The effects of: (1) the modifier type (methanol and formic, acetic and propionic acids), (2) complexing agents (diethylammonium diethyldithiocarbamate, ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate) either with or without acidic modifiers, (3) the extraction temperature (50–80 °C) and pressure (30–50 MPa), (4) the extraction procedure (static–dynamic or dynamic), and (5) the volume of static modifier, on the extraction efficiency of native butyl‐ and phenyl‐tin compounds from sediment, were evaluated comprehensively. The highest extraction efficiency for butyl‐ and phenyl‐tin compounds was obtained at 30 MPa and 50 °C by using CO2 modified with acetic acid (200 μl in the cell). Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) extracts were hexylated and determined by GC–FPD using a 610 nm bandpass filter without any clean‐up step. In summary, the developed analytical procedure is robust (no restrictor clogging; free from FPD interferences), it is low‐cost (no complexing agents needed), it has a high sample throughput (<3 h), it is independent of the matrix for the determination of butyltin compounds in sediment, and it provides the highest precision among the SFE procedures reported for organotin determination. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.