Barley, depending upon the variety, may have either two or six rows of grain in the ear. Ears with two rows form a flat ear; those with six rows form a roughly cylindrical ear. The yield from 6-row varieties is greater than for 2-row, so these varieties are normally used for animal feed. In Britain, only 2-row barley with a low protein content is used for malting.

Barley flour, with a low gluten content, produces a 'heavy' loaf unless mixed with wheat flour when making bread. Other uses include pearled barley, groats, barley water and malt extract health food.