Abstract. An existing method of moments (MoM) code for the solution of complex scattering bodies has been accelerated by means of a multilevel fast multipole method (MLFMM). We demonstrate the usage of this technique both for metallic structures (wires and surfaces) and for dielectric bodies (volume and surface equivalence principle). Aspects like the effect of the type of integral equation, preconditioning schemes, or iterative solution techniques are discussed. But also limitations are addressed, which are encountered when for instance attempting to model highly lossy dielectric bodies with a high permittivity. Several validation and application examples demonstrate the usefulness of this method, both with regard to the obtained accuracy, but also with respect to the potential saving in memory and run-time as compared to a standard MoM formulation.