Three different wet chemical methods for the preparation of fine yttrium oxide powders from chloride solutions were compared: (a) precipitation with ammonia, (b) precipitation with urea, and (c) precipitation from an Y-organometallic complex. Powders with widely different morphological characteristics resulted. Ammonia precipitated powder was strongly agglomerated. Urea precipitated powder consisted of spherical particles with narrow size distribution (mean size 0.4 μm), whereas powder obtained from the Y-organometallic complex had a 'foamy structure' and consisted of soft agglomerates very sensitive to mechanical treatment. Powders were characterized by SEM and TEM techniques, and it was observed that agglomerates consist of randomly oriented crystallites with nearly spherical shape.