Defects in as-grown commercial zinc oxide (ZnO) substrates were studied by photoluminescence and optical detection of magnetic resonance (ODMR). In addition to the Zn vacancy and shallow donor centers, we observed several ODMR centers with spin S=1/2, labeled LU1-LU4. Among these, the axial LU3 and non-axial LU4 centers were detected in all studied samples. The ODMR signals of LU3/LU4 were found to be drastically increased after electron irradiation. The preliminary result indicates that these common ODMR centers in as-grown ZnO are related to intrinsic defects. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.