Catalytic cracking of n-octane has been studied over FAU, FER, MWW, MFI, BEA and MOR zeolites in order to investigate the effects of pore structure and acidity on their catalytic properties. The conversion of n-octane was largely dependent on the number of strong acid sites, while their pore structure determined the rate of catalyst deactivation due to carbon deposit. Continuous and high catalytic activity, therefore, was obtained on the MFI zeolite with sinusoidal pores and small Si/Al molar ratio, because its pores suppress the formation of large intermediate and its large number of strong acid sites accelerates the cracking of n-octane.