Fractography is that discipline that studies the fracture surfaces of materials. By evaluating the morphological (macroscopic and microscopic) appearance of the fracture surface, it is possible to trace the fracture initiation location and the mechanisms that generated it.

Because fractographic analysis provides insight into how the component breaks, it is one of the key steps in the process of determining the causes of component failure (failure analysis).
Fractographic examinations are first conducted at low magnification and then, if necessary, at higher magnifications using the S.E.M. scanning electron microscope.