The barium lead titanate (Ba(0.8)Pb(0.2)TiO3, termed BPT) ferroelectric ceramics were prepared using microwave sintering and spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques. The formation of single phase was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The SPS-prepared BPT ceramics exhibited higher density and smaller grain sizes as compared with the microwave-sintered ones. Dielectric and ferroelectric properties were compared between the two-technique-prepared ceramics. It was found that the dielectric constant at room temperature was 500 higher for the SPS-prepared sample than for the microwave-sintered one, and 6000 higher at Curie transition temperature. The remnant and spontaneous polarization values were 2 times larger for the SPS-prepared sample as compared with the microwave-sintered one. On the whole, the promising SPS technique possessed distinguished characteristics of energy-saving, rapid processing and uniform temperature distribution throughout the sample. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.