The paper presents the results of the quantitative analysis of mechanical alloying (MA) in binary systems Fe-X (X = Ti, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta, W). MA has been studied as a sequence of interrelated microscopic processes (structural refinement of initial components, consumption of Fe and X, transition of atoms into alloying products) by means of X-ray diffraction analysis, Mossbauer spectroscopy and thermornagnetic measurements. The evolution of the systems in the process of MA in terms of their structure and composition has been described as the function of the quantity (dose) of mechanical energy supplied to the mixture. (C) 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.