| 1 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | TCH | 52,42 | Q |
| 2 | Molly Killingbeck | CAN | 52,62 | Q |
| 3 | Roberta Belle | USA | 53,01 | Q |
| 4 | Michelle Scutt | GBR | 53,30 | Q |
| 5 | Erica Rossi | ITA | 53,51 | q |
| 6 | Hala El Moughrabi | SYR | 59,58 | q |
| 7 | Marjorie Gentle | BIZ | 1:04,00 |
| 1 | Rositsa Stamenova | BUL | 53,81 | Q |
| 2 | Gaby Bussmann | FRG | 53,93 | Q |
| 3 | June Griffith | GUY | 54,02 | Q |
| 4 | Eucaris Caicedo | COL | 55,09 | Q |
| 5 | Judit Forgacs | HUN | 55,15 | q |
| 6 | Leticia Athanas | TAN | 56,54 | q |
| 7 | Sandra Liburd | STK | 1:02,46 | q |
| 1 | Tatána Kocembová | TCH | 52,74 | Q | |
| 2 | Denean Howard-Hill | USA | 52,78 | Q | |
| 3 | Katya Ilieva | BUL | 53,21 | Q | |
| 4 | Cathy Rattray-Williams | JAM | 53,40 | Q | |
| 5 | Elanga Buala | PNG | 57,37 | q | |
| 6 | Fatalmoudou Toure | MLI | 59,37 | q | NR |
| Florence Gaza | SOL | DNS |
| 1 | Mariya Kulchunova-Pinigina | URS | 52,49 | Q | |
| 2 | Charmaine Crooks | CAN | 53,83 | Q | |
| 3 | Dagmar Rübsam-Neubauer | GDR | 54,47 | Q | |
| 4 | Denise Robertson-Boyd | AUS | 54,70 | Q | |
| 5 | Iyiechia Petrus | ISV | 55,87 | q | |
| 6 | Margarita Grun | URU | 56,84 | q | |
| 7 | Cornelia Baptiste | STL | 1:00,79 | q | NR |
| 1 | Sabine Busch | GDR | 53,16 | Q |
| 2 | Irina Baskakova | URS | 53,45 | Q |
| 3 | Rosalyn Bryant | USA | 53,64 | Q |
| 4 | Marita Payne-Wiggins | CAN | 53,96 | Q |
| 5 | Irina Ambulo | PAN | 56,08 | q |
| 6 | Patricia Meigha | GUA | 58,07 | q |
| Rose Tata-Muya | KEN | DNS |
| 1 | Mariya Kulchunova-Pinigina | URS | 51,05 | Q |
| 2 | Rosalyn Bryant | USA | 51,44 | Q |
| 3 | Sabine Busch | GDR | 51,46 | Q |
| 4 | Charmaine Crooks | CAN | 51,57 | Q |
| 5 | Denise Robertson-Boyd | AUS | 52,03 | |
| 6 | Cathy Rattray-Williams | JAM | 53,78 | |
| Margarita Grun | URU | DNS | ||
| Cornelia Baptiste | STL | DNS |
| 1 | Irina Baskakova | URS | 51,07 | Q |
| 2 | Gaby Bussmann | FRG | 51,15 | Q |
| 3 | Dagmar Rübsam-Neubauer | GDR | 51,62 | Q |
| 4 | Molly Killingbeck | CAN | 52,25 | Q |
| 5 | Roberta Belle | USA | 53,43 | |
| 6 | Elanga Buala | PNG | 56,96 | |
| 7 | Iyiechia Petrus | ISV | 57,24 | |
| Hala El Moughrabi | SYR | DNS |
| 1 | Marita Payne-Wiggins | CAN | 52,23 | Q |
| 2 | Katya Ilieva | BUL | 52,37 | Q |
| 3 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | TCH | 52,40 | Q |
| 4 | Michelle Scutt | GBR | 52,70 | Q |
| 5 | June Griffith | GUY | 53,47 | |
| 6 | Leticia Athanas | TAN | 56,92 | |
| 7 | Irina Ambulo | PAN | 58,33 | |
| Sandra Liburd | STK | DNS |
| 1 | Tatána Kocembová | TCH | 51,88 | Q |
| 2 | Judit Forgacs | HUN | 52,18 | Q |
| 3 | Rositsa Stamenova | BUL | 52,22 | Q |
| 4 | Denean Howard-Hill | USA | 52,34 | Q |
| 5 | Erica Rossi | ITA | 53,88 | |
| 6 | Patricia Meigha | GUA | 59,85 | |
| Eucaris Caicedo | COL | DNS | ||
| Fatalmoudou Toure | MLI | DNS |
| 1 | Jarmila Kratochvílová | TCH | 51,08 | Q |
| 2 | Gaby Bussmann | FRG | 51,22 | Q |
| 3 | Irina Baskakova | URS | 51,26 | Q |
| 4 | Dagmar Rübsam-Neubauer | GDR | 51,52 | Q |
| 5 | Charmaine Crooks | CAN | 51,96 | |
| 6 | Denean Howard-Hill | USA | 52,06 | |
| 7 | Judit Forgacs | HUN | 52,74 | |
| 8 | Rositsa Stamenova | BUL | 53,09 |
| 1 | Mariya Kulchunova-Pinigina | URS | 50,07 | Q |
| 2 | Tatána Kocembová | TCH | 50,45 | Q |
| 3 | Marita Payne-Wiggins | CAN | 50,78 | Q |
| 4 | Rosalyn Bryant | USA | 51,04 | Q |
| 5 | Sabine Busch | GDR | 51,09 | |
| 6 | Michelle Scutt | GBR | 51,88 | |
| 7 | Molly Killingbeck | CAN | 51,97 | |
| 8 | Katya Ilieva | BUL | 52,34 |