In a piezoelectric medium such as bone, the wave propagation and elastic constants are modified by the piezoelectric coupling. This piezoelectric “stiffening” or contribution is calculated for dry cortical bone, using the piezoelectric constants and dielectric constants reported for bone in the literature, and is compared with the corresponding values of two typical piezoelectric materials, α-quartz (single crystal) and “poled” barium titanate ceramic (polycrystalline). It is found that the piezoelectric contribution to the elastic stiffnesses of bone is negligibly small.