Experimental determination of elastic and plastic properties of thin films with a thickness of 1 mum or less continues to be a challenging task. This article presents a methodology that combines the nanoindentation technique and finite element modeling to characterize the mechanical (elastic and plastic) properties of a titanium thin film. The experimental results show that the elastic property (Young's modulus) of the titanium thin film does not change compared to the bulk titanium. Results also show that the plastic properties (yield stress and strain hardening exponent) of the titanium thin film are higher than those of the bulk titanium. The methodology outlined in this article can also be used to study the mechanical properties of other thin films and small volume materials. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.