Nanostructured beta-SiC, with crystallite size in the range of 5-20 nm in agglomerates of 50-150 nm, was formed by reactive high-energy ball milling and consolidated to a relative density of 98% by sintering at 1700degreesC without the use of additives. X-ray line broadening analysis gave a crystallite size of 25 nm, while transmission electron microscopy observations showed the crystallite size to be in the range of 30-50 nm. Evidence demonstrating the role of a disorder-order transformation in the densification process is provided by changes in the diffraction peak patterns and in the integral width with temperature.