Macroporous FCC catalyst and macroporous HDS catalyst were prepared using polystyrene spheres as template. The size of the macropores can be tailored by controlling the size of template. The BET surface area and the pore volume of the macroporous catalysts are larger than those of catalysts prepared without template, and the more template used, the larger the surface area and pore volume obtained. When the same amount of template was used, the smaller diameter template produced a catalyst with larger surface area and pore volume. The increments in surface area and pore volume of the catalysts were greater than those predicted from the geometry of the template, indicating particle template could inhibit the shrinkage of the catalyst during drying. When used as heavy oil FCC catalysts and heavy oil HDS catalyst, the prepared macroporous catalysts are much more active than catalysts prepared without the template. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.