We provide a detailed experimental investigation of the electronic band structure of the 3C-SiC(001)c(4 x 2 ) surface using angle-resolved photoemission and synchrotron radiation. A prominent surface state was identified at - 1.5 eV and referred to the Fermi level, showing a downwards dispersion by about 0.2 eV. Two other surface states were found at the energies - 0.95 eV and - 2.5 eV. The electronic structure is semiconducting and very similar to the one for the 2 x 1 reconstruction, proving the close relationship between the c(4 x 2) and the 2 x 1 structures. Comparison to theoretical band structure calculations gives no satisfactory agreeement, leaving the question about the structure of the c(4 x 2) and the 2 x 1 reconstructions still open.