Certain classes of particulate suspensions, consisting of semi-conducting, solid particles dispersed in an insulating carrier liquid, show a dramatic increase in flow resistance when placed under an external electric field. These so-called "electro-rheological fluids" have potential application in engineering devices such as tunable vibration damping systems. Under the field, a yield stress is induced in the fluid, and the characterisation of this quantity is essential for the design of many engineering devices. A new method for determining the yield stress is presented, which involves subjecting the sample to a constant shear stress and monitoring its shear rate after a step change in the electric field. It is found that this step field method can reproducibly determine the field-induced yield stress of a suspension of silica particles in silicon oil. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.