron and electron diffraction.Material scope: ICSD describes itself as the largest database of completely identified inorganic crystal structures. It also holds experimental metal-organic structures and selected theoretical ones.Material scope: The COD holds organic, inorganic and metal-organic structures and minerals. Biopolymers are excluded.Material scope: The Materials Project covers inorganic crystals and molecules. It is a Department of Energy effort to pre-compute material properties.
Data origin: Entries come from diffraction experiments. Each electronically deposited CSD structure carries its own DOI.Data origin: Entries are experimental. Simulated powder diffraction data is a listed feature.Data origin: Structures are contributed, and registered users can add entries. The data are published and unpublished experimental structures.Data origin: Properties are computed with Density Functional Theory, not measured. Applications named include batteries, solar energy, catalysts and optoelectronics.
Size: The CSD page states over 1.4 million structures.Size: The ICSD site reports 335,032 structures in April 2026, with about 12,000 added each year.Size: The COD page lists 512,960 entries.
Licence and cost: Access Structures is described as a free service to view and retrieve structures. Advanced CSD search requires signing in and a CSD licence.Licence and cost: The ICSD site requires a login. Licence terms are not shown on its main page.Licence and cost: All data have been placed in the public domain by the contributors.Licence and cost: The data are freely available under a Creative Commons licence.
Programmatic access and formats: Structures are stored as CIF files. Public SQL access is documented, a RESTful API page exists, and mirror sites host copies.Programmatic access and formats: The officially supported Python client is mp-api.

Topics covered: Access Structures, CCDC, FIZ Karlsruhe, crystal structures, chemical diagram, 3D model, Cambridge Structural Database, Inorganic Crystal Structure Database, atomic coordinates, unit cell dimensions, space group symmetry, experimental metadata, pharmaceutical science, material engineering, polymorphs, porous materials, and computational modeling..

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