Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) powder was prepared by a two-step process: wet precipitation of apatitic tricalcium phosphate [Ca9(HPO4)(PO4)5(OH)] (β-TCP ‘precursor’) and calcination of the precursor at 800°C for 3 h to produce β-TCP. Magnesium-substituted tricalcium phosphate (β-TCMP) was produced by adding Mg(NO3)2 · 6H2O into Ca(NO3)2 solution as Mg2+ source before the precipitation step. The transition temperature from β-TCP to α-TCP increases with the increase of Mg2+ content in β-TCMP. β-TCMP with 3 mol.% Mg2+ has β-TCP to α-TCP transition temperature above 1,300°C. Dense β-TCMP (3 mol.% Mg2+) ceramics (∼99.4% relative density) were produced by pressing the green bodies at 100 MPa and further sintering at 1,250°C for 2 h. The average compressive strength of dense β-TCP ceramics sintered at 1,100°C is ∼540 MPa, while that of β-TCMP (3 mol.% Mg2+) ceramics is ∼430 MPa.