The highest degree of urinary supersaturation with respect to calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) and brushite at which secondary nucleation and growth of small amounts of COM and hydroxyapatite (HAP) are inhibited was determined by new and simple methods. There were 39 subjects who produced 24 h-urine collections (11 idiopathic stone formers (ISF), 12 patients suffering from primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) and 16 healthy controls (HC). These subjects had a moderate calcium and low oxalate intake. The results obtained were compared with the state of urinary saturation and with urine chemistry. The measurements of crystallization conditions with respect to COM were repeated in 26 subjects (11 ISF, 5 HPT, 10 HC) after a dietary oxalate load. In 24 h-urines of HC diluted to 2.4 1/24 h the degree of supersaturation necessary to induce crystallization of COM and HAP was 2-5 times higher than the state of urinary saturation measured under the same test conditions. ISF showed a decreased pyrophosphate concentration and a decreased inhibitory activity to HAP crystallization in their 24 h-urine. The urinary inhibitory activity towards crystallization of HAP showed a positive correlation to urinary pyrophosphate concentration. In the 24 h-urine of HPT hypercalciuria and increased saturation with respect to brushite which reached values to induce HAP crystallization were found. After a dietary oxalate load urinary supersaturation with respect to COM reached values to induce COM crystallization in ISF and HPT but not in HC.