diff --git a/test/domains/continuum/test_cache_updates.jl b/test/domains/continuum/test_cache_updates.jl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63110fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/domains/continuum/test_cache_updates.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+# Test cache update functions (Phases 1a, 1b, 2)
+
+@testset "Cache Updates" begin
+    kernel = create_test_kernel()
+    mesh = create_test_mesh()
+
+    # Create caches
+    N = 8      # Nodes per element (Hex8)
+    NIP = 8    # Integration points (Gauss{2} for Hex8)
+
+    geometry_cache = JuliaFEM.create_geometry_cache(N, NIP)
+    element_cache = JuliaFEM.create_element_cache(mesh, kernel)
+    material_cache = JuliaFEM.create_material_cache(kernel.material, NIP)
+
+    # Test data
+    elem_id = 1
+    # u_global as Vec{3} for each node (or nothing for zero displacement)
+    u_global = nothing
+    state_old = create_material_state(kernel, mesh)
+    Δt = 0.01
+
+    @testset "Phase 1a: update_geometry_cache!" begin
+        # Update geometry cache
+        JuliaFEM.update_geometry_cache!(geometry_cache, element_cache, kernel, elem_id, mesh)
+
+        # Verify X coordinates are extracted correctly
+        X_expected = mesh.nodes[1:8]
+        @test geometry_cache.X == X_expected
+
+        # Verify physical gradients computed (check all in one test)
+        all_gradients_nonzero = true
+        for ip in 1:NIP
+            for node in 1:N
+                if !any(x -> abs(x) > 1e-10, geometry_cache.∇N_data[ip, node])
+                    all_gradients_nonzero = false
+                    break
+                end
+            end
+        end
+        @test all_gradients_nonzero
+
+        # Verify detJ * weight is positive (check all in one test)
+        all_detJ_positive = all(geometry_cache.detJ_w[ip] > 0.0 for ip in 1:NIP)
+        @test all_detJ_positive
+
+        # Test zero allocations (warm-up first)
+        JuliaFEM.update_geometry_cache!(geometry_cache, element_cache, kernel, elem_id, mesh)
+        allocs = @allocated JuliaFEM.update_geometry_cache!(geometry_cache, element_cache, kernel, elem_id, mesh)
+        @test allocs == 0
+    end
+
+    @testset "Phase 1b: update_element_cache!" begin
+        # Update element cache
+        JuliaFEM.update_element_cache!(element_cache, kernel, elem_id, mesh, u_global)
+
+        # Verify DOFs extracted
+        @test element_cache.dofs == collect(1:24)
+
+        # Verify u_buffer filled with zero displacements (check all in one test)
+        all_u_zero = all(element_cache.u_buffer[node] == zero(Vec{3,Float64}) for node in 1:N)
+        @test all_u_zero
+
+        # Test zero allocations (warm-up first)
+        JuliaFEM.update_element_cache!(element_cache, kernel, elem_id, mesh, u_global)
+        allocs = @allocated JuliaFEM.update_element_cache!(element_cache, kernel, elem_id, mesh, u_global)
+        @test allocs == 0
+    end
+
+    @testset "Phase 2: update_material_cache!" begin
+        # Ensure geometry and element caches are updated first
+        JuliaFEM.update_geometry_cache!(geometry_cache, element_cache, kernel, elem_id, mesh)
+        JuliaFEM.update_element_cache!(element_cache, kernel, elem_id, mesh, u_global)
+
+        # Update material cache
+        JuliaFEM.update_material_cache!(material_cache, geometry_cache, kernel.material,
+            element_cache, state_old, elem_id, Δt)
+
+        # Verify material state computed at each integration point (check all in one test)
+        # For stateless materials, stress/tangent are in σ and 𝔻 arrays, NOT in states
+        all_stress_zero = true
+        all_tangent_correct = true
+        for ip in 1:NIP
+            # For zero displacement, stress should be zero
+            σ = material_cache.σ[ip]
+            if !all(x -> abs(x) < 1e-10, σ)
+                all_stress_zero = false
+            end
+
+            # Material tangent should be elasticity tensor
+            C = material_cache.𝔻[ip]
+            if !(C isa SymmetricTensor{4,3,Float64})
+                all_tangent_correct = false
+            end
+        end
+        @test all_stress_zero
+        @test all_tangent_correct
+
+        # Test zero allocations (warm-up first)
+        JuliaFEM.update_material_cache!(material_cache, geometry_cache, kernel.material,
+            element_cache, state_old, elem_id, Δt)
+        allocs = @allocated JuliaFEM.update_material_cache!(material_cache, geometry_cache,
+            kernel.material, element_cache,
+            state_old, elem_id, Δt)
+        @test allocs == 0
+    end
+end