Working conditions are described for the spectrochemical analysis of 18/8 steels, using solutions and a spectrograph of moderate dispersion. The technique described is based on Scheibe and Rivas' method. Pfeilsticker's interrupted a.c. arc is used as a source unit. Analysis lines are given for the determination of percentage of Cr, Ni, Mn, Mo, Ti, Cu and Nb in 18/8 steel. The average deviation for one single exposure varies, for the different elements, from 4 to 9per thousand.