Abstract: A method for the determination of Sn, Nb, Fe, Cr and Ni in zirconium alloy by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry was proposed. The sample (0.1 g) was taken, and 5 mL of water, 5 mL of nitric acid and 0.5 mL of hydrofluoric acid were added. After heating at 100 ℃ for 5 min, the volume of the mixed solution was made up to 25 mL with water. The response intensities of 5 elements at Sn 242.949 nm, Nb 309.418 nm, Fe 259.941 nm, Ni 221.648 nm and Cr 267.716 nm were determined with the radio frequency power of 1 300 W, the atomizing gas flow rate of 0.80 L·min^-1, and the sample injection amount of 2.0 mL·min^-1, and the matrix matching method was used for quantification. It was shown that linear relationships between mass concentration and response intensity were kept within 150 μg·mL^-1 for Sn and Nb, and 15 μg·mL^-1 for Fe, Cr and Ni, and the detection limit (3s) of Sn was 16 μg·g^-1, and the detection limits (3s) of other elements were lower than 3.0 μg·g^-1. RSD (n=10) for the method reproducibility of each element was less than 2.0%, and the spiked recoveries were in the range of 99.0%-109%. Zirconium alloy standard substance SRM360b was used for verification, and the determined values were within the uncertainty ranges of the confirmed values.