A series of polyethylene resins made by making progressive changes in temperature, pressure, and catalyst content has been studied by infrared absorption spectroscopy. From the methyl content and the number‐averages molecular weight of each resin, it was found that as molecular weight increases degree of branching decreases. Also revealed was the fact that each of the three types of double bond groups present, i. e., RHCCH2, RHCCHR, and RRCCH2, decreases in concentration with increasing molecular weight. Using polarized radiation, high resolution grating spectra were obtained on polyethylene films which had been highly oriented by cold drawing 500%. The results show that the CH3 terminated branches are not predominantly oriented either parallel or perpendicular to the direction of stretch. It is the authors' view that the chain branches vary in length with a considerable fraction short enough to be essentially at right angles to the long chain axis while others are sufficiently long to be parallel to the long chain axis in stretched polyethylene. When a stretched polyethylene film is heat relaxed (110–115°C.), its spectra using polarized radiation reveal the presence of crystallites in which the long carbon‐to‐carbon chain axes are predominantly oriented at right angles to the direction of stretch.