Cokes made from briquettes composed of a high volatile bituminous coal combined with four different biomasses and four different binders were analyzed in order to evaluate the influence of these materials on their mechanical strength. The results presented in this work are part of a more extensive research plan aimed at widening the range of alternative raw materials that can be included in coking blends. The briquettes were studied by means of proximate and elemental analyses and density evaluation, whereas the cokes were subjected to micro-strength, compression strength, porous characterization and quantitative evaluation of the textural composition by means of polarized light microscopy (PLM). Various parameters derived from these different techniques were used to explain the effects of biomass and binder on the strength of the coke prepared with the briquettes. Bituminous binders are the most effective because they increase Gieseler fluidity and have a lower volatile matter content than molasses and paraffin. The biomasses that gave rise to the most resistant bio-cokes were lignin and a bio-coal, derived from hydrothermally treated waste lignocellulosic biomass. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.