AbstractGas transport properties for poly(3‐hydroxyoxetane) (PHO) were measured for five gases at 35°C. While PHO has very low gas permeability coefficients, they are larger than those reported for polyacrylonitrile (PAN), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA1) and copolymers of ethylene / vinyl alcohol (EVAL) for all gases tested except He. The permeability coefficients for PHO and EVAL are well correlated with the density of hydroxyl groups along the chain. Extrapolations to PVA1 give values that agree well with those estimated by Salame using the Permachor method. It is suggested that some of the reported experimental values for PVA1 are in error. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.