This paper mainly investigated the physical properties and gasification reactivity of coal char and petroleum coke, separately at the high temperature pyrolysis (950-1400 degrees C) with slow heating rate and pyrolysis pressure of the atmospheric pressure and at the pressurized pyrolysis (the atmospheric pressure to 3 MPa) with rapid heating rate and the pyrolysis temperature of 950 degrees C. Some significant differences in those between coal chars and petroleum coke were found. The high temperature pyrolysis caused more easily the graphitization of petroleum coke than that of coal char, especially in the higher temperature range. The increasing pyrolysis temperature resulted in the decrease of surface areas of coal char and the increase of surface areas of petroleum coke. As the pyrolysis pressure was elevated from the atmospheric pressure to 3 MPa, surface areas of petroleum coke initially increased and then decreased, while those of coal chars presented an opposite tendency. The increasing pyrolysis temperature was adverse to the gasification activity of coal chars and was favorable for the gasification activity of petroleum coke. Also, the effects of the pyrolysis pressure on the gasification activity of coal char and petroleum coke were significantly different. The gasification activity of petroleum coke was obviously lower than that of coal chars, and even lower than that of the natural graphite. (c) 2009 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.