The paper is concerned with the analysis of axisymmetric forward extrusion by using the method of weighted residuals. In the method of weighted residuals, the flow function and the stress functions are assumed so as to cover the global control volume. The derived stress and strain components are used to formulate a constitutive equation in the error form, so that the error is minimized to determine the stress and strain components. The method of least squares is then chosen for the minimization of errors. The distribution of stresses and strains and the forming load are determined for the workhardening material considering the frictional effect at the die surface. The computed results are very similar to those obtained by the finite element method. The method is simpler in application and requires less computational time than the finite element method. Experiments are carried out for aluminum and steel specimens using curved dies. It is found that the experimental observation is mostly in agreement with the computed results by the method of weighted residuals.