A composite material containing zeolite ZSM-5 and mesoporous molecular sieve was prepared by coating ZSM-5 crystals with a layer of mesoporous molecular sieve using cetyltrimethylammonium chloride as template. The ratio of mesophase was varied from 10 to 40 wt.% and the alumina content in the mesophase was varied from 0 to 15 wt.%. The synthesized composite materials were characterized using nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and acidity. The surface area was found to vary in the range of 350-500 m(2)/g when ZSM-5 coated with siliceous mesophase and varied from 140 to 350 m(2)/g when alummosilicate coating was used. The composite materials were used as catalysts in the palm oil cracking process and their performance was compared with those obtained from HZSM-5 and MCM-41 materials. Palm oil conversion of 80-100 wt.% and yield of gasoline fraction of 38-47 wt.% were obtained from the composite catalysts. The catalysts were selective towards the formation of aromatics in the organic liquid product (OLP). (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.