This article is concerned with the preparation and characterization of composite materials prepared by the compression molding of mixtures of zinc powder and urea-formaldehyde embedded in cellulose powder. The morphologies of the constituent, filler, and matrix were investigated by optical microscopy. The elaborated composites were characterized by density, which was compared with calculated values, and the porosity rate was deduced. Further, the hardness of samples remained almost constant with increasing metal concentration. The electrical conductivity of the composites was less than 10(-11) S/cm unless the metal content reached the percolation threshold at a volume fraction of 18.9%, beyond which the conductivity increased markedly, by as much as eight orders of magnitude. The obtained results interpreted well with the statistical percolation theory. The deduced critical parameters, such as the threshold of percolation, the critical exponent t, and the packing density coefficient were in good accord with earlier studies. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.