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The main objective of this work is the study of the effect of the incorporation of a mineral charge, perlite, in a thermosetting matrix based on an unsaturated polyester resin, of the isophthalic resin type, on the mechanical, physical and morphological properties of composite materials containing various rates of minerals, having different dimensions, in particular higher than 50 µm and lower than 50 µm, treated and not treated. The composites were prepared by the contact molding process. The study of the mechanical properties, carried out by determining the stress at break and strain at break, impact resistance and fracture resistance, showed that these properties increase up to 4 % due to the strong affinity between the two components and the good dispersion of the filler; then, decrease when the content of the filler increases which does not allow an adequate dispersion and creates agglomerations that initiate the break. A good correlation was observed between the results of the mechanical tests and the SEM observations, which reveal that for lower concentrations, the perlite particles are well dispersed in the resin, but also the evidence of agglomerations when the filler content increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]