Abstract: The surface properties of zirconia calcined at different temperatures were characterized by XRD, LRS, NH₃-TPD, CO₂-TPD and CO-FTIR. The effect of zirconia surface properties on the catalytic performance of Cu/ZrO₂ in CO hydrogenation was investigated. The results indicated that the surface properties of zirconia support, especially the surface base-acid properties, are affected significantly by the calcination temperature; the zirconia calcined at 450℃ exhibits high basicity and low acidity. The support surface properties also exhibit a great influence on the performance of Cu/ZrO₂ catalyst for CO adsorption and CO hydrogenation. An active Cu/ZrO₂ catalyst for CO hydrogenation can be obtained with zirconia calcined at 450℃ as the support.