This paper proposes an original method for wave dispersion analysis of small-size periodic solids modelled by Eringen’s nonlocal integral theory of elasticity [1,2]. The method hinges on a finite element formulation of the free-vibration equilibrium equations of the unit cell, involving a classical mass matrix, a local stiffness matrix and a nonlocal stiffness matrix expressed by an infinite summation of nonlocal matrices. Specifically, every nonlocal matrix accounts for the long-range interactions between the unit cell and one of the surrounding cells forming the solid and is computed via an integral defined on the domain of the unit cell only. This remarkable result is obtained by representing the response variables by a suitable periodic Bloch ansatz in conjunction with an appropriate change of variables. Upon truncating the infinite summation to a finite order depending on the spatial attenuation of the kernel function involved in the nonlocal integral model, the band structure of the periodic solid is obtained from a standard linear eigenvalue problem, derived from enforcing the Bloch conditions in the finite element free-vibration equilibrium equations of the unit cell. Numerical results demonstrate the correctness of the method, which provides an effective solution for the wave propagation problem in periodic solids modelled by Eringen’s nonlocal integral theory, for the first time in literature. Notably, the method can handle 3D periodic solids with unit cell of arbitrary shape, without any restriction.