Contact-angle measurements, the ASTM standard wetting test for polyolefin films, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA) were used to characterize flame-treated polypropylene (PP) films. Two combustion models, STANJAN and PREMIX, were then used to determine the chemical and physical properties of the flames used to treat the PP films. Both the flame equivalence ratio and the position of the PP film in the flame are important variables in determining the extent of oxidation and improvement in wettability obtained by flame treating. The optimal equivalence ratio for the flame treatment of PP is 0.93, while the optimal luminous flame-to-film distance is 0-2 mm. Modeling of the combustion processes occurring in the flame provides evidence that the extent of treatment correlates closely with the concentrations of H, O, and OH radicals present in the flame. The extent of surface modification of the flame-treated PP does not appear to correlate with either the flame temperature or the concentraion of oxygen molecules. The mechanism of surface oxidation by flame treatment probably involves polymer-radical formation by O and OH, followed by rapid reaction of the polymer radicals with O, OH, and O-2.