ZrC hexagonal platelets were fabricated via self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) reaction from 20 mass% Al-Zr-C powder mixtures and a typical layered structure of the as-products was observed. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) reveals that the thick ZrC hexagonal platelets (<= 1 mu m) grew through the layer-by-layer growth mechanism of thin hexagonal monolayers along [111] direction, while the thin monolayer (<= 40 nm) was formed via two-dimensional (2D) nucleation mode along (111) plane. The formation and growth mechanism of the ZrC platelets have been discussed in detail. Al additive in the compact played an important role in determining the formation and growth of ZrC platelets, serving not only as a diluent to inhibit the ZrC grains from coarsening, but as an intermediate reactant to participate in the reaction process. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.