Two methacrylate-type resin including cyclohexane moiety were synthesized and characterized. The curing characteristics of these resins were investigated according to the change of thermal initiator. An autocatalytic kinetic reaction occurs in these systems, and the kinetic parameters of all systems were reported in terms of generalized kinetic equation that considered the diffusion term. It can be shown that the reaction conversion rate of one methacrylate-type resin (NC-9110-MA) is faster than another resin (EHPE-3150-MA), regardless of the kinds of thermal initiator, which is attributed to the reaction rate constant increases of NC-9110-MA with lower activation energy compared with EHPE-3150-MA. It can be seen that the conversion reaction rate of these resin systems with BPO as thermal initiator at low temperature is higher than those with AIBN. A main factor of reaction conversion rate increase for the NC-9110-MA resin system is a reaction rate constant; however, that for the EHPE-3150-MA resin system is a total reaction order. These resin with BPO as thermal initiator represent a lower cure reaction activation energy and collision frequency factor than those with AIBN. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.