•A novel analysis to study the solids’ energy dissipation capacity was proposed.•Analysis based on Depth-Sensing Indentation (DSI) data was considered.•An equation for the elastic (Ue)-to-total (Ut) strain energy ratio is proposed.•Maximum displacement (hm) and plastic hysteresis (hp) were the considered parameters.•Ue/Ut was set in terms of the hp/hm ratio, observing an uncertainty of about 8 %. In emergent nanotechnology areas like Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) the components capacity to dissipate strain energy is a key factor to evaluate their potential lifespan. In this context, we present the direct derivation of an analytical expression to estimate the elastic–plastic solids energy dissipation capacity from Depth Sensing Indentation (DSI) data. An expression to the fast calculation of the elastic (Ue)-to-total (Ut) strain energy ratios (Ue/Ut) from loading and unloading curves was particularly proposed. Assuming reasonable power law behaviors for these curves this expression allows calculating the strain energy ratios only considering the maximum displacement (hm) and plastic hysteresis (hp), which are experimentally easy to estimate. The simplifications and assumptions taken in this work ensure, in the worst of the cases, Ue/Ut ratios with uncertainties about 8 %. Despite this, the results could represent an interesting improvement in the time spending-to-accuracy relation for estimating these ratios.