This paper reviews the current status of R&D work on selective absorber materials. For the efficient utilization of solar energy, various types of selective absorber materials are being used for solar hot water heaters. Many selective absorbers which have been proposed and designed up to data are classified according to the absorption mechanisms. Temperature-time cycle method is often recommended for the measurement of solar absorptance. In addition, conversion efficiency of the solar collector with selective surface is compared with one with black paint surface.