AbstractThe eigenmodes in electromagnetic cavities, loaded with arbitrarily shaped dielectric materials, are computed by the edge element method. The computation shows that the well known ‘spurious modes’ no longer appear. Formulae are given and verified so that the number of zero eigenvalues, which come from ∇ ×H= 0, may be accurately predicted. Formulae for the order and density of the global matrices are given for a rectangular cavity regularly divided into bricks and tetrahedra, allowing an associated comparison between the contrasting edge and nodal element formulations. Comparison of the computed results with available theoretical and previously published data show the edge element approach to be a robust, accurate and effective