The use of inexpensive vegetable oils as feedstock for biodiesel production is an effective way to reduce biodiesel costs. Here we report production and properties of biodiesel produced from Amygdalus pedunculata which is widespread in arid area in China. Biodiesel produced from A. pedunculata conformed EN 14214, ASTM D6751, and GB/T20828 standards, except for those cetane number and oxidative stability. Cold flow and transportation safety properties were excellent (cold filter plugging point -11 degrees C, flash point 169 degrees C). Additives and antioxidants would be required to meet cetane number and oxidative stability specifications. The addition of 500 ppm tert-butylhydroquinone resulted in a higher induction period (6.7 h), bringing oxidative stability into compliance with all three biodiesel standards. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.