Abstract The use of Compton scattering in the determination of electronic structure has grown considerably in the last two decades. With the advent of synchrotron radiation it has become possible, even with good resolution, to measure several single-crystal orientations to determine three-dimensional electron momentum distributions. Although most of the earlier work has been directed to low-Z materials, in the last few years medium and high-Z metals have also been investigated with this technique. In this paper we present a review of these studies on heavier metals with particular attention to the difficulties encountered. Compton profile measurements from techniques based on energetic ion beams are also considered briefly.