The Ce doping Fe/beta catalysts were prepared by an easy incipient wetness impregnation method and characterized using various analytical techniques, including H-2-TPR, XRD, UV-vis and XPS. The results demonstrated that the addition of cerium effectively improved the deNO performance, hydrothermal stability and 503 resistance of the Fe/beta catalyst for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx by NH3. The finely dispersed iron oxide nanoparticles on the surface of Ce-Fe/beta catalysts and the compensative effect of cerium are dominating reasons for high catalytic performance. The Ce doping enhanced the hydrothermal stability of the Fe/beta catalyst because it could control the growth of iron oxides and stabilize the dispersed iron species. Suppressing the deposition of sulfates by Ce addition made the Fe/beta catalyst a great SO2 tolerance. It was speculated that the outstanding performance of Ce doping Fe/beta catalysts made them attractive for practical application. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.