N-H...O bonding in a form of 5-butyl-5-ethylbarbituric acid (systematic name: 5-butyl-5-ethyl-1,3-diazinane-2,4,6-trione), C10H16N2O3, produces two distinct one-dimensional motifs, viz. tape and ladder. Both are different from the ribbon chain motif observed in two previously reported polymorphs of the same compound.