Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of preheat temperatures on polymerization contraction stress and mechanical properties of three resin composites. Methods: Three resin composites (Filtek Supreme XT, GC Kalore, and Gradia Direct X) at room temperature, 37°C, and 60°C were investigated. Stress development and maximum contraction stress of the composites were evaluated. Directly after preheating, samples were light-cured for 40 seconds and the force recorded for 15 minutes. Subsequent calculations were done to account for the system’s compliance and to obtain the shrinkage stress of the composites. In addition, composite discs (5 mm? and1 mmthick) were light-cured for 40 seconds at the preheat temperature. Hardness, elastic modulus, and creep of composites were investigated using a nano-indentation system (UMIS 2000). The results were analyzed using Two-way Analysis of Variance (2-way ANOVA) and Tukey’s Post-Hoc test (α = 0.05). Results: The results indicated that preheating composites to 37°C and 60°C increased the polymerization contraction forces, but did not significantly affect hardness, elastic modulus, and creep behaviour of the materials. Analysis of the contraction force upon allowing for thermal contraction indicated only a minor influence of preheat temperature. Significance: Preheating composites, upon allowing for system thermal contraction, showed a slight increase of the polymerization contraction stress but did not significantly affect the composites’ mechanical properties.