Aluminium titanate is highly anisotropic in thermal expansion. As a result, thermal stresses build up in the material and intergranular cracks can develop. Both the outstanding thermal shock resistance and the low mechanical strength of aluminium titanate ceramics are a result of intergranular microcracking. The authors have previously identified a possibility of remarkably increasing fracture toughness of aluminium titanate without excessive penalty on strength. The paper shows that sintered density and porosity measurements can be used for optimizing the sintering and microstructure of aluminium titanate for an ideal balance between toughness and strength and, hence, the best thermal shock resistance.