Cylindrical specimens of height to diameter ratios between 0.12 to 1.0 of potato flesh, bologna sausage and process American cheese were uniaxially compressed to failure. The flatter the specimen the stiffer it appeared. This was also true with respect to strength. The magnitude of strain at failure also increased with the specimen's flatness. Application of two correction procedures for the calculation of a dimensionally independent modulus did not always yield consistent results, demonstrating that the stiffness‐strength‐shape relationships can depend not only on the material but also on the particular character of the end constraints.