Five commonly used categories of characterization techniques in physical metallurgy employed for damage analysis of metallic materials were reviewed in this paper. The techniques with regards to microstructural characterization， physical property measurement， chemical composition analysis， residual stress measurement and in situ characterization were covered. Application of each technique for the analysis of damage in metallic materials was discussed in detail. Comprehensive comparison between various techniques was also made， and the advantages and limitations associated with the exploitation of the reviewed techniques were proposed. The major considerations in selection of these techniques for damage analysis were discussed as well， based on their specific applications.