Porous ceramic plates were prepared from Onggi clay and bamboo charcoal powder at 1100 and 1200 o C and their porous properties and water absorption, and the cooling effect of porous plates, were investigated to produce eco-friendly porous ceramics for a self-cooling system that relies on the evaporation of absorbed water. Porous properties were dependent on the particle size of charcoal powder pore forming additive and the firing temperature; properties were also found to be dependent on the total pore volume, average pore size and porosity, which had values of 0.103-0.243 cm 3