This study was done to learn which elements are being contributed as contaminants in the sample preparation equipment used at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMIMT). The apparatus investigated included a steel jaw crusher, a ceramic jaw crusher, two aluminum plates as a crusher and grinder, a steel spinning plate pulverizer, an alumina ceramic spinning plate pulverizer, an automated agate mortar and pestle, a high speed spectromill grinder with a tungsten carbide mortar and pestle, and the halves of a sliced quartzite cobble. Major-element Oxides and trace elements were analyzed by x-ray fluorescence. Some of the trace elements were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The expected contamination of ferroalloy elements from steel were present in varying quantities, as were tungsten, tantalum and cobalt fron the tungsten carbide. There was unexpected contamination of sulfur and lead from the steel pulverizer.