The aim of this study was to graft carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on to bleached softwood kraft pulp at temperatures below 100°C and to do a pilot paper machine trial in order to examine the influence of the CMC on dewatering, sheet formation and mechanical properties. During the pilot trial, one CMC grafted pulp was compared to a pulp with 3 different refining degrees. It was shown that CMC-grafting improves the mechanical properties of paper with only a minor effect on the sheet density. It was also shown that the CMC grafting is less detrimental to dewatering than refining and at a certain tensile index a higher dry content after pressing could be reached. The formation number of the paper produced in the FEX trial was not significantly affected by the addition of CMC.