Summary: Glass-ceramics based on the mineral cordierite have good mechanical and thermal properties. They can be easily prepared from glasses whose compositions lie in the primary phase field of cordierite on the 5 % CaO plane of the CaO-MgO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃ system. For uniform crystallization in the bulk, addition of a suitable nucleating agent is essential. The addition of 10–12 wt % of TiO₂ is considered to be suitable for both ternary and quaternary glasses. During controlled heat treatment of these glasses extensive phase separation occurs. The nucleation and crystallization processes that follow have been studied by differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, and light and electron microscopy. Some of the physical and mechanical properties of these glass-ceramics have been measured.