A mechanical characterization study of the whole range (ZrO2)(1-x)-(Y2O3)(x) system is presented for thin film samples. Films have been prepared by Electron Beam Physical Vapour Deposition (EB-PVD) on Si(1 0 0) substrates. The mechanical characterization, obtained from nanoindentation and Brillouin Light scattering (BLS) techniques, shows a monotonous behaviour between the two pure compounds of the series except for the film with 0.08 Y2O3 molar content of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) solid solution that presents an anomalous hard value. Additionally, BLS is presented as an alternative technique to the study of the mechanical properties of this system. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd.