Abstract Ultimate tensile strengths of human tendons were determined with an evaluation of the following criteria: adult or fetal; embalmed or unembalmed; from superior limb or inferior limb; and associated with extensor muscle or flexor muscle. A rather wide range of tensile strengths resulted for all categories of tendons in this study, with considerable overlapping among several categories. The tensile strength for human tendon from both adult and fetal sources was found to be enhanced by embalming. No significant difference was observed between the tensile strengths of tendons from the superior limb and the inferior limb. No significant difference was observed between the tensile strengths of tendons associated with flexor muscles and extensor muscles in the fetus. A somewhat greater difference in tensile strengths of tendons of these two categories was observed in the adult, those tendons associated with extensor muscles demonstrating the greater tensile strength. The tensile strength of fetal tendons appeared to be somewhat less than that of adult tendons.