This study aims to examine absorption characteristics of toluene, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ethyl acetate (EA), and ternary-compounds, all of which are widely used in industrial processes, by means of four types of commercial activated carbon substances. It turned out that among the three types of volatile organic compounds, the breakthrough point of activated carbon and that of IPA, whose affinity was the lowest, were the lowest, and then that of EA and that of toluene in the order. With the breakthrough point of IPA, which was the shortest, as the standard, changes in the breakthrough points of unary-compounds, binary-compounds, and ternary-compounds were examined. As a result, it turned out that the larger the number of elements, the lower the breakthrough point. This resulted from competitive adsorption, that is, substitution of substances with a low level of affinity with those with a high level of affinity. Hence, the adsorption of toluene-IPA-EA and ternary-compounds require a design of the activated carbon bed based on the breakthrough of IPA, and in the design of activated carbon beds in actual industries as well, a substance whose level of affinity is the lowest needs to be the standard.