The pyrolysis of residual crude palm oil from empty fruit bunch was investigated to determine the optimal conditions using a two-level experimental design performed in a 3,000 cm³ tube SS316 stainless steel reactor. The influence of the reaction temperature, residual CPO feed rate, and N₂ flow rate over MgO on the product distribution yield were determined using a distillation gas chromatograph (DGC) and physicochemical analyses. A two-level factorial design was used to investigate the parameters that influence biofuel yield and product distribution. Additionally, the hydrocarbon molecular structure under optimal conditions was identified using a gas chromatograph equipped with a mass spectrometer. Finally, the optimal conditions of the catalytic cracking of residual CPO were determined as follows; a temperature of 500°C, a 3 cm³ min⁻¹ CPO feed rate, a 129.45 cm³ min⁻¹ N₂ flow rate and 42.78 v/v% of MgO. This process produced 68.712 wt% of diesel-like fraction content with an intricate composition of aliphatic hydrocarbons consisting of 48.34 wt% alkane and 33.66 wt% alkene that was also diesel-like.