A rapid technique to measure the mechanical properties of pharmaceutical tablets is presented. The Young's modulus of elasticity and Poisson ratio are determined by fitting the measured transient force, generated by the impact of tablets with a dynamic load cell, by the theoretical force predicted from a Hertzian spring-dashpot model. Results of the method applied to a series of pharmaceutical compacts having different porosities and prepared from different excipient blends, demonstrate good agreement between the calculated force and the measured force. In particular, the Young's modulus and Poisson ratio calculated for a 22% porous microcrystalline cellulose compact are 3.5 GPa and 0.34, respectively. As the total measurement time is less than 100 mu s, the technique can be used as an in-line process measurement for manufacturing process control. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.