The polyamide 6/acrylonitrile-butylene-styrene copolymer (PA 6/ABS) blends were prepared using the twin-screw extruder with ethylene-acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer (EAGMA) as the reactive compatibilizer. The structure, morphology, thermal, and mechanical properties of the blends were carefully investigated. The results indicated that the ring-opening reaction of epoxy groups of EAGMA in the presence of amine and carboxyl groups of PA 6 led to the formation of EAGMA grafted PA 6 copolymer. The grafted copolymer serving as the compatibilizer eventually led to the decrease of the phase diameters as observed from the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The crystallization and melting behavior of PA 6 were restricted by the incorporation of both ABS and EAGMA, and the addition of EAGMA improved the thermal stability of the PA 6/ABS blends. Heat deformation temperature (HDT) of the blends reached a maximum value at EAGMA content of 12 wt %, which is about 45 degrees C above the HDT of pristine PA 6. The tensile strength of the blends decreased with an increasing EAGMA content, and the impact strength of the blends showed the highest value at EAGMA content of 20 wt %, which is about 323% higher than that of pristine PA 6. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 122: 586-592, 2011