International grades of flue-cured tobacco are threshed per leaf position on the stalk and the best threshing yields are obtained from top leaves. Italian Burley (cv. C.103 and similar) is threshed in blends of variable percentages of bottom, middle and top leaves. In this study the best threshing results were correlated with increasing proportions of the top leaves in the blends. Dry weight per cm2 of Burley and flue-cured tobaccos was higher for top than for bottom and middle leaves.