Well-crystallized barium tungstate (BaWO4) Powders with different morphologies were successfully synthesized via a simple template-free precipitation technique. It was found that the selected reaction conditions play a different role in controlling the morphology of the obtained powders. The variation of morphology of the obtained BaWO4 powder mainly depends on the different reaction temperature, PH value of the starting solution and additive agents during the precipitation processing. Moreover, the additive agent is also a crucial factor on the size of the obtained particles. A possible mechanism has been discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.