PURPOSE: To obtain a porous carbon material having excellent flexural strength, open cell ratio, etc., by mixing a liquid thermosetting polymer with a porosity- increasing material and hardened particle of an acrylic polymer or a carbonized particle produced by carbonizing said polymer particle, reacting the components under heating and carbonizing the product in a nonoxidizing atmosphere.

CONSTITUTION: A liquid acrylic polymer is dripped into a hardener solution (e.g. ethylene glycol solution of p-toluenesulfonic acid) to obtain spherical hardened particles, which are, as necessary, further heated to obtain carbonized particles. The hardened particles or the carbonized particles are mixed together with a porosity-increasing material (e.g. polyethylene glycol or starch) to a liquid thermosetting polymer (e.g. phenolic polymer or furan polymer) and thermally reacted with each other to obtain a porous carbon precursor. The carbon precursor is carbonized in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to obtain a porous carbon material suitable as an electrode material, filter, etc.