In order to predict the particulate matter yield (PMY) of different tobacco grades, pyrolysis studies have been carried out for several years. All these investigations were made with ground material. Thus differences in physical properties, which influence the condensate delivery of a cigarette, have been disregarded. This paper shows that the package density is the main influence on the PMY values in the pyrolysis experiment. The relationship between PMY and package density is unique for each tobacco grade, which results in a delivery of tobacco mixtures that in the low-density region (260–200 mg/ml), is non-linear. The package density has a direct influence on the thermal decomposition. PMY values and cigarette deliveries can, therefore, only be correlated when the tar yield per cigarette is related to the the amount of tobacco burned during the puffs. Only by incorporating the effect of cigarette design (which can be done economically using computer models) it is possible to calculate this amount of tobacco.