METHOD FOR PRODUCING PITCH

The present invention provides pitch for manufacturing carbon materials, the pitch having a high fixed carbon content and low viscosity and being obtained by using a petroleum-based heavy oil as a material. Pitch is produced by a method comprising: a step for preparing a material oil containing a petroleum-based heavy oil and an indene compound represented by general formula (1) (step 1); a step for thermally treating the material oil (step 2); and a step for distilling the thermally treated product and obtaining pitch as a high-boiling-point component (step 3). (In general formula (1), Ar represents an aromatic ring having 1 to 3 rings; R1 to R4 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group having 2 to 3 carbon atoms; R5 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group having 2 to 3 carbon atoms; m represents an integer from 1 to 3; n represents an integer from 0 to 4 (when the number of rings of Ar is 1), an integer from 0 to 6 (when the number of rings of Ar is 2), or an integer from 0 to 8 (when the number of rings of Ar is 3); adjacent R5s may be bonded together to form an alicyclic ring; and a hydrogen atom is bonded to Ar which is not substituted by R5.)