[3] Corn starch is versatile, easily modified, and finds many uses in industry such as adhesives, in paper products, as an anti-sticking agent, and textile manufacturing.

Although mostly used for cooking and as a household item, corn starch is used for many purposes in several industries, ranging from its use as a chemical additive for certain products, to medical therapy for certain illnesses.

Corn starch is used as a thickening agent in liquid-based foods (e.g., soup, sauces, gravies, custard), usually by mixing it with a lower-temperature liquid to form a paste or slurry.

[11] Chicken nuggets with a thin outer layer of corn starch allows increased oil absorption and crispness after the latter stages of frying.

[15][16] Corn starch has properties enabling supply of glucose to maintain blood sugar levels for people with glycogen storage disease.

[17] Corn starch can be used starting at age 6–12 months allowing glucose fluctuations to be deterred.

(The residue from every stage is used in animal feed and to make corn oil or other applications.)

It is believed that overheating of a corn starch-based powder—despite warnings on the packaging indicating that the material is flammable—initiated the Formosa Fun Coast explosion in Taiwan on 27 June 2015.