| 1 | Bonnie Blair (Senior) | USA | 39.10 | WR | - |
| 2 | Christa Rothenburger (Senior) | GDR | 39.12 | NR | +0.020 |
| 3 | Karin Kania-Enke (Senior) | GDR | 39.24 | PB | +0.140 |
| 4 | Angela Stahnke (Neo) | GDR | 39.68 | SB | +0.580 |
| 5 | Seiko Hashimoto (Neo) | JPN | 39.74 | NR | +0.640 |
| 6 | Shelley Rhead (Neo) | CAN | 40.36 | NR | +1.260 |
| 7 | Monika Gawenus-Pflug (M30) | FRG | 40.53 | NR | +1.430 |
| 8 | Shouko Fusano (Neo) | JPN | 40.61 | PB | +1.510 |
| 9 | Natalja Sjive-Glebova (Senior) | URS | 40.66 | SB | +1.560 |
| 10 | Andrea Ehrig-Mitscherlich (Senior) | GDR | 40.71 | PB | +1.610 |
| 11 | Natalie Grenier (Senior) | CAN | 40.73 | PB | +1.630 |
| 12 | Katie Class (Senior) | USA | 40.91 | PB | +1.810 |
| 13 | Seon-Hee Yoo (Neo) | KOR | 40.92 | NR | +1.820 |
| 14 | Edel Therese Høiseth (Neo) | NOR | 40.95 | | +1.850 |
| 15 | Ingrid Haringa (Neo) | NED | 41.12 | | +2.020 |
| 16 | Jelena Iljina (Neo) | URS | 41.15 | SB | +2.050 |
| 17 | Christine Aaftink (Neo) | NED | 41.22 | | +2.120 |
| 18 | Zofia Tokarczyk (Senior) | POL | 41.37 | SB | +2.270 |
| 19 | Emese Nemeth-Hunyady (Neo) | AUT | 41.38 | NR | +2.280 |
| Erwina Rys-Ferens (Senior) | POL | 41.38 | | +2.280 |
| 21 | Noriko Miyaji (Neo) | JPN | 41.44 | SB | +2.340 |
| 22 | Hwa-Seon Song (Neo) | PRK | 41.46 | NR | +2.360 |
| 23 | Ariane Loignon (Neo) | CAN | 41.57 | PB | +2.470 |
| Leslie Bader (Senior) | USA | 41.57 | PB | +2.470 |
| 25 | Kristen Talbot (B2) | USA | 41.71 | NRJ, TRJ | +2.610 |
| 26 | Chun-Ok Han (Neo) | PRK | 42.25 | PB | +3.150 |
| 27 | Marie-France van Helden-Vives (Senior) | FRA | 42.49 | NR | +3.390 |
| 28 | Jasmin Krohn (Neo) | SWE | 42.81 | SB | +3.710 |
| 29 | Stéphanie Dumont (Neo) | FRA | 43.30 | SB | +4.200 |
| 30 | Bibija Kerla (Senior) | YUG | 44.47 | NR | +5.370 |