The root distribution of a given characteristic equation of a linear time‐invariant system can be analyzed with the help of a Routh table using the elements of the first column in the table. In the case of unstable systems, sometimes, a zero element may appear in the third row of the first column of the Routh array. This prematurity can be suitably handled as indicated by various authors. In this paper, the given characteristic polynomial having roots in the right hand plane is multiplied by a suitable polynomial, and Routh and Fuller tables are applied for the resultant polynomial to infer the complete root distribution. Further, the column polynomials from each table are adopted to know more about root distribution, which forms the core of the proposed work. The Routh table helps in counting and locating roots in the s‐plane, and the Fuller table helps in depicting whether the roots are distinct or complex in nature. In this regard, it is shown in this paper that the simultaneous integration of Routh and Fuller tables yields a good amount of information regarding the root distribution in the s‐plane. The newly presented procedure is illustrated with examples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society