We describe a method for evaluating the specific surface area (SSA) that is based on use of the secondary electron emission phenomenon. We propose a scheme for realization of the method on a scanning electron microscope. We study surfaces obtained by differing treatment: turning, boring, milling, planing, and grinding. It is found that the SSA does not exceed the nominal area by more than 10% and is practically independent of the machining mode and the roughness. We study the dependence of the asperity slopes on their spacing and the dependence of the second-order spectral density moment of an isotropic surface on the lower asperity spacing bound.