Post-production processing of fly ash (FA) is an important issue for its use in concrete. Given (i) the need for environmental protection, (ii) the measures being applied on coal-fired power stations to reduce acidic gas emissions and (iii) the effect these have had on fly ash quality, there is a need to consider efficient post-production processing to enhance fly ash characteristics. This is particularly important for fly ash used as a cement in concrete production, since the additional residual carbon content and decreased fineness significantly affect its quality. This paper details the material characteristics of an ultrafine, low-lime fly ash (UF-FA), produced, in this case, by processing a coarse FA (referred to as parent FA) from a bituminous coal-fired power station via air-cyclonic separation. The UF-FA is shown to have much improved material characteristics compared to the parent FA in terms of morphology, mineralogy and chemical composition. Further results are presented on the effect of UF-FA on the properties of cementitious systems. Improved consistence and compressive strengths of combined Portland cement (PC) and UF-FA mortars were observed, whilst enhanced PC hydration and a high degree of FA reactivity were concluded from heat of hydration measurements and calcium hydroxide contents of pastes. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.