The adsorption equilibria of propylene and ethylene on 15 commercial activated carbons at 101.3 kPa and 313 K were investigated. The adsorption amount of propylene and ethylene on these adsorbents varied greatly from a minimum of 1.593 mmol.g(-1) for propylene and 1.430 mmol.g(-1) for ethylene to a maximum of 4.528 mmol.g(-1) for propylene and 3.100 mmol.g(-1) for ethylene. Characteristics of these activated carbon adsorbents such as the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, micropore area, external surface area, total pore volume, micropore volume, and average pore diameter were determined by a volumetric method. The adsorption amount of the two alkenes on these 15 carbon samples were correlated with their physical parameters. Both the BET surface area and micropore volume have an effect on their adsorption.