Cordierite ceramic filters have been shown a potential candidate for a high temperature dust collection, owing to its very low thermal expansion coefficient characteristic as an attribute of excellent thential shock resistance. It is preferable that a design of porous cordierite filter should have low pressure drop with high permeability while keeping the structural integrity. This study describes a simple and direct approach for fabricating a porous cordierite filter with honeycomb-type structure by introducing various non-through holes into mechanically foamed slurry, which is subsequently in-situ solidified by polymerization reaction. The gelcasting cordierite-based slurry was mechanically foamed in nitrogenfilled chamber. The resulting foamed slurry was cast directly into circular molds equipped with a cover having different number of pins. The gelled-bodies were carefully dried at 25 degrees C with a controlled humidity, followed by sintering under optimized condition. The dust collection performance, pressure drop, and gas permeability were evaluated as a function of the number of non-through holes in porous cordierite. Based on the results of the tests, the holey porous cordierite filter offered a better filter design for dust collection application. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.