This thesis examines the uniaxial drawing process of solid-state extrusion for high density polyethylene. To provide a foundation for the experimental work, a model for solid-state deformation of polyethylene is presented. The literature on drawing and extrusion is reviewed and results are interpreted in terms of the model. Experimental work is divided into three sections: (1) the effect of extrusion conditions on extrudate properties, (2) the effect of extrusion temperature, draw ratio, and die angle on \, the ratio of pushing to pulling pressures which produce equivalent extrusion rates during pultrusion, and (3) methods to increase draw ratio and tensile modulus.