The acetyl-esterase Aes from Escherichia coli, which belongs to the HSL group of the esterase/lipase superfamily, has been crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using polyethylene glycol 8000 as a precipitant and magnesium chloride as an additive. Crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 110.0, b = 190.6, c = 218.6 A. A complete data set has been collected to 2.5 A resolution at the Elettra synchrotron source, Trieste using a single frozen crystal. Packing density considerations agree with 10-16 monomers in the asymmetric unit, with a corresponding solvent content of 61-38%.