In the present study, a semi-destructive method for estimating the mechanical properties, including plastic strain, of materials was developed using the instrumental indentation technique (IIT). The formula for estimating plastic strain was derived using true stress-true strain curves that were measured by IIT. The developed method requires only one parameter, namely, the work hardening coefficient, for estimating the plastic strain of pre-strained materials. The usefulness of the developed method was evaluated using pre-strained specimens. The dimension of the plastic strain estimated using the developed method generally agrees with the dimension of the plastic strain of the pre-strained materials. The developed method was used to evaluate the distribution of plastic strain in the notched region of pre-strained materials. The distributions of plastic strain estimated by the developed method were validated by comparison with FE simulation results. The results indicate that the distribution of plastic strain can be estimated conveniently using the developed method.