Salesforce objects are the database tables of a Salesforce org. Each object stores one kind of information, such as accounts, contacts or cases; each record in it is one row; and each field is a column. Standard objects like Account, Contact, Lead and Opportunity come with Salesforce, while custom objects are ones you create for data specific to your business.
This guide was first published in 2020. It has been rewritten for 2026 with the full set of object types, a standard objects list, and current custom object limits.
What is an object in Salesforce?
An object is a table that stores one kind of record, with fields as its columns. Trailhead's data modeling module sums it up: in Salesforce, database tables are objects, columns are fields, and rows are records. Every object has fields, every field has a data type, and every object, standard or custom, has standard identity, system and name fields: an 18-character record ID, system fields such as CreatedDate and LastModifiedDate, and a name field.
Objects are what everything else in Salesforce is built on. Every report starts from a report type built on objects, and page layouts, record types, validation rules, reports, flows and security settings are all defined per object.
Standard objects vs custom objects
Standard objects come with Salesforce; custom objects are ones you create, with API names ending in __c.
| Standard objects | Custom objects | |
|---|---|---|
| Who defines them | Salesforce | You (admins or developers) |
| Examples | Account, Contact, Lead, Opportunity, Case | Property, Project, Shipment, Subscription |
| API name | Plain name, such as Account | Ends in __c, such as Property__c |
| Can you delete them? | No | Yes (they stay in the recycle bin for a while and still count against limits) |
| Built-in features | Often special behaviour, such as lead conversion or case escalation | Whatever you configure |
| Can you add fields? | Yes, custom fields | Yes, custom fields |
A good rule: use a standard object whenever one fits the business meaning, because Salesforce features, AgentExchange (formerly AppExchange) apps and Agentforce agents all expect data in the standard places. Create a custom object only for information no standard object represents.
Standard objects in Salesforce: the list most orgs use
The standard objects most orgs use are Account, Contact, Lead, Opportunity, Case, Campaign, products and price books, Quote, Contract, Order, Asset, activities and User.
| Object (API name) | What it stores |
|---|---|
| Account | Companies or organisations you do business with (or people, with Person Accounts) |
| Contact | People linked to accounts |
| Lead | Prospects not yet qualified; converted into an account, contact and opportunity. See lead status. |
| Opportunity | Potential deals moving through stages. See what is an opportunity. |
| Case | Customer issues and support requests, linked to accounts, contacts, assets and products |
| Campaign | Marketing campaigns such as direct mail, webinars or trade shows |
| Product2 | Products and services you sell |
| Pricebook2 | Price books holding prices for products |
| Quote | Proposed prices for products and services, linked to an opportunity |
| Contract | Business agreements tied to an account |
| Order | Confirmed orders for products |
| Asset | Items a customer has bought and installed |
| Task and Event | Activities: to-dos, calls and meetings, linked to people and records |
| User | The people who log in to your org |
Descriptions follow Salesforce's object reference, which documents every standard object and its fields. Industry clouds, Service Cloud and Field Service add many more, such as work orders and entitlements.
What other object types are there?
Besides standard and custom objects there are external objects, big objects, platform events and custom metadata types. Beyond standard and custom objects, Salesforce has several object types, each marked by a suffix in its API name, according to the developer guide on Salesforce object types:
| Suffix | Type | Used for |
|---|---|---|
__c | Custom object | Your own business data, stored in Salesforce |
__x | External object | Data that stays in another system and is shown in Salesforce through Salesforce Connect |
__b | Big object | Very large volumes of data, such as history and audit records |
__e | Platform event | Messages between systems and automations, not stored as normal records |
__mdt | Custom metadata type | Configuration whose records are metadata, so they deploy with your app |
The last point matters in practice: when you deploy custom objects, their structure moves but their records stay behind, while custom metadata records travel with the deployment.
How do Salesforce objects relate to each other?
