HPLC using pre-column derivatization with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) was used to analyse mono-saccharides and oligo-saccharides in hydrolysates of lignocellulosic biomass. PMP derivatives, including those of mannose, rhamnose, cellobiose, glucose, xylose and arabinose, were separated within 14 min with detection at 254 nm. The method was also suitable for xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS): PMP derivatives of xylohexaose, xylopentaose, xylotetraose, xylotriose and xylobiose were well separated under the same conditions. The method was used to determine the mono-saccharide composition of Miscanthus and evaluate the production of XOS from enzymatic hydrolysis of crude xylan.