Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has many applications during preformulation screening of new drug candidates, but definitive assignment of peaks to specific events in the sample is difficult without supplementary data from other techniques. To some extent these problems can be overcome by running multiple experiments at different heating rates. Typically 2 and 20 °C min−1 are indicated. However, modern instruments are capable of achieving much faster heating rates (up to 750 °C commercially); with this extended range comes a new capacity for investigating the physical form of materials. Here, the use of fast DSC heating rates for materials characterisation is explored, focussing on determination of melting temperatures, glass formation and polymorph screening.