A critical survey of the known methods of paper chromatography of steroids is given. A new solvent system is described which, in connection with several colour reactions, is particularly applicable to the separation, identification and purity analysis of weakly polar steroids or corresponding esters and ethers. The stationary phase is formed by ethyleneglycol monophenylether (phenylcellosolve) on Whatman paper No. 7, the mobile phase by heptane or a similar non‐polar solvent.