Isothermal differential thermal analysis has been used to study the thermooxidative stability of two grades of crosslinked polyethylene in the temperature range from 120°C to 230°C. Induction times of thermooxidative degradation were measured from 2 minutes up to 3590 hours. Oxidation Induction time and mechanical failure in oven ageing experiments coincided over the measured temperature range. The degree of crosslinking was not strongly affected by the oxidative reaction. The Arrhenius-plots of DTA results showed curvature at 150°C, so straight line extrapolations from short-term experiments at elevated temperatures to low temperatures and long times are not possible. Thermoanalytically measured residual thermooxidative stability decreased linearly with ageing time and showed great scattering of the results.