ceramics in the sintering of compacts from ultrafine powders was studied. Ultrafine ZrO2-Y2O3 powders were synthesized using the method of decomposition of a mixture of aqueous solutions of zirconium and yttrium nitrates in the RF discharge plasma. As additives polyvinyl alcohol, bismuth oxide and metal nanopowders in amounts ranging from 1 to 5 vol.% were used. Metal nanopowders of copper and molybdenum were obtained by electric explosion method. The additives were mixed with ultradisperse zirconia powder. Green bodies were formed by using dry (without binder) uniaxial static pressing. The pressing pressure varied from 150 MPa to 600 MPa. Shrinkage kinetics of the powder samples during their constant-rate heating were investigated in a DIL 402 C highsensitivity single push rod dilatometer (NETZSCH, Germany). Sintering temperature T=(1200– 1400) °С. The single-stage and two-stage sintering regimes were considered. It was found that density of compacts does not depend on the type of additive. When sintering such compacts, the degree of shrinkage depends on the type of impurity. For single-stage sintering, the greatest degree of shrinkage is observed when bismuth oxide is used as an additive. In this case, at the isothermal stage of heating, the sample slightly widens. To avoid expansion, two-stage sintering was used. When selecting the type of additives and two-stage sintering regimes, a significant reduction in the sintering temperature was obtained. Influence of the additives and sintering modes on the porosity and mechanical properties of the zirconia ceramics was investigated.