The authors analyzed the relationship between drying rate and time in microwave drying.They also studied the effects between continuous and intermittent microwave drying with respect to drying rate and microwave utilization efficiency.The results showed that:1) the microwave drying process of wood was divided into three stages:accelerating,constant-speed and decelerating;2) during the microwave drying process,the average drying rate and specific moisture evaporation rate were higher when the wood moisture content was above the fiber saturation point than when below it;3) using the proper radiation frequency to obtain the optimum microwave energy utilization efficiency,such as one minute on and two minutes off.