The present investigation was carried out to evaluate combining ability effects for grain yield and various yield contributing components in eight elite maize S4 lines. Analysis of variances revealed that cross combinations were 17-75 % superior as compared to parental genotypes for all the studied parameters. Components of variation due to specific combining ability were greater in magnitude and more significant for all the characters excluding ear per plant and kernel rows per ear as compared to variance due to general combining ability. This revealed that the inheritance of these traits were controlled by non-additive type of gene action and recommended that selection of the genotypes might be effective for genetic improvement of all the traits in the advanced generation except for kernel rows per ear. It was also recommended from the relative general and specific combining ability performances that parental lines (SY-204 and IQ-207) and direct cross (PH-203 × SW-206) was better in grain yield per plant and might be helpful if exploited in future maize development programs.