Purpose With the nickel foam made by the technique of electrodeposition on polymer foam, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of several deferent processes on the surface morphology and the specific surface area of this porous product. Design/methodology/approach The surface morphologies of the nickel foam were examined by SEM. The specific surface area of the porous product was measured by gas (N2) permeability method and also calculated by the reported formula. Findings The nickel foam from sintering in NH3 decomposition atmosphere at 850°C will achieve the same specific surface area as that at 980°C, whether this porous structure after electrodeposition comes through direct sintering in NH3 decomposition atmosphere, or through burning in air at 600°C for 4 min beforehand then the same reductive sintering. Originality/value There have been some studies on the preparation and application of nickel foam, but few works focus on the processing influence on the specific surface of this porous product. The present work provides the investigations on the difference of the product made under different producing conditions, and the influence of several deferent processes on the specific surface area of the product.