Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) of two varieties of parboiled rice were measured and evaluated at different steaming durations, drying temperatures, and post-drying tempering conditions. Rice varieties of Lemont (long grain) and Rico-1 (medium grain) were used in this study. The parboiling process generally increased the UTS by four to five times that of raw rice, depending on the parboiling treatments and variety. The UTS of Lemont was higher than Rico-1 by about 25% to 50%, depending on the steaming and drying conditions. The strength of the kernel increased with the increase in steaming duration. Drying temperature greater than 40.C decreased the strength. Tempering of the kernels at room temperature of 21.C after drying increased both the UTS and the MOE of the kernels. The UTS values of Lemont were found to be in the range of 37 to 60 MPa, while the range for Rico-1 was 32 to 40 MPa, depending on the steaming and drying conditions. The range of the MOE values found for Lemont was 191 to 255 MPa and that for Rico-1 was 97 to 137 MPa.