The drying test at 100℃ and kiln drying were conducted to find out the drying characteristics and suitable drying schedules for 24 species of hardwood from South China. The results of the experiment showed that the tendency of most species to degrading defects during kiln drying is consistent with the drying defects showed by 100℃ test While in the care of very few of species, the drying defects appeared during kiln drying are different from those occurred in 1O0℃ test and the present drying conditions should be modified by revision tests