An investigation was carried out on the physical and mechanical properties of two varieties of fresh oil palm fruit (dura and tenera). The physical properties investigated include, size, sphericity index, aspect ratio, true density, bulk density, and porosity. The mechanical properties studied were cracking force, pressure, dynamic angle of repose and coefficient of friction. The mean size of the fresh dura fruit i.e. fruit length, width and thickness were found to be 30.25 mm, 19.94 mm. and 15.66 mm, respectively, while that of the fresh tenera were 35.96 mm, 20.15 mm and 17.11 mm, respectively. The sphericity and aspect ratio of the fresh dura variety were found to be 70.67% and 67.78%, respectively, while that of the fresh tenera was 64.23% and 56.77%, respectively. The true densities, bulk densities, densities ratio and porosities of the fresh dura and tenera were 1112.50 kg/m(3), 659.40 kg/m(3), 59.33%, and 40.67% and 995.70 kg/m(3), 611.04 kg/m(3), 61.45%, and 38.55%, respectively. The coefficient of static friction obtained on four surfaces namely, plywood, aluminium, mild steel sheet and galvanised steel sheet were 0.58, 0.53, 0.56 and 0.56, respectively, for the fresh dura variety while that of the tenera were found to be 0.5175, 0.52, 0.52 and 0.53, respectively, for the aforementioned surfaces. The dynamic angle of repose values obtained on plywood, aluminium, mild steel and galvanised steel were found to be 18.43 degrees, 18.42 degrees, 18.59 degrees and 18.32 degrees, respectively, for the fresh tenera while that of the fresh dura were 22.01 degrees, 21.01 degrees, 19.91 degrees and 22.23 degrees, respectively, for the four aforementioned surfaces. The average cracking force required to break fresh dura and tenera were 2301 N and 1149 N, respectively. The mean pressure applied on the unsterilised dura and tenera varieties were 5.79 N/mm(2) and 2.00 N/mm(2), respectively. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier Ltd.