Biomass characteristics are necessary for the proper selection of the gasification system and to design and evaluate the performance of biomass gasifiers. The coir pith is analyzed for its physical properties, chemical composition and kinetic parameters. The mean particle size of coir pith was found to be 0.551 mm. The relative size range of the coir pith was found to be 0.817. The bulk density, porosity and particle density of coir pith were found to be 87.0 kg m-3, 71.4% and 305.0 kg m-3 respectively. Coir pith was found to have more volatiles (62.0%) than fixed carbon (26.0%) and ash (12.0%). The elemental carbon and oxygen were found to be 47.1 and 48.3 per cent respectively. The calorific value of coir pith was found to be 18.24 MJ kg-1. Thermograms obtained for raw coir pith revealed distinct stages of thermal degradation. The ignition temperature was found to be 550oC.