A support plate for use in firing which has a main component of the crystal phase after firing being the same as that of an article to be sintered, and has a surface roughness (Ra) of the surface to be contacted with the article to be fired of 8 to 50 .mu.m. A firing method using the above support plate is free from the breaking or chipping of cells of a honeycomb fired article as a product and also is free from the breaking thereof during firing, the staining or cells, the cracking or deformation thereof, or the failure of reaction, which is caused by the mismatch in expansion-shrinkage behavior, and thus allows the prevention of the decrease of the yield in the production of a honeycomb fired article as a product.