The quality of a magnesium die casting is likely dependent on the quality of the feed stock ingot material. Therefore, both DaimlerChrysler and General Motors have established quality assurance measures that include analysis of magnesium ingots. These processes include chemical analysis, corrosion testing, fast neutron activation analysis, and metallography. Optical emission spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy, and gravimetric analysis are several methods for determining the chemical composition of the material. Fast neutron activation analysis, image analysis and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are used to quantify ingot cleanliness. These experimental techniques are described and discussed in this paper, and example case studies are presented for illustration.