Abstract Magnetic ceramic hexagonal ferrites with strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy are considered for application in high frequency antennas. In particular, Ba 3 Co 2 Fe 24 O 41 (Co 2 Z) is expected to exhibit a high permeability and low loss at frequencies > 1 GHz. In this paper, we report the fabrication of Co 2 Z material starting from precursor powders made by a modified-Pechini route. The precursor powders are compacted by dry pressing, followed by sintering to achieve a relative density of 90.3%. The morphology, crystal structure and high frequency magnetic permeability of thus formed materials are presented. The highest initial permeability, μ ′ = 11.9, was achieved for the samples calcined/sintered at 1300/1330 °C. It is expected that further improvement can be achieved by optimization of the sintered micro-structures.