External prestressing has been used either in new structures or in the repair and rehabilitation of existing ones. The use of steel tendons has been the most usual solution, but synthetic cables have also been used over the last years. One example of these cables is a parallel-lay rope known as Parafil, which is made from the high strength (3700 MPa), high modulus (126000 MPa) and corrosion resistant fiber commercially known as Kevlar. An investigation on the behavior of beams prestressed with external Parafil tendons is conducted with the purpose of studying the flexural strength of these beams. The main variables which affect the behavior of the beams are firstly identified through a parametric analysis using an existing computational model based on the finite element method. Secondly, an experimental investigation of five simple supported beams, in which the non-prestressed reinforcement and type of loading are the main variables, is presented. The results show that the non-prestressed reinforcement, type of loading, elastic modulus of the tendons, effective prestressing force level and concrete strength have a significant affect on the flexural strength of the beams. The comparison between the experimental results and those obtained from equations developed for steel tendons, shows that these equations could also be used for beams prestressed with synthetic cables.