A transfer-matrix technique is used to calculate the lasing thresholds of second-order circular-grating polymer lasers operating at 630 nm. By use of poly [2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] as an example polymer material, it is also shown how known optical properties of polymeric materials may be incorporated into the analysis of both the transverse waveguiding and the distributed feedback in circular-grating distributed-feedback polymer lasers. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.