AbstractThe superconducting magnet system for the new stellarator WENDELSTEIN 7-X, to be located at Greifswald, Germany, consists of 50 non-planar and 20 planar large magnetic coils. A central support ring carries the coils and keeps them in their geometrical position. Additional lateral stiffening elements between the coil housings together with the support ring, generate a complex 3D-framework system which has to balance the considerable Lorentz forces, typically in the range of 1–5 MN for the single coil and 10 MN residual value for centripetal directions. The paper presents the detailed design of the magnet system, its functional layout for the achievement of the necessary geometrical accuracy, and the elements for the force transmission. The actual status of industrial activities for the realisation of the magnet components is presented and the magnet assembly conditions are discussed.