There is interest in the enlarging of the bulk, transparent ceramics family. Polycrystalline ZnAl2O4 may constitute a useful addition to the existent set of such materials. The objective of this work was the development of a technology allowing the fabrication of bulk, polycrystalline, transparent ZnAl2O4 parts. It was determined that a nano ZnAl2O4 powder, synthesized by the hydrothermal technique, can be formed into green bodies having an average pore size of 30 similar to nm and a bulk density of similar to 55% TD. A two stage sintering process, in which air heating (1500 degrees C) was followed by hot-isostatic pressing (1550 degrees C), densified small (20 mm in diameter) disks to a bulk density approximate to TD. Such specimens exhibit an in-line transmission of 78% (=800 nm; t = 2 mm), a hardness of 10.5 GPa and an average grains size of 1.1 mu m.