diff --git a/cura/CuraApplication.py b/cura/CuraApplication.py
index f944f4e277..ba42dd2aec 100755
--- a/cura/CuraApplication.py
+++ b/cura/CuraApplication.py
@@ -489,7 +489,7 @@ class CuraApplication(QtApplication):
 
         self._plugin_registry.loadPlugins()
 
-        if self.getBackend() == None:
+        if self.getBackend() is None:
             raise RuntimeError("Could not load the backend plugin!")
 
         self._plugins_loaded = True
diff --git a/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/Upgrader.py b/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/Upgrader.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7597d81748
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/Upgrader.py
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2017 Ultimaker B.V.
+# Cura is released under the terms of the AGPLv3 or higher.
+
+import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
+
+from UM.VersionUpgrade import VersionUpgrade
+
+
+class Upgrader(VersionUpgrade):
+    def getXmlVersion(self, serialized):
+        data = ET.fromstring(serialized)
+
+        # get format version
+        version = None
+        metadata = data.iterfind("./um:metadata/*")
+        for entry in metadata:
+            tag_name = entry.tag
+            if tag_name == "version":
+                try:
+                    version = int(entry.text)
+                except Exception as e:
+                    raise ValueError("Invalid version string '%s': %s" % (entry.text, e))
+                break
+        if version is None:
+            raise RuntimeError("Missing version in metadata")
+
+        # get setting version
+        if "version" in data.attrib:
+            setting_version = self._xmlVersionToSettingVersion(data.attrib["version"])
+        else:
+            setting_version = self._xmlVersionToSettingVersion("1.2")
+
+        if version is None:
+            raise RuntimeError("Missing version in metadata")
+
+        return version * 1000000 + setting_version
+
+    def _xmlVersionToSettingVersion(self, xml_version: str) -> int:
+        if xml_version == "1.3":
+            return 1
+        return 0 #Older than 1.3.
+
+    def upgradeMaterial(self, serialised, filename):
+        data = ET.fromstring(serialised)
+
+        # update version
+        metadata = data.iterfind("./um:metadata/*", {"um": "http://www.ultimaker.com/material"})
+        for entry in metadata:
+            if _tag_without_namespace(entry) == "version":
+                entry.text = "2"
+                break
+
+        data.attrib["version"] = "1.3"
+
+        # this makes sure that the XML header states encoding="utf-8"
+        new_serialised = ET.tostring(data, encoding="utf-8").decode("utf-8")
+
+        return [filename], [new_serialised]
+
+
+def _tag_without_namespace(element):
+    return element.tag[element.tag.rfind("}") + 1:]
diff --git a/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/XmlMaterialProfile.py b/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/XmlMaterialProfile.py
index 7bdfaf404d..70a329ef32 100644
--- a/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/XmlMaterialProfile.py
+++ b/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/XmlMaterialProfile.py
@@ -14,9 +14,13 @@ from cura.CuraApplication import CuraApplication
 import UM.Dictionary
 from UM.Settings.InstanceContainer import InstanceContainer, InvalidInstanceError
 from UM.Settings.ContainerRegistry import ContainerRegistry
+from cura.Settings.CuraContainerRegistry import CuraContainerRegistry
+
 
 ##  Handles serializing and deserializing material containers from an XML file
 class XmlMaterialProfile(InstanceContainer):
+    Version = 1
+
     def __init__(self, container_id, *args, **kwargs):
         super().__init__(container_id, *args, **kwargs)
         self._inherited_files = []
@@ -386,11 +390,13 @@ class XmlMaterialProfile(InstanceContainer):
         self._path = ""
 
     def getConfigurationTypeFromSerialized(self, serialized: str) -> Optional[str]:
-        return "material"
+        return "materials"
 
     def getVersionFromSerialized(self, serialized: str) -> Optional[int]:
-        version = None
         data = ET.fromstring(serialized)
+
+        # get format version
+        version = None
         metadata = data.iterfind("./um:metadata/*", self.__namespaces)
         for entry in metadata:
             tag_name = _tag_without_namespace(entry)
@@ -402,7 +408,17 @@ class XmlMaterialProfile(InstanceContainer):
                 break
         if version is None:
             raise InvalidInstanceError("Missing version in metadata")
-        return version
+
+        # get setting version
+        if "version" in data.attrib:
+            setting_version = self.xmlVersionToSettingVersion(data.attrib["version"])
+        else:
+            setting_version = self.xmlVersionToSettingVersion("1.2")
+
+        if version is None:
+            raise InvalidInstanceError("Missing version in metadata")
+
+        return version * 1000000 + setting_version
 
     ##  Overridden from InstanceContainer
     def deserialize(self, serialized):
diff --git a/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/__init__.py b/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/__init__.py
index 213b9a358a..73965ac8b8 100644
--- a/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/__init__.py
+++ b/plugins/XmlMaterialProfile/__init__.py
@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
-# Copyright (c) 2016 Ultimaker B.V.
+# Copyright (c) 2017 Ultimaker B.V.
 # Cura is released under the terms of the AGPLv3 or higher.
 
 from . import XmlMaterialProfile
+from . import Upgrader
 
 from UM.MimeTypeDatabase import MimeType, MimeTypeDatabase
 from UM.i18n import i18nCatalog
+
+
 catalog = i18nCatalog("cura")
+upgrader = Upgrader.Upgrader()
+
 
 def getMetaData():
     return {
@@ -19,15 +24,36 @@ def getMetaData():
         "settings_container": {
             "type": "material",
             "mimetype": "application/x-ultimaker-material-profile"
+        },
+        "version_upgrade": {
+            ("materials", 1000000): ("materials", 1000001, upgrader.upgradeMaterial),
+        },
+        "sources": {
+            "materials": {
+                "get_version": upgrader.getXmlVersion,
+                "location": {"./materials"}
+            },
         }
     }
 
+
 def register(app):
+    # add Mime type
     mime_type = MimeType(
         name = "application/x-ultimaker-material-profile",
         comment = "Ultimaker Material Profile",
         suffixes = [ "xml.fdm_material" ]
     )
     MimeTypeDatabase.addMimeType(mime_type)
-    return { "settings_container": XmlMaterialProfile.XmlMaterialProfile("default_xml_material_profile") }
 
+    # add upgrade version
+    from cura.CuraApplication import CuraApplication
+    from UM.VersionUpgradeManager import VersionUpgradeManager
+    VersionUpgradeManager.getInstance().setCurrentVersion(
+        ("materials", XmlMaterialProfile.XmlMaterialProfile.Version * 1000000 + CuraApplication.SettingVersion),
+        (CuraApplication.ResourceTypes.MaterialInstanceContainer, "application/x-uranium-instancecontainer")
+    )
+
+    return {"version_upgrade": upgrader,
+            "settings_container": XmlMaterialProfile.XmlMaterialProfile("default_xml_material_profile"),
+            }