Costal cartilage, auricular cartilage and nasal septal cartilage are widely used in plastic operation. Costal cartilage is used in ear reconstruction and augmentation rhinoplasty, while the auricular cartilage and nasal septal cartilage are applied in the nasal plastic operation. The maintenance of postoperative form is closely related to the biomechanical characteristics of the cartilage. Meanwhile, ultrastructure, especially extracellular matrix, determines the mechanical properties of cartilage. This review mainly focuses on the biomechanical properties and ultrastracture of the cartilages and summarizes the basic data of different cartilages in biomechanical testing, including tissue engineered-auricular cartilage. However, the procedure of biomechanical testing on cartilages currently needs further standardization, and the use of the finite element method should be promoted, so as to offer a better clinical diagnosis and treatment.