At room temperature, the pulsed cathodoluminescence spectra of zinc selenide were recorded, namely initial material and materials of its processing required for the synthesis of optical ceramics. Study objects were ZnSe samples of cubic phase and stoichiometric composition, as well as with the presence of additional phases – hexagonal ZnSe and ZnO. Three characteristic luminescence bands were detected in single-phase cubic zinc selenide. In cubic ZnSe of stoichiometric composition, one strong interband luminescence line with a width of 12–14 nm is observed in the region of 470 nm. An additional wide band at 647 nm appears with an excess of selenium. With an increased content of impurities and a small excess of zinc, a single band at 588 nm is observed. In two-phase materials containing cubic and hexagonal ZnSe as the main or additional phase, luminescence is not observed at room temperature. In cubic ZnSe with an additional hexagonal ZnO phase, except the interband luminescence line with a wavelength decreasing from 470 to 466 nm with increasing ZnO content, a strong broad doublet band of hexagonal ZnO appears at 525–900 nm. Based on the presence or absence of these pulsed cathodoluminescence bands, it is possible to carry out a rapid analysis of the quality of the ZnSe material.