Abstract The relationships between protein content, sodium dodecyl sulphate sedimentation volume (SV), cooked gluten viscoelasticity (CGV), mixograph mixing development time (MDT) and pasta disc viscoelasticity (PDV) were investigated, and the effects of high M r glutenin subunit composition upon these quality test parameters determined. Durum wheat wholemeals or semolinas from 143 F2-derived F4 families from crosses between the cultivars Vic and Berillo were tested for protein content, SV, CGV, MDT, PDV and high M r glutenin subunits. To identify specific wheat endosperm proteins SDS-PAGE and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using MAb clones P24B (specific for γ-gliadin 45) and clone 304/13 (specific for high M r glutenin subunit-B1) were used. Vic and Berillo both gave high CGV and PDV values. Vic also had high SV and MDT values, whilst those for Berillo were relatively low. Lines having high M r glutenin subunits 6 + 8 gave significantly higher SV values than those having high M r glutenin subunits 20. The effects of high M r glutenin subunit composition on CGV was inconsistent between years. The results indicate that, while both SV and CGV predict gluten strength, they are independent quality characteristics. Furthermore, MAb clone 304/13 could be used to identify breeders' lines containing high M r glutenin subunits 6 + 8 or 20.