A regression analysis between band sharing of DNA fingerprints and calculated inbreeding coefficients was conducted using six experimental turkey lines. The DNA fingerprints were produced from 18 individual DNA samples per line representing different families. The DNA was digested with a HaeIII restriction enzyme and hybridized with Jeffreys' 33.6 probe. The band sharing within lines ranged from 0.42 to 0.62. The inbreeding coefficients of the lines were calculated based on population sizes and variation in family sizes. The inbreeding coefficients varied from 2.5 to 45%. Regression analysis between the two variables yielded a highly significant (P < or = 0.0001) linear model with a correlation coefficient of 0.992. The linear model was used to estimate the actual inbreeding in these lines.