Damage formation in implanted 4H-SiC was studied as a function of dose and temperature of implantation. At RT the maximal strain as well as the surface swelling linearly increases suggesting a point defects swelling. With increasing temperature the slope decreases due to irradiation-induced dynamic recovery with activation energy of 0.13±0.02eV. From 300°C the amorphisation is avoided and the strain build-up can be fitted according to a direct impact model. At 300°C the as-induced strain profile consists of three different zones of damage with depth, resulting from the damage accumulation in the near surface region, the formation of Xe-vacancy complexes in the ion distribution and beyond a zone of end-of-range strain associated with interstitial accumulation.