The thermophysical properties of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) thin films, namely the thermal diffusivity alpha, thermal effusivity epsilon, thermal conductivity kappa and volumetric heat capacity C-f have been measured simultaneously using ultrafast optical pump-probe technique. The pump-probe method utilizes the film surface temperature decay following a heating pulse from a pump laser. From the temperature decay, the thermal diffusivity alpha and effusivity epsilon were obtained by curve-fittings of two different physical models. The thermal conductivity kappa and volumetric heat capacity C-f were then deduced from the measured a and 8 using the relations kappa = alpha(1/2)epsilon and C-f = epsilon/alpha(1/2). The thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity obtained compare favorably with those reported in the literatures. The method is independent of substrate and Al capping layers. The curve-fittings are simpler because independent of parameters of the films and the Kapitza boundary thermal resistance at Al/a-C:H interface. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.