In this study, Pitch-derived activated carbon (PAC) pellets were by steam activation for automotive carbon canisters. The crystal structure of PAC was analyzed using X-ray diffraction. The textural properties of PAC were studied by Brunauer– Emmett–Teller (BET), Horvath-Kawazoe (HK), and Non-Localized Density Functional Theory (NLDFT) equations with N2/ 77 K isotherm adsorption/ desorption curves. The butane adsorption capacity of the PAC pellets was analyzed according to the ASTM D5228 standard. With increasing steam activation time, the specific surface area and total pore volume of the PAC increased 650–1950 m2/ g and 0.27–1.02 cm3/ g, respectively. The mesopore ratio of PAC increased with increasing activation time and was observed up to 28.4% at 190 min. The butane adsorption capacity of the PAC increased and was observed to range from 10.86 to 51.55%. A close relationship between butane adsorption capacity and pore size (1.47–2.39 nm) was found. Finally, the butane activity of PAC was found to be 51.55% for the steam activated at 950 ℃ for 190 min; this butane activity is 24% better than that of the coconut-derived activated carbon (41.43%) with a similar specific surface area, indicating that pitch is a suitable material for the activated carbon of automotive carbon canisters.