Abstract: In order to investigate the variation of pore structure in cut strips dried by different drying means, the variation in pore volume, pore size distribution, pore shape and volume of flue-cured and burley tobaccos were dried by a laboratory cylinder dryer and a downflow bed dryer. The results showed that: 1) The pore volume in tobacco dried by different drying means shrank obviously, and the shrinkage of pore volume in flue-cured tobacco was higher than that of burley tobacco. At the stage the moisture content reduced from 25% to 15%, the shrinkage of pore volume in tobacco dried in a downflow bed was remarkably lower than that in a cylinder during drying. 2) The shrinkage of tobacco volume roughly proportioned to the decrease of moisture content in tobacco, the shrinkage reached up to 25% at the moisture content of 10%.Drying means did not affect the shrinkage of tobacco volume significantly. 3) The majority of pores in tobacco were macropores above 30 μm in diameter. Comparing with cylinder drying, more pores of 1-10 μm in diameter emerged in tobacco dried in a downflow bed.