Tensioned structures are made of cable nets, fabrics or foils, the surfaces are plane, singe curved or double curved and are mechanically tensioned or inflated. Depending on the material the design process is different Designers and manufacturer have to know the common properties and differences creating optimized structures for each material and avoiding mistakes and failures. In the following the typical design procedure is pointed out of the different materials, the capability and features of the different materials are shown in examples.