Objects connect through relationship fields. Trailhead's Object Relationships unit describes the main types:
- Lookup: links two objects, one-to-one or one-to-many, such as one account with many contacts.
- Master-detail: the master controls certain behaviours of the detail; deleting a master record, such as a property, also removes its details, such as offers.
- Hierarchical: a special lookup available only on the User object, used for management chains.
Many-to-many links are built with a junction object between the two. Our Salesforce data model guide covers how to choose between these options.
How to create a custom object
In Setup, open Object Manager, choose Create and Custom Object, name it, then add fields, a tab and permissions.
- Go to Setup and open the Object Manager tab.
- Choose Create, then Custom Object.
- Enter a label and plural label (for example Property and Properties); the object name fills in and gets the __c suffix.
- Choose the record name type (text or auto-number) and optional features such as reports, activities and history tracking.
- Tick Launch New Custom Tab Wizard so users can find the object, then save.
- Add custom fields, relationships, page layouts and permissions. Users won't see the object until a profile or permission set grants access; see our profiles guide.
These steps follow Trailhead's custom object exercise. How objects relate to each other, through lookup and master-detail relationships, is covered in our Salesforce data model guide.
Custom object and field limits
As of November 2026, Enterprise Edition allows 200 custom objects and 500 custom fields per object; Unlimited allows 2,000 and 800.
| Limit | Enterprise Edition | Unlimited Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Custom objects (edition allocation) | 200 | 2,000 (also Performance) |
| Custom fields per object | 500 | 800 |
Salesforce Help on the custom object limit adds that objects in managed packages from public AgentExchange (formerly AppExchange) listings don't count against the edition allocation, that there is a hard ceiling of 3,000 custom objects per org, that deleted custom objects still count until they are erased, and that going above the allocation means an edition change rather than a support request. Field limits are on the custom fields per object page. Check your own org under Setup, as allocations depend on your contract.
Common mistakes with Salesforce objects
Most object mistakes come from duplicating standard objects, adding too many fields or forgetting access.
- Rebuilding a standard object as a custom one. A custom "Customer__c" next to Account splits your data and loses built-in features.
- One object per team. Use record types on one object when the data is the same thing with a different process.
- Endless fields. Hundreds of fields on one object slow page loads and confuse users; archive what nobody fills in.
- Copying data you could reference. If data lives in an ERP, an external object may be better than nightly copies.
- Forgetting access. A new object is invisible until permissions and sharing are set.
- Ignoring object order in migrations. Parents must load before children; see our data migration strategies.
Getting help
Techila is a Salesforce Summit Partner. Our Salesforce implementation team designs object models that use standard objects first and custom objects only where they earn their place. Talk to us if you are planning a new org or cleaning up an old one.
Frequently asked questions
What are objects in Salesforce?
Objects are Salesforce's database tables. Trailhead puts it this way: objects are tables, fields are columns and records are rows. An Account object holds account records, and each record stores values in fields such as Account Name and Phone.
What is the difference between standard and custom objects?
Standard objects come with Salesforce and have a schema Salesforce defines, such as Account, Contact, Lead, Opportunity and Case. Custom objects are ones you create for information specific to your business, and their API names end in __c.
What are the most common standard objects in Salesforce?
Account, Contact, Lead, Opportunity, Case, Campaign, Product2 (products), Pricebook2 (price books), Quote, Contract, Order, Asset, Task, Event and User. Which ones you see depends on your edition and the clouds you use.
How many custom objects can I create?
Salesforce Help lists 200 custom objects for Enterprise Edition and 2,000 for Unlimited Edition, with a hard ceiling of 3,000 per org. Objects from managed packages on public AppExchange listings don't count against the edition allocation.
What do suffixes like __c, __x and __mdt mean?
They show the object type in the API name: __c is a custom object, __x an external object (Salesforce Connect), __b a big object, __e a platform event and __mdt a custom metadata type. Custom fields also end in __c.