The occurrence and physico-chemical properties of flat leaves found in 1997 curing trial related to the prevention of occurrence of flat leaves at bulk curing of flue-cured tobacco were investigated and compared with those of normal leaves. Cured leaves of NC82 were separated into 4 classes of none, slight, fair and severe symptoms of flat leaf by the percentage of flattened parts to whole leaf area. The flat leaves were mostly found among the leaves of lower stalk position, and it was estimated that growth rate of lower leaves also influenced on the occurrence of flat leaves. In chromatic aberration of cured leaf, flat leaves showed remarkably lower b and L values than in those of normals but there was no difference in a value. On the other hand, in chemical analyses of flat leaf samples, nicotine, total sugar, ether extract and total nitrogen contents were decreased with the degree of flat symptoms. In physical properties, filling capacity of cured leaves was decreased with the degree of flat symptoms comparing with those of normal leaves, while shatter index was showed a reverse tendency, and then within the same leaf, flat parts were decreased in total sugar, ether extract and filling capacity compared with those of normal ones, but remarkably increased in shatter index, and there was no difference in nicotine and total nitrogen contents.