Abstract: A method was established for rapid determination of trace zirconium in ship steel by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The working parameters were optimized and proper sample treatment were defined, in which the sample is dissolved with hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid. While perchloric acid is added to smoking and the salt is dissolved with hydrochloric acid before, the solution was determined in inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.The interference of coexistent elements on zirconium was analyzed and the measure to eliminate the interference was determined. The Correlation coefficient of the methods is 0.9996 with a good linear relationship. Analysis limit reaches to 0.0005%, that is 1/10 of the lower limit stipulated in national standard method which is 0.005%. This method is accurate with relative standard deviation (n = 10) less than 1%. The recovery of the method ranged between 97% and 101% and the analysis error is in the national standards allowed range.