Various factors affecting the high temperature compressive strength (TCS) for the carbide slag-based CaO pellets were systematically examined both experimentally and theoretically. It showed that the spherical CaO particles with microstructure can enhance the TCS of the pellets, and the higher the spheroidization of the particles, the higher the TCS. Inducing H3BO3 can lead to a low-temperature nucleation of CaO particle, inhibit the growth of CaO grain, and thus form spherical CaO particles. The TCS of CaO pellet from Ca(OH)(2) was optimized with the response surface methodology with a highest value of 37.4 MPa. For the CaO pellet from the carbide slag, the TCS under optimal conditions was 39.67 MPa. However, it was found out that an excess of H3BO3 inducer in the CaO pellets from the carbide slag could produce eutectic calcium borate with a low melting point, resulting in a decreased TCS. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.