The physical properties of single-crystalline SmBe 13 with a NaZn 13 -type cubic structure have been studied by electrical resistivity (ρ), specific heat (C), and magnetization (M) measurements in magnetic fields of up to 9 T. The temperature (T ) dependence of ρ shows normal metallic behavior without showing the Kondo -lnT behavior, suggesting the weak hybridization effect in this system. Analyses of the temperature dependence of C suggest that the Sm ions of this compound are trivalent and that the crystalline-electric-field (CEF) ground state is a Γ 8 quartet with a first-excited state of a Γ 7 doublet located at the energy scale of ∼ 90 K. Mean-field calculations based on the suggested CEF level scheme can reasonably well reproduce the T dependence of magnetic susceptibility (χ) below ∼ 70 K. These results in the paramagnetic state strongly indicate that the 4 f electrons are well localized with the Sm 3+ configuration. At low temperatures, the 4 f electrons undergo a magnetic order at T M ∼ 8.3 K, where χ(T ) shows an antiferromagnetic-like cusp anomaly. From the positive Curie-Weiss temperature obtained from the mean-field calculations and from a constructed magnetic phase diagram with multiple regions, we discussed the magnetic structure of SmBe 13 below T M , by comparing with other isostructural MBe 13 compounds showing helical-magnetic ordering.