Anode stickingAnode sticking during baking is a problematic phenomenon in carbon anodeAnode plants, resulting from adjacent anodes adhering together or packing coke sticking to the anodes. A possible explanation for it is that pitch may squeeze out of the anode due to external stress exerted by the top anodes or other mechanisms, yet not being well understood. After baking, the pitch is not distinguishable from coke, making pitch tracking challenging. This work aimed to develop a marker capable of tracking pitch distributionDistribution in both green and baked anodes. A new marker compound of, WC, was combined with pitch at 1 wt. % for comparison with previous potential candidates, ZnO, FeO, and Bi2O3. After achieving homogeneous distribution of Bi and W within the pitch, they were used in lab-scale anode fabrication in the form of Bi2O3 and WC. Pitch dispersion in the green anodes and those baked under 0 kPa and 50 kPa compressive stresses was assessed using XRF analysis to evaluate pitch gradients along both radial and longitudinal directions. Although no significant change in pitch dispersion was observed across the surfaceSurface area of both green and baked anodes, a notable increase in pitch concentration was detected from the top to the bottom of the anodesAnode. Additionally, W was demonstrated to be the most traceable and consistent marker, making it suitable for further evaluations of anode stickingAnode sticking.