Abstract. Extrusion is the plastic deformation process that allows for the highest degree of complexity profiles to be obtained. This paper presents the simulation of a cold forward extrusion process using the finite element method. The results obtained show the stresses, strains and temperatures during the plastic deformation of the material, as well as the stresses and strains in the punch and die. The analysis of the results obtained for different geometric dimensions of the working tools allowed the optimization of the studied extrusion process. In order to validate the finite element model, experiments were carried out with the data acquisition from the real process, which allowed the appreciation that numerical and experimental data are found in a good agreement.