Thermally processed lead iodide (PbI 2 ) thin films were prepared by the vacuum evaporation method in a constant ambient. Measured thickness of the film was verified analytically from the optical transmittance data in a wavelength range between 300 and 1600 nm. From the Tauc relation for the non-direct inter band transition, the optical band gap of the film was found to be 2.58 eV for film thickness 300 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that PbI 2 films are polycrystalline, having hexagonal structure. The low fluctuation in Urbach energy indicates that the grain size is quite small. The present findings are in agreement with the other results.