The molecular orientation at the outer surface of injection-stretch-blow-molded bottles made from poly(ethylene terephthalate) was characterized and quantified by means of front-surface reflection infrared spectroscopy based on a method developed previously. Results were obtained for two different bottle shapes (cylindrical and rectangular) molded at different injection mold temperatures (16, 38, and 60 degrees C). For the cylindrical bottles, the preferred molecular chain orientation was found to be in the axial direction, with the Hermans orientation function near 0.3 for all three mold temperatures. For the less symmetrical rectangular bottles, a significant difference was observed between the large and small faces. For the large face, the orientation was mainly in the hoop direction; the Hermans orientation function was in the range of 0.3-0.5 and was essentially the same at all mold temperatures and positions along the bottle height. For the small face, on the other hand, the preferred orientation changed from the hoop direction near the bottom to the axial direction near the top, and the variation was more pronounced at lower mold temperatures. The utility of the front-surface reflection technique was clearly demonstrated. It was also applied, with the use of an infrared microscope, to examine the orientation gradient across the wall thickness. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 1319-1327, 2007.