This review deals with the use of activated carbon, carbon black and graphite as well as graphitised materials as support material for the manufacture of commercially available precious metal powder catalysts. The manufacture of these carbons is described briefly, together with their most important chemical and physical properties that are tightly related to catalyst manufacture and use of such catalysts. The main industrial applications of carbon supported precious metal catalysts are also reviewed. Most of these applications make use of powder based catalysts and involve the hydrogenation of an organic substrate molecule.