Various types of hydrophobic wood lipids, believed to behave detrimentally in papermaking , are presented, as well as different analytical methods for their chemical characterization. A determination of triglycerides, steryl esters, sterols, fatty and resin acids in spruce and beech chips (important raw materials in pulp and paper industry) was performed. A comparison of results, obtained by solid phase extraction (SPE), thin layer chromatography (TLC), gel permeation chromatography (GPS) and gas chromatography (GC) was made. Advantages and drawbacks of individual analytical techniques were established