Surface structure of 6H-SiC(0001)3 x 3 reconstruction has been studied by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction with synchrotron radiation. We compared the Patterson map obtained from experimental structure factors with calculated Patterson maps estimated from the models that had been proposed. As the result, the calculated Patterson maps of Kulakov et al.'s [Surf. Sci. 346 (1996) 49] and Starke and coworkers' models [Phys. Rev. Lett. 80 (1998) 758; Phys. Rev. B 58 (1998) 10806; Surf. Rev. Lett. 6 (1999) 1129; Appl. Surf. Sci. 162-163 (2000) 9; Phys. Rev. B 62 (2000) 10335] are relatively in good agreement with experimental one. Therefore, we conclude that there is high possibility that either Kulakov et al.'s or Starke and coworkers' models are reasonable as the actual 3 x 3 structure. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.