Abstract The high-speed response solenoid valve (HSV) plays a key role in determining an electro-hydraulic automatic system’s overall performance. As an approach to improving the HSV, this paper presents an optimal design method on the HSV’s magnetic field by making a full consideration of the effects of various soft magnetic material’s properties and geometries on the HSV’s electronic performance. The proposed optimal design method, based on the HSV’s modeling, simplification and subsequent simulation for obtaining accurate results on the distribution of the HSV’s magnetic field and flux-line as well as magnetic force, can achieve a larger magnetic force and a lower power of an HSV by adjusting the structural parameters of the solenoid valve and selecting various soft magnetic materials that are of different B–H (flux density vs. field intensity) curves. The researching results show that for the designing of for HSVs, the proposed optimal design method can enhance the reliability and accuracy, reduce the cost, and shorten the cycle, and hence has practical value for engineering purposes.