A non-contact, non-immersive method of measuring quantitatively one or more elements in a liquid metal or alloy sample, comprising: - obtaining a sample of the liquid metal or alloy to be analysed, - maintaining or placing the sample in a sample container which is substantially upwardly open, - heating or maintaining the sample at or above a desired temperature, - placing an instrument head and/or the sample container such that the instrument head is above the sample surface, wherein the instrument head comprises laser excitation optics that are connected to a laser, receiving optics for receiving emission from the sample, and an open-bottom chamber providing plasma confinement and stable environmental conditions through which the laser excitation optics guide laser light and wherein the instrument head is provided with a distance sensor, - positioning the receiving optics at a predetermined distance in the range from about 5 mm to about 10 mm and preferably from about 10 mm to about 50 mm from the sample surface such that emission from a particular part of the plasma plume is collected, wherein said receiving optics are arranged at an angle relative to the sample surface, in the range of about 30° to about 75°, and measuring with the distance sensor a distance to the sample surface and automatically moving the receiving optics or sample container to position the receiving optics at the predetermined distance from the sample surface, - directing a stream of inert gas through a gas channel into the open-bottom chamber, - emitting one or more laser pulse on the sample through the excitation optics, - receiving emitted light through the receiving optics from the sample and transmitting to a detector for recording spectral information of the detected light, - comparing one or more selected emission peaks to calibration values in order to obtain quantitative determination of one or more elements. - obtaining a sample of the liquid metal or alloy to be analysed, - maintaining or placing the sample in a sample container which is substantially upwardly open, - heating or maintaining the sample at or above a desired temperature, - placing an instrument head and/or the sample container such that the instrument head is above the sample surface, wherein the instrument head comprises laser excitation optics that are connected to a laser, receiving optics for receiving emission from the sample, and an open-bottom chamber providing plasma confinement and stable environmental conditions through which the laser excitation optics guide laser light and wherein the instrument head is provided with a distance sensor, - positioning the receiving optics at a predetermined distance in the range from about 5 mm to about 10 mm and preferably from about 10 mm to about 50 mm from the sample surface such that emission from a particular part of the plasma plume is collected, wherein said receiving optics are arranged at an angle relative to the sample surface, in the range of about 30° to about 75°, and measuring with the distance sensor a distance to the sample surface and automatically moving the receiving optics or sample container to position the receiving optics at the predetermined distance from the sample surface, - directing a stream of inert gas through a gas channel into the open-bottom chamber, - emitting one or more laser pulse on the sample through the excitation optics, - receiving emitted light through the receiving optics from the sample and transmitting to a detector for recording spectral information of the detected light, - comparing one or more selected emission peaks to calibration values in order to obtain quantitative determination of one or more elements. <EOS>