Optimal designs have been constructed for differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments conducted under constant-heating-rate conditions for materials that are a priori assumed to follow nth-order kinetics. Two different operating scenarios are considered, including single-scan and multiscan DSC experiments for eight different kinetic parameter combinations representing a range of typical polymeric curing reactions. The resulting designs are studied to determine which kinetic model parameters are influential in determining the optimal design. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 117: 2133-2139,2010