This work deals with the effect of the shelling system of a corn harvester on the quality of corn kernels. The mechanical damage, both visible and invisible were evaluated, the last one using germination tests. The moisture content of the kernels for each treatment was determined. The peripheral velocity of the shelling cylinder was defined considering the diameter (300 mm) and the angular velocity for the various treatments. The statistical design used was randomized blocks with 5 treatments and 6 repetitions to study the percentage values of whole and broken kernels, the correspondent moisture content and germination values. The F test at 1% and 5% probability level and Tukey's test were used for comparison between means. From the analysis it is possible to conclude that the effect of moisture content was not statistically significant with an average moisture content of 15,78%. The comparions between means showed that there are highly significant differences for the peripheral velocity of the shelling cylinder on the percentage of whole kernels, it could be assumed that there was an inverse relation between those two parameters for the conditions tested. The germination test which was used to characterize invisible damage showed significant differences for some of the treatments. The results indicated an inverse relation between peripheral velocity of the shelling cylinder and the percentage of germination of the whole kernels. Some influence of the material flow through the shelling system was detected suggesting further studies of this phenomenon if these harvesters are to be used to harvest corn seed.