Circular cylindrical shells rotating about their axis of revolution are analyzed for natural frequencies and damping factor using moderately thick shell theory with shear deformation and rotatory inertia. A subparametric axisymmetric finite element with 5 nodes to represent the function variations, and 2 nodes to represent coordinate variations is used for the solution. Full Fourier expansion is used in the circumferential direction to overcome the effect of material anisotropy and Coriolis component. The effect of rotation on frequencies is studied by incorporating the Coriolis acceleration, rotational energy, prestressing due to centrifugal force, and damping due to material. © 1994 by ASME.