Paint chip analysis in hit-and-run accidents may provide critical evidence for determining the responsible party. Light microscopy, one of the most accessible means of evaluating and identifying paint chips from a collision, requires careful preparation and sectioning of the sample. Embedding the sample in an appropriate medium is critical to obtain high-quality sections that preserve the integrity of the layers of paint in a paint chip specimen. Because of our experience sectioning hard tissue such as bone or bone with metal implants, we applied methods from analysis of bone tissue and identified two potential metal paint chip embedding materials, methylmethacrylate and a low-viscosity epoxy resin. Of these embedding procedures, methylmethacrylate was found to be superior for the purposes of embedding paint chips, the application of which in forensics may provide an affordable and accessible means of identifying vehicles involved in collisions. (The J Histotechnol 31:25, 2008)Submitted May 17, 2007; accepted with revisions September 19, 2007