A full-potential band structure calculation, within the local density approximation to the density functional theory, has been performed for the polytypes 3C, 2H, 4H, and 6H of SiC. The calculated effective electron masses are found to be in very good agreement with experimental values. The electron-optical phonon coupling has been estimated and the polaron masses are calculated to be 3%–13% larger than the corresponding bare masses. The effective electron masses of the second lowest conduction band minima are also presented and the calculated energy difference between the two lowest minima in 4H–SiC is only 0.12 eV. The lowest conduction band in 6H–SiC is found to be very flat and to have a double-well-like minimum along the ML line. The top of the valence bands has been parametrized according to the k⋅p approximation, whereupon the effective hole masses have been determined. The spin-orbit interaction was found to have a strong influence on the value of the effective hole masses. Furthermore, total and partial densities of states are presented.