Results of a comprehensive ball shear testing program are presented including methods for ball shear implementation and wire bonding machine optimization. Both destructive and non-destructive ball shear are considered as complementary test methods to the more familiar wire bond pull test. Techniques for on-line production testing are presented along with suggested guidelines suitable for incorporation in a standard test method. The use of ball shear testing as a method for studying the effect of both thermal processing and contamination on the strength and morphology of the aluminum-gold interface is also considered.