Disc-type and ring-type specimens of four different materials were tested to investigate the tensile characteristics and their brief results are presented. Materials tested were marble, granite, cement mortar and plaster. Unizxial tensile strengths are compared with Brazilian and ring test strengths. It was found that Brazilian strengths were usually greater than uniaxial tensile strengths and affected by loading rates. In the ring tests, tensile strengths were generally found to be decreased as relative hole radius being increased. Ring test strengths, however, converged to some value in r$geq$0.45 of marble, r$geqq$0.29 of cement mortar and r$leq$0.5 of plaster specimens. In such range of r, furthermore, transverse cracking of specimens were observed.