An investigation of the thermodynamical properties of polytridecanolactone (PTDL) was made with the aid of a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). PTDL is a linear polyester and belongs to the polylactones, which have been poorly investigated. In this paper we contribute with specific heat capacity in the range 180-400 K, and melting and glass transition characteristics. Further, we present unique results corresponding to the effect of different cooling rates on crystallization temperatures and crystallization energies. PTDL has a melting temperature of 350 K, and a glass transition at about 237 K. The crystallization results show that PTDL crystallizes easily, with a crystallization degree of about 80%. In addition, the crystallization energy decreases with increasing cooling rate, and levels out at a constant value at higher cooling rates. The crystallization temperature, on the other hand, shows an increasing sensitivity of cooling rate, where the supercooling is increasing more rapidly at higher cooling rates. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.