Process for production of a ceramic material, e.g. a carbide, nitride, boride or silicide, by reacting at least one compound of a metallic or non-metallic element having two or more goups reactive with hydroxyl groups with at least one organic compound having two or more hydroxyl groups to form an oxygen-containing polymeric product, heating the polymeric product to produce a coked product containing carbon and an oxide of the metallic or non-metallic element, and heating the coked product to produce a ceramic maerial, in which the proportion by weight of carbon to the oxide of the metallic or non-metallic element in the coked product is in the range from 50% to 150% of the proportion which is theoretically required to produce the ceramic material.