Abstract Tb 3 Al 5 O 12 transparent ceramics have been prepared by solid state reaction and vacuum sintering. The optical quality and the microstructure of the samples were investigated. The sample sintered at 1650 °C possessed relatively good optical transparency from 400 nm to 1600 nm. The Verdet constant measured at 632.8 nm of the quasi-pore-free Tb 3 Al 5 O 12 transparent ceramic was −172.72 rad T −1 m −1 , which was close to the counterpart of Tb 3 Al 5 O 12 single crystal. The thermal conductivity of the sample was also measured. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Tb 3 Al 5 O 12 transparent ceramic with relatively good optical quality and magneto-optical property has been reported.