Insufficient technical understanding, poor selection and poor planning result in procurement of X-ray equipments that breakdown quickly. Some guidelines are given in this article for planning and procuring x ray equipment for district level hospitals. First of all, it is essential to have an X-ray room and a dark room ready before ordering the equipment. Otherwise, the equipment would lie in the sun and moisture leading to early repairs. The X-ray room should be at least 16 feet 20 feet with a ceiling height of 10 16 feet. It should be painted with light shade of colour. Wooden panel shutters are advisable. Flourescent light is not recommended as it leaves an after glow. Dark room should be adjacent to X-ray room with light tight windows and an exhaust. Powerline also should be ready before equipment is ordered. It is extremely important to check the voltage drop and electrical requirements of the equipment before ordering. It is better to order a machine which can tolerate a higher voltage drop as it will function more reliably under poor line conditions than the one which tolerates only a low voltage drop.