To investigate the concentrations of lithium (Li), strontium (Sr) and metasilicic acid and analyze the suitability of the three components as boundary index of the packaged drinking spring water in Hebei Province.Methods Forty-seven samples of packaged drinking spring water were collected from supermarkets in six cities. The samples were detected for Li, Sr and metasilicic acid with national standard methods. Results All 47 samples had detectable strontium, the concentration of 31 samples were above 0.2 mg/L and 16 samples were in the range of 0.15-0.2 mg/L. Twenty-eight samples had detectable metasilicic acid, the concentration of 2 samples were above 25 mg/L, 2 samples were above 13 mg/L, and the other samples were below 13 mg/L. None samples had detectable lithium. Strontium and metasilicic acid were labeled in 27 and 33 samples as boundary index respectively. The detected concentrations of Sr in 4 samples and metasilicic acid in 29 samples were not accordance with the label.Conclusion Strontium was universal contained in the natural spring water with a relatively stable concentration and suitable as a boundary index. The levels of metasilicic acid in spring water varied greatly with the sources of the water. Therefore, manufacturers should carefully label metasilicic acid based on the actual detection results.