The purpose of this guide is to give a contemporary account of the status of methods for determining the various performance characteristics of advanced technical ceramics, particularly those for mechanical applications, or where mechanical properties play an important ancillary role. Also covered are density/porosity determination, surface roughness measurement, thermal properties and corrosion testing. The background to the selected standard methods is briefly given, together with information on the relevance of the methods to end-uses. Where appropriate, the material classes for which the standardised methods need some modification or adaptation are discussed. Advice is given on typical sets of testing methods for quality assurance, materials selection and design data collection purposes. The Bibliography lists the current status of relevant standards.