A spectrophotometric method for the determination of osmium using ammonium thiocyanate is described. A stable reddish brown colour with an absorption maximum at 440 nm is produced when osmium tetroxide is heated for 30 min at a pH between 1 to 4 over a boiling water bath with excess reagent. The recommended concentration range is from 3 to 15 ppm of osmium in aqueous medium and from 0.6 to 1.5 ppm when the brown colour (which turns blue) is extracted into isoamyl alcohol. Errors are about ± 1.5%.