The data presented in this article is related to the research article entitled “Spectroscopic characterisation of Grubbs 2
nd
generation catalyst and its
p
-cresol derivatives” (Swart
et al.
2021). The 1D and 2D NMR characterisation data of the
p-
cresol derivative of the Grubbs 2
nd
generation catalyst, where one of the chloride ligands is replaced by the
p
-cresolate to form a Ru-O coordination compound (
3
) is reported. The characterization data include information obtained from
1
H,
13
C, Heteronuclear Single Quantum Coherence (HSQC), Heteronuclear Multiple Bond Correlation (HMBC), Homonuclear Correlation Spectroscopy (COSY), Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOE) and Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT) NMR spectroscopy.