A deep understanding of the anisotropic, composite-, geometry-, and temperature-dependent coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of short-fiber-reinforced polymers is often needed in material development and at early stages of the design process of injection molded parts. Usually, the data available does not reflect the complex behavior and the knowledge about the influences and interactions are missing. This paper deals with a method for calculating the composite-, geometry-, and temperature-dependent anisotropic CTE of parts made from short-fiber reinforced polymers without respectively low preload to create an understanding of its origins and influential factors. Here, a good accordance between the measurements and calculations was achieved. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:2661-2668, 2015. (c) 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers