Quality of aromatic rice (KDML-105) and non-aromatic rice (Suphanburi I) was studied using different methods and scales of drying. At the lab scale, rough rice at high moisture (21AE1% w.b.) was subjected to shade drying, sun drying, oven drying at 45 8C and 60 8C and fluidized bed drying (for different time periods) at 120 8C, with tempering for 2hrs. On a commercial scale, single stage drying (sun drying, column drying) and multi stage drying in a fluidized bed dryer coupled with column and shade drying were investigated. Head rice yield, color, hardness, stickiness and hardness ratio, water absorption, and structure of milled rice were examined for each method of drying. The results revealed that water absorption and ratio of stickiness and hardness decreased but the b-value and hardness increased with increase in dry grain temperature, longer exposure/drying time, longer tempering time, and rapid rate of water removal. Head rice yield of samples dried at high temperature (>60 8C) 389