Jute fabric (Hessian cloth) was treated with 2-hvdroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) under ultraviolet radiation in order to improve the mechanical and electrical properties. Concentration of the monomer 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), radiation dose, and soaking time were optimized with respect to mechanical properties such as tensile strength and elongation at break of the treated and 0 untreated Hessian cloth. The 10% HEMA, 15 min soaking time, and 15th pass of radiation rendered the best tensile properties. The variations of dielectric properties with temperature were measured at 10 kHz frequency. It was observed that dielectric constant and loss tangent (tan Omega) increased with increasing temperature up to the transition temperature and then decreased, and at the end become almost constant. The surfaces of treated and untreated jute were characterized by scanning electron microscope. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.