The oxygen of unbleached kraft pulps produced from industrial hemp stalks and hemp ‘wood’ was studied, as well as the susceptibility of such pulps to bleaching. Hemp stalk and wood pulp showed comparable susceptibility to delignification with oxygen in alkaline media and good bleachability in the elemental chlorine free (ECF) and the total chlorine free (TCF) bleaching processes. Good bleachability was also shown by hemp bast f ibre pulp.