The adsorption of ammonia on three different monolithic SCR catalysts was investigated experimentally. Two Of the examined monoliths were coated cordierite honeycombs, containing either V2O5-WO3/TiO2 or V2O5/TiO2 as active components. The third sample was a commercially available extruded monolithic honeycomb consisting of V2O5-WO3/TiO2, and was tested for comparison. Different transient response methods and a modified temperature programmed desorption (TPD) method were used to investigate the ammonia adsorption in the presence of water (5%) and oxygen (10%). Under typical SCR conditions (stoichiometric ratio NH3:NO<1), the ammonia coverage of the WO3-free catalyst sample was significantly lower. Ammonia is more strongly adsorbed on the WO3-containing catalyst. The extruded catalyst adsorbed substantially larger amounts of ammonia especially at low temperatures, leading to a slow response under transient conditions.