Ripe black olive fruits (13 vaieties) grown in Egypt were used for pickling using the 10% slat solution and the semi-dry salt methods. The main factors which influence the characteristics of the table olive obtained were the difference in olive fruit sizes, the oil content, and the moisture percentages. Using the 10% salt solution method, three varieties (Agizi shamy, Frantoyo and long kalamata) gained weight between 0.5 and 5%, while all the other varieties lost weight with an average of 1.3 to 8.6%, due to the low amount of moisture, low oil content and the low ratio of the flesh to the seed; the semi-dry salt method resulted in better desirable characteristics for the medium and big size olives, while small size olives had better characteritics for the medium and big size olives, while small size olives had better characteristics when pickled with the brine salt solution. Most black olive varieties pickled using the semi-dry salt method had a slightly hard flesh texture, a desirable black constant colour and a short time for pickling between 5 and 10 weeks.