The paper outlines recent progress in depth profiling of tritium distribution near the surface of materials by two ion beam techniques; elastic recoil detection (ERD) and T(d,α)n nuclear reaction analysis (NRA). The sensitivity and depth-resolution of both methods are examined for a series of tritiated titanium films. Calculated depth profiles and ranges of implanted tritium ions in selected candidate materials for thermonuclear fusion devices are also given. Depth profiles of tritium implanted into specimens of graphite and lithium oxides as a function of temperature are discussed as the examples of applications.