Abstract: A petroleum pitch or coke of a high purity is produced from a petroleum heavy residue such as distillation and cracked residua, asphalt and pitch by such treatment of the residue prior to a conventional pitching or coking treatment that the residue is treated with hydrogen in the absence of a catalyst under a hydrogen pressure of 20.about.200 Kg/cm.sup.2 under a gradual heating up to a final temperature of 350.degree..about.400.degree. C. so as to heat the residue from 150.degree. C. to 300.degree. C. over 30 to 120 minutes and then from 300.degree. C. to the final temperature over 10 to 60 minutes. The non-catalytic hydrogen treatment is called "hydrogenation refining step", which gives a refined pitching/coking feedstock from which a petroleum pitch or coke of extra high purity is derived.