Plastic aluminous clays are abundantly available in Tamilnadu. However, at present the utilization of these clays is very low due to lack of detailed characterization. In the present work, the green and fired characteristics of clays obtained from three different locations in Tamilnadu (Udayarpalayam, Panruti and Neyveli) have been investigated to assess their potential use as raw materials. Physical properties, plasticity index, particle size analysis, chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis of these clays have been carried out. Physical properties such as density, bending strength, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy of the fired samples have also been carried out. The properties of the above three clays are compared with each other. The results show that these clays are plastic in nature containing a moderate amount of impurities with high alumina content. © 2002 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.