The effect of Al content, size of powders and reactant C/Ti atomic ratios on ignition temperatures, phase constituents of the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) products and morphology of TiC particulates formed by SHS in an Al-Ti-C system was investigated using the heat pressing vacuum apparatus by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrum (EDS). The results show that Al content plays an important role in determining the size of TiC particles. The size of TiC particles decreases from approximately 3~5μm to 0.7~0.8μm with increasing Al content from 20% to 50% (weight percent). It is also observed that the size of carbon powders and the reactant C/Ti atomic ratios have a greater effect on morphology of TiC particularly. The TiC grains are in the close-to-sphere shape when the size of carbon powders is less than 75μm or C/Ti≥1; while the morphology of TiC turns to octahedron when the size of carbon powders is more than 75μm or C/Ti＜1.