The purpose of the present study is to identify the drying cylinder model in paper plants and to analyze characteristics of process responses for changes in input variables. The model developed in this work is based on actual plant operation data where the steam pressure applied to the cylinder behaves as the major variable. It is found that heat transfer coefficients from the condensate to the canvas could be represented as empirical relations based on heat conductivities and operation data. The effectiveness of the cylinder model is demonstrated by the measured moisture contents and web temperature. Stability of the drying process is analyzed based on the transfer functions derived from the cylinder model.