An attempt has been made to understand the impact of thermal aging with copper sulphide diffused oil impregnated pressboard (OIP) material for surface discharge inception voltage (SDIV) variation. The SDIV of Copper sulphide diffused OIP material reduces with increase in thermal aging. The UHF signals generated due to surface discharges with copper sulphide diffused OIP at the point of inception have frequency content in the range 0.7-1.5 GHz with its dominant frequency at 0.9GHz. HFCT measurement indicated that the rise time of injected current pulse due to surface discharge activity in the negative and positive half cycle of the AC voltage are about 0.8ns and 1ns respectively. It is also found that increase in thermal aging of copper sulphide diffused OIP, the amplitude and width of the current pulse increases. The magnitude of surface charge and its mean life is high with thermal aging temperature of copper sulphide diffused OIP material. Polarity of surface charge acquired by OIP due to AC corona charging depends on the surface condition of the pressboard material and its charge decay rate is lower than under DC voltage. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) and Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS) study confirms the presence of copper sulphide on the surface of OIP and is found to be increased for copper sulfide diffused OIP material compare to unused OIP material. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis indicates formation of cracks with thermally aged OIP material. Phase Resolved Partial Discharge (PRPD) study indicates that the surface discharge activity occurs near the peaks of the applied AC voltage at inception and at the rising portion of the applied AC voltage at higher voltages. It is found that the tensile and flexural strength reduces drastically for thermally aged copper sulphide diffused OIP material compare to unused specimen. © 1994-2012 IEEE.