The thermal decomposition of the benzyl radical was studied in shock tube experiments using ultraviolet laser absorption at 266 nm for detection of benzyl. Test gas mixtures of 50 and 100 ppm of benzyl iodide dilute in argon were heated in reflected shock waves to temperatures ranging from 1430 to 1730 K at total pressures around 1.5 bar. The temporal behavior of the 266 nm absorption allowed for determination of the benzyl absorption cross-section at 266 nm and the rate coefficient for benzyl decomposition, C6H5CH2 -> C7H6 + H. The rate coefficient for benzyl decomposition at 1.5 bar can be described using a two-parameter Arrhenius expression by k(1)(T) = 8.20 x 10(14) exp(- 40 600 K/T) [s(-1)], and the benzyl absorption cross-section at 266 nm was determined to be sigma(benzyl) = 1.9 x 10(-17) cm(2) molecule(-1) with no discernible temperature dependence over the temperature range of the experiments.