Micro-porous nickel (Ni) with an open cell structure was fabricated by powder metallurgy. The pore size of the micro-porous Ni approximated and . For comparison, porous Ni with a macro-porous structure were also prepared by both powder metallurgy (pore size ) and the traditional chemical vapour deposition method (pore size ). The mechanical properties of the micro-and macro-porous Ni samples were evaluated using compressive tests. Results indicate that the micro-porous Ni samples exhibited significantly enhanced mechanical properties, compared to those of the macro-porous Ni samples.