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Ferrite catalysts were prepared following two routes, i.e. the hydrothermal one and the calcination of an oxide mixture. In the first route sodium hydroxide, ferrous sulfate and the sulfate of the substituting ion (Mn, Ni) were used. The ferrites obtained using this route was NixFe3−xO4 (x = 0.5) and MnxFe3−xO4 (x ∼ 0.65). Following the second route were prepared three samples: NiFe2O4, Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 and MnFe2O4. Two of them contain the corresponding ferrites while the latter is a presintered oxide mixture (Fe2O3–Mn2O3). All the samples were fully characterized using chemical analysis, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and EDX, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms at −196 °C, X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR, scanning electron microscopy and XPS. The catalytic activity evaluation was made using a mixture of 1700 ppm vol. of toluene and air flowing at 100 ml min−1 raising the temperature up to 600 °C in steps of 25 °C. Among these systems the sample representing the presintered Fe2O3–Mn2O3 mixture showed the highest activity.