Eight tropical hardwoods (Malaysian) were subjected to autohydrolysis at 195°C for 10 – 100 Min, followed by extraction with 90% dioxane. A linear relationship was obtained between the % of water soluble extract, after autohydrolysis, and the % of hemicellulose present in the respective woods. Comparison of the different woods for their response to autohydrolysis was made, based on the % of maximum extractable lignin obtained. It was found that the effectiveness of autohydrolysis was not related to the density of the wood, or to the taxonomic type, but to a certain extent to the content of lignin present in the wood.