Good quality single crystals of p-chloro dibenzylideneacetone (CDBA) of size 13 mm x 8 mm x 2 mm were grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique. The grown crystals were confirmed by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. From the thermo gravimetric/differential thermal (TG/DT) analysis, the CDBA was found to be thermally stable up to 250 degrees C. The mechanical stability of the crystal is comparable with that of the other reported chalcones. The lower optical cut-off wavelength for this crystal was observed at 440 nm. The laser damage threshold of the crystal was 0.6 GW/cm(2) at 532 mm. The second harmonic generation conversion efficiency of the powder sample of CDBA was found to be 4.5 times greater than that of urea. We also demonstrate the existence of the phase matching property in this crystal using Kurtz powder technique. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.