The hydrophobing of AlN powders through adsorption of capric acid, stearic acid and cetyl alcohol on the particle surface was investigated by statistical analysis. Stearic acid as surface adsorbent and cyclohexane as solvent were identified as the best combination for achieving highly effective hydrophobicity of AlN. The adsorption data obtained for this combination indicated a Langmuir chemisorption isotherm. Even after 96 h leaching in water, no crystalline phase other than AlN could be detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD).