This study aimed to identify and to analyze characteristics of top-cited articles published in the Web of Science chemical engineering subject category from 1899 to 2011. Articles that have been cited more than 100 times were assessed regarding publication outputs, and distribution of outputs in journals. Five bibliometric indicators were used to evaluate source countries, institution and authors. A new indicator, Y-index, was created to assess quantity and quality of contribution to articles. Results showed that 3828 articles, published between 1931 and 2010, had been cited at least 100 times. Among them 54% published before 1991, and 49% top-cited articles originated from US. The top eight productive institutions were all located in US. The top journals were Journal of Catalysis, AIChE Journal, Chemical Engineering Science and Journal of Membrane Science. Y-index was successfully applied to evaluate publication character of authors, institutions, and countries/regions